"Oh?"
Hearing him say this, Allen narrowed his eyes with a bit of interest. He sat up and glanced at the two fruits lying in the wooden crate.
"What, is one of them a Mythical Zoan?"
Bellamy: "..."
*You really dare to dream, brother.*
"Hahaha, just joking."
Allen waved his hand with a smile, then pushed the suitcase over. "Count the amount. I'll take a look at the encyclopedia first."
"Hahaha, straightforward!"
Bellamy laughed awkwardly to ease the tension.
After they finished counting the money, Allen also verified the goods. The characteristics of the two fruits matched the seller's description over the Transponder Snail. There was no issue of them being swapped.
Truth be told, the Donquixote brand still held some real weight. There were definitely underhanded tricks behind the scenes, but at least their open transactions wouldn't have any problems.
Operating under Donquixote Doflamingo's name, Bellamy certainly wouldn't—and wouldn't dare to—do anything to ruin that reputation.
The transaction went smoothly. The two fruits cost 700 million Berries, and the encyclopedia, not being particularly valuable, was 5 million Berries.
As the guarantor and middleman of the transaction, Bellamy's crew took a commission from the client, namely the seller.
Since they had a great meal today and made a huge sum of money, Bellamy simply gave the encyclopedia to Allen for free.
With the deal concluded and the meal mostly finished, Bellamy's crew didn't linger and soon departed.
Before they left, Allen asked him to keep an eye out for more news about Devil Fruits on the black market.
Although not an official member of the Donquixote Family, Bellamy was indeed operating under their banner at the moment.
In the first half of the Grand Line, his influence in the black market still had some use to Allen.
...
Closing the encyclopedia, Allen glanced at the two fruits.
One was the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Tiger.
The other was the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Caracal.
His luck wasn't bad. He hadn't ended up with some weak animal at the bottom of the food chain, especially with that Tiger model fruit.
Allen felt this was already a profit. As for Ancient and Mythical Zoans, it was fine to just dream about them; he didn't expect to actually buy them on the black market.
"Buchi, Sham."
"Coming, Boss!"
The Nyaban Brothers ran forward excitedly.
The two of them knew what he was planning, and the excitement in their eyes was palpable.
"One is the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Tiger. As for the other..."
Allen paused, flipped the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia to the corresponding page, tossed it onto the table, and said, "Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Caracal. The ability descriptions are right here. You two decide for yourselves."
"Caracal?"
The brothers looked at each other in confusion, then leaned in to read the encyclopedia.
Allen had already decided who would get the fruits after reading the encyclopedia.
Sanji had explicitly stated that he would absolutely not eat any Devil Fruit until he encountered a certain target.
Allen had also considered whether it would be better to give the Tiger model fruit to Gin, as it was a very good Zoan type.
However, he ultimately abandoned that idea.
Allen wouldn't do everything based purely on rationality. As the earliest officers to follow him, the Nyaban Brothers deserved some favoritism.
...
"We've decided, Boss. Let Buchi eat the Tiger model fruit."
The Nyaban Brothers quickly made up their minds, and Sham looked up to say, "Buchi is better at fighting than I am. After eating a powerful fruit, his strength will definitely increase more than mine. Plus, the other fruit suits me quite well."
"Alright, as long as you've decided. Anyway, consider these 700 million Berries an investment in you two," Allen nodded in agreement.
Then, Sanji, Nami, and a crowd of pirates gathered around.
The Nyaban Brothers hesitated for a moment, then picked up the two fruits under the breathless gaze of everyone present.
Their hearts pounded rapidly as they took large bites with overwhelming excitement.
"Pfft—!!"
"It tastes awful!!"
Buchi and Sham turned green, yelling as they nearly spat it out.
"Hahaha! Don't waste it, eat it quickly! I heard you have to eat the whole Devil Fruit for it to work!"
Allen stood up excitedly, pressing the Devil Fruits down and forcefully stuffing them into the brothers' mouths.
"Mmph—!!"
Tears were about to burst from the corners of Buchi and Sham's eyes.
But hearing Allen's words, they fought through the discomfort and forcibly swallowed the rest of the Devil Fruits.
Once they finished eating...
"Blargh!"
The Nyaban Brothers vomited mosaics with expressions of pure agony.
Watching this, Sanji, Gin, and Nami felt a bit disturbed.
"So tragic..."
"That's really tough on them..."
"So pitiful..."
...
After packing up, everyone gradually returned to the ship.
the Freewill broke through the waves and slowly left the shore.
