Davy had long ago considered which Devil Fruits in East Blue were realistically obtainable.
Alvida, as the user of the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, was naturally included in his list of hypothetical
Everyone knows:
Most Paramecia users can't extend their power much beyond their own bodies unless they awaken it.
Alvida's Smooth-Smooth Fruit only affected her skin and the objects in direct contact with her.
And Davy's plan was crafted specifically around that limitation.
"You think you can kill me without sinking my ship? As long as I don't fall into the sea, I'm invincible! Nothing can harm my beautiful face!"
Alvida still had no idea that danger was already creeping up behind her—
because Jim's soul thrall, wrapped in the Silent-Silent Fruit's ability, approached without a sound.
"Who—?!"
Alvida startled, beginning to activate her fruit to deflect the attack.
But the expected strike never came.
Instead, the silent soul thrall suddenly wrapped his arms around her slim waist from behind.
Then, with a sweeping leg strike, he took her off her feet, slamming her flat onto the deck.
His arms locked behind her like an iron clamp, pinning her in place like a backpack.
"Get off me! Disgusting bug! Don't touch me!"
Alvida thrashed wildly, but no matter how she twisted or kicked, she couldn't break free.
Davy finally spoke, voice calm and analytical:
"The Smooth-Smooth Fruit reduces friction. But it doesn't change human anatomy. And the waist—below the ribs—is narrower than the hips and shoulders. Once someone locks their arms around your waist, they can't be shaken off."
He tapped the deck with his toe.
"It's like a ring cinched around the middle of a dumbbell. No matter how slippery the handle becomes, the ring won't slide off because the ends stay the same."
"So what? I can wait! I refuse to believe he can hold me forever!"
Alvida glared at Davy with venom.
If looks could kill, he'd be in pieces right now.
"You're right," Davy said mildly. "He can't hold you indefinitely."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But only if you live long enough for it to matter."
Alvida's expression finally changed.
Davy lifted a hand.
In one, he held a pistol aimed between her brows.
In the other—
A bomb.
"You want to maintain your Smooth-Smooth defense? Then your power must stay active. But here's the problem…"
He tilted the bomb meaningfully.
"Humans have openings—most of them on the surface of the body.
With no friction, it's actually easier to push foreign objects inside."
"You—you… what are you trying to do?!"
Alvida's arrogance evaporated in an instant, horror creeping in.
"Wait—STOP!"
But Davy's expression remained calm as he pressed the cold metal against her skin.
She could feel it sliding—unstoppably.
"No—NO!!"
She went frantic, struggling with every ounce of strength—
but the arms around her waist were immovable, forged from merged souls and spiritual strength.
"PLEASE, STOP!"
Her scream rose to a desperate shriek as she saw the bomb's fuse burning down.
"AHHHHH—!!"
Davy vanished with Soru.
"BOOM!"
A deep, muffled explosion tore across the deck.
Fragments of flesh and metal rained down, accompanied by a shockwave of heat and smoke.
When the noise finally died down, Davy stepped out from behind a corner.
Flames licked across the scorched boards.
Blood and shattered bone painted the deck in a radial pattern—
and what remained of Alvida was little more than a charred half-corpse.
The acrid scent of burning flesh rushed up his nose.
Davy pinched it shut in discomfort.
A faint green flame floated up from the remains—
coalescing into Alvida's spiritual form.
A spectral chain shot from the Ghost Ship and coiled around her ghostly neck.
She clutched at her throat, letting out a soundless scream—
one only Davy could hear.
Nearby, the Silent-Silent thrall finally re-formed after the explosion.
His figure flickered, body nearly translucent, aura weak.
If he hadn't absorbed multiple souls before, that one blast would have erased him.
Without hesitation, Davy summoned additional soul thralls, feeding them into Silent-Silent until he was restored.
He also strengthened Alvida's thrall through absorption.
When the process completed, Davy pressed Alvida's soul flame into his own body.
"Silent. Attack me."
At his command, the thrall drew its blade and slashed.
The attack slid harmlessly off Davy's skin like water off oiled glass—
skidding away without leaving a mark.
Even his clothes shook loose dust and grime, becoming spotless.
His brows rose slightly.
"Well. That solves the fresh water problem."
It was an unexpected benefit.
He hadn't anticipated that the Smooth-Smooth Fruit would be the perfect self-cleaning tool.
Sweat, dirt, grime—everything simply slid away.
Experimenting a bit more, he finished evaluating the ability.
As expected, Alvida—newly empowered—had barely begun to develop her fruit.
She'd used it mainly for defense and mobility, with vanity as her real priority.
"Tch. There really are no useless fruits—only useless users.
If she'd trained seriously… or if her physical strength were higher… killing her wouldn't have been so easy."
Davy sighed—equal parts relieved and disappointed.
Experience and memories flowed only one way; even if he awakened the fruit someday, unless he personally possessed the body, thralls would still use the fruit at their original level.
The only way to strengthen them further was through soul merging—
and even that had limits and uncertainties.
He exhaled softly.
Time to move on.
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