The third time was this [Erudite] advancement quest. (Continued)

If a player died outright, their Devil Fruit ability would vanish along with their life.

Even after reviving, they would no longer possess it.

Adrian had once seen a few incredibly lucky players casually reveal on the forums which Devil Fruits they had eaten.

The very next day, they returned to the forums in tears, accusing a mob of jealous thugs of killing them and stripping away their Devil Fruit abilities.

Nor did the Devil Fruits respawn locally. They simply vanished, randomly respawning somewhere out at sea according to the usual rules.

Even the skill points those players had invested in leveling their Devil Fruit abilities were not refunded by the panel. They disappeared along with the fruits.

It was misery at its finest.

"Golden Spirit, a famous gaming legend. His current Devil Fruit ability remains unknown..."

Adrian carefully read the exposé on the forums, and an odd thought came to mind.

Actually, if they were lucky enough, couldn't players become members of the Shichibukai too?

If a top player like him acquired a BUG-tier Devil Fruit, one that was practically invincible in at least the first half of the Grand Line, couldn't he become one of the Shichibukai?

After all, a few of the Shichibukai really did rely entirely on their Devil Fruit abilities.

Let's leave Moria out of this. We should respect the dead...

But how exactly did Crocodile go from being strong enough to fight Whitebeard and hold his own against Bullet to losing to Luffy before he'd even used Gear Second?

Hopefully, Crocodile hasn't become that pathetic yet...

Adrian browsed the forums for a little longer. Finding nothing else worth his attention, he caught sight of the newspaper beside him out of the corner of his eye, and an idea suddenly struck him.

Picking up the