Chapter 47: Enel and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit
Every day, Ren took Jasmine and Yuriko to wander around the city of Birka, browsing Sky Island specialties and buying anything that caught his interest.
Jasmine was especially curious about Skypiean decorations and even bought a pair of wings to wear on her back.
As for locating Devil Fruits, Ren entrusted the task to the Female Pirates. They possessed both strength and experience, making them well suited for the search.
Given that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was only obtained by Enel after many years, it was clearly not something easy to find.
Ren even expanded the search area to the nearby White Sea.
It was foreseeable that the time spent searching for the Fruit on this island might exceed the time they had spent traveling there.
However, staying on Sky Island was not boring. Its unique customs and culture greatly fascinated Jasmine.
Yuriko was more reserved, but it was clear that she was also very interested in these novel foods.
She likely considered herself an adult, so she did not display the same liveliness and carefree enthusiasm as Jasmine.
Ren found her restrained yet obvious curiosity rather amusing.
On the other side, the Guard Corps Captain of Birka secretly dispatched people to monitor Ren and his group every day.
He believed himself to be discreet, but in reality, even Jasmine could sense their movements.
If Yukiko had been present, she would probably have drawn her sword long ago and dealt with these watchers.
Jasmine, however, lacked such decisiveness. Though she was angry at first, she only thought of teaching them a lesson.
Ren stopped her.
Could a desire to protect one's homeland truly be considered a fault?
As long as these people did not interfere with them, Ren did not mind being followed by a few observers.
Moreover, he was not doing anything illegal.
Even if he intended to take the Devil Fruit, it would indirectly prevent Birka's eventual destruction.
By that logic, these people should have been thanking him.
Before finding the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Ren gained something else.
He found Enel himself.
However, in this year, Enel had just been born and was still an infant who needed nursing.
Cultivating new forces was also one of Ren's objectives for this trip.
Enel had tremendous potential.
His later defeat by Luffy was entirely due to his Devil Fruit being countered and his lack of Armament Haki. In the Blue Sea, he would have had a bounty of at least 500 million Berries.
If he mastered Armament Haki, he might truly have the qualifications to contend with an Admiral.
Even if the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was now reserved by Ren, giving Enel a different Fruit later would produce a similar outcome.
Even as a child, Enel's earlobes were already extremely long, clearly foreshadowing his future appearance.
His mother was very frail and likely did not have much time left.
After learning that Ren and his group were willing to take Enel away, his mother agreed despite her worries.
No matter who Ren and his companions were or where they came from, if they took Enel with them, he would at least have a chance to survive.
Otherwise, if she passed away in a year or two, it was uncertain whether Enel could survive alone on Sky Island.
Naturally, if Ren took Enel, his mother would have to go as well. The child had not yet been weaned.
After reaching Wano Country, Ren could find a doctor to treat her illness.
For an infant like Enel, as long as he was properly raised, there was no need to use the Serpent's Seal to control him.
"Captain, those people seem to be searching for something unusual."
After observing Ren's group for several days, the scout reached this conclusion.
This made the surveillance personnel uneasy, fearing that Ren and his companions had hidden motives.
After all, on the surface, Ren, Jasmine, and Yuriko appeared to be simply shopping around the city, which they genuinely were.
With the current value of Berries, 30 million Berries was an enormous sum, and Ren had nearly spent all of it during this period.
Large amounts of money flowed into the hands of Birka's merchants, significantly improving their livelihoods.
"Can you tell what they're looking for?" the Guard Corps Captain asked.
The scout shook his head.
The Captain thought for a moment.
In truth, no matter what Ren was searching for, he was not particularly concerned. Birka had no ancient treasures, and even if it did, it would have nothing to do with them.
"Any other unusual behavior?"
"Well, a few days ago, they seemed to want to take away a widow named Deskana and her child."
"That's all?"
"Yes. And it seems the woman was willing as well," the scout replied, then cautiously added, "Captain, should we act against them while—"
"No need. Leave them be," the Guard Corps Captain said.
It was only a woman and a child, and they were willing. Even if he wanted to interfere, he had no reason to do so.
A few days later, a Female Pirate finally found 2 Devil Fruits in the Sea of Clouds.
One had a blue exterior covered in lightning-like patterns, unmistakably the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
After Ren entered the Fruit's consciousness for the other one, it was confirmed to be a Zoan-type Devil Fruit of an avian species.
It was not a Mythical Zoan.
As for whether it was an Ancient Zoan, that was uncertain, since Ren did not recognize that many creatures.
A Zoan-type Devil Fruit that granted flight was far more useful than those of ordinary land animals.
In a world where the sea was the main stage, air superiority was an overwhelming advantage.
However, for Jasmine or Enel, this Fruit was somewhat lacking.
Thus, Ren decided to keep it and take it back with him.
He then focused all his attention on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in his hand.
Purple magic arrays appeared simultaneously beneath his feet and on his palms. This was the magic circle for Reception Magic, inscribed with arcane text no one could decipher.
In the next instant, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was enveloped by purple magical power and vanished into nothingness.
In reality, Ren had already absorbed the Fruit into his body.
However, this could not yet be considered a complete Reception. The progress had only reached 1 percent.
Fully receiving the power of a Devil Fruit was a lengthy process.
Even if Ren postponed the Reception of the Ookuchi no Makami Fruit and focused entirely on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it would still take at least 1 year to complete.
This was already his speed after his strength had increased.
In the beginning, when he knew nothing, it had taken him countless years to fully receive the Yamata no Orochi Fruit.
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