Displaying Abilities

"Devil Fruit!!"

"Ara ara, what a lucky brat."

At those words, even the lazy Aokiji nearby couldn't help but cast a look of interest toward Dawn.

Hearing Dawn's words, Yukimura set aside his guilt and exclaimed in surprise, "You actually ate a Devil Fruit, Dawn boy?"

"Yeah, it was a fruit with weird colors and strange patterns that tasted awful. I remember hearing some soldier uncles mention it during training on the ship. When I ate it, I thought it was just some local island fruit."

Dawn grinned, casually revealing the process of eating the fruit.

This was a fairly common way to end up with a Devil Fruit—many people across the sea stumbled into eating one by accident like this.

And Dawn's story had no holes in it, since this island was full of bizarre and delicious foods anyway.

Revealing himself as a Devil Fruit user served two purposes. First, it showed his openness—after all, he planned to join the Marines, so hiding his ability was out of the question. Second, it demonstrated his value. Only by doing so could he earn the Marines' attention and secure better resources and training to grow stronger.

"I never expected you to accidentally eat a Devil Fruit on the island, Dawn boy. What ability is it?" Yukimura asked, curiosity piqued.

Even the lazy Aokiji perked up. While Devil Fruits varied in strength and depended on the user's development, a fruit with high potential and strong abilities always offered greater training value.

"I call it the Aura Fruit. It can boost my own attributes like strength and speed, and most importantly, it seems like I can apply it to others too."

Dawn chuckled and scratched his head. "But I've only tested it on those fat, round sea beasts before, so I'm not sure if it actually works on people."

"What are you waiting for? Try it on me right now!" Yukimura's face lit up with excitement at Dawn's explanation.

An ability like this—support-based—was incredibly valuable! If it could be applied to others, its worth would multiply exponentially!

And if Dawn grew strong enough, the ability could even rise to the level of a strategic weapon!

After all, the Marines never lacked soldiers!

Imagine a group of soldiers at the rank of petty officer, boosted by Dawn's power to match captains. Just the thought made Yukimura's heart race.

Urged on by Yukimura, Dawn cast Speed Aura on both of them.

When the cyan aura enveloped them, even with their superhuman physiques, they could feel their bodies grow slightly lighter.

It was faint—so faint it barely seemed to do anything—but they could clearly sense the power working on them.

"Try it on them! You're too weak right now. Our superhuman bodies make it hard to feel the fruit's effect."

The sensation was so subtle that Yukimura wondered if something had even happened, unsure if it had actually boosted his speed.

But after a moment's thought, he realized the gap in their strength was too large, so he immediately called out a soldier.

"Alright, this time I'll use the Red Ring for strength. That should make it easier for you to judge, Uncle Yukimura." Dawn thought for a moment.

"Hm? Good idea." Yukimura immediately ordered the soldier to attack him.

"No need for that. I'll handle it." Aokiji said, creating two ice pillars the size of a human head.

"These two pillars have the same hardness. Use your weapon to cut one before and one after the ability is applied." Aokiji instructed.

"Yes, sir!" The soldier obeyed and struck the first ice pillar.

The blade sank about a third of the way in before stopping completely.

"Now try with the ability." Aokiji looked at Dawn.

A flash of red aura enveloped the soldier. The immense power from the Red Ring made him feel a surge of confidence.

In simple terms—you've been buffed, now go!

This time, the blade cut in half the depth of the pillar!

"Ara ara, Yukimura, this is quite a surprise." Aokiji stared at the ice pillar, his gaze toward Dawn growing serious.

To resist the temptation of food on such a dangerous island showed strong willpower—a sign of potential to become a strong fighter.

His constant training had clearly boosted his strength, laying a solid foundation far beyond his peers, even giving him experience fighting beasts.

And he'd eaten a Devil Fruit with great potential.

With two different support auras, his development of the fruit was impressive too. At the very least, he was a candidate for vice admiral.

Not just any vice admiral, but one who could provide massive combat boosts to teammates of the same level!

Based on that single buff, if applied during battle, the sudden spike in combat power would catch enemies off guard.

This wasn't just wishful thinking. Even though the boost was negligible on himself now, the fact that he could feel even a faint effect at this stage of development meant something.

What if Dawn grew stronger? Could it then affect him too?

Imagine a group of vice admirals, or even admirals, locked in a stalemate with an enemy. Dawn activates his aura, and the balance shatters, turning the tide.

At their level, even the slightest boost had a massive impact on a fight.

Even Aokiji felt a stir of excitement in his heart.

And if he pushed further, to awakening? Then it wouldn't just affect local battles—it would reshape entire battlefields!

What did the Marines have the most of? People! From recruits to admirals, their numbers dwarfed the Four Emperors' forces combined!

How much use could a large-scale war really be?

"I've really struck gold."

Aokiji, who had thought of many things in an instant, suppressed the excitement in his heart. His face remained that same lazy expression as he yawned and began to look sluggish.

After all, that was all in the future, wasn't it? Right now, he was just a lucky one who had just eaten a fruit.

Even if he had eaten a fruit full of potential, even if his strength now far surpassed his peers, Aokiji had seen too many geniuses who had fallen before reaching the summit.

There were all kinds of reasons—accidents, money, power, beauty, and other intoxicating temptations that corrupted them, ultimately causing them to sink and waste their potential.

Some of them were no worse than Dawn, and some even had stronger talents and fruit abilities than him.

So, the fruit was never the deciding factor for a strong person.

The person was.