Devil Fruits

At the southern harbor docks of Origin Island, the salty sea breeze swept through the afternoon sunlight, brushing past rows of neatly moored ships.

The fleet that had just completed its West Blue route-clearing mission had been docked for barely half a day. Uchiha Kei was leading two squads of clansmen in one final, thorough sweep of the seized merchant ship Blue Sail—

Following Natsu's arrangements, the ship was to have its excess cargo holds removed and be refitted into an armed reconnaissance vessel suited for Uchiha operations. Not a single nook or cranny of the hull could be overlooked.

Kei stepped across the scattered planks in the cargo hold, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning as every structural detail of the hold was precisely reflected in his scarlet eyes.

His team had searched the ship three times from bow to stern, but only today, when they needed to dismantle the load-bearing plates beneath the hull, did he finally notice something wrong—the thickness of one hidden layer in the bottom was a full two finger-widths off from the ship's normal structure, perfectly avoiding conventional searches.

"Stop." Kei raised a hand to halt the clansmen beside him. He bent down and rapped his knuckles against the deck beneath his feet. The dull, hollow sound immediately confirmed his suspicion. "There's a hidden compartment here. Pry it open."

Two clansmen immediately stepped forward. Their kunai precisely sliced through the rivets securing the planks along their seams, and before long, the heavy floorboard was lifted away in its entirety.

There was no gold, no silver, no spices in the hidden compartment below—only a palm-sized, pitch-black sealed metal box. Its lid was tightly locked with a special clasp, and its edges had been waterproofed with flawless precision. Even after sitting in the damp belly of the ship for over a year, it showed not the slightest trace of rust.

Kei crouched down. The moment his fingertips touched the metal wall of the box, he clearly sensed a strange energy hidden within, carrying a faint hint of life.

It was completely different from chakra, yet it held an inexplicable allure, as though some indescribable power lay concealed inside.

He did not open it on his own. Instead, he gestured for the clansmen to put the box away and ordered in a low voice, "Continue clearing the rest of the cargo hold according to plan. Do not spread word of this."

After handling what was at hand, Kei carried the metal box and hurried through the dock defenses, heading straight for the council hall at the center of the island.

The ninjas on guard along the way saw his hurried manner, but merely bowed in greeting without asking a single question. Over the past year, Origin Island's rules had already taken root in everyone's hearts: if it was not their place to ask, they did not speak out of turn.

Inside the council hall, Natsu, Fugaku, and Setsuna were studying an unfolded map of the West Blue, discussing the route for their next sea-clearing expedition.

Hearing the steady footsteps outside, Natsu looked up and saw Kei push open the door, close it behind him, and enter with an unusually grave expression.

"Young Master Natsu, Clan Head, Elder." Kei bowed, then strode to the table and set the metal box firmly atop the sea chart. "While we were clearing out the Blue Sail's cargo hold, we found this in a concealed compartment beneath the ship."

Natsu's gaze fell on the cold metal box. He lightly tapped the table with a fingertip, signaling for Kei to open it. Kei nodded and used his kunai to deftly flick open the clasp. With a soft click, the lid sprang open.

A strange, cloyingly sweet fruity fragrance instantly filled the entire council hall.

The box was lined with dark red shock-absorbing velvet, and at its center lay a deep purple fruit.

Its skin was covered in bizarre spiral patterns. It was crooked and misshapen like a deformed pineapple, yet it carried an indescribable sense of strangeness. Though it was their first time seeing it, it was impossible to forget at a glance.

Fugaku and Setsuna both frowned.

Setsuna spoke first, his fingers rubbing the ninja tool pouch at his waist as doubt colored his voice. "What is this? It doesn't look like an ordinary fruit from this world. And what's with that chaotic energy inside it?"

Natsu's eyes settled on the fruit. His pupils contracted slightly before returning to their usual calm.

Of course he recognized it.

A Devil Fruit, one of the most precious treasures on these seas.

Eating one granted unimaginable supernatural abilities, but the price was being forsaken by the sea for life, becoming a landlubber forever unable to swim.

He reached out and lifted the fruit from the box.

As his fingertips touched its cool peel, he could clearly feel the surging yet chaotic energy within, like a beast sealed inside a fruit shell.

He had only heard of such things in intelligence reports before. He had never imagined that he would find such an enormous windfall aboard a merchant ship that had been sitting for over a year.

"This is a Devil Fruit." Natsu placed the fruit back in the box and looked up at the three of them. His tone was calm, but Fugaku, Setsuna, and Kei were all startled.

"One of the top treasures of these seas. Eating one grants a corresponding supernatural ability. By ability type, they are divided into three categories: Logia, Zoan, and Paramecia. Logia are the rarest and most powerful. They allow the eater's body to become an element, rendering them immune to most physical attacks."

"Elemental transformation?" Fugaku's brows instantly rose. He knew all too well what those words meant.

Immunity to physical attacks would be almost invincible in the Ninja World. Unless one could directly attack the spiritual essence, like Uchiha Genjutsu, there would be no way to deal with it.

Natsu nodded, gently tapping the metal box containing the fruit with his fingertips. A look of realization flashed through his eyes.

He finally understood why the merchant ship's owner had been willing to spend the astronomical sum of ten million Beli to recover a ship whose total cargo was worth only three million.

So the truly valuable thing aboard had never been the spices or silk, but this Devil Fruit hidden in the secret compartment.

"Seal this away for now. Put it inside the deepest barrier in the ninja tool vault." Natsu closed the lid, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Once we figure out exactly what ability this fruit holds, we'll decide how to handle it."

West Blue, Laskamp Island.

The harbor at dusk was wrapped in an orange-red sunset. The salty sea breeze carried the smell of fish and ale, pouring out through the open wooden doors of the Broken Anchor Tavern.

The tavern was deafeningly noisy. Pirates, merchants, and dockworkers crowded around long tables, shouting as they clinked glasses. Obscenities and roars of laughter mixed together in the most common sight at any West Blue port.

The wooden door opened, and a cool sea breeze swept in. For some reason, the noisy tavern fell silent for an instant.

The youth who entered wore a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, with the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates hanging from both sides of its brim. A necklace of red beads hung around his neck. His upper body was bare except for a black coat draped over his shoulders, and a short dagger rested at his waist. His entire being radiated a sunny yet scorching presence utterly at odds with the tavern.