[Dark Group Owner: Good. Then I shall bestow upon you power… the power to crush the fish-men.]
A slight curve lifted the corner of Hattori's lips as he opened the Activity Mall.
After Taichi's darkening progress reached 50%, a new function appeared in the mall… Gift Giving.
Hattori could spend half of his Activity Points to exchange rewards for other group members.
However, the restriction was that he could only exchange items from the respective group member's main world.
What Hattori chose for Nami was naturally a specialty of the One Piece World…
A Devil Fruit.
[Dark Group Owner has gifted group member, Cat Burglar, a 'Logia-type Devil Fruit'.]
[Cat Burglar: Logia?! The legendary strongest fruit that auctions for hundreds of millions of Berries and is priceless even if you have the money?]
Nami's body trembled violently, a flash of joy and surprise in her eyes.
Devil Fruits were powers countless people dreamed of.
Even the weakest Zoan-type was speculated to cost a hundred million Berries…
Let alone the most precious Logia type!
Controlling elements, turning the body into that element.
Just these two abilities were enough to drive countless people mad.
[Dark Group Owner: Try eating it. I don't know what specific attribute it is either. What if you hit the jackpot?]
A curve of anticipation lifted Hattori's lips as he watched the group chat messages.
The fruits drawn by the system couldn't be precisely specified to a particular type, and it had a strong lottery element.
If she drew a strong one, like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or Dark-Dark Fruit, that would be like winning the lottery!
But even with bad luck, the baseline for a Logia was still there.
[Cat Burglar: Okay, I'll eat it now.]
Nami hurriedly opened the box in her hand and took a bite.
'So disgusting!'
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Nami swallowed the Devil Fruit in large bites.
As the fruit entered her stomach, Nami felt her body grow warm.
'It's working!'
A small whirlwind gradually formed beside Nami's right hand, emitting a faint, cool aura.
[Cat Burglar: It's wind! The Wind-Wind Fruit that controls air currents!]
[Dark Group Owner: Pretty good luck. You got the first prize.]
Hattori's eyes curved into crescents as he couldn't help but laugh.
The Wind-Wind Fruit was undoubtedly in the first tier among Logia-types, its strength not inferior to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or Glint-Glint Fruit.
Moreover, for Nami, the Wind-Wind Fruit was the most suitable fruit, bar none.
[Cat Burglar: Such a powerful ability! The world looks different to me now. All the air currents are like obedient children, flowing around my fingertips, by my side!]
Nami manipulated the whirlwind in her hand, overjoyed.
Her strongest talent was observing weather and drawing sea charts.
And what was the most common trouble encountered at sea?
Storms!
The Wind-Wind Fruit, strictly speaking, was the Air Current Fruit.
Controlling air currents could stir up tsunamis, lift tall buildings, causing massive destruction.
It could also be controlled precisely, instantly invading a human's fragile internal organs, shredding them with air currents.
For rugged powerhouses like Kaido or Big Mom, the Wind-Wind Fruit in their hands would at most only have destructive power, unable to achieve precise control and utilization.
But Nami was different.
She already had a high talent for things like weather and storms.
With the fruit's enhancement, this talent evolved to almost monstrous levels.
It was no exaggeration to say that with a single thought, Nami could make the air pressure inside someone's body instantly expand, causing them to explode.
Unless one had a body as tough as a giant's or a special constitution like Luffy's, ordinary strong individuals couldn't withstand a single glance from Nami.
[Dark Group Owner: Haha, that's also because you yourself have strong control over air currents. If it were someone like @The Dead-Last Jinchuriki, that idiot would probably struggle to even create a small whirlwind.]
[The Dead-Last Jinchuriki: Hey, Group Owner Mister, if you want to praise someone, just praise them. Why use me as a negative example!]
'Hehe.'
A smile curled Nami's lips, warmth spreading in her heart.
This was the Group Owner. This was the Darkening Chat Group.
A group of people bearing painful pasts, separated by distant times and spaces, yet forming incredibly strong bonds.
The strong are lonely, while the overlords are aloof.
'Perhaps only someone like the Group Owner could be so inclusive, gathering them all here from across infinite worlds.'
[Dark Group Owner: @Cat Burglar, You've gained the power, you've been lectured. Now what you need to do, I probably don't need to say more, right?]
[Cat Burglar: Of course!]
A sharp, cold glint flashed in Nami's eyes.
There was no reason to retreat anymore.
This time, she would definitely kill Arlong and wipe out the entire Arlong Pirates!
...
Cocoyashi Village.
"Did you hear? That Nami, who sided with the Fish-men, was severely beaten because she didn't meet Arlong's demands."
"Hmph, serves her right! A traitor who sold out the village. How could she face Bell-mère?"
"Exactly. Why didn't they beat her to death? That heartless ingrate. I should have driven her out of the village back then. It's a pity for Bell-mère's kindness."
The villagers, unaware of the truth, cursed Nami with the most vicious words.
Only Genzo, the man who knew the whole truth, clenched his fists, two streams of hot tears flowing down his face hidden under his hat's shadow.
'Nami, the village has wronged you!'
'If you get the chance, run away. Never come back here again.'