Phoenix

The moment Diumil swallowed the Devil Fruit, he wanted nothing more than to cut out his own tongue.

Though regarded as treasures of the sea, Devil Fruits were also surrounded by many terrifying legends, including those concerning their taste...

It was said that a Devil Fruit would produce a flavor tailored to its eater—something they found most disgusting and revolting.

And it was not merely one unpleasant flavor, but a "grand mixture" of all the foods they hated most.

For instance, if someone despised the fishy stench of seafood, the Devil Fruit they ate would most likely taste like raw fish and live shrimp chopped together with fermented tofu, preserving the foul odor to the greatest extent while thoroughly nauseating its eater.

Even so, people across the seas still flocked after this power.

Any ordinary person could gain strength beyond that of normal humans simply by eating a Devil Fruit. This power, obtained without shedding a single drop of sweat, often made people swell with arrogance, even lose themselves, and become slaves to power. That was one origin of the "devil" in Devil Fruit.

Annus had encountered many ability users who lacked a clear understanding of themselves and overestimated their own capabilities.

"How does it feel?"

Hearing Annus's question, Diumil touched his chest and sensed the changes within his body.

As for the remaining Devil Fruit, he put it back into the treasure chest. One bite was all it took to gain its power, and Diumil absolutely did not want to take a second bite.

His stomach quickly digested the Devil Fruit flesh inside him, and a mysterious power flowed through his blood to every corner of his body.

"My body has become stronger..." Diumil replied.

"Looks like it's a Zoan. Of the three types of Devil Fruits, only Zoans are known for their astonishing enhancement of physical abilities themselves." Annus smiled. "How significant is the increase?"

"Very significant. My strength is probably around three times what it used to be," Diumil estimated.

"Three times?" Annus was slightly surprised.

Diumil's original physical condition had already been formidable. Even after eating a Devil Fruit, the increase should not have been as great as it would be for an ordinary person.

Annus had once discussed the matter with Vegapunk. Based on the principles involved, he guessed that Devil Fruits altered an ability user's body. After consuming one, the user's Lineage Factor arrangement would differ from that of ordinary people, granting all sorts of extraordinary abilities.

Moreover, while rearranging the eater's Lineage Factors, a Devil Fruit also "strengthened" the ability user's body.

Those who had thoroughly trained their bodies possessed stronger Lineage Factors as well. Because they were already "strong," the strengthening provided by a Devil Fruit appeared less pronounced.

Take the Azure Dragon Fruit in Annus's hand and treat it as a "10."

Suppose two people ate this Devil Fruit at the same time. The first was an expert proficient in Haki, with a combat value of "10"; the second was a completely ordinary person, with a combat value of "1."

After eating the Devil Fruit, the first person's overall strength would become "20," while the second's would become "11."

Numerically speaking, they received the same enhancement, but that was not how it could be viewed in practice.

The latter's strength had increased tenfold, an improvement far beyond the former's.

A Devil Fruit merely altered the Lineage Factor and granted its eater an extraordinary ability. How far that ability could be developed ultimately depended on the user themself.

A blue flame suddenly covered Diumil's wings. A few seconds later, it had transformed all his originally jet-black feathers into blue fire.

The flames were not scorching. Instead, they felt gentle.

But the blue flames soon went out. Diumil scratched his head in a fluster. "Sorry, Lord Annus. I lost control for a moment..."

Yale, who was doing cardio in the neighboring room, noticed the commotion and poked his head out. "Diumil, what was that just now? Don't set the shipyard on fire!"

Few people knew that Diumil could control flames. Because this conspicuous trait had repeatedly exposed his identity as a Lunarian, Yale was one of the few who knew the secret and assumed the flash of fire had leaked out when Diumil lost control.

Diumil awkwardly scratched his nose and was about to explain when Annus spoke—

"Come on, Diumil. Yale is right. This is not the place to test your abilities."

"Lord Annus, you mean...?"

"I know a good place. It's quiet enough. It's been a while since we sparred, Diumil."

"Huh? Me, against you?"

Unlike other ability users, Diumil did not become battle-hungry or arrogant after gaining power. Instead, Annus's proposal left him troubled.

He had not followed Annus as long as Lilith had, but he was the most loyal of the three officers. For a long time, he had served as a "punching bag."

It was only after the members of the Rocks Pirates took over that role that Diumil no longer had to act as a "punching bag."

Therefore, of the three officers, Diumil understood best just how terrifying Annus was.

The two left the shipyard and arrived at Scrap Island in Water 7.

This was the "quiet place" Annus had mentioned. Formed from hundreds of discarded ships piled together, it was a unique garbage dump belonging solely to the city of Water 7.

"Come, Diumil. Let me see your abilities."

The blue flames came alive again, burning along Diumil's Black Wing before finally covering them completely. Overwhelmed by the pleasant sensation, Diumil could not help letting out a moan as he flew high into the sky and stretched his body.

"So it really is a Phoenix."

The legendary creature stretched amid blue and yellow flames, casting a glowing shadow over the floating shipwrecks. Its yellow flames formed its plumage, while blue flames covered its entire body as though they would never go out.

Beautiful... powerful... a noble Mythical Zoan!

The Phoenix spoke in Diumil's barely restrained, excited voice. "Lord Annus, I feel stronger than ever before!"

"That is only natural. Otherwise, would that not disgrace the name of the Phoenix?"

Annus's body began to turn into lightning. As the electricity flowed, it split apart and actually created an elemental clone.

Lightning Clone.

It was not merely lightning, but a clone Annus created from part of his body after transforming into an element. Annus could control this Lightning Clone as easily as his own limbs, because in essence, the clone was one of his limbs after elementalization.

However, while using this technique, Annus needed to maintain his elemental form.

"Come, Diumil. Let me test your strength."