The Carrot on the Road to Strength

Observation Haki!

That was nowhere near as easy to awaken as Armament Haki.

As long as someone had even a little talent, they could awaken Armament Haki through enough training.

Observation Haki was entirely different. It truly took both talent and the right opportunity.

Ordinary people simply couldn't awaken it.

It wasn't Observation Haki itself that shocked him. It might depend on talent, but who was he? He had been the Ship's Doctor aboard the legendary pirate Golden Lion's ship.

He had seen plenty of Observation Haki—even Conqueror's Haki.

What truly shocked him was that the Ant Devil Fruit could help someone awaken Observation Haki so quickly.

If he had known that earlier, he would have sold the Devil Fruit long ago.

A-Luo took his time feeling out the changes in his body, then slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at Kuta, gratitude written across his face.

The Ant Devil Fruit had changed him so much. He felt he could kill his former self in an instant.

That feeling of power was intoxicating.

Kuta smiled when he saw A-Luo wake up.

Just as he had thought, the Ant Devil Fruit really did have other abilities.

The power to awaken Observation Haki quickly would be enough to rank it fairly high among Zoan Devil Fruits.

With such sharp senses and the physical boost from the Ant Devil Fruit, A-Luo could soon awaken both types of Haki if he worked hard inside Kuta's Space Domain.

Then, whether he kept practicing swordsmanship to become a Swordmaster or trained with a gun to become a Sniper, he'd make progress twice as fast.

Kuta smiled at him. "Tell me, A-Luo. Besides sharper senses, what other abilities do you have now?"

A-Luo glanced around. The antennae on his head twitched, then both pointed in the same direction.

He turned to look where they pointed and said excitedly, "My antennae can sense changes in the weather nearby."

"Changes in the weather?"

Kuta and Indigo both looked stunned.

Kuta was amazed that the Ant Devil Fruit was so powerful. Wasn't this a weaker version of Nami's ability?

Indigo simply felt bad for Golden Lion. If that man had known what the Ant Devil Fruit could do, he would have burst out of Hell in regret.

Indigo knew Golden Lion feared nothing except unpredictable weather.

If Golden Lion had found someone who could predict the weather, or gained that ability himself, his vast Fleet and power of flight might have let him dominate the world long ago.

"How far away can you sense the weather right now?"

Kuta looked at A-Luo as he asked.

Damn it. If A-Luo could predict the weather, had Kuta wasted the last dozen years reading Navigation Books?

He never thought all that studying would lose to a shortcut like this.

A-Luo closed his eyes. The antennae on his forehead swayed as he concentrated for a while.

He opened his eyes and smiled at Kuta. "A few kilometers in every direction, roughly."

He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "As I train and get a better handle on the Devil Fruit, I should be able to extend that range."

"That's ridiculous!"

Indigo stood to one side, marveling. "For anyone sailing the Grand Line, the greatest danger is never the pirates or the Marines. It's the strange, unpredictable weather."

He raised his head and fixed A-Luo with a bright gaze. "And you're now one of the finest Navigators in the world."

He turned to Kuta, excitement lighting up his face.

This Pirate Ship might look small to him, but it had a captain who ranked among the world's strongest and a first-rate Navigator as well.

That meant there would be very little on the Grand Line that could threaten them.

At the thought, he couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Ka-le! Ka-le!"

Kuta could feel Indigo's joy. He was just as happy.

He smiled at A-Luo. "From now on, you're our Navigator and Lookout."

"Now... are you going to keep practicing with a sword or take up a gun?"

A-Luo reined in his excitement and looked at Kuta seriously.

"I'm going to train with a gun."

Ever since he realized he had little hope of making it as a swordsman, he had turned his attention to firearms.

It was what their crew needed, too.

"Mm."

Kuta said nothing more. It was A-Luo's choice, and he respected it.

"You brat. Now you really are the second-strongest one on the ship!"

A-Tao walked over, threw an arm around A-Luo's shoulders, and spoke with envy.

He was genuinely happy for A-Luo.

Of course, he only meant A-Luo was second from the bottom. There was no way A-Luo could overtake him in third place.

