January 12, 1503.
Four days had passed since Noah's last conversation with Morgans.
Noah and Vic continued their undersea treasure-hunting venture.
Over those four days, the two had searched another seventeen shipwrecks, collecting gold, silver and jewels worth over sixty million Beli, as well as an assortment of odds and ends.
These included Log Poses, swords, parchment treasure maps, telescopes, tables made of Adam Wood, stone tablets carved with unknown characters, and several barely legible sailing logs.
The closer the submarine drew to the Reverse Mountain canal, the more shipwrecks they found.
Of course, Noah had no way to reach shipwrecks more than two hundred meters underwater for the time being. After all, the submarine's maximum diving depth was only around a hundred meters. Vic had to brave the remaining hundred meters in a diving suit to explore any deeper.
Before they knew it, they had reached another relatively shallow stretch of sea.
Suddenly, Noah's Observation Haki sensed the wreck of a gigantic ship, though it lay at a depth of around 220 meters.
Noah and Vic discussed it and decided to give it a try.
Soon, Vic put on a diving suit and swam down.
Only when he saw the surface of the wreck did Vic realize how enormous it was.
"Huh? Why does this emblem look familiar? A lion's head and three swords?"
After racking his memory for several minutes, Vic finally remembered. It was the emblem of the Tris Kingdom, north of the Polestar Islands.
He ventured deeper into the wreck and found that many of its cabins were packed with chests full of gold, silver and jewels. Even though Vic often saw treasure, he was stunned by the sheer quantity before him.
After taking a moment to recover, Vic continued his exploration.
Only after searching every chest and cabin did he return to the submarine with two small chests in his arms.
Looking at the two new Devil Fruits before him and considering what Vic had told him, Noah quickly found a matching piece of information among the reports on the East Blue he had collected earlier.
In the year 1422, eighty-one years ago, the Tris Kingdom had lost a treasure ship carrying its Heavenly Tribute to a sudden storm near Loguetown.
As for why the Tris Kingdom had not sent anyone to salvage it, the reason was naturally that they were unable to do so.
Ships sunk by storms were practically impossible to recover.
For one thing, the sea was so vast that finding one was like looking for a needle in the ocean.
For another, even if the wreck's location was known, salvaging it required technology and specialized equipment.
The waters near Loguetown were close to the Calm Belt, where small Sea Kings often appeared. Without a powerful protector, anyone who encountered a Sea King during a salvage operation would likely be wiped out.
Noah himself had encountered two small Sea Kings, each tens of meters long, over the past few days. If not for his Conqueror's Haki, he would likely have ended up as fish food, as most Devil Fruit users would if they encountered a Sea King underwater.
The two spent two days at the wreck before stripping it of all its treasure. Noah estimated the haul to be worth around two billion Beli.
After all, the minimum Heavenly Tribute was ten billion Beli, or valuable gold, silver and jewels, Devil Fruits, rare minerals, local specialties and the like.
With this haul, Noah finally would not have to worry about money for the next few years.
Neither of them was in the mood to continue treasure hunting, so the submarine headed underwater toward Loguetown.
After Noah secretly landed in Loguetown, he rested nearby for the night. The next day, he received word from Morgans.
They met in the same basement.
After checking the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and the sailing information on Paradise, Noah promptly told Morgans what he knew about Kaido.
Kaido had completed his plan to seize Wano Country last year and had tricked Kozuki Oden and his family to their deaths.
Morgans naturally knew who Kozuki Oden was. But Wano Country was extremely closed off, and Kaido had deliberately suppressed information, so even Morgans knew nothing of the situation inside the country.
Clearly, upon hearing the news, Morgans understood that if it got out, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beasts Pirates would surely go to war.
After completing the deal, both parties were very satisfied with what they had gained.
After ending the call on the Den Den Mushi, Noah used cards to seal away the books, which weighed several hundred kilograms, and quickly left the World Economy News Paper branch building.
After changing his appearance several times, he took the submarine back to Starfish Island in the early hours of the next morning.
By the time he returned to Starfish Island, it was already evening.
He went straight to the study in the orchard, took out the three Devil Fruits and the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, and began identifying the fruits.
The first Devil Fruit was the black, melon-shaped one he had found first. He quickly found the relevant information in the encyclopedia.
Paramecia: Graphite-Graphite Fruit.
The second Devil Fruit was shaped like a red banana, with scale-like structures on its surface.
Zoan: Standard Zoan - Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Carp.
The third Devil Fruit was shaped like a white peach, with some fuzz on its surface.
Zoan: Standard Zoan - Human-Human Fruit, Model: Silverback Gorilla.
Apart from the almost comical Carp Fruit, the Graphite-Graphite Fruit and the Silverback Gorilla Fruit were both pretty good.
From the brief description in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, the Graphite-Graphite Fruit fell into the creation category, with no indication of a superhuman body or superpowers.
At dinner.
Noah brought out the three Devil Fruits and explained each one to everyone.
"Big brother, the Carp Fruit's ability is terrible!" Joshua could not help complaining.
"Let's not eat the Carp Fruit. As for the Graphite-Graphite Fruit and the Silverback Gorilla Fruit, is anyone interested?"
Everyone fell into thought.
Vic was the first to speak. "I'll pass. For now, I plan to focus on martial arts and Haki. If my strength stops improving in the future, I'll consider eating a Devil Fruit then."
"I don't want either of them. Neither fruit suits me," Lilith said, shaking her head.
Lilian and Mary declined as well. After all, graphite and gorillas held little appeal for girls.
"Big Brother Noah, could I have the Graphite-Graphite Fruit?" Jay asked a little sheepishly.
Noah smiled. "You're set to be the family's shipwright, so the Graphite-Graphite Fruit is indeed a good fit for you. In that case, it's yours!"
"Thank you, Big Brother Noah." Thrilled, Jay picked up the Graphite-Graphite Fruit and took a large bite.
The next moment, Jay's expression changed drastically, even twisting into a grimace. Still, he fought back his nausea and ate the Devil Fruit bite by bite.
Noah had specifically instructed him to eat the whole Devil Fruit.
Although a single bite was enough to gain its ability, there was still a difference between that and eating the whole thing.
The difference was not in the completeness of the ability or anything like that, but in a strengthening of resolve and willpower. Devil Fruits were somewhat influenced by the mind, and Haki was likewise closely tied to willpower.
A person who dared to eat an entire Devil Fruit had a different level of resolve from someone who took only one bite.