He didn't rush to eat. Sword-Shadow Flow froze, a new thought clicking into place.
By any normal logic, there's no way he'd just stumble into a Devil Fruit. That kind of luck was absurd.
He glanced at his Circus Dancer achievement. The description said: as long as you stay upbeat and carry that circus spirit, everything starts going your way.
…Did that include luck?
The nearly ten-million viewers weren't dumb; chat exploded with theorycrafting about hidden passives and RNG tilt.
Sword-Shadow Flow, meanwhile, was stuck between two choices.
"Guys, do I eat this or not?
"If I eat it, I'll power up fast—but I'll piss off Alvida.
"If I don't, I gain favor with her and it counts as a contribution to Buggy's crew.
"What do I pick?"
He was still fretting when shadows fell over him.
"Sword-Shadow! That in your hand—"
Buggy led the way, stopping short when he saw the Fruit. Mohji and Cabaji gaped.
"How did you find it?!"
Their eyes turned hungry in an instant.
Buggy's fists flashed—thwack, thwack!—one punch each to his officers' heads.
"What's with those greedy eyes?" he barked. If anyone knew avarice, it was Buggy. "He found it. That fruit has nothing to do with us. He's our partner. We don't steal from partners!"
He faced Sword-Shadow Flow, expression unexpectedly serious. "You found it. That gives you say over what happens to it. But listen—this info came from Alvida. If you want it, you still need an agreement with her. Don't worry about force—I will witness it."
The sudden weight in Buggy's tone stunned Sword-Shadow Flow—and touched him, just a little.
"Captain Buggy…"
Before he could finish, a towering figure strode up—Alvida, mace on her shoulder, freckles dotted across a broad face.
Her eyes lit up. "That's it. The Slip-Slip Fruit!"
"Slip-Slip…?" Sword-Shadow blinked.
Alvida glanced at Buggy—who looked relaxed but clearly ready to pounce if she tried anything—and made her pitch.
"The intel came from me. You promised to help me find it—don't tell me you're backing out now? Besides, think this through. It's a Paramecia—Slip-Slip. It makes skin smooth and slick. For you lot, it's not much use. Are you sure you want to eat it?"
In East Blue she'd hunted this Fruit for one reason: it had a passive—the power to become beautiful. What girl could refuse?
Sword-Shadow Flow faltered. "What? Just… smoother skin?"
Chat wavered too:
[If it's really just the Slip-Slip, that's kinda useless]
[what if your hands get too slick to hold a sword lol]
[yeah if true, not worth it]
[Slip-Slip… like lube-man?]
He frowned. Devil Fruits were rare. Kaka burned 100,000 points to pull a Natural-type. His? Just a Paramecia. But… what if Alvida was lying?
Women's mouths, devil's lies—right?
He remembered the in-game shop. Aside from five tiers of chests, there was a Devil Fruit Scanner—only 100 points. And the system had just given him exactly 100 for discovering a new island.
He bought it. A prompt overlaid the Fruit:
[Paramecia: Slip-Slip Fruit — User becomes a Slip-Slip Human. Skin becomes smooth/slick.]
Confirmed.
"Brothers, she's not lying. I'm passing."
Interest died in an instant; chat's hype fizzled.
Sword-Shadow Flow looked at Alvida, then tossed the pink Fruit.
She startled, then beamed, clutching it tight. "Thanks! From now on, you're under my protection!"
He waved it off, watching curiously as she brought the Fruit to her mouth and took a monstrous bite.
"—BLEUGH!"
Her freckled, heavy face twisted, body shuddering.
And then, before millions of eyes, the change began.
Alvida started to shrink. A slick, oily sheen poured from beneath her feet, pooling with a pungent, greasy smell. Her bulk melted away, lines smoothing, limbs refining—
When it finally ended, Sword-Shadow Flow—and the entire stream—stared, stunned, at the new Alvida.
"Wh—what the…"
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