White Tiger Fruit

Two hours later, Ener felt utterly refreshed.

You really had to hand it to her; although Lina was very inexperienced, she was immensely talented. In combat, she could quickly master moves and even develop new ones.

She was simply a genius.

Ener found her quite irresistible.

Lina traced circles on Ener's chest with her finger, asking with a charming expression, "Am I worth a Devil Fruit?"

The corners of Ener's mouth curled up slightly. "That means you'll have to let me try again..."

Another two hours later, Lina's face was pale and she had passed out. Only then did Ener fall asleep in deep satisfaction!

When dawn arrived, Lina had not yet woken up.

Ener pinched her little face, then got up and walked outside.

As he returned to his quarters, he heard the Den Den Mushi inside ringing continuously.

Ener couldn't help being slightly stunned.

This Den Den Mushi was given to him by his original body's father, and its sole purpose was to make it convenient for the two to stay in contact. A surge of joy instantly welled up in his heart—after all, he still had to count on the man to hook him up with a Devil Fruit!

He immediately pushed the door open and walked in, quickly answering the call.

As soon as the connection went through, before Ener could even speak, a hearty laugh came from the other end. "Good, good, good... You brat really saved face for me."

However, a hint of doubt immediately followed. "But you brat, when did you get such strength? Could it be that the pirates in the East Blue with bounties over ten million have already gotten this weak?"

Hearing this, Ener's pupils shrank slightly, and he thought to himself, As expected of someone who makes his way in the Holy Land; this brain turns fast. He grabbed the key point right away...

So he made up an excuse. "I was just playing dumb before. I didn't want to stay in the Holy Land, nor did I want to go to Marine Headquarters."

"???"

The person on the other end wore a puzzled expression.

In the eyes of normal people, the Holy Land and Marine Headquarters were both great places that people fought to go to.

Ener continued, "Smoker is going to leave sooner or later. When that time comes, won't the entire East Blue fall into my hands? Just skim a little here and there, and wouldn't billions of Beli roll in every year? With these Beli as a foundation, becoming a Rear Admiral, a Vice Admiral... wouldn't that be yours for the taking?

If you hang around Headquarters, how long would it take to climb the ranks? Even if you manage to climb up, how many dangers would you have to face?

So, is there any place better than the East Blue? As long as I sit in Smoker's position, I'll have supreme status and power in the East Blue. On top of that, it's safe, there's Beli to be made, and it doesn't delay my promotions. How great is that!"

At this moment in the Holy Land, Burns froze as he listened to Ener's words.

He had to admit that what his boy said made a lot of sense!

Yet why keep it hidden from him?

A trace of doubt still lingered in his heart, but he quickly cast it to the back of his mind. Because after hearing the news, he had double and triple-checked everything.

This was his son Ener, not someone impersonating him.

Now, speaking over the phone and hearing his voice, he was even more certain. Since that was the case, why bicker over such details?

The boy was grown up, and who didn't have ideas of their own?

As a father, he just needed to support him with his own abilities.

Thinking of this, Burns couldn't help laughing. "Brat, you've got a double blessing today. I pulled some strings for you on my end, and you've not only been promoted two ranks straight to Captain, but your old man also managed to get you assigned to the Marine Inspector Department. Now you're one of the ten inspectors of the East Blue. Not only do you have an independent warship and the authority to form your own crew, but you also have the power to oversee all Marines in the East Blue.

Perform well, as the East Blue doesn't have a Chief Inspector yet. Once you sit in that position, you'll only be half a rank below Smoker."

"It really is a double blessing!" Ener was overjoyed.

"Hahahaha..."

Burns laughed heartily a few times. "You're underestimating your old man too much. I'm someone who gets by in the Holy Land, after all. Can a little thing like this count as a double blessing? That's just routine operation—it only counts as one blessing."

Ener looked surprised. "Meaning there's another blessing?"

Burns said, "I haven't spent all this time in the Holy Land for nothing. Didn't I just send a lavish gift that made the Celestial Dragons happy for a long time? As soon as they were happy, they granted a wish I'd had for a long time. I got you a Zoan Devil Fruit..."

"Holy shit... Speak of the devil!" Ener was overjoyed.

Immediately after, he felt a bit curious. "What kind of lavish gift did you send to make the Celestial Dragons willing to hand over a Devil Fruit?"

Burns replied, "Never mind that. You just need to know that I prepared this gift for a long time, spending a huge amount of effort and wealth to get my hands on it. So, after eating this Devil Fruit, strive to awaken it. That way, our family can produce a genuine Headquarters Vice Admiral."

Although he had attained the rank of Vice Admiral, his actual strength had always been criticized. So this had always been a knot in his heart.

Therefore, he hoped Ener wouldn't turn out like him, but would instead become a genuine Vice Admiral.

Ener asked, "Right, what kind of Zoan fruit is it?"

Burns answered, "Zoan: Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: White Tiger!"

Ener widened his eyes in disbelief and cried out, "A Mythical Species?!"

Burns rolled his eyes on the other end. "What are you daydreaming about? It's just an ordinary Zoan... A Mythical Species, my foot! You sure dare to dream..."

"Sigh..."

Burns sighed a moment later. "Do you think ordinary Zoan fruits only cost one or two hundred million berries each, and with my power, buying a few wouldn't be a problem as long as there's an opportunity?"

"Uh..."

Ener actually had been thinking exactly that.

Burns explained, "Those are all Devil Fruits whose specific species cannot be determined—only their broad type is known. In other words, you spend one or two hundred million to buy a Devil Fruit, and after eating it, everything depends on luck... Bad luck might make you a rabbit, or maybe a mouse... Good luck might make you a wolf, a leopard, or something similar.

"But would you gamble like that?"

Ener understood now. The value of this ordinary White Tiger fruit lay in the fact that its exact type was known beforehand.

Moreover, it belonged to the very top tier among ordinary Zoan fruits.

Ener then probed cautiously, "Then can you help me score a few of those luck-dependent Devil Fruits?"

Burns's gaze flickered. "You want to cultivate your own forces?"

"Good, good, good..."

Before Ener could even reply, Burns uttered three "goods" in a row. "You have more ambition than I do... After a while, there'll be a Devil Fruit auction on the Sabaody Archipelago. I'll have people keep an eye on it. As long as the Celestial Dragons aren't present, I'll find a way to buy them."

After all, the greater a person's ambition, the greater their drive.

Therefore, he gave his full support to Ener's plan to cultivate his own forces.

He then added, "As for the White Tiger Fruit... I'll figure out a way to have someone deliver it to you."

"Ener, are you in?"

Right at that moment, Tashigi's voice sounded.

Burns chuckled on the other end. "A woman is looking for you? Not bad, brat! Keep it up... Make sure you give me a little grandson or granddaughter by next year. Hahahaha..."