After returning to their base, life once again settled into calm. Gray and the other two kids had nothing to do each day except train.
The only reason they had gone to sea twice was to broaden their horizons.
But because of this latest voyage, the many officers who had learned about Gray from Gladius had also begun to see him differently.
In any case, Gray had proven his strength and earned some of their respect. His importance and standing within the family had both risen considerably.
For example, Gray had asked Trebol to have the family's logistics department build him a custom executive-style wheelchair, collect scientific books, and, most importantly, forge sturdy weapons.
The Fuma Shuriken he'd taken along last time had melted from the heat of its rotation and become useless after just two uses.
If Gray further developed his Devil Fruit powers, generating heat through friction would be nothing. By then, like Killer, he'd be able to make sparks and lightning fly from his weapons.
Until Gray could protect his weapons with Armament Haki, he was sure to go through them faster and faster.
Even just the weapons had cost tens of millions of Beli, but Doflamingo hadn't said a word.
If you told him Buffalo needed to spend that much, you'd be lucky if Doflamingo didn't give you a beating.
That day, the family members gathered for another meeting.
"Doffy, is there something we need to go out to sea and take care of?" When there was nothing else to do, training to get stronger was the only thing Pica cared about.
Doflamingo knew they were working hard at their training, yet had called them all over anyway. Pica guessed it must be something important.
"Fufufufu... It's not something we need to go out to sea for. It's good news for the family!" After calming Pica's eagerness for battle, Doflamingo gestured to Trebol beside him.
"Ne-ne-ne, this is the kind of thing I rather enjoy handling." With his nose running, Trebol took out a black case and set it on the table.
Everyone looked over curiously. The moment Trebol opened it, they exclaimed, "A Devil Fruit!"
Those who had already eaten a Devil Fruit, along with Lao G, who had no interest in eating one, lost interest.
"Fufufufu, I saw how hard everyone worked during the last incident. The family's last two Devil Fruits are being offered as rewards."
"Senor, Buffalo, Baby-5, and Corazon—you four are the only ones without Devil Fruit powers. If any of you want one, come choose!"
Gray asked, "What abilities do these two fruits have?"
"Ne-ne-ne! I can't tell you!" Trebol wagged his finger. "You're all family, and there are only two fruits. I can't let you choose based on their abilities."
"Which fruit you get is up to the luck of those four."
At that, Gray understood at once.
If Doflamingo handed them out himself, whoever got a less powerful fruit would surely envy whoever got the stronger one. That wouldn't be good for the family's unity.
"I'll pass! Let Baby-5, Buffalo, and Corazon have this chance!" Senor, a real man with a cold exterior and a warm heart, gave up his chance outright.
Corazon beside him quickly declined as well. As an undercover agent, he had already eaten a Devil Fruit.
"Then thank you, Senor!" Gray thanked Senor on Baby-5's behalf, then pushed her forward. "Go on! Just pick whichever one you like the look of."
Honestly, Gray had no idea which of the two fruits was the Weapon-Weapon Fruit. But he believed one thing: the Weapon-Weapon Fruit would choose Baby-5.
After all, when it came to an ugly guy versus a pretty girl, everyone knew who to pick.
Of course, that was just a joke!
From what Gray knew, the Donquixote Family currently had the Swim-Swim Fruit and the Weapon-Weapon Fruit. The Weapon-Weapon Fruit was far more famous than the Swim-Swim Fruit, so its will would naturally be more active. When a fruit's will and a person chose each other, Baby-5 would end up eating the Weapon-Weapon Fruit that was hers to begin with.
The reason Gray let Baby-5 choose first was to keep Buffalo from interfering with her destined opportunity.
Everyone had their own selfish motives. Gray couldn't care less about Buffalo. Baby-5 meant far more to him than Buffalo ever could.
From beginning to end, Buffalo—no, most of the Donquixote Family, really—were just familiar strangers to Gray.
"Fufufufu, in that case, Baby-5, you can choose first!"
"Yes!"
Standing by the table, Baby-5 glanced casually at the two fruits. She could only follow her instincts and pick the one whose color she liked better.
"Eat it!" Gray encouraged her, then seemed to remember something. "And don't spit it out!"
Gray's words immediately brought back memories for every family member who had eaten a Devil Fruit.
At that moment, they all wore mischievous grins. They'd suffered through it themselves, so they didn't want anyone else to get away with it.
"Crunch!"
"Ugh!" Baby-5 had barely taken her first bite when her face twisted into an indescribable expression.
"Don't spit it out!" Everyone shouted in unison. Baby-5 had instinctively wanted to spit it out, but the chorus startled her, and she swallowed the mouthful at once.
"Hahaha! Well done!" Seeing Baby-5 eat the fruit, everyone struggled to hide their grins.
"Here, have some water!" Gray handed her the sugar water he'd prepared earlier. "Rinse your mouth. You'll feel better."
"Thank you, Gray-sama!"
Gray led Baby-5 away, and Buffalo stepped forward. As he looked at the Devil Fruit on the table, his expression was grim.
It wasn't for any other reason. Just seeing how miserable Baby-5 had looked after eating hers made him nervous.
"Just how awful do Devil Fruits taste?" Though he was anxious, Buffalo encouraged himself with thoughts of their mysterious powers. "Baby-5 managed to eat one. I can't do worse than her!"
Crunch~
"Ugh~"
"Hahaha!" The laughter rose once more. Those who had tasted a Devil Fruit's flavor felt a sudden sense of balance and relief.
"Fufufufu, that's the meeting over!"
"Baby-5, Buffalo, make sure you develop your powers!"
"Yes, Young Master!" ×2
After they left, Gray was curious whether Baby-5 had gotten the same Devil Fruit she had in the original story.
"Baby-5, what's your Devil Fruit power?"
At that, Baby-5 didn't answer. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment, then held out her right hand.
As her power activated, Baby-5's right hand transformed into a Fire Pistol.
"Gray-sama, I have the Weapon-Weapon Fruit!"
"Good!" Gray nodded and began explaining how she could develop her ability. "If it's the Weapon-Weapon Fruit, then you should be able to transform into any weapon you know about."
"Ask Trebol to have a master from the Family Weapon Workshop teach you about weapons."
"That way, you can study and develop your powers on your own later. For example, you could make a submachine gun, a flamethrower, or an ice gun."
"All right, Gray-sama!"
Before you continue