"Th-This is...!!"
The moment he saw the faint glow emanating from the bag, Wang Haoyu froze in place!
In that instant,
he could hear the violent pounding of his own heart—
Thump! Thump!
"Gulp—!"
Wang Haoyu swallowed hard.
He didn't immediately check the fruit inside the bag.
Instead, keeping a calm exterior, he quickened his pace out of the fruit market.
Only after he'd walked far enough and reached a deserted corner—
did he finally come to a stop.
And the moment he stopped,
he began panting heavily, unable to hold it in any longer.
"A Devil Fruit!"
"This has to be a Devil Fruit!!"
Wang Haoyu prayed inwardly, heart racing.
With trembling hands, he opened the bag.
Inside, aside from the few ordinary fruits he'd just bought—
was a fruit with a peculiar shape and a strange glow.
When he saw it,
Wang Haoyu couldn't help but hold his breath.
Excitement spread across his face—clear and unmistakable.
"It really is... a Devil Fruit!"
He was beyond ecstatic!
Wang Haoyu was one of the earliest viewers of Yuuto Kagami's streams.
He had been watching since the first appearance of the Devil Fruits and Sea Kings.
So naturally—
his impression of Devil Fruits was extremely deep.
He had even spent a fair amount of money,
buying fruit from various places in the hope of one day getting lucky.
Unfortunately—
all the fruit he had purchased before turned out to be completely ordinary.
Still, he never gave up.
For the past few days, he kept checking the fruit market, buying a few here and there.
And now—
he had actually drawn the jackpot!
He had really bought a Devil Fruit!
"I—I have to contact Brother Fan right now!"
This thought dominated his mind—
and he acted on it immediately.
Wang Haoyu scrambled to open Yuuto Kagami's livestream.
At the same time—
Yuuto Kagami had just finished explaining the Black Shadow Mask artifact.
The viewers were still deep in discussion.
: Damn, that side effect is way too intense.
: The mask literally brings out your dark side? That's wild...
: If gaining power means losing your humanity, then what's the point?
: Yeah, even someone kind-hearted and strong-willed can't resist? Then I'm screwed for sure.
: No wonder that guy kept saying "This body is called Zhou Lin"—he's already been overtaken by that Ghost General!
: So what happened to the real Zhou Lin? He probably had no idea about the side effects when he first found the mask.
: This is why only Brother Fan can safely handle these interdimensional artifacts. The rest of us would just get wrecked.
: Lesson learned—next time I find anything weird, I'm sending it straight to Brother Fan for analysis!
Facing questions about Zhou Lin's fate, Yuuto Kagami chuckled and reassured the viewers:
"No need to worry, everyone."
"Although the Black Shadow Mask does have severe side effects..."
"As long as the mask is removed, all effects are reversed, and the person returns to normal."
"Of course, once the mask is taken off, you'll also lose all the power it grants."
: Phew! At least there's hope!
: So Zhou Lin can still come back—thank god!
: Wait, so you can just take it off? That simple?
: In theory, could you just wear it when you need power and remove it after?
: You wish! Once the mask turns you evil, you won't want to take it off anymore.
: Yeah, your personality changes—you're not "you" anymore.
Yuuto Kagami added seriously:
"It's not that easy."
"The mask can't be removed by normal means."
"Each mask has a specific counter material."
"For example: the Ninja Mask must be removed with iron;
the Thorn Blade Mask with silk;
the Night Bat Mask requires rice... and so on."
He gave a detailed explanation.
Then, to demonstrate—
Yuuto Kagami retrieved an iron shard and used it to easily remove the Black Shadow Mask from Zhou Lin's face.
The entity possessing Zhou Lin—Nijia, the Ghost General—could only watch helplessly.
With its body frozen by the Ice-Ice Fruit's power, it had no way to resist.
And at the moment the mask was removed—
Zhou Lin's expression shifted from rage and horror to confusion and dazed incomprehension.
When he saw Yuuto Kagami in front of him,
his eyes lit up with recognition.
"Y-You're Brother Fan?!"
"That's me." Yuuto Kagami nodded.
He briefly summarized everything that had happened.
"I... I actually..."
"That mask...!"
Upon understanding the full situation,
Zhou Lin was visibly shaken.
His gaze toward the Ninja Mask now held a trace of fear.
Yuuto Kagami asked, "So... what do you plan to do with the mask?"
Zhou Lin hesitated.
Then, with a gulp, he shook his head.
"I don't want it anymore. You take it, Brother Fan."
"You sure?" Yuuto Kagami raised an eyebrow.
But Zhou Lin nodded with firm resolve.
"I'm sure. I can't handle that thing. I'd rather leave it with someone who can."
"Alright then."
"If you ever run into trouble, you can always come find me."
Seeing that Zhou Lin had made up his mind, Yuuto Kagami didn't try to change it.
He simply gave him a promise.
"Thank you, Brother Fan!"
Zhou Lin's pale face lit up with gratitude.
: That guy's got a good head on his shoulders!
: This is the smart move. Better to pass on something you can't control.
: Yeah, you wouldn't even have a place to store a cursed mask like that.
: Honestly? Giving up the mask and getting Brother Fan's favor in return? Worth it!
The chat was full of praise for Zhou Lin's rational choice.
Just then—
A screaming rocket gift launched into the air and a highlighted message lit up the screen:
: Brother Fan! Brother Fan! I found a Devil Fruit! Can you help me identify it?!
: ???
: WHOA WHOA WHOA, someone found a Devil Fruit?!
: Where? Who??
: Bro, you're not joking right?? What type is it?!
: Logia? Zoan? Paramecia??
: No way... another Devil Fruit has appeared?! That's crazy!!
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