Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 ...

Honey Queen froze for a moment, then asked in disbelief, "Is this real?"

"I heard this thing was incredibly rare. I thought it was just a rumor, but it actually exists."

Baccarat picked up the book. She knew what was going on.

Vice Admiral Momousagi must have given it to Chris. There was no other possibility.

Five minutes later.

"Stop!"

Honey Queen pointed at the Devil Fruit in the book and said with a beaming smile, "Look, this one is exactly the same! We've got it right this time."

Belo Betty glanced at the Devil Fruit on the table, compared it with the encyclopedia, and nodded.

"They're identical. This is definitely the right fruit."

Baccarat lifted her head, looking ahead with her beautiful eyes, and smiled. "Chris, this is a Paramecia—the Sound Wave Fruit."

"The encyclopedia says that whoever eats this Devil Fruit can turn their roars into tremendously destructive sound wave cannons."

"And the louder the roar, the more destructive the sound wave cannon becomes."

Honey Queen's eyes lit up. Seemingly struck by an idea, she hurriedly spoke.

"I just realized this fruit would be perfect for Burgess."

"That guy has such a loud voice. If he ate this Devil Fruit, he'd definitely be able to make full use of it."

Just then, Chris's voice reached them.

"Take the fruit to him. Let him decide for himself."

Baccarat nodded and said with a radiant smile, "I'll take it over."

Honey Queen patted Baccarat on the shoulder and said with a grin.

"Let's go together. I really want to see what this fruit can do."

Belo Betty said flatly, "Are you that sure he'll eat it?"

"Some people couldn't care less about Devil Fruits. They don't necessarily want to become ability users."

Soon, the three of them arrived on deck.

At that moment, Burgess was reclining in a lounge chair, basking in the sun.

"Burgess, your lucky break is here."

Honey Queen teased the big man as she looked at him.

When Doc Q saw the book in Baccarat's hands, shock spread across his weathered face.

"That's the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia!"

"The rumors were true! Unbelievable."

(Folks, this Sound Wave Fruit comes from one of the movies. If you haven't seen it, you can check it out. I won't say any more here—I don't want to pad the word count ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 14

"The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia? What's that thing?"

The moment Pato heard about something new, curiosity took over. Tossing aside the fishing rod, Pato jumped straight over.

Belo Betty glanced at the little one and said flatly, "You can think of it as a book that records Devil Fruits."

"So we finally know what Devil Fruit it is! Hurry up and tell me. Would it suit me?"

Burgess had wanted to eat the Devil Fruit ever since they got it.

But none of them knew what ability it granted, so naturally, they hadn't dared act rashly.

Baccarat handed him the fruit and said with a charming smile, "Take a look at the encyclopedia to see exactly what it does!"

With that, she opened the book and turned to the page for the Sound Wave Fruit.

"Turns sound into a laser cannon..."

"The louder the roar, the greater the power..."

Burgess grew excited. Throwing both arms up, he laughed. "Perfect! This fruit is just right for me! Wehahahaha..."

Doc Q looked at Baccarat and the others, then started coughing.

"What did the captain say? Does he want Burgess to eat the fruit?"

Burgess caught on too and hurriedly asked, "Right, what did the captain say? Does he think I'm a good fit?"

Honey Queen rolled her eyes at him and scoffed. "Knowing Chris, do you really think he'd say something like that?"

"He didn't even come over. How much do you think he'd have to say?"

Belo Betty glanced at Burgess and said flatly, "Chris said to decide for yourself."

"There. That's all he said."

Baccarat waved a hand to stop the other two from saying any more, then offered an explanation.

"Chris is busy training. There isn't much he can say about something like this, so he left the decision to you."

"But personally, I do think this Devil Fruit suits you extremely well."

Doc Q gave an eerie smile and said bluntly, "That's our captain, all right. He doesn't bother with little things like this."

Burgess shrugged, looking helpless.

"The captain is so heartless. He doesn't care about his crew at all."

"But I'm definitely eating this fruit."

With that, he took a huge bite.

"Ugh..."

His expression changed instantly, his face turning a sickly purplish red.

Honey Queen covered her mouth and giggled, her voice sweet and clear. "Seeing you like this is so funny!"

Belo Betty shook her head slightly and sighed.

"Seeing him like this reminds me of when I ate my Devil Fruit. Absolutely disgusting."

Pato bounced around, face alight with excitement. "Commander Burgess, hurry up and show us your Devil Fruit ability! It must be really powerful!"

"Then watch closely. Don't get too shocked!"

Burgess strode to the railing and looked out over the sea.

"Roaaar!"

He opened his mouth wide, and blue-white light appeared inside, steadily gathering.

Whoosh!

A blue-white beam shot from his mouth, streaking swiftly across the surface of the sea.

Boom...

An explosion rang out over the distant sea.

Waves immediately surged across the water with astounding force.

The sight startled everyone.

"Commander Burgess is awesome!"

The crew members who had been busy working hurriedly cheered, showering him with praise and applause.

Honey Queen looked astonished and murmured, "What a powerful Devil Fruit. It's terrifying!"

Belo Betty tossed away her cigarette butt and spoke flatly.

"This Devil Fruit really does have tremendous attack power. If someone took a direct hit..."

She shook her head and said no more.

Baccarat looked at Burgess and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Commander Burgess. Now the position of First Division Commander is yours for the taking."

Basking in everyone's praise, Burgess threw both arms up and burst out laughing. "Wehahahaha..."

"Burgess, I think your chance has come."

Doc Q looked at him with a mysterious smile and urged, "You're so powerful now. Why not start the Captain Challenge?"

Burgess glared at him and cursed.

"Are you trying to get me killed? Get lost..."

"If you want to challenge him, do it yourself. I don't have the guts. I'd like to live a few more years."

Pato bounced around and said with a grin, "This is fun! This fruit is so interesting."

Baccarat looked at the other two women, her brows curving gently. "Let's go back and stay in the Training Room."

Then the three of them chatted and laughed as they went back to watch Chris train...

Four days later.

In the waters near Kanglinya Town.

Inside the Training Room.

"Chris, stop training for a moment. Our luck has come around again."

Baccarat leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed, her beautiful eyes fixed on that imposing figure, shimmering with fascination.

"More good luck? What will it be this time? I can't wait!"

Honey Queen's eyes lit up, and her exquisite face filled with interest.

Belo Betty shrugged and looked at Baccarat with admiration. "Every time I hear you say that, I find it absolutely unbelievable."

"Your Devil Fruit ability really is incredible."

"Then let's head ashore!" Chris wiped off his sweat with a towel, casually tossed it aside, and strode toward the door.

The three beauties said nothing more. They followed Chris out onto the deck...

(Folks, good luck has come around again. What will it be this time? A Devil Fruit, or a new recruit? If you can guess, I'll post an extra update ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 15

...No more unnecessary chatter. I'm off to write.

If the updated word count isn't enough, you can urge me to update online. I keep my promises!

That's right, that much!!

...From now on, this book will get at least ten thousand words of updates every day.

Chapter 16

On deck.

"The captain's here. Looks like we've got another lucky break."

The moment Doc Q saw Chris appear, he knew what was happening.

Burgess looked toward Kanglinya Town and laughed. "I hope it's a new recruit so I can have a proper fight! Wehahahaha..."