Devil Fruit

The pirate lay weakly at the water's edge. The things binding those men had all vanished as well, and only now did they finally believe that Nova had been telling the truth!

The pirate lying in the seawater could only roll his eyes in fury. He no longer had even the strength to speak.

Nova slowly walked over. Worried that the pirate might regain his strength once the tide receded, he immediately ordered the burly men who had just arrived, "Kick him farther into the water. That bastard—I saved his life, and he actually wanted to eat me? What a piece of trash..."

Without hesitation, the bodyguards lifted the man by his arms and legs and tossed him farther out into deeper water.

Now that there was nothing left to worry about, Nova waded into the water as well. A sinister smile hung on his lips as he looked at the people behind him and said, "Bring me my fruit platter. And bring me a knife!"

"Lord Genji, leave such matters to us. There is no need to dirty your hands!"

The moment Nova finished speaking, a bodyguard behind him hurriedly said so.

"Stop talking nonsense. Just do what I told you!" Nova said.

No one else dared say another word. They could only follow his orders.

Once everything was ready, Nova approached the pirate lying in the water with a sinister smile, muttering continuously, "I never thought I'd end up in the Pirate World. I've been here for years—how did I never notice? And now I've been handed something this good. I wonder if it'll work?"

But words were one thing; Nova showed no mercy. He could not kill this man on shore, but in the water, he could.

Everyone watched quietly, as if afraid something might go wrong. Nova stepped forward and mercilessly drove the knife straight into the man's chest. The pirate could not react at all now. In the water, he was nothing more than a cooked duck, completely at the mercy of others!

The moment the knife went in, even the maid behind them cried out in shock, as though she had never witnessed anything like this before!

But Nova had no mind to care about anything else. After plunging the knife into the pirate's chest, he quietly watched the fruit platter. As blood began spilling from the pirate's mouth, his body soon started sinking beneath the surface.

Though he was far from certain, Nova personally picked up the fruit platter. It held several kinds of fruit—bananas, apples, and the like—and he stared at them without blinking.

Then, the result he had hoped for really began to appear.

One of the apples on the platter slowly began to change, as though it were weathering away. The bright red apple gradually withered, and then circular patterns formed across its surface.

Even its color and texture resembled rotten wood.

"Lord Genji, what happened to that apple?"

One of the bodyguards behind him immediately shouted.

They had never seen a Devil Fruit before. Even in the Tru Kingdom, probably very few people had ever seen one. Yet one had now appeared right before Nova.

Nova did not answer. He simply stared blankly at the apple that had transformed into a Devil Fruit, anticipation welling up in his heart.

But before he could even begin to marvel at it, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind. "Ding. Congratulations, Host, on activating the system. Would you like to open it?"

The moment those words sounded, Nova froze where he stood. The stars in his eyes were practically visible from the outside.

The people behind him were still wondering what had happened to their lord.

He had only killed someone, yet he wore such a delighted expression. They truly could not understand it.

But how could they possibly understand Nova's excitement?

After hearing that voice in his mind, even the Devil Fruit in Nova's hand no longer seemed appealing. He hurriedly retreated back to the shore, completely forgetting about the pirate he had just killed.

The feeling of killing someone for the first time had made him nervous, but the Devil Fruit that appeared afterward had already dispelled those worries. Now, with that sudden voice appearing, he had completely forgotten what had just happened.

"Return to the palace at once! We're not staying here!"

Nova loudly ordered the group.

He could not wait to open the door to a new future, but he was worried that some strange mutation might suddenly occur to his body, so he chose to return as quickly as possible.

The palace was only a few miles away, and they could get there quickly on foot.

The people following behind him assumed Nova was excited because of the mutated apple in his hand. No one said anything; they hurried after him and began running toward the palace.

But before they had even made it halfway, Nova was already exhausted. He could only have the bodyguards carry him as they continued running back.

At that moment, however, the people in the palace were also deeply troubled. Several men wearing white robes emblazoned with the word "Justice" stood within the palace, seemingly discussing something with the old King.

When Nova returned, he only needed one glance to guess who they were. Since he already knew where in this world he had arrived, it was not difficult to figure out what faction those people wearing "Justice" belonged to.

But this was hardly the time to care about such things. The instant he entered the palace, he impatiently rushed toward his room. Yet how could his sudden appearance possibly go unnoticed?

"Nova, why are you running so fast?"

The old King saw his son arrive and immediately stopped paying attention to the Marines. With a cheerful smile, he ran toward his son.

But Nova was still holding the Devil Fruit. At the old King's call, the Marines also turned their attention toward the child.

With just one glance, they recognized what he was holding.

"A Devil Fruit?!"

A voice among the Marines cried out in shock. The others' gazes slowly shifted from the child's face to the item in his hand. Even the old King, who had just run up to Nova, looked surprised and curious.

The old King clearly recognized the thing as well. But in an instant, the joy he had felt upon seeing his son vanished, leaving only a frown.

It was not directed at his son, but at the Marines standing here. His kingdom had finally obtained something so valuable, yet the others were now eyeing it like wolves and tigers. They certainly would not be able to keep it.

