CP0, Devil Fruit Pulp

"Oh! Is that so?"

"Of course. The overwhelming strength you displayed back then made me think of relying on your power to defeat Crocodile and restore the peace Alabasta's people once had."

"Is that so? You've succeeded now, so why..."

"Do you remember what you told me in Yuba? That all misfortune, whether for an individual or a nation, stemmed from one's own weakness. Perhaps that was when I first began to think of asking you to protect Alabasta."

"Back in Yuba, it may have only been a passing thought. But when we reached the Rainbase casino and I saw your battle with Crocodile, even though neither of you deliberately tried to destroy the city, your fight still caused tremendous damage. From that moment on, I became determined to ask you to protect Alabasta."

"Crocodile was only one of the Shichibukai, but there are definitely more than seven people like him. After I pay the 1.5 billion Beli and you leave, if another Shichibukai like Crocodile—or pirates as powerful as the Shichibukai—comes to destroy and covet Alabasta, must I, as Alabasta's princess, let my country and its people suffer such hardship again?"

"But I know that I have no way to stand against such powerful monsters with my own strength. So I can only ask you, Rody, to protect Alabasta. For that, I'm willing to give everything!"

"Mm. Then you really are a good princess." Although Rody still could not understand the way people like Vivi thought, he would not deny someone's unwavering conviction.

"But you're not just Alabasta's princess anymore. You're also my woman, my treasure. I won't allow you to be hurt or die for some so-called country and its people."

Vivi reached out and gently stroked Rody's chest, feeling her heart fill with peace and calm. She could not help recalling a question she had asked Tiragotan when she was twelve—Tiragotan, the wife of the palace's logistics supervisor Igaram, who looked one hundred percent identical to him.

"Tiragotan, what does it feel like for you and Captain Igaram of the royal guard to be married?" The young Vivi had been curious about how Tiragotan and Igaram, a married couple who looked almost exactly alike, lived together.

"My, my, Princess Vivi. I don't know how other married couples get along, but what Igaram gives me most is a sense of security. No matter what I do, as long as I know there is someone behind me whom I can rely on, I no longer fear anything."

"Tiragotan, I wonder if this is the reliance and sense of security you spoke of." Vivi nestled closer to Rody and wrapped her arms around him tightly, smiling blissfully. "This is wonderful."

Seeing Vivi hug his waist, smiling happily as she said how wonderful it was, Rody could not help feeling puzzled. Could it be that I treat her well? Probably not!

Rody could not help recalling how he had met Vivi and everything that had happened between them along the way. No matter how he thought about it, he could not remember treating her well anywhere aside from last night in bed. After thinking it over, he could only conclude that he did not understand women.

"Alright, stop grinning foolishly. Eat this Devil Fruit."

Rody reached over to the bedside table, picked up the Sand-Sand Fruit, and handed it to Vivi. He had summoned the Divine Dogs to retrieve this Devil Fruit from Mike that morning.

"This... is this really for me?" Vivi looked at the Sand-Sand Fruit, then stared at Rody in surprise. Having witnessed Rody's battle with Crocodile, she naturally knew how powerful this Logia Devil Fruit was. It could create sandstorms at will, terrifying like a walking natural disaster—yet he was handing it to her so casually.

"Mm. This Logia Devil Fruit suits you quite well. Since you don't want to leave Alabasta, I won't force you. But you're my treasure, and I won't allow you to be hurt so easily. Eat this Logia Sand-Sand Fruit. With the elemental transformation unique to Logias, in the first half of the Grand Line, where almost no one has Armament Haki, very few people will be able to hurt you."

"And in a desert kingdom like Alabasta, the Sand-Sand Fruit's power will be even stronger. Once you eat it, you'll truly become the Desert Princess." Rody raised the Devil Fruit in his hand.

"Rody, you're so good to me!" With that, Vivi happily sat up. The blanket slid down, revealing her alluring, fair, delicate body. She lifted a leg over Rody's waist, leaned down, and kissed him on the face.

"Alright, eat the Devil Fruit first." Rody kissed Vivi passionately for a while, then gave her perky little butt a squeeze.

"This... how am I supposed to eat it?" Looking at the Sand-Sand Fruit, Vivi was troubled. "How about... having Tiragotan, the palace chef, prepare it?"

"Although you can still gain a Devil Fruit's power by eating it after it's cooked, there's no need to make it that troublesome." Rody unleashed a slash, cutting the Devil Fruit in his hand into several rectangular pieces. He kept the longest piece from the middle, cut away the spiky peel at both ends, and was left with only the flesh.

"So this is Devil Fruit flesh? And it's from a Logia, too." Vivi had seen quite a few Devil Fruit users. Whether they were senior agents of Baroque Works or Pell and Chaka by her side, they were all Devil Fruit users. She had seen Devil Fruits before as well, though they had mostly been Zoans. This was her first time seeing the flesh of one.

The flesh of the Sand-Sand Fruit was yellow, with the same swirling patterns found on every Devil Fruit. Vivi took the fruit flesh from Rody's hand, looked at it, and bit down.

"Ugh!"

Vivi's face twisted in pain. "How can it taste this awful? It's even worse than Pell said."

Seeing Vivi's pained expression, Rody asked curiously, "What does it taste like? Is it really that bad?" He had always been curious about the taste of Devil Fruits when he watched One Piece. Just how bad could they be, for even CP9 agents to make such pained expressions?

"Mmph."

Hearing Rody's question, Vivi smiled faintly at him, then suddenly leaned down and kissed him on the mouth.

Rody froze for a moment before instantly understanding Vivi's intention. However, he did not mind. It was a good chance to taste the Devil Fruit for himself. He extended his tongue and entwined it with Vivi's sweet tongue, while his hand roamed over her smooth, fair skin. The atmosphere in the room gradually grew heated.

Knock, knock!

Suddenly, two knocks sounded from outside the door. Rody squeezed Vivi's full, perky breast and asked irritably, "What is it?!"

Mike the butler's respectful voice came from outside. "Two agents dressed in white suits are outside. They claim to be CP0 agents of the World Government and say they wish to invite you to become one of the Shichibukai."

"Tell them to wait!"