Munch-Munch Fruit, Rebirth

"How dare you! You..."

Wapol flew into a rage and was just about to summon the guards when he remembered they were not by his side. So he simply opened his huge mouth, intending to devour this insolent fellow.

But Dawn gave him no chance.

"[Dark Water]."

A vortex-like gravitational force of darkness suddenly surged from his left palm, and the powerful suction instantly seized Wapol.

Wapol felt an irresistible force tugging at him. With a startled cry, his feet left the ground, and he was violently dragged toward Dawn.

Dawn's massive right hand precisely clamped down on Wapol's shoulder, its five fingers tightening like iron pincers.

Wapol cried out in pain and instinctively tried to use his power to bite off the hand, only to discover in horror that his ability... had failed! It was as if something had completely suppressed the devil power within him!

"H-How is that possible?!"

For the first time, genuine terror appeared on Wapol's face.

Without another word, Dawn clenched his other hand into a fist and drove it, carrying tremendous force, straight into Wapol's fat chest.

"Pfft—!"

A dreadful dull thud rang out. Wapol's eyeballs bulged instantly, bloodshot and protruding.

The clothes on his back exploded, and a ring-shaped blast of air pierced through his body, blasting a deep trench through the snow behind him. Every one of his internal organs shattered beneath that punch.

He did not even manage to scream before Wapol's body went limp, his life force vanishing in an instant.

Dawn let go and tossed Wapol's corpse onto the snow like a ragged sack. Dark red blood slowly seeped out, staining the pristine snow.

Dawn stared expressionlessly at the corpse. With a thought, dense darkness poured from his body and swiftly formed an inverted bowl-shaped prison, completely enveloping both him and Wapol's corpse, cutting off all sight from the outside world.

Within the dark prison was utter silence, broken only by Dawn's steady breathing.

Before long, he keenly sensed that deep within the dark cavern, he had seemingly caught an intangible, formless "presence" brimming with strange vitality. It was struggling madly, trying to break free from the darkness and flee into some unknown distance.

Devil power!

Dawn's eyes flashed. His left hand continued maintaining Dark Water, its suction firmly restraining that "energy" attempting to escape. Meanwhile, his right hand swiftly reached into the backpack on his back and pulled out a passion fruit he had prepared beforehand.

Based on his deductions, the Dark-Dark Fruit could seize another person's ability by capturing the devil power that dispersed after an ability user died.

He had also heard of the trait where devil power attached itself to the nearest fruit. To ensure nothing went wrong, he had specifically chosen a passion fruit, which somewhat resembled the Munch-Munch Fruit in his memories, as a prearranged vessel—after all, he had no subordinate nearby to whom he could immediately entrust the fruit.

Using the gravitational pull of Dark Water, he forcibly drew that wildly struggling devil power over and slammed it into the passion fruit in his hand.

That ordinary passion fruit underwent a visible transformation! Its color turned a deep purple, bizarre spiral-cloud patterns surfaced across its skin, and its middle bulged and warped, forming two rows of tightly clenched tooth-like markings.

Paramecia: Munch-Munch Fruit, reborn!

The corner of Dawn's mouth curled up slightly.

"It worked. The first experiment... as expected, my deduction about how the Dark-Dark Fruit seizes abilities was correct."

He carefully examined the newly born Devil Fruit, then cautiously placed it back into the inner compartment of his backpack.

Next, he activated his power. The darkness beneath his feet writhed like a swamp, swallowing Wapol's corpse and sending it into the alternate space connected to the Dark-Dark Fruit, to be dealt with after he left.

He could not leave the corpse behind now. The sudden death of a prince would be enough to drive the entire Drum Kingdom into a frantic search, seriously affecting his plans going forward.

The dark prison dispersed. The wind and snow continued as if nothing had happened. Dawn once again covered his entire body in darkness, turning into an invisible shadow as he silently made his way down the mountain along the path he had come from.

Cocoa Weed Village.

Inside an ordinary house, the stove burned brightly, driving away the bitter cold. Kureha was skillfully bandaging a little girl's sprained ankle.

"All right, little girl. Don't run around these next few days."

After finishing the treatment, Kureha clapped her hands and took a swig from the bottle beside her.

The little girl's parents stood nervously nearby, thanking her repeatedly.

"Thank you, Dr. Kureha! Thank you so much! Um... the consultation fee..."

"The fee? Just give me half of the supplies your family currently has in storage."

A pained look immediately appeared on the little girl's parents' faces, but after exchanging a glance, they gritted their teeth and nodded.

They had long been prepared for this. Getting the "witch" to act had never come cheaply. Before long, they separated out more than half their grain, dried meat, vegetables, and other supplies, packing them into an enormous bundle.

Kureha looked at the large bundle with satisfaction, effortlessly slung it over her shoulder, took another drink, and pushed open the door.

The moment she stepped outside, the biting wind and snow rushed into her face. Yet more eye-catching than the blizzard was the tall figure standing silently outside the door.

His dazzling blond hair shone brilliantly amid the curtain of snow.

Kureha raised an eyebrow.

Before she could ask, Dawn spoke first and made his purpose clear.

"Dr. Kureha."

Before he could finish, Kureha habitually interrupted him.

"Hmm? Were you asking about my secret to staying young?"

Dawn shook his head. He had long been prepared for this witch's strange catchphrase.

"No, I wasn't asking."

He directly tossed a heavy money bag from his backpack onto the snow at Kureha's feet. The mouth of the bag was open, revealing it stuffed full of Beli notes in large denominations.

"I'd like to ask you to give me a comprehensive physical examination. This is the fee."

After arriving in this village, he had immediately asked around about Kureha's whereabouts and her charging habits. Knowing her habit of demanding exorbitant prices, he had prepared his bargaining chip in advance.

This money was merely spoils from his voyage at sea, and he did not care in the slightest about spending it. Not enough? He could always go "earn" more.

Kureha glanced down at the bag of Beli, then looked up at Dawn's inhuman physique and exceptionally young, handsome face. A glint flashed through her eyes, too subtle to notice.

She set down the bundle of supplies on her shoulder, bent over to pick up the money bag and weighed it in her hand. A fairly satisfied expression appeared on her face.

"Tch. I hadn't planned on seeing any more patients today, but since you're so sensible, I'll make an exception. Come with me."

After accepting the appointment, Kureha shouldered the bundle, took the money bag, and headed toward a standalone wooden house at the edge of the village. Dawn took long strides and silently followed.

TO BE CONTINUED