"Kid, tell me, where did you get that thing?"

The speaker was a man who appeared to be in his twenties. He was exceptionally muscular, and the expression on his face sent a chill down one's spine.

"Nova, this is Marine Rear Admiral Sakazuki."

The old King spoke calmly, though there was a trace of regret in his voice. Even so, he introduced him without hesitation.

"So it was Mr. Sakazuki. My apologies for being discourteous just now. I found this thing by the seaside. It looks rather ugly, so I won't let a Rear Admiral laugh at it."

Nova lowered his posture and gave a respectful bow, speaking in an equally respectful tone.

But inwardly, he was thinking, Damn it, I never expected to run into Akainu here. This thing really is a dog!

The other man immediately frowned, clearly unwilling to let the matter end there. Just as he was about to press further, someone behind him cut him off.

This man was also wearing a Justice Coat, but his complexion was somewhat dark. Judging by his presence, he was clearly far more powerful than Sakazuki.

He stepped forward and patted Sakazuki on the shoulder, then said sternly, "Business first."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to Nova with a faint smile and said in a rough voice, "I didn't expect you to have such good luck. Then make good use of what you have in your hand. In the future, use it to protect your people."

"Mm, don't worry!"

Nova said with a smile.

Those words at least proved that the item he had just obtained would not be snatched away. The old king also revealed a relieved smile.

"Father, you continue discussing important matters. I'll head inside first!"

Nova looked at the old king and spoke in his childish voice.

How could the old king dare let his son remain here any longer? He hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, yes. Hurry inside."

Even after Nova had left the crowd, he could still feel at least two or three gazes fixed on his back.

That uncontrollable feeling was truly unpleasant!

Only after moving far away did Nova finally feel that no one was paying attention to him anymore, allowing him to relax slightly.

Yet none of the people in the hall were easy to deal with. Sakazuki immediately said to the Admiral who had stopped him earlier, "Admiral Zephyr, the thing that little fellow was holding looked like a Logia-type Devil Fruit. Why...?"

"Can't you tell what the situation is right now?" Zephyr said with a stern expression.

Hearing this, Sakazuki said nothing further. He naturally understood what the most important reason for coming here was. Besides, as a Rear Admiral, although he had thoughts about that item, he ultimately could not say anything.

However, the old king heard the exchange between the two men clearly. After all, in this era of the Marines, even if they said such things in his own country, he did not dare say anything!

He could only stand there helplessly as Zephyr stepped forward and said, "King Genji, regarding this Marine operation, we are merely notifying you in advance. I hope you can understand."

"Well... it's fine, it's fine. As long as it doesn't affect the Tru Kingdom or the ordinary citizens living their normal lives, that will do. I only hope that this time, you will not harm anyone else!"

The old king said with a forced smile. This was the plight of a weak nation—even as its king, he had no solution.

"King Genji, we Marines have always acted fairly and strictly. We will never kill innocents indiscriminately, so you may rest assured on that point. However, the matter caused by this operation is quite significant, so we hope you will keep it strictly confidential and not leak even the slightest word!" Sakazuki said.

"Rest assured, rest assured. We understand the importance of this matter and definitely won't reveal a word. Please proceed with your operation."

Even in the face of such accusatory words, the old king still did not dare utter the slightest objection. He could only nod and bow from time to time as he spoke.

If his nation had been even a little stronger, he would not have been reduced to such a state.

Zephyr had maintained an icy expression throughout. After receiving the old king's answer, he turned and left without another word. The others glanced at the old king as well before turning and walking out of the great hall.

After everyone had left, the old king sat on his throne without the slightest expression on his face, letting out only a helpless sigh.

Watching the Marines depart, he knew this matter would likely not end so easily. But what could he do?

Meanwhile, Nova had returned to his room, eagerly preparing to learn more about the other matters. Even the Devil Fruit he had brought back was casually placed beside his bed.

Sitting on the bed, Nova took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He recalled everything that had just happened, and in an instant, it all vanished like smoke.

"System, System..."

Nova began calling out in his mind, afraid that it might run away.

If anyone had been standing beside him at that moment, they could almost have heard Nova's pounding heartbeat. He sat there nervously and uneasily, quietly waiting for the voice in his mind to respond.

After quite a while, a voice finally appeared in his mind and said, "Does the host wish to activate the system?"

Though the mechanical voice did not sound particularly pleasant, to Nova, it was simply heavenly music.

Without the slightest hesitation, Nova hurriedly said, "Activate it, activate it..."

After Nova's words fell, the mechanical voice appeared again. "System activation in progress. Please wait..."

What followed was the sight of something like a blue vortex appearing before Nova's eyes, deep and mysterious in appearance.

The vortex kept spinning, as if something was about to emerge from within it. Before long, Nova seemed to have entered another world. Yet in this space, everything around him floated in the air, as though it had been placed there for him to choose from.

As the system completed its initialization, the mechanical voice appeared again. "Answer: System initialization complete. The host's world is the Pirate World. This system is the Myriad Worlds Mall and can provide equivalent items from the Pirate World for exchange."