The Control-Control Fruit

Bzzzt~

Dill's pupils narrowed slightly. Electricity flickered around his right hand as he swung a punch at the soldier's crotch.

Although he did not know exactly what had happened, he knew it was best to strike first!

Soldier Dill stood firm, making no attempt to defend himself. The raspy voice sounded again from the Den Den Mushi he held up in both hands:

"Dill, don't move."

Bzzzt~

The lightning still crackled, but a trickle of cold sweat escaped Dill.

His body could not move.

Twenty Fleur!

Petals drifted down as Robin crossed her arms before her chest and hurriedly activated her fruit ability.

Two slender arms sprouted from each of the ten soldiers' shoulders, their fingers curled into tiger claws as they jabbed at their eyes.

She was still weak, and her joint locks were of little use against adults;

Under Dill's instruction, she had learned to attack her enemies' most vulnerable spots.

Ordinary people would mostly react to her fruit ability with shock and panic, but this time was different...

The soldiers showed no panic at all. They raised their left hands and blocked the attacks with their small round shields.

Thud!

Her fingers struck the shields with an audible impact.

Robin gritted her teeth against the piercing pain, her movements never stopping.

Unable to attack their eyes, she turned her attention to the Den Den Mushi in the leader's hands.

It was the voice from that thing that had made Dill suddenly stop!

"Stop resisting!"

Soldier Dill's voice interrupted Robin's movements and also stopped Hina, who had just reacted and was about to activate her ability.

A spear was poised in front of Dill, ready to pierce his head at any moment.

"Soldier, describe the current situation."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Even though he was addressing a Den Den Mushi, Soldier Dill remained deeply respectful:

"At your command, the main culprit has stopped moving, but his right fist is still discharging electricity, and its light is growing stronger. He appears to be planning a ranged attack."

"One of the two female accomplices possesses a fruit ability. Both have now stopped resisting."

"Praise be to Your Majesty. Under your leadership, we have achieved victory once again."

The king ignored his praise, instead taking a keen interest in Dill:

"Hehehe~ His right fist is still discharging electricity. This Dill really is special."

"Dill, shout 'I'm a bastard' three times!"

Another command came. Thoughts raced through Dill's mind as he forced a reply through clenched teeth:

"I... re... fuse!"

The other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent for two seconds, then laughter rang out:

"Hehahaha~ 'I refuse'~ How many years has it been since I last heard those words?"

"Soldier, bring him here, along with his companions."

My gamble paid off!

A flicker of relief crossed Dill's eyes.

The other party was a king, so he would have no shortage of obedient people around him. Someone who defied orders like Dill was the rarity.

Although they were now fish on the chopping block, at least all three were alive. As long as they lived;

There was still a chance to turn things around.

Since the command not to move had not yet ended, Dill's body remained bent forward in a punching stance.

Two soldiers worked together to hoist him overhead, preparing to carry him away.

Two more soldiers bound Hina and Robin tightly in chains and escorted them toward the castle.

The townspeople gathered on both sides of the road to watch, as though they had spotted some rare animals.

"Are those the criminals from the stories?"

"Mommy, that pink-haired big sister is so pretty!"

"That's a criminal's disguise. Under that skin, she must be a monster covered in fangs!"

Whisper after whisper reached Hina's ears. She lowered her head and said through gritted teeth:

"Hina is humiliated!"

Two days ago, she had still been a wealthy merchant's daughter. Now she was a prisoner, dragged through the streets for people to gawk at.

In contrast, Robin looked perfectly calm.

After more than two years as the Devil Child, she had long since grown immune to such gossip.

"Hey, Robin, what do we do next?"

"Wait!"

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for Dill to rescue us, wait for a chance to escape with Dill, or wait to die."

Robin turned her head and earnestly advised her in a quiet voice:

"If they're going to kill us later, remember to surrender on your own. You might still survive."

"What about you?"

"Me? I'm staying with Dill."

Hina: "..."

She sighed and closed her eyes as though accepting her fate:

"Forget surrendering. If it weren't for you two, I would have died on that passenger ship. I've already lived two extra days."

"Hina came out ahead."

"Besides, maybe we'll escape alive."

The two fell silent for a while.

Three prisoners against an entire country's forces-their chances looked slim no matter how they viewed it.

Time slowly passed, and the three arrived at the castle.

Since there were no cells, Robin and Hina were placed in a guest room.

The soldiers brought in a wooden barrel half a meter tall, filled with water, and stuffed Robin inside.

As long as most of their bodies were submerged in water, ability users would lose their strength.

Hina had yet to display her fruit ability, so she was merely tied up.

Two soldiers stood silently in the room like puppets, keeping watch and putting an end to her idea of using her ability to escape.

Meanwhile, Dill was taken to a very spacious surveillance room.

An unlit hundred-inch screen hung on the wall, surrounded by a dense array of over a thousand smaller screens;

Dozens of staff members meticulously watched the screens for anything unusual.

In the center of the room stood a golden throne upholstered in sumptuous leather, with a man reclining leisurely on it, his eyes closed.

The king? No, isn't he far too young?

Dill was surprised. The man on the throne looked only seventeen or eighteen.

"Oh~ He's here."

The corners of the man's mouth curved upward as he spoke in a raspy voice:

"Dill, sit in the barrel in front of me. Keep everything below your head submerged and remain still. Your head is free to move again."

Dill once again lost control of his body and walked into the barrel in accordance with the man's command.

There was even a chair thoughtfully placed inside.

Do you really have to be this cautious?!

Dill could not help grumbling inwardly.

The man clearly took him for an ability user.

Yet even though Dill was already under his control, the man still wanted another layer of insurance, using water to restrict his ability.

But this is also an opportunity!

Dill thought to himself that he was no Devil Fruit User. Seawater could not restrict him.

Although the other party could control his body at any time, his hypnosis only required eye contact to activate.

He feigned weakness, half closing his eyes like a genuine ability user as he watched for a chance to hypnotize him.

"I'm afraid of death, so I'm rather cautious."

The king sat up straight, but still did not open his eyes.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dill."

"I'm a Control Human who ate the Control-Control Fruit."

"Control what? Control Dill?"

"Hehaha~"

The king nodded and chuckled:

"Exactly. Control Dill!"

"I ate the Control-Control Fruit when I was very young. The instant I gained its power, I thought of controlling Dill, and from then on, I could only control Dill;

"Back then, I thought, if I could control myself, could I make myself smarter and more handsome? Then I could win over Nori, the prettiest girl in the village."

"Huh, that really is pure love. You didn't even think of controlling Nori."

Dill replied weakly:

"So did you ever win Nori over?"

This time, the king shook his head and said with a trace of regret:

"Control can't affect the ability user himself. All that happened to me back then was that I lost the ability to swim;

"Until one day, many years later, I met a Dill. Can you understand that feeling?!"

The regret on his face turned to enjoyment, and even his voice trembled slightly:

"That feeling of controlling everything!!!"

"His life!"

Bang!

One of the staff watching the monitors suddenly exploded into pieces, splattering blood across the screens on the wall.

"His soul!"

Thud!

Another person fell to the floor. A ball of light floated out of his body and soon dissipated in the air.

"His sense of self!"

Woof, woof, woof!!!

One person dropped onto all fours and trotted over to the throne, barking.

The king reached out and stroked his hair, then crushed his head in the same motion.

"I don't actually like dogs very much."

The corner of Dill's mouth twitched. If you don't like dogs, why make him turn into one? Killing a few people to show off?

He took a deep breath, looked straight ahead, and asked:

"Since you're already capable of all that, why bother capturing an insignificant Dill like me?"

"Because I'm lonely, Dill~"