Under the watchful eyes of countless pirates, the Red Count stepped out first.
His reputation alone was enough—pirates instinctively parted, opening a clear path for him.
Abel glanced over. The other pirates were clutching their Devil Fruits like precious contraband, yet this man swaggered forward with his Fruit openly displayed in hand.
"Please, come in."
The Red Count didn't hesitate. He walked into the Skull Grand Hotel and soon spotted the rumored brewer himself—Dimon—seated on a sofa in the lobby, idly flipping through a random paperback.
Sensing someone enter, Dimon finally lifted his eyes.
"First time meeting, Brewer."
The Red Count sat down while quietly sizing him up. He set the Devil Fruit on the table.
Dimon gave it a glance and immediately identified it.
"Not bad. A Paramecia-type."
With a faint chuckle, Dimon raised a hand—manifesting a bottle of Wine of Immortality. He poured a cup himself and slid it forward.
"This is the wine that grants agelessness and undying regeneration?"
The Red Count picked up the glass and gently swirled it, watching the liquid spiral up the rim. He raised his eyes toward Dimon—yet even with Observation Haki sharp enough to read hearts, he couldn't hear Dimon's "true inner voice."
"So? Not drinking?" Dimon asked. "If you don't want it, leave. The transaction is already complete. What you do with the wine is your business."
The Red Count gave a soft laugh. "I'm simply curious. You're creating so many immortals. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
Dimon raised an eyebrow.
The Red Count continued:
"Let me rephrase. Why do you need so many Devil Fruits? Brewing the Wine of Immortality can't be the only purpose. If it were, you could easily say two Fruits per cup, or three, or even five."
"And even then, people would still trade for immortality."
"One Devil Fruit for eternal life… that's too cheap. Which means you're deliberately creating more immortals."
When he finished, he watched Dimon quietly, waiting for an answer.
A slow smile crept onto Dimon's lips.
This was the first person to ever ask him that directly. Many had likely wondered, but to stay clear-headed in front of immortality—and question his intentions—was rare.
And yes, he had deliberately priced the wine low.
In the beginning, he needed a large number of immortals to strengthen himself.
"You think the wine has a hidden flaw?" Dimon countered.
"I don't believe that," the Red Count said, shaking his head. "Quite a few people have already drunk it. If something was wrong, it would have surfaced."
Then, without hesitation, he downed the cup in one go. While savoring the taste, he added:
"I'm simply curious. So many immortals—and by the end of today, there will be many more. If you were building a faction of undying followers, I could understand. But you're not doing that. Which is why I'm puzzled."
Dimon waved a hand lazily.
"When you live long enough, you'll understand. Mine is not the only path to immortality…"
Long enough?
The Red Count thought for a moment.
If this man could brew the Wine of Immortality, then surely—he must have been the first one to test it.
Meaning…
He had been alive for a very, very long time.
And for some reason, after all those years, he chose to bring immortality into the world and create more immortals.
Why?
"…Forgive my rudeness."
The Red Count rose and left without pressing further. His mind, however, was still wrestling with the question.
After he departed, Dimon picked up the Fruit left on the table and devoured it with a single thought.
[Consumed one Devil Fruit. Gained 200 Demon Points.]
[Demon Points: 2000 → 2200]
"Next."
Soon another customer entered.
One after another, pirates arrived—each bringing a single Devil Fruit, exchanging it for a cup of wine, then drinking it on the spot.
Unlike the Red Count, none of them had questions. They drank eagerly, then immediately tested immortality—slashing their arms, watching the wounds seal before their eyes.
Some cackled with manic joy.
Some trembled from head to toe in excitement.
And Dimon sent them off, one fresh immortal after another.
Before long, the "big spender" walked in.
Charlotte Linlin strode in carrying a large sack of Devil Fruits. She dumped more than a dozen onto the table.
"Dimon, how about a different kind of deal?"
"Aren't we already dealing?"
"Not for wine." Linlin shook her head. "It's about something else. Your subordinate—Abel—he's Lunarian. He's grown up now. I want him to marry one of my daughters. Name your terms!"
Dimon stared at her, then looked at the table.
"So only sixteen Fruits. You only robbed one yesterday?"
"I'm talking about the marriage!"
"Why ask me? Go talk to Abel himself. I don't control who marries who."
"That brat runs the moment he sees me! That lightning power of his—he disappears in a blink! I can't even catch him!"
Linlin looked utterly exasperated.
She truly believed her daughters were treasures—twenty-plus daughters, surely one matched his taste?
Dimon materialized four bottles of Wine of Immortality and set them before her.
This woman had once tried to seduce him. Now she wanted her daughter to seduce his subordinate.
"You want the Lunarian bloodline. I have a suggestion."
Dimon grinned—seeing a prime sucker delivered straight to his door.
"Ever heard of Vegapunk?"
"The legendary genius scientist?"
"He built a research lab on my territory. Works on cloning."
Dimon coaxed, "You can fund the project. Clone a Lunarian. And not just Lunarians—once the research succeeds, you can clone any race you want."
Cloning had long been completed.
And immortality cells couldn't be cloned.
Meaning Linlin was destined to be fleeced—harmlessly, but thoroughly.
Dimon wasn't a complete devil, though. If she asked about progress later, he'd just give her the actual cloning tech.
Linlin was dazzled instantly.
"Fine! I'll invest in your lab. But don't fool me! Vegapunk is really with you?"
"Snatched from the World Government years ago. Anyway—take your wine and move along. There are more people waiting."
Satisfied, Linlin grabbed the four bottles. Her eyes drifted to the half-empty bottle on the side—she reached for it too.
Dimon slapped her hand away.
"That one's not yours."
"Stingy! What's one more bottle!?"
She gave him a glare and stomped out.
Only after she left did Dimon finally have time to examine the sixteen Fruits.
No Logias.
No Mythical Zoans.
Not even an Ancient Zoan.
"This woman must've kept the good ones for her kids and dumped all the mediocre stuff on me."
He shook his head and devoured them all.
[Demon Points: 5000]
"Perfect. Time to unlock a new skill."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/MugiwaraTL