Mammon's ability, [Longevity Wine]

The countless wishes in people's hearts, "If only I could do this," became independent vessels for abilities.

Each fruit corresponded to a possible path of human evolution. Paramecia, Logia, and Zoan represented the desires to alter one's body, control nature, and become other creatures, respectively.

The idea that devils lurked inside Devil Fruits was just a folk legend.

However...

Dimon wore a curious expression. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Right now, you're more like a devil awakened from the fruit."

The Vampire Fruit had only just come to life and didn't seem quite used to speaking yet. His voice sounded a little strange.

"Master, I am essentially an ability born from human desire."

"Then let's just call you a devil. There's nothing wrong with a folk legend coming true."

Dimon didn't dwell on it. Instead, he asked with interest, "Tell me what abilities you have."

The Vampire Fruit told him everything. "I can transform into a mythical black bat, use ultrasonic waves to explore the world, create a space of darkness, and draw blood from others. I can also grant others lifespan, allowing them to live forever."

"Eternal life..."

Dimon drew a breath and tried to calm himself.

Everyone longed for eternal life. When emperors of old grew old, every one of them began refining pills in pursuit of longevity. If even emperors were like that, what about him?

Immortals did exist in the world of pirates.

The high-ranking Celestial Dragons, with Imu at their head, not only enjoyed eternal youth but also had undying bodies.

Even the Op-Op Fruit could grant its recipient eternal life through the Eternal Youth Surgery.

As a Mythical Zoan, it wasn't outlandish for the Vampire Fruit to grant others eternal life.

But he remembered that this fruit should have been eaten by Redfield, the "Red Earl" and "Red the Aloof."

In his youth, that old man had been hailed as a legendary great pirate who could rival the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates all by himself.

After eating the fruit, he didn't seem to have gained the ability to grant others eternal life.

At that thought, Dimon voiced his question.

"Master, after humans become ability users, they need to train constantly to gradually master the power of a Devil Fruit.

"But I don't. The moment you brought me to life, I gained complete control over my abilities!"

"I see. So you're strong? Roughly how strong are you? How do you compare to a Marine Admiral?"

At that, the Vampire Fruit took on a thoughtful expression.

Over the past several thousand years, he had possessed a faint consciousness, even though he had no intelligence.

All Zoan fruits housed a consciousness.

As he recalled the past, he remembered that among the ability users who had eaten him over the generations, one seemed to have become a Marine Admiral.

"Around 300 years ago, one of my users was a Marine Admiral, but I can't remember clearly."

Dimon's eyes lit up.

If an ability user who ate the fruit could become an Admiral, surely the fruit itself wouldn't be weaker than a Marine Admiral after coming to life?

"We'll find an Admiral for you to test yourself against when we get the chance. By the way, can you die?"

"I don't die in the human sense, but if my current human form is destroyed, I'll have to find another fruit to inhabit."

He understood.

Dimon had a rough idea now. In a sense, that meant he had an undying body!

"Wait, ability users become vulnerable to seawater and Seastone. Is it the same for you?"

The Vampire Fruit nodded.

Dimon clicked his tongue. The perfect puzzle was missing a piece. What a shame.

That meant that although he couldn't die, he could be sealed.

"First, I'll give you a name." Dimon pondered for a moment. "You're a 'devil' awakened from a fruit, so let's use a devil's name..."

The power of eternal life represented the greed of all beings.

"From now on, your name is Mammon, the devil representing [Greed]!"

This was the first Devil Fruit he had brought to life, and his first devil subordinate.

He would create more in the future. He might as well establish an organization dedicated to collecting Devil Fruits for him.

But there was no rush. Tomorrow's problems could wait until tomorrow. There was no need to make things difficult for himself.

The immediate priority was eternal life.

"Mammon, try making me immortal first!"

"Well..."

Mammon shook his head. "Master, I need human blood. Only after absorbing enough blood can I grant you a longer lifespan."

"Hmm... You are a vampire, after all. That's understandable."

Dimon nodded.

He remembered that the elderly Redfield had turned young again after drinking the blood of a single young woman.

"The Grand Line may not have much else, but pirates are everywhere. Tomorrow, turn into a bat and go out to sea to look for some."

