Space-Space Fruit?

"Oi, why is the World Government after you?"

The man lifted his head, revealing a grimy face with dull, lifeless eyes devoid of any spark, and lips cracked like parched earth.

Seeing this, Seven fetched food and water, placing them before the man: "Eat first, then talk."

Only those who've starved truly understand the torment of hunger and thirst.

Usually, even if he planned to kill someone, Seven would let them eat their fill first—his motto being a full stomach for the road, no dying hungry.

Even with his hands locked in Sea Prism Stone cuffs, the man still wolfed down the food without restraint.

Such a ravenous eating manner reminded Seven of himself before joining the Roger Pirates, when kind villagers offered him food and he ate the same way.

One meal full, the next empty—no table manners to speak of.

The man polished off two bowls of Braised Pork Rice in no time: "Your ship's cook is pretty good."

"I'm Phoenix, a doctor, and a Space-Space Person who ate the Space-Space Fruit."

"The World Government seems to have found a way to reclaim Devil Fruits. I reckon they want to reclaim the Space-Space Fruit, so they grabbed me."

A doctor? Space-Space Fruit?

Seven pursed his lips, his face impassive, but his heart pounded wildly. It couldn't be the Op-Op Fruit with a 5-billion-berry bounty from the World Government, could it?

If it really were the Space-Space Fruit, the CP Leader wouldn't have drawn his gun to kill Phoenix after Mihawk showed up.

The truth was staring him in the face.

The World Government would rather kill this guy than let him fall into someone else's hands.

Besides, the man's demeanor had shifted drastically.

Someone resigned to death wouldn't eat like that—only a desperate survivor would devour everything in sight, clinging to every chance to live.

And his explanation was too neat, too polished... as if rehearsed.

Though aside from Law, there was no info on other Op-Op Fruit users on the seas.

That wasn't hard to understand.

A Devil Fruit granting immortality was strategic-nuke-level. The World Government would erase all traces of it.

Immortality!

Still, even if the doctor really was an Op-Op Fruit user, Seven figured he couldn't perform the immortality surgery yet.

Ten CP agents had captured him easily, meaning his strength was mediocre—probably weaker than Seven himself.

"Captain, may I ask your name?"

"Barzeb Seven."

The doctor pressed on: "Captain Seven, where are you headed?"

Seven grinned at the doctor.

"Don't ask about that. You're my prize, snatched from the World Government."

"Funny thing is, I'm also interested in the Space-Space Fruit. And even funnier, I know how to reclaim Devil Fruits too."

Hearing this, the doctor froze, his already pale face turning even whiter.

Even Mihawk, who was pulling a cold drink from the ice bucket, stood still:

Damn, I'm even more interested in Seven now.

The doctor smiled bitterly, feeling like he'd jumped from the frying pan into the fire: "Captain Seven, a man with kingly qualities like you knows about this too?"

"Just kidding."

Seven patted the doctor's shoulder: "From now on, cleaning duty on the ship is yours."

"Yes, Captain! I'll get it done."

After leaving the port, Seven and his crew set course for Jaya Island.

Even if the doctor really was an Op-Op Fruit user, Seven wouldn't force him now.

He was only fifteen.

Being forever twenty sounded great, but forever fifteen? Not so much.

He'd wait until his body fully matured and stopped growing before considering immortality.

Rather than waste time here, he'd better hurry to Shandora and use that Golden Pillar to buy the Divine Artifact, Dream One Heart.

What if that idiot on the Teyvat Continent took Dream One Heart off the shelves?

Seven had to consider: this might be his one and only chance.

Miss it, and it'd be gone forever.

World Economic News Company.

News agency president Morgans stared at the faxed photos in his hand, then glanced at the Den Den Mushi.

"Got any clearer shots? Like this, they won't cause a stir at all."

The Den Den Mushi mimicked a person's expression as it spoke: "Three million Berry, and I'll send you all the photos."

Morgans let out a cold laugh: "Three million Berry? You must be out of your mind for money."

The Den Den Mushi: "Don't forget, he's a member of the Roger Pirates. Before I got knocked out by Conqueror's Haki, I snapped plenty of photos that'll make newspaper sales explode."

"Also, all ten CP agents are dead, and he took that criminal with him."

Morgans said darkly: "You don't even know his last name."

The Den Den Mushi: "Does his last name matter? What do you think of 'Roger' as a surname?"

"This old man never sells fake news!" Morgans grumbled. "Just a small-time cook from the Roger Pirates. Final offer, two million. Take it or leave it."

The Den Den Mushi: "Deal."

When the high-definition photos came through from the Den Den Mushi, Morgans put his hands on his hips and threw his head back in wild laughter.

"Big news! This is huge news!"

Morgans specially picked one photo: the sky crackling with thunder and lightning, black-red Haki tearing through the heavens, Seven holding a blue-glowing longsword as the cover.

He also found a close-up: snow-white hair, a slightly youthful facial close-up.

"Barzeb Seven! King's caliber, Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit, killed World Government agents, abducted a mysterious prisoner. Yeah, that's the write-up."

"What should I call his alias?"

Morgans paced around the office, muttering nonstop: "Devil's Descendant is taken by Bullet, and White Hair doesn't sound intimidating enough."

"Rumble-Rumble Fruit... Rumble-Rumble Fruit..."

"General of Thunder?"

"Forget it, let's go with Thunder God."

After finalizing the draft himself, Morgans howled: "Tomorrow's paper is going to sell like crazy!"

But before printing officially began, Morgans took out a Den Den Mushi to contact his old acquaintance, CP9 agent Rujian Yitia.

"Rujian, I've found Barzeb's location. Three million Berry, and I'll send you the coordinates right now."

The Den Den Mushi gritted its teeth and asked: "Is Hawk Eyes Mihawk still with him?"

Morgans paused: "They're together? I haven't heard anything about them being together."

The Den Den Mushi: "Good, thanks."

East Blue, Loguetown.

When Rujian Yitia received the news that Barzeb Seven had appeared on Lodestar Island, he was completely stunned.

"What?!"

"You're a no-Haki, no-fighting-skills, no-Devil-Fruit-power triple-zero, non-combatant. How the hell did you get into the Grand Line?"

"How dare you!"

Thinking about how he'd been wandering around the East Blue like a headless fly, wasting over a month, Rujian Yitia's anger bar maxed out.

"Barzeb, you really deserve to die!!!"