Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Nine-Tailed Fox Form

"Cap... Captain..."

"One move?! Captain Angelica, the monstrous powerhouse with a bounty over a hundred million, was taken down in one move..."

"The... the ship's sinking! Help!"

"Spare us! Please spare us, sir! We have money! We'll give it all to you! Let us go!"

The surviving pirates with lighter injuries looked at the demonic figure aboard the steamship, terrified out of their wits as they wailed and begged for mercy.

Dawn remained expressionless, his gaze cold as frost. Step by step, he crossed the gangplank and boarded the pirate ship, which was slowly tilting. He had no mercy for these uninvited guests who had interrupted his "good time" and witnessed his abilities.

"Sorry, but I've never had a habit of letting off people who come ruin my mood when I'm feeling good."

Dawn turned into a streak of golden lightning and charged into the surviving pirates. His fists carried terrifying power; every swing was accompanied by the dreadful sound of shattering bones and the end of a pirate's life.

These pirates, who were vicious demons before ordinary people, were like paper toys before Dawn—utterly incapable of withstanding a single blow.

Chests caved in, blood sprayed from mouths, and bodies fell dead to the deck. Dawn's movements were clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Like the Grim Reaper descending, he harvested lives with ruthless efficiency.

Like the Grim Reaper, he efficiently and coldly cleared the deck of life. Whether they were still howling, trying to fight back, or cowering and trembling in corners, every last one received a precise, swift finishing blow that extinguished their lives completely.

Even the long-nosed little girl hiding in the shadow of the mast and secretly glaring at him with venomous eyes received no leniency from him because of her age.

In his eyes, enemies were not divided by gender or age. There were only living threats and dead corpses. With one punch, the future Crescent Moon Hunter with countless sins to her name withered before she could ever bloom.

He even casually found a wooden box of unknown contents in a barrel beside where Devon had been hiding.

Without even looking at the wooden box, Dawn tossed it aside. He quickly looted the sinking ship, stuffing every Beli he could find, gold and silver jewelry, food and drinks that looked decent, and that wooden box into a large sack he found.

Then, hefting the heavy sack onto his shoulder, he leaped several times and nimbly returned to the steamship before the seawater completely swallowed the deck.

Behind him, the pirate ship laden with sin and death let out one final groan before slowly sinking into the frigid sea, leaving behind only broken planks and whirlpools to prove it had ever existed.

More than ten minutes later, in the steamship's dining room.

Dawn sat at the dining table, silently eating to replenish the energy he had spent in the battle. Stella stood nearby, quietly sorting through the spoils in the bulging sack Dawn had brought back.

The two of them tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened before the battle began.

Still, as Stella sorted through the items, her gaze kept drifting toward Dawn. Her eyes were complicated, carrying a trace of curiosity, a trace of fear, and perhaps something indescribable.

Clatter.

She accidentally knocked over the wooden box taken from the long-nosed little girl. It fell to the floor, its lid popping open as a strangely shaped fruit rolled out.

The fruit had brown skin and lacked the stem that ordinary fruits should have. Instead, nine green leaf-stalks resembling fox tails grew from its top.

Its peel was covered in mysterious spiral patterns, and it gave off an indescribably eerie aura.

The noise drew Dawn's attention. When he saw the fruit clearly, his eating paused slightly. He bent down, picked it up, and examined it closely. That distinctive shape, those bizarre patterns... there was no doubt about it. This was a Devil Fruit!

No stem... nine leaves at the top...

Dawn's mind raced as he recalled the knowledge of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia from his past life. He remembered that most Devil Fruits had stems, though their shapes varied wildly. As for fruits without stems, the only one he could recall seemed to be...

Zoan: Snake-Snake Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Yamata no Orochi Form.

Then, judging by the color of the fruit before him and those obvious fox-tail-shaped leaves on top...

It was most likely a Mythical Zoan related to foxes.

His expression grew solemn as he fell into thought. Seeing Dawn's serious expression, Stella thought she had caused trouble. Like a startled fawn, she lowered her head and did not dare speak, looking as though she had done something wrong.

Suddenly, inspiration flashed through Dawn's mind! He remembered the long-nosed little girl he had casually killed earlier!

The situation had been urgent, so he had not thought much of it then. But on careful recollection, that little girl's traits—her conspicuously long nose, and the fact that she was female...

There seemed to be very few long-nosed female characters in the original story. Aside from Usopp's mother Banchina, there was only... the future Crescent Moon Hunter of the Blackbeard Pirates—Catarina Devon!

And the Devil Fruit ability Catarina Devon possessed was...

At that thought, Dawn had already made his decision. He called out to Stella, who was looking somewhat at a loss after knocking over the box.

"Stella."

"Ah? Yes!"

Stella immediately answered, like a startled little rabbit.

Dawn straightened up and held the strange fruit before Stella, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"This. Eat it."

Stella's beautiful eyes widened instantly. She hurriedly waved her hands and stepped back.

"N-No! It's too precious! A Devil Fruit... this is..."