On the central deck, over a hundred pirates formed a large circle, cheering and shouting enthusiastically.
"Oh! Get 'em!"
"Go, Big Bro Sanji!"
"Get 'em, Captain Gin! Show them the power of the Second Division!"
In the open space in the middle.
Sanji stood with his hands in his pockets, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he looked straight ahead. Beside him, Gin held his two tonfas, the iron balls at the ends spinning rapidly.
Opposite them, their joint opponents, the Nyaban Brothers, were buzzing with excitement, staring at the two with fiery eyes.
"You better be careful, Big Bro Sanji, and you too, Gin."
"We'll let you witness the brand-new power we just obtained."
"Go, Captain Buchi! Go, Captain Sham!"
"Take that twenty million Berry prize!"
"Let us see the power of Devil Fruits!"
The surrounding pirates, eager for a show, cheered them on vigorously.
"Hah!"
Next, the Nyaban Brothers sank into a half-squat, gritting their teeth and exerting force.
"Roar—!"
Accompanied by hoarse, low growls, their bodies rapidly expanded, their skin color drastically changed, and fur quickly sprouted.
Buchi, in particular, swelled to over three meters tall. His entire body was packed with massive muscles, and black stripes spread along the muscle fibers over his orange fur.
In a matter of breaths, Buchi completely transformed into a tiger beastman. With a ferocious beastly face and sharp fangs, he looked down at the crowd with an imposing aura!
"Roar!!!"
The roar of a tiger in the forest carried a terrifying, heart-palpitating might!
Beside him, Sham had also completed his transformation, sporting long green hair draped over his shoulders.
His well-proportioned physique and smooth muscle lines granted him explosive speed and agility, while a pair of long, black, pointed ears twitched nimbly.
A sharp glint flashed in Sham's eyes, giving off a chilling aura of bloody cruelty. He crossed his arms over his chest, spreading his fingers to reveal sharp cat claws.
Allen stood on the third-floor balcony, watching the scene below with great interest.
To test the improvements brought by the two fruits, he had specifically set up a twenty million Berry prize to motivate them.
He didn't expect them to beat Sanji and Gin right after eating the fruits; as long as they didn't lose too miserably, he would consider the money well spent.
"Let's go, Buchi!"
"I'm coming, Sham!"
Buchi and Sham crouched to gather power, then pushed off fiercely, their entire bodies shooting forward like bullets!
"Tiger Kill: Trample!!"
Buchi shouted loudly, raising his right leg high and bringing it down ruthlessly like a battle axe.
Sanji's eyes narrowed as he raised his leg to kick in response.
Bang!!
The collision of their attacks erupted into a blast of wind.
The terrifying strength granted by the king of beasts made Sanji widen his eyes in surprise.
Caught off guard, he was sent flying backward, his body skimming across the deck before crashing heavily into the cabin with a loud boom!
On the other side.
Gin took a stance to meet the attack, the twin tonfas in his hands spinning, the iron balls whistling.
But just as Sham reached him, the cat beastman suddenly vanished with a swish!
*Right side!*
Catching a glimpse of the dark shadow suddenly flashing to his side, Gin's eyes darkened, and he instinctively swung his tonfa fiercely!
Whoosh—!
The iron ball whistled through the air, passing through the figure without the solid sensation of a hit.
It was an afterimage!
*So fast!*
Gin's eyes widened in shock. The next second...
"Sorry about this, Gin. Cat Shadow: Swift Claw!!"
Sham instantly appeared in front of him, a ferocious glint in his eyes as he let out a sinister laugh, his twin palms rapidly swiping out with sharp blades!
Slash—!
The sharp cat claws easily tore through clothing, sending a spray of fresh blood flying!
Looking smug, Sham raised his foot to kick Gin in the chest.
However, the next second...
Bang!
The kick landed solidly on his chest, but Gin didn't take a single step back. Instead, he grabbed Sham's leg tightly with one hand.
"Eh! Wait a minute, Gin, I surrender! I surrender! Don't do it!"
"Hmph, it's too late to surrender now."
Reflected in Sham's panicked pupils, a cruel smirk formed on Gin's lips, and the iron hammer smashed down mercilessly!
"Demon Stick: Heavy Strike!!"
Bang!!
"Blargh!"
Sham spat out a mouthful of blood, his face twisting in agony as his body doubled over like a shrimp.
The iron hammer slammed into his abdomen, blasting him away like a shooting star. With a loud bang, his back smashed heavily against the ship's railing!
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