The Final Month: Choosing the Wielder of the Gura Gura no Mi
The system deadline had finally arrived.
Thirty days remained.
Thirty days to choose the one person who would wield a level of destructive power the world had never seen… and should never see carelessly.
Three Candidates. One Choice. One Month.
The system had narrowed it down, calculating alongside Damian's own observations:
1. Wonder Woman
2. Aqualad
3. Superboy
Everyone else was eliminated.
Not because they were weak.
Not because they lacked courage.
But because the Tremor-Tremor Fruit required:
Absolute emotional stability
Unshakable restraint
Immense physical endurance
A worldview that could shoulder the burden of a godlike weapon
Only these three remained.
Week 1 — Evaluating Wonder Woman
Damian shadowed Diana for seven days.
He watched:
her compassion
her unyielding drive for peace
her warrior resolve
her self-control
her divine strength
She was perfect.
Too perfect.
During a training session on Themyscira, he realized it:
A divine being wielding the power to shatter continents?
To rival the gods themselves?
No.
It wasn't that Diana couldn't be trusted.
It was that the gods around her couldn't be trusted.
If Zeus—or any Olympian—discovered the nature of the fruit…
They would find a way to extract it.
Claim it.
Weaponize it.
Even if they had to kill her.
Damian knew divine politics far too well.
At the end of the week, he crossed her name off.
Damian (quietly)
"…I'm sorry, Diana. This fruit would put you in more danger than it prevents."
And with that, Wonder Woman was removed from the list.
20 Days Left — The Final Two: Superboy & Aqualad
With Wonder Woman ruled out, all that remained were:
Kaldur'ahm — Aqualad
and
Conner Kent — Superboy
Two heroes from totally different worlds.
Two young men carrying enormous burdens.
Two people Damian genuinely respected.
Damian's Observations: Aqualad
Kaldur is calm.
Balanced.
Diplomatic.
Level-headed even under extreme pressure.
Leadership comes naturally to him.
Responsibility is something he carries with ease.
He has no hunger for power.
But he understands its weight.
The Fruit would be safe with him.
Of that, Damian had no doubt.
Damian's Observations: Superboy
Conner, on the other hand…
He is fire contained inside stone.
Anger in a cage.
A constant internal war between who he wants to be
and who the world tells him he is.
But he has grown.
His control has sharpened.
His heart has matured.
And his mental strength is near unbreakable.
Damian knew:
If Conner unlocked the fruit's true potential,
he could surpass even Kryptonians in destructive capability.
That was the danger.
That was also the reason he was still a contender.
The World Begins to Notice Damian's Behavior
And this is when everything spiraled.
The Justice League noticed.
Especially Superman.
He saw Damian watching Conner with quiet intensity
and watched Kaldur with the same seriousness.
Bruce saw it too.
Batman
"He's looking for someone specific…
But for what?"
Wonder Woman
"It wasn't me.
He dismissed me.
Which means he is looking for something I do not possess."
She was irritated—not at him, but at herself—for not seeing what it was.
The Titans & Young Justice noticed.
Every mission, every debrief, Damian's eyes analyzed:
teamwork
moral judgment
emotional response
tolerance for pain
leadership
self-sacrifice
They whispered behind his back:
"Why is he studying us…?"
"Is he forming a new team?"
"Is Batman planning some new protocol?"
Aquaman noticed.
He wasn't thrilled that Damian was watching Kaldur so closely.
Aquaman
"Why is the son of the Bat evaluating my protégé… like a weapon?"
Superman noticed.
And he was more worried about Conner than himself.
Superman
"Damian… what are you planning to give him?"
Villains, Governments, and Secret Organizations Noticed
If the heroes noticed, the villains noticed earlier.
The Light monitored Damian's patterns.
The League of Assassins grew tense.
Amanda Waller openly demanded reports:
Waller
"What is the Fire Shadow planning?
Why is he studying meta-humans and aliens?
Is he building an army or choosing a champion?"
Every villain faction:
Queen Bee
Ocean Master
Lex Luthor
Vandal Savage
Klarion
R'as al Ghul
The Light's council
ALL wondered the same thing:
What is the son of Batman planning to bestow…
that is worth evaluating the strongest heroes on Earth?
This was no longer a secret.
This was a hunt.
A hunt everyone wanted to understand.
And none of them knew:
The prize was
the power to break the world.
And Damian Had Only 20 Days Left.
He had to choose.
Aqualad.
Or Superboy.
There was no third option.
No neutral outcome.
No tie.
Just one decision
that would change the future of Earth forever.