She had seen too many World Nobles at Red Port use Devil Fruits to entertain themselves by feeding them to slaves, or use them in absurd wagers. She knew full well that they were priceless treasures.

"Eat it."

Dawn gave her no room to refuse. He had long intended to have Stella eat a Devil Fruit to improve her ability to protect herself, but he had never found a suitable one.

Now, a top-tier fruit that was highly likely to be a Mythical Zoan had practically fallen into his lap. It was a heaven-sent opportunity. Without another word, he stepped forward, gripped Stella's chin with one hand, forced her little mouth open, and shoved the fruit straight inside with the other!

"Mmph! Mmph—!"

Stella struggled futilely, crying out in broken bursts,

"Stop... don't...!"

Dawn remained unmoved. He applied more force, making her chew and swallow. Only after confirming that Stella had swallowed the entire fruit did he release her.

"Bleurgh..."

The moment Stella regained her freedom, she bent over and dry-heaved. But the fruit had already gone down her throat, and she could not throw anything up.

She raised her head and glared at Dawn angrily, her cheeks flushed from her struggle and outrage.

"What are you doing?! I wasn't mentally prepared yet! It tasted awful!"

Dawn looked into her eyes. His tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable concern.

"I just want you to have the strength to protect yourself. The sea is dangerous. I can't stay by your side every moment. I don't want to see you hurt in any way."

The sudden concern made all of Stella's resentment catch in her throat. She stared blankly at Dawn, the blush on her cheeks seeming to deepen as her heart skipped a beat.

Dawn suddenly grabbed Stella's hand and placed it against his firm chest.

"Now, focus and feel your ability. Try... imagining yourself becoming me."

He needed to confirm whether this was truly the fruit he suspected. The difference between an ordinary Zoan transformation and a Mythical Zoan's special ability was enormous.

The warmth of Dawn's chest and his powerful heartbeat passed into her palm. Stella tried to pull her hand back as though she had been burned, but Dawn held it firmly in place.

Though she found the request strange, she still closed her eyes as instructed, concentrating hard and imagining Dawn's appearance.

With a soft poof, a cloud of pink smoke burst from Stella's body without warning, engulfing her completely. The smoke quickly dispersed, and where Stella had been standing appeared another "Dawn."

The same long golden hair, the same aqua-blue eyes, the same handsome face and tall build—he even wore exactly the same clothes!

"Th-This is?!"

Stella, transformed into Dawn, instinctively spoke. Even her voice was identical to Dawn's. Shocked, she looked at her hands, touched her face, and could not help crying out,

"This is incredible! I really turned into you!"

The corners of Dawn's mouth rose beyond his control, and certainty filled his heart.

Just as I thought! This fruit is the Zoan: Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Nine-Tailed Fox Form!

The ability to perfectly imitate another person's appearance, physique, clothing, and even voice was precisely the signature ability of the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit.

"Change back."

Upon receiving the order, Stella willed it, and pink smoke flashed around her body once more before vanishing. But she did not completely return to normal.

A pair of fluffy fox ears quietly emerged from her cascading hair, twitching slightly.

Behind her shapely rear, nine fox tails unfurled and swayed gently behind her, adding endless allure and enchantment to her appearance.

A beast-eared girl! A living, breathing beast-eared girl!

Dawn's eyes lit up instantly. Almost unable to help himself, he reached out and gently stroked the nearest of Stella's fox tails.

"Ah!"

Stella gave a startled cry, her tail shrinking back sensitively. Her entire face turned bright red in an instant, and even the tips of her ears were stained crimson. She shyly took a small step back, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"D-Don't... don't do that... it tickles..."

The soft, smooth, warm, fluffy sensation made Dawn reluctant to let go. But seeing Stella blush as though steam might rise from her head, he restrained himself and withdrew his hand. He cleared his throat, hiding the stirrings in his heart as he said in a deliberately calm tone,

"Ahem... you've gained a basic grasp of the ability. Tonight, familiarize yourself with this power properly, especially controlling your transformations, tails, and ears."

Dawn turned around and walked toward the dining room entrance, seemingly calm, never once mentioning the "good time" that had been interrupted earlier.

It was not that he had suddenly become a paragon of restraint. Rather, a thought stopped him—what if, while they were being intimate, Stella got emotional or failed to control her ability and suddenly transformed into him?

That image was far too beautiful. He did not dare imagine it! Better to wait until she could fully control her ability.

Watching Dawn's back disappear through the doorway, Stella unconsciously touched her burning cheeks, then looked down at the nine fluffy tails behind her that were swishing restlessly. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with complicated, indecipherable emotions.

There was shyness, confusion, and uncertainty about the future. But more than anything, there was a warmth quietly growing within her—one she had not even noticed herself—as well as a tiny glimmer of hope. She gently clenched the corner of her clothes and murmured in a voice only she could hear,

"Thank you..."

TO BE CONTINUED

(PS: I know some people will probably question whether Stella's potential is worthy of a Mythical Zoan, but is it possible that something like potential can be improved through technological means? For example, by a certain curly-browed person.)