Afternoon.
Steam rose in the bathroom as a curtain of water cascaded from the showerhead. The hot water washed over his body, melting away the crimson blood scabs, and flowed down to the floor, gathering toward the drain.
Turning off the faucet, the showerhead sputtered to a stop. Allen slicked his soaking wet black hair back, dried his body, put on a bathrobe, and stepped out of the bathroom.
In the bedroom, sunlight filtered through the window, casting a golden layer over the wooden floor.
Allen walked slowly to the wardrobe, glanced out the window at the island's weather, then turned back to the closet. He casually pulled out a set of neatly folded clothes and changed into them.
His wardrobe was filled with various outfits of all types, with several colors for each style.
Every outfit was already coordinated, so he could just grab one and put it on without having to stand in front of the closet picking and choosing.
Allen certainly did not have the free time for such things. This closet full of clothes was all bought by Nami, who would come over every few days to help him organize it.
She would complain about his fashion sense while tirelessly matching his clothes, folding them neatly set by set.
Even so, Allen's most frequently worn outfit was still that black T-shirt and white pants, prioritizing a clean, sharp look that was convenient for combat.
Standing in front of the mirror, he admired his physique for a moment before walking out of the room with a satisfied expression.
Jumping off the ship and arriving at the shore, the crew members at the camp were preparing to start a fire and cook.
Holding a bottle of whiskey, Allen walked over to a picnic tent, casually pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked Nami, who was sitting opposite him, "Where are Sanji and the others?"
"They went to gather ingredients. Sanji said the fruits and vegetables here contain as much energy as Sea Kings, so he wanted to gather more to store on the ship before we set sail," Nami replied with her head down, her pencil scratching rapidly as she drew a nautical chart.
Whenever they arrived at a new place, she would take the time to organize the navigational data of the route they had taken, making it easier to use their time at sea to draw maps once they set off again.
Beside her, Robin was quietly reading a book.
She spent almost all her free time this way. It had clearly become a habit; she could easily pass half a day alone with just a book in her hands.
Allen glanced at the cover, which depicted a dark, eerie ancient castle with a girl in a gothic dress standing in front of it.
The title read: *The Ghost Princess of the Ancient Castle Ruins*.
'It's actually a novel...' Allen thought, feeling a bit surprised and speechless.
Opening the bottle, he poured himself a glass of whiskey, tossed it back in one gulp, and set the glass down, wondering what to do to pass the time.
Just then, Sanji and the others emerged from the forest.
Several of them were working together to carry an enormous, ox-like sea beast. Behind them followed over a dozen crew members, each carrying cloth sacks filled with various fruits and vegetables.
"We're back!"
"Look what we caught! A sea beast that climbed onto the island! I want to eat roast meat tonight!" Buchi and Sham laughed. Both of them were wearing Hercules beetle helmets and capes, sporting the exact same outfit as Heracles.
"My, it looks like quite the haul. Tonight's dinner should be very hearty," Robin looked up and smiled faintly.
"Hee hee hee, it's not just this! We also found something good while gathering in the forest."
Arriving at the camp and dropping the ox-like sea beast, Buchi and Sham ran up with excited expressions.
"What good thing? And by the way, what the hell are you two wearing?" Nami asked curiously, staring at their outfits with an overwhelming urge to roast them.
Buchi pulled a jellyfish-like fruit from beneath his cape. The surface of the fruit was covered in patterns resembling DNA double helixes.
The moment they laid eyes on it, Allen and the others were all taken aback. Two large words immediately popped into their minds.
Devil Fruit!
Nami leaned forward, unable to stop herself from exclaiming in surprise, "A Devil Fruit? Did you find this in the forest?"
"Hee hee hee, that's right! And it's an ability you've all seen before," Buchi grinned foolishly, handing the Devil Fruit over and placing it on the table.
"Heracles said this is the exact fruit Toruno ate back then. The Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Type, Model: Proteus."