A-Luo pulled A-Tao's arm off and turned to show off the muscles on all four of his arms.

"What do you mean, second? I'm obviously third now!"

"What, you think eating one Devil Fruit means you can challenge me? Don't get too full of yourself!"

Not to be outdone, A-Tao rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm thicker than an ordinary person's thigh.

A-Tao was the biggest and tallest of the three.

Otherwise, A-Luo and Ahua would never have willingly conceded third place to him.

"Hey! Have you two forgotten about me?"

Ahua couldn't take it anymore. Had both of them gotten too big for their boots?

Did he really count for so little?

He admitted he probably couldn't beat A-Luo now, but he wasn't about to lose on attitude!

"That's enough. Save your breath. Your training is going to get harder from now on."

"Make it harder, then! Who's afraid?"

Ahua shouted, putting on a brave front.

A-Luo shrugged. He wanted to start training immediately, so he didn't mind at all.

A-Tao calmly took out a cigarette, lit it, and blew smoke rings, trying to look cool.

Of the three, he was the biggest show-off.

The Radish That Led to Strength

Kuta looked at the three of them in amusement.

He turned and took the remaining white Devil Fruit from the box in Indigo's hands.

A-Luo and the other two stopped at once, all three staring at Kuta curiously.

Longing flashed in Ahua's eyes. After seeing A-Luo's transformation, no one aboard was more eager than him.

He and A-Luo used to compete over who could slack off more. Now A-Luo had taken off, and Ahua wanted to get stronger too!

Otherwise, A-Luo would never let him hear the end of it.

Kuta glanced between Ahua and A-Tao.

He could clearly sense Ahua's nerves, while A-Tao seemed almost indifferent.

He lowered his eyes to the white Devil Fruit in his hand, hesitation flickering across his face.

This Devil Fruit might be useless. Unlike the ant, which clearly had enormous potential, a rabbit didn't seem particularly promising.

Kuta honestly couldn't think of anything especially powerful about a Rabbit Devil Fruit.

Red-eyed rabbits going Berserk and the like were nothing more than guesses on his part.

If eating it gave them no special abilities, they would be better off without it!

At least they wouldn't have to fear seawater. Eating it might add little strength while saddling them with a fatal weakness.

That hardly seemed worth it.

Seeing the longing in Ahua's eyes, Kuta made up his mind to let him decide for himself.

He didn't offer it to A-Tao because A-Tao was the strongest of the three.

He was also the most patient and physically powerful.

"Ahua, whether you eat this Devil Fruit is up to you."

Kuta looked at him gravely. "It might be a useless Devil Fruit, or it might be as powerful as I suspect."

"What do you say?"

Ahua met Kuta's serious gaze and caught the challenging look A-Luo threw his way. He didn't hesitate for long.

"I'll eat it," he said firmly.

To an ordinary person, a Devil Fruit was a priceless treasure forever out of reach.

For Ahua, one was now close enough to touch.

There was no reason to hesitate. Even if it was useless, could it make him any weaker than he already was?

"All right."

Meeting Ahua's determined gaze, Kuta tossed him the Rabbit Devil Fruit.

"If you've decided, go ahead and eat it."

Everyone watched Ahua expectantly.

Especially A-Luo. He had personally endured the unforgettable taste of a Devil Fruit.

Just thinking about it made him feel sick.

Ahua looked at the white Devil Fruit in his hand and remembered how miserable A-Luo had looked. Hesitation flashed in his eyes.

Then his eyes widened behind his glasses, and a fierce air came over him.

He glared at the Rabbit Devil Fruit as though it were an enemy.

He opened his mouth wide and shoved the whole thing in at once.

He forced it down his throat, nearly choking and rolling his eyes back before he finally got it into his stomach.

Everyone around him was stunned by the stunt.

A-Luo stared at Ahua, his face full of regret and his heart weeping.

Why hadn't he thought to swallow his in one gulp?

Remembering how he had eaten several bites of that filth made his stomach churn.

Kuta stared at Ahua in shock.

Wasn't that exactly how King Luffy had eaten his Devil Fruit?

Impressive!