"Understood, Master!"

The next day, in a stretch of sea near Sleepy Town.

"Nothing unusual to starboard!"

"No ships to port!"

"The weather ahead is good, visibility is clear, and there's nothing unusual!"

Shouts rang out from all over the deck.

The boatswain leaned against the mast, drinking wine with a slight flush on his face. Hearing the reports from his men, he couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like they didn't follow us."

Not long ago, they had encountered a warship. When pirates met Marines, a hard fight was only natural.

Normally, a warship was faster than an ordinary pirate ship, making it almost impossible to shake off pursuit.

But they had been lucky enough to run into a storm.

To survive, the captain had ordered them straight into it, facing the forces of nature head-on. In the end, they had escaped by sheer luck.

But that had also taken them off course.

"We can't head for the island the Log Pose is pointing to now. The Marines will surely be waiting for us along the route. We need to think of something... Fortunately, the food on board will last another month."

The boatswain pondered the problem with a headache.

As he was considering what to do next, the lookout suddenly shouted from the crow's nest above the mast.

"Boatswain Wilde, s-something's coming toward us from the sky!"

"What?"

Wilde sobered up considerably and hurriedly looked skyward.

A blazing sun hung above the clouds in the blue sky. There was nothing there.

He was just about to scold the lookout when he suddenly spotted a fast-moving black dot in the sky.

It was at least five or six hundred meters up, and it was rapidly growing larger in his field of vision. It was coming straight for them!

"Everyone, on guard!"

Wilde sprang to his feet and shouted, "You, go tell the captain!"

In those few short seconds, the black dot had already arrived in front of their ship.

When Wilde got a clear look at it, his pupils constricted.

What a huge bat... No, that's an ability user!

And one with the rare power of flight, at that!

"Who are you?"

Completely sober now, Wilde shouted at the bat with an exceedingly grave expression.

"I am... Mammon!"

Chapter 3: Mammon's ability, [Longevity Wine]

Mammon swept the entire ship with ultrasonic waves and immediately gathered the information.

A total of 117 people.

How was he supposed to take so many people back?

"Are you... pirates?"

The dozens of pirates on deck were all braced for a formidable enemy. Ability users weren't rare on these seas, but they weren't common either.

The enormous black bat before them was clearly not to be trifled with.

Most importantly, he could fly, giving him a natural advantage in a battle at sea.

A swordsman said in a low voice, "We're the Warrior Pirates. Our captain is a man with an 84-million bounty!"

He suspected the other party was also a pirate. Among pirates, announcing a bounty when greeting someone was a way to intimidate them.

"It's good that you're pirates. You meet Master's condition."

Mammon was simply carrying out his orders. He didn't care who these people were or what they were called.

As he spoke, his ability was already activating.

Darkness Realm!

Billowing darkness poured from beneath his wings like mist. With a flap of his wings, it engulfed the entire pirate ship in an instant.

"What is this?! I can't see!"

The deck erupted into chaos. The pirates scrambled in panic, retreating away from the bow from memory.

Many collided with one another and, unable to tell friend from foe, attacked each other.

"Calm down!!"

Wilde roared, then quickly said, "Brother Mammon, what do you want? I think we can talk this over!"

He couldn't see a thing. This wasn't ordinary black fog, but an effect created by a Devil Fruit ability.

An ordinary Zoan couldn't possibly possess such power. This was the legendary Mythical Zoan!

The power of a mythical beast!

Something even rarer than a Logia!

Wilde had no intention of fighting. He was focused entirely on finding a way to talk.

But his words were destined to go unanswered.

Mammon thought for three seconds. Realizing he couldn't take everyone on the ship back with him, he immediately seized two pirates by the shoulders with his claws and flew away.

He didn't dispel the Darkness Realm, continuing to use his ability to trap the entire pirate crew.

That was right. He planned to use a foolish method.

Since he couldn't take more than a hundred people back at once, he would do it in batches, two at a time. At his flying speed, he could bring them all back soon enough.

About half an hour later.

On the shore outside Sleepy Town, Dimon sat by a campfire, happily eating grilled fish.