Chapter 319: An Unexpectedly Obtained Devil Fruit
The Evil King Flame Slayer Sword’s fatal blow to Wapol’s head was beyond saving, even with Doctor 20 around. Not to mention, when Wapol fled in panic, he had left Doctor 20 behind in the village and hadn’t brought him back.
Pulling the blade back and sheathing it, Ian let out a slight sigh.
Although he had considered the aftermath of assassinating Wapol, Ian still went through with it without hesitation.
Because he planned to set a trap here on Drum Island!
It had been a long time since he became a Warlord of the Sea and found a foothold on Travira Island, but the Whitebeard Pirates hadn’t come looking for trouble. Moreover, from the rumors circulating outside—that the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates had fallen out because Ian had clashed with a member of the Whitebeard Pirates—Ian had guessed that Blackbeard Teach might not be dead!
This actually puzzled Ian quite a bit. His blade had indeed pierced Teach’s heart, yet for some reason, Teach hadn’t died. Ian had no idea what had gone wrong.
It was precisely because Teach wasn’t dead that the Whitebeard Pirates and the Dragon Hunter Pirates had remained at peace.
With that in mind, Ian speculated that Teach’s defection might still happen with high probability. After all, the Whitebeard Pirates were the largest territory-holding crew among the Four Emperors. If the Dark-Dark Fruit appeared, it would most likely be obtained by someone in the Whitebeard Pirates.
Of course, Ian didn’t know if the butterfly effect he had caused would influence this event. If the Dark-Dark Fruit appeared and, by some twist of fate, wasn’t obtained by Fourth Division Commander Thatch but instead fell directly into Teach’s hands… then Ian had no idea what that guy would do.
Regardless, in Ian’s calculations, he always prepared for the worst-case scenario. Assuming history would unfold normally, when Teach fled from pursuit, he would likely still pass through Drum Island. There was also Jaya Island—these two places were the only ones Ian remembered Teach landing on.
Having already assassinated Teach once, Ian and Teach were sworn enemies. Both saw each other as thorns in their sides. Knowing how dangerous Teach was, Ian still preferred to nip this guy in the bud.
So, maybe he could set up an ambush here on Drum Island? When Teach arrived on this island and pushed aside the bushes, he’d see—oh! Damn! Ian would jump out from the bushes, shouting “Demacia!” as he swung his blade at him. That guy would probably piss himself in fear…
Since he had decided to return to Drum Island later, it was best to eliminate obstacles like Wapol first. With that idiot around, something unexpected might go wrong.
Of course, Ian didn’t know if this plan was sound. His idea was still just a vague notion, so he could only act first and see what happened.
Due to Drum Island’s climate, the population was sparse, so Wapol didn’t have much of an army. After Ian killed him, the castle was essentially empty. Maybe after Ian left, Kureha would move in here? He wondered if they would elect Dalton as the new king…
Thinking this, Ian planned to search the castle for Wapol’s treasures. Gold, silver, and jewels were hard to carry, but there should be some Berry bills.
However, just as Ian was about to enter the castle, the system in his mind suddenly prompted him: “Conflict energy detected. Do you wish to absorb it?”
This sudden, inexplicable prompt startled Ian. What the hell?
He knew what “conflict energy” meant to the system—it referred to Devil Fruits. But the problem was, Ian didn’t have any Devil Fruit on him right now!
“System, are you mistaken?” Ian couldn’t help asking.
Yet the system still insisted it had detected conflict energy!
Ian patted himself down, trying to find the Devil Fruit the system mentioned. When he patted his pocket, he suddenly froze!
He remembered that in the village, the little guy Chopper had handed him an apple. Could the system be referring to that?
With this thought, Ian quickly pulled out the apple. When he looked at it, he was dumbfounded!
Earlier, when Chopper handed him the apple, Ian had clearly seen it was a normal apple—red, fresh, and smooth on the surface. But now, the apple he pulled from his pocket was a strange one covered in spiral patterns!
And those spiral patterns—Ian recognized them immediately as the unique markings of a Devil Fruit!
Ian stared at the Devil Fruit in his hand, utterly bewildered. How did this happen? Why had a perfectly normal apple suddenly turned into a Devil Fruit!?
Looking at the apple-shaped Devil Fruit in his hand, then back at Wapol lying on the ground behind him, Ian fell into thought.
Wapol wasn’t the first Devil Fruit user Ian had killed, but he seemed to be the first one Ian had taken down while carrying a fruit on him!
Could it be that after Wapol died, the power of his original Devil Fruit had transferred to the apple Ian was carrying?
Ian was a bit confused. Though this was his guess, he found it hard to believe. In his understanding, when a Devil Fruit user died, a new identical Devil Fruit would be reborn somewhere in the world. That was one way he knew Devil Fruits formed.
But he had never imagined there was another way!
Holding the Devil Fruit, Ian examined it closely. Just by looking at its appearance, he couldn’t tell if it was Wapol’s Munch-Munch Fruit. If it was, then his guess was correct: when a Devil Fruit user died, if there was a carrier nearby capable of holding the Devil Fruit’s power (like a fruit), the power would transfer into that carrier!
Ian also speculated that such carriers might not be limited to fruits. He remembered Spandam, the CP9 chief, wielding the Elephant Sword. If the sword was seen as a carrier, then could the Elephant Sword have been formed by the power of the Elephant-Elephant Fruit transferring into the sword?
Thinking carefully, this guess was highly plausible. The power of Devil Fruits must follow some kind of rule. Otherwise, if they truly appeared randomly anywhere in the world, how could the scientists of this world have researched artificial Devil Fruits and given life to inanimate objects with Devil Fruit powers?
Tossing the apple-shaped Devil Fruit in his hand, Ian initially wanted the system to absorb it to boost his basic stats. But after considering all this, he hesitated. He wondered if he should find someone to eat this Devil Fruit and test it. If the eater gained the Munch-Munch Fruit’s ability, then in the future, when Ian killed a Devil Fruit user, he could carry a fruit on him and continuously collect Devil Fruits!
Putting the apple-shaped Devil Fruit back in his pocket, Ian entered Wapol’s castle and began searching for what he wanted.
He hadn’t expected that killing Wapol on a whim would yield such an unexpected result. The apple Chopper had handed him inadvertently revealed a secret about Devil Fruits. Was this the power of a cute mascot?
After scouring Wapol’s castle, Ian was frustrated to find that the treasures Wapol had hoarded were pitifully few. Even the money was scarce. After searching for a while, he only found a few million Berries.
Thinking about Wapol’s Munch-Munch Fruit ability to eat anything, Ian felt like cursing. Had this idiot eaten all the gold, silver, jewels, and coins as snacks!?
How low must his IQ be to do something like that?
With little to show for his efforts, Ian left the castle, found the cable car connecting to the island below, and began his return journey.