After flipping through the stack of bounty posters, Weiss returned them to the bar manager. Though he really wanted to find a Devil Fruit for Kadun, he wasn't the type to kill for one. He was, after all, a kind man.
That said, had one of those posters contained the Devil Fruit he needed...
Pirates were the scum of the seas. They deserved to die anyway.
The manager could tell none of the bounties matched the kind of fruit Weiss was looking for, and worry crept into his heart. If he angered this man, would he really tear the place apart?
That aura of his... how many people had he killed to accumulate such murderous intent?
"M-Might I ask, Sir Sword Demon," the manager asked cautiously, "what kind of ability are you looking for in a Devil Fruit?"
"Nothing too crazy," Weiss replied without hesitation. "Just something that helps with escaping."
The manager blinked. For a moment, he wondered if this was really the infamous Sword Demon standing in front of him. What kind of powerhouse sought such a mundane ability?
Was this some sort of disguise?
Still, he tested the waters: "With your strength, Sir Sword Demon, do you really need a Devil Fruit?"
...
...
"No, it's not for me. It's for my navigator. He's getting on in years. Right now, he's only got Supernova-level strength. He'd die from a single slash out in the New World. I'm just preparing ahead of time."
Pffft!
A nearby pirate who had stayed behind in the bar spat his drink out, hearing that. Realizing Weiss had glanced his way, the pirate quickly bowed his head.
"S-Sorry, Sir Sword Demon! I didn't mean to be disrespectful! I'll leave immediately!"
With that, he scurried out of the bar.
Weiss stared after him, puzzled. "Wasn't even talking to you. Psycho."
The manager looked awkward too. He didn't know how to follow up on that statement. Supernova-level strength is considered trash? For them, that level was something they had to tread carefully around.
Could you not talk about Supernovas like they're common weeds on the roadside?
"Ah, forget it. Looks like there's nothing useful here." Weiss downed the last drop of his drink, placed 100,000 Berries on the counter, and got ready to leave.
The manager hesitated, clearly deliberating something. Then he gritted his teeth. "Wait, Sir Sword Demon!"
"Hm?" Weiss turned around.
"Please give me a moment. I need to make a call."
Weiss stood still. He had nothing else to do in Sabaody anyway. Once he found a Devil Fruit for Kadun, he'd head straight for the New World.
Behind the counter, the manager pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed.
Brruu-brruu.
"Hello? Bruki, what's going on in Sabaody? Didn't I tell you to handle everything there? Why are you calling home?" a gruff voice answered, chewing on something between words.
"Chief, the Sword Demon Weiss is here in the bar, looking for a Devil Fruit for his crew. I just remembered we have one fruit with an unknown ability... maybe—"
"No. Bruki, you know we don't mess around with unknown fruits. What if it's some useless Zoan-type human-human fruit? Could we survive the Sword Demon's wrath?"
"My thought is... we give it to him. We picked it up anyway—it's not like it cost us anything."
"No! What if it's some broken fruit? What if it's a Logia-type like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"
...
Bruki took a deep breath. If this guy weren't fair and impartial, how the hell did he even become clan chief with thoughts like that?
Seriously? We all know Zoans, Paramecias, and Logias have distinct appearances! And don't we know what the Rumble-Rumble Fruit looks like?!
Suppressing his annoyance, Bruki continued, "Chief, can one Devil Fruit truly create a powerhouse on its own? Doesn't it still require talent and hard work? Look at the younger generation in our clan—aren't most of them lazy freeloaders? If our main line dies out, will those wolves you hired even help you?"
"Just explain everything clearly to the Sword Demon. If he accepts, then we've formed a connection with him. In the future…"
"But, Bruki, what if he just takes it by force?"
"He won't. He paid for his drink—willingly. Trust me, Chief."
There was silence on the other end. The chewing stopped.
"Handle it your way. You're the next clan leader anyway. Whether you rise to glory or fall into the abyss, that's up to you now. I'm getting old."
The line cut.
Bruki didn't hesitate. He turned and retrieved a Devil Fruit from a back room—a fruit that had fallen from the apple tree in his yard the day before, nearly bonking him on the head.
By rights, the fruit should've belonged to him. But he still reported it to the clan.
Back at the bar, Weiss was seated once more at the counter. The bartender nervously kept refilling his drink, making Weiss feel awkward.
Fifteen minutes later, Bruki returned with a box, setting it on the counter in front of Weiss.
"Sir Sword Demon, this is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. The exact ability is unknown. I leave it to your judgment whether you want it or not." He then explained the fruit's origin.
Weiss kept a calm expression, but inside he was roaring.
My god, what luck is this?!
Who's the real protagonist here?! I searched for an entire month on that damn island and didn't find a single Devil Fruit. Now one just... falls from the sky?!
A mysterious fruit with an unknown ability—this is protagonist-grade loot!
Eat it, and boom—kick a Yonko, punch an Admiral, wipe out Mary Geoise, beat the Five Elders to death... it's practically fate!
For a moment, he felt a strong urge to eat it immediately.
But he held back.
What if it's the Paramecia-type Stinky-Stinky Fruit? Would I end up developing a literal cloud of stench?
"You're saying... you're giving this to me?" Weiss asked.
"Yes," Bruki answered solemnly. "The fruit fell in my yard yesterday. Today, you're looking for a Devil Fruit. I believe it's fate."
"Why?" Weiss pressed.
"We just want to form a bond with you, Sir Sword Demon. That's all."
Damn it, Weiss thought, another one doing it for their family.
"Really? Aren't you afraid that one day I'll provoke some enemy I can't beat... and when they can't kill me, they'll come after everyone connected to me?"
He'd said something similar to Theodore before. Theodore had only smiled and replied: As long as either I or my brother is alive, the Carmeline family won't die out.
"No matter," Bruki said. "That just means fate isn't in my hands. If we perish, so be it."
Besides, Bruki thought privately, our family deals in intelligence. We could disappear so deep into the shadows that even CP agencies couldn't find us!
Weiss shook his head, pulled out his own Den Den Mushi, and dialed.
"Kadun, Theodore, where are you guys?"
In a certain bathhouse, Kadun jolted upright from the water when the call came in.
"Captain, we're bathing!"
"Good. Get five hundred million Berries from the ship and bring it to Red Romance Bar, GR 25, Lawless Zone."
He hung up.
Kadun, still dripping, immediately got dressed and dashed out with Theodore.
When it came to the captain's orders—nothing else mattered.
---
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