The night was ink-black, thickly draped over the Tree of Knowledge in Ohara.
A bonfire burned in the clearing, its flames licking at the mountain-like corpse of the Sea Boar.
The air was heavy with the scent of rust and brine. The scholars gathered around the massive sea beast, their blades rising and falling in the firelight as they cut through its tough hide and explored the unfamiliar yet intricate structure within.
Excited whispers, hurried scribbling, and the dull scrape of blades against bone intertwined into a fervent, primitive symphony of discovery.
Dr. Clover shifted his gaze from the bloody, chaotic dissection site to the silent child beside him and spoke earnestly.
"Little Adams, you're truly impressive. You managed to subdue a sea beast that size... but try not to do this again in the future. Just look at all those injuries."
Adams casually rolled his shoulders, the lines of his muscles tightening and relaxing. He answered without concern.
"It's fine, Doctor. You know about my special constitution. Injuries like these are nothing."
He had already decided that over the next two years, he would strengthen himself by fighting sea beasts. Naturally, he could not agree to such a request.
Dr. Clover's brow furrowed, deepening the worry on his weathered face. He was about to speak again—
"Doctor! There's something in its stomach!"
A young scholar staggered over from the sea beast's abdominal cavity, holding a wooden box covered in slime. His voice trembled with excitement.
Interrupted, Dr. Clover sighed softly and took the box. The scholar immediately turned and threw himself back into the bloody work.
The old doctor put on the white gloves he carried with him, brushed away the cold, wet filth on the wooden box, and carefully lifted its lid.
The bonfire's flames suddenly leaped into the box.
A fruit lay at the bottom. It was unremarkable, even ugly—
Its entire body was a dark brown like old mud, covered in rough, twisted patterns. Only the short stem at its top was an abrupt, eerie green.
"A Devil Fruit!? Doctor, do you know its name? It doesn't seem to be recorded in the encyclopedia."
At some point, Adams had silently appeared beside the doctor. He stared at the fruit, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
The Tree of Knowledge naturally contained a Devil Fruit encyclopedia, and it was the most detailed version available. However, there was no record of the fruit before them.
Dr. Clover did not answer. His withered fingers carefully lifted the fruit from the box and brought it close to his eyes. The bonfire flickered in his cloudy old gaze, reflecting the strange fruit.
After examining it closely, the old doctor finally spoke.
"If my eyes have not yet failed me... this is likely the legendary Zoan Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan... Baas Form!"
"Baas? The... 'god' worshipped by the Sky People?"
Adams raised an eyebrow and asked thoughtfully. Whether through memories from his past life or the books he had read in this one, the name was not unfamiliar to him.
"Yes, it is indeed the name of that god. And its origin is somewhat connected to the culture and customs of the Sky People."
Dr. Clover nodded, his gaze still fixed on the fruit.
"I see. Then, Doctor, do you know what abilities it has?"
Adams pressed again. He had no interest whatsoever in the culture or customs of the Sky People; he only cared about the power the fruit could grant him.
Dr. Clover looked away from the fruit and asked the boy before him an entirely unrelated question.
"Child, do you know how Devil Fruits are born?"
Adams shook his head. Naturally, he knew the answer, but he had no way of explaining how he knew it, so he could only pretend otherwise.
The old doctor's gaze passed over the noisy dissection site and the burning bonfire, toward the depths of the night sky strewn with cold stars, as though he were gazing upon the dark river where human desires converged.
"I have studied history and pored over countless documents over the years. Many of them concerned these fruits. After researching them, I came to a conjecture: Devil Fruits were most likely born from humanity's prayers and wishes!
"Someone desired wealth beyond measure, and so there came a fruit that could create gold;
"Someone dreamed of soaring through the heavens, and so there came a fruit that allowed one to fly."
"But among all prayers and desires, there is one group that is special—the believers of gods...
"Their hearts surged with fanatical worship and imitation of their deities. They longed to become gods themselves—and from that desire, Devil Fruits bearing the names of gods could be born."
The bonfire's light danced over the doctor's aged face. The hand holding the fruit slowly rose, placing it at the center of their meeting gazes.
"And this fruit... was born from the Sky People's unending worship and faith in Baas!"
He abruptly turned, his aged gaze pressing down upon Adams with tangible, crushing weight.
"As for its abilities... according to the descriptions of Baas's divine power in those dust-covered records, this fruit will grant its eater authority over the earth!"
Adams's heart suddenly tightened, as though an invisible hand had clenched around it.
"Create Baas!"
The doctor's voice was like the proclamation of an oracle.
"Assimilate with Baas! Travel freely through Baas!"
With every ability he named, the light in Adams's eyes burned hotter.
"Cancel Baas's binding force upon all things... increase the binding force Baas imposes upon oneself!"
"And—"
The doctor drew out the final syllable, carrying earth-shattering significance.
"The ability to make Baas... tremble."
Adams nearly blurted it out, his voice trembling slightly with overwhelming excitement.
"So it encompasses the abilities of the Island-Island, Water-Water, clay, Float-Float, Heavy-Heavy... and even the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?"
In his rapidly turning understanding, "Baas" meant "earth"! Assimilating with the earth was precisely the ability of the Island-Island Fruit.
Traveling through the earth was identical to the Water-Water Fruit's ability;
Creating earth was equivalent to an enhanced version of that clay man from SWORD, since the earth was made up of far more than just clay;
Canceling the earth's binding force meant eliminating gravity, which was the Float-Float Fruit's ability;
Increasing its binding force meant manipulating gravity, the ability of the Heavy-Heavy Fruit;
Making Baas tremble, simply put, was naturally the power of earthquakes.
"That interpretation would not be entirely wrong."
A faint, gratified smile appeared on Dr. Clover's wrinkled face as he nodded approvingly.
"It seems you have indeed put considerable effort into studying the encyclopedia and are thoroughly familiar with the abilities of various fruits. However... there is one point where you are mistaken.
"The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit is a trinity of air quakes, sea quakes, and earthquakes. The tremors brought about by this Baas Fruit are limited solely to the earth itself. At most... it possesses one-third of that power."
"Alright, my understanding was too narrow."
Adams replied quickly, his tone carrying the characteristic perfunctoriness of youth.
All his attention, all his desire, was now like iron filings drawn to a magnet, firmly fixed upon the ugly fruit in the doctor's hand.
He stepped forward, his voice filled with unquestionable sincerity and urgency.
"Doctor! Could you... give it to me? I want to eat it!"
Although that Baas statue on Sky Island was ugly, with an ability this absurdly overpowered, who cared whether it was ugly or not? Strength was what mattered for life.
"Of course."
The old doctor's voice returned to its usual gentleness. He steadily extended his arm and offered the fruit carrying authority over the earth to Adams.
Adams snatched the fruit. Without the slightest hesitation, he opened his mouth and bit down. An indescribably horrifying taste instantly exploded across his mouth, but he merely frowned. His Adam's apple bobbed sharply, and he swallowed the thing that symbolized authority over the earth.
TO BE CONTINUED