White Ghost took a nap with Uta in his arms.
Halfway through, Uta realized he'd fallen asleep, so she quietly slipped away.
This wasn't a private room.
It was outside.
Even if they did nothing, she still didn't want people seeing her like that.
When White Ghost woke up, it was already afternoon.
He stretched lazily, climbed down from the dragon head, and looked across the deck.
Urki and the others were lifting weights like maniacs.
White Ghost's mouth twitched.
These guys were really committing to physique training.
At least they listened when he told them not to neglect leg day.
Otherwise they'd end up with bull bodies and chopstick legs—and he'd laugh himself to death.
Right now, their bodies looked balanced. Good.
They spotted him and started greeting him.
"Captain!"
"Boss!"
"Sir!"
"Lord!"
"God—!"
White Ghost waved his hand. "I told you. Stop being so polite. You're grown men—meatheads. Urki, come here."
He sat down and called.
Everyone stopped training immediately and gathered.
They knew what this meant.
Devil Fruit selection.
Otherwise the captain wouldn't call them like this.
"God—" Urki dropped to one knee.
White Ghost covered his face.
This guy never learned.
Fine.
In public, Urki at least toned it down.
Only when no outsiders were around did he fully go "worship mode."
White Ghost pulled the Devil Fruits out one by one.
As he set them down, he spoke calmly:
"Artificial Devil Fruit—Mythical Zoan: Azure Dragon."
"Barrier Fruit."
"Obsidian Fruit."
"Strength-Strength Fruit."
"Causality Fruit."
"And Ancient Zoan: Ankylosaurus."
He looked at Urki.
"Pick one. Every one of these represents power."
Everyone knew White Ghost had treasures.
But seeing so many at once still shocked them.
And everyone also assumed:
If he could casually take out six…
then there were probably more still inside that bracelet.
Kuro looked at the fruits, then at their crew.
Ancient Zoans. Strong Paramecias. Two Mythicals including the captain.
One Logia too.
Kuro quietly thought:
When we enter the New World… this ship is going to scare people out of their souls.
Urki stared at the six fruits.
If he said he wasn't tempted, he'd be lying.
He'd wanted one for a long time.
But the captain had always told him to wait.
Now the captain dumped a whole table of choices in front of him.
Urki struggled.
Finally, he looked up. "God… choose for me."
White Ghost thought for a moment.
He put the Barrier Fruit away, then pulled out a spinning wheel.
"These five are all excellent. Now let's see how lucky you are."
Everyone's expressions twisted.
Captain… you're deciding a lifelong fate with a roulette wheel?
Even Ilena and the others—who'd walked over—looked like they wanted to grab him and shake him.
But they didn't speak.
If it were anyone else, they'd grab the Mythical instantly.
White Ghost had said that artificial Azure Dragon fruit was already a finished product—just that Vegapunk was too picky and dismissed it.
White Ghost spun the wheel.
Everyone stared like their eyes might pop out.
Will Urki roll the Mythical?
The pointer kept rotating.
White Ghost didn't use future-sight.
He couldn't be bothered.
The pointer slowed.
And under everyone's burning gaze…
it stopped on—
the Causality Fruit.
White Ghost's face darkened.
"So it really is fate…?"
Kuro immediately saw the change in White Ghost's expression.
Earlier, the captain had reacted strangely to that fruit too.
Kuro pushed his glasses up slightly, smiling to himself.
Interesting.
White Ghost picked up the Causality Fruit and tossed it lightly in his palm.
"Causality. In battle, it absorbs damage and converts it into your strength."
"The greater the damage you take, the greater the payoff."
Urki's eyes lit up.
That sounded… perfect for him.
White Ghost continued, voice turning colder.
"Of course—only within the limits of what your body can endure."
"If you get greedy…"
"…you'll explode and die."
He paused.
"You can still choose another one. Right now."
Urki shook his head firmly.
"God, this fruit fits me."
"And like you always say—limits are meant to be broken."
White Ghost smiled.
He said nothing more.
He handed the fruit over.
To him, it was simply returning what belonged to its rightful owner.
Urki accepted it with both hands, then opened his mouth wide and swallowed it in one bite.
He didn't even chew.
He'd heard Enel and the others say Devil Fruits tasted horrible—worse than poop.
Urki once asked, "You've eaten poop before? How do you know the taste?"
Enel had exploded on the spot.
They fought.
Enel won.
Because his Silver ability was developed well—and his physique wasn't weak either.
Urki swallowed the fruit whole.
Everyone's mouths twitched.
Big mouth privileges.
Urki closed his eyes and felt the new power settle into his body.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze locked onto Zango.
"Zango… please give me a punch."
Zango cracked his knuckles, grinning wickedly.
"You sure?"
Urki nodded.
Enel waved a hand.
Silver flowed across the deck, shaping into a clean ring.
A sparring arena.
Enel said calmly, "You two fight in there. Don't damage the ship. Franky can fix it, but his temper is terrible."
Zango and Urki jumped into the ring.
Everyone gathered to watch.
Zango rolled his shoulders. "Ready? I'm coming."
Urki crossed his arms in a defensive stance. "Come."
Zango bent his knees, drew his right arm back, and started charging.
Urki's eyes stayed locked on him.
Crack—!
Zango pushed off.
The silver floor beneath his foot shattered slightly.
Then—
whoosh—!
He appeared in front of Urki and threw a heavy punch.
BOOM—!
Urki's body swayed once…
…but he didn't step back.
He stood firm.
Urki straightened.
"Now it's my turn."
Zango laughed loudly. "Haha! Fine! If it was before, you'd be down from one hit. Now you're still standing? Come!"
Zango raised his guard.
Urki charged in.
"Karmic Retribution!"
BOOM—!
Zango blocked with crossed arms.
The silver arena cracked even more.
White steam rose from Zango's forearms.
Zango clicked his tongue. "Tch… that punch? Even those four or five-hundred-million guys wouldn't be able to take it."
Urki scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"It's… the Devil Fruit."
White Ghost stood up.
"Alright. Eat."
"From today on, Urki wears Seastone cuffs."
"Your development path is the simplest—take damage, absorb it, and refine it."
Urki dropped to one knee again.
"As you command… God!"
White Ghost waved his hand and walked toward the dining hall with everyone.
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