"Eh! The one Allen defeated earlier? Why would it appear here?" Nami's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Robin pondered for a moment before saying uncertainly, "It is said that two identical fruits cannot exist in the world at the same time. Unless the ability user dies, the ability will not be reborn somewhere else in the world."
"Sham, go to the ship and bring the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia," Allen ordered. He then picked up the Devil Fruit from the table, turning it over in his hands to examine it closely.
'Pretty good luck. To think this fruit would be reborn on this very island, and that Buchi would happen to find it.'
'Is it truly a coincidence, or did this fruit choose us...' Allen fell into deep thought as he stared at the fruit in his hand.
At that moment, Sanji, Gin, and Heracles walked over.
Heracles spoke up, "It seems you are quite interested in this fruit. I am fairly knowledgeable about its abilities. If you need anything, feel free to ask me."
"Is that so? You seem very familiar with that Toruno guy." Allen looked up at him and asked, "Was he related to you? A father or a brother?"
"Oh right, speaking of which, both Heracles and he are from the South Blue, right? One is a botanist, and the other is an entomologist." Nami also looked at him curiously.
Heracles crossed his arms over his chest and said in a flat voice, "Toruno and I were fellow students. When he went berserk back then, our teacher died in that disaster."
"I see. Then I guess you've avenged him," Buchi sighed with emotion.
"I wouldn't call it hatred. Toruno was a very good guy. Causing that disaster wasn't his intention. I never blamed him for it, and I'm sure our teacher felt the same way," Heracles said, his tone completely devoid of ripples.
'If Toruno knew what he had done, he would definitely be in a lot of pain.'
Those were the last weak words his teacher had spoken while lying dying in his arms.
To end Toruno's suffering, he had been searching for clues about him ever since setting out to sea.
To say he was avenging his teacher and his hometown probably wasn't accurate. It was just a goal that wasn't very strong at first, but somehow turned into an obsession later on.
He sometimes wondered if Toruno's consciousness still existed, unable to control his body's actions, forced to watch helplessly as he committed those sins.
If that were the case, Toruno's life would be far too agonizing. Enduring endless torment throughout a nearly infinite lifespan, unable to even commit suicide.
Every time he thought of this possibility, he felt he had to do something.
Now, whether Toruno's consciousness was still there or not, he was completely free. And as for this fruit that had brought misfortune to his hometown...
Heracles looked at Allen, only to see him flipping through the encyclopedia Sham had brought, carefully comparing the information inside.
*Smack.*
A moment later, Allen snapped the encyclopedia shut and said, "It's definitely the one. The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Type, Model: Proteus. It possesses the power to transform into and fuse with all living creatures."
With that, Allen raised the fruit to his face and stared at it for two seconds.
Under everyone's completely unprepared gazes, he took a bite with a loud *crunch*!
"Blegh! It tastes awful!"
"You just ate it!!!"
Sanji and the others' eyes bugged out of their heads, their jaws dropping to the ground as they screamed in shock.
Allen's face turned a sickly green. After swallowing the fruit whole, he hurriedly grabbed the whiskey bottle from the table, tilted his head back, and chugged it.
"Burp—ah—!"
After rinsing his mouth with a bottle of whiskey, Allen slammed the bottle heavily onto the table, let out a loud burp, and grinned, "Much better, hahaha."
"You guy... I really don't know what to say about you. Sigh..."
"Very decisive..."
"Hahaha, now the boss has become a landlubber too."
Seeing Allen eat the fruit without hesitation, everyone had different reactions.
Nami sighed helplessly in her shock, Robin smiled and sighed with emotion, and Buchi laughed out loud, simply finding it amusing.
"Just a landlubber. That kind of thing doesn't matter," Allen laughed dismissively.
Although he wouldn't be able to fight in the water, taking a bath or something wouldn't be much of an issue. As long as he could exchange it for enough power, this little price was nothing to him.
The main thing was that the upper limit of this fruit was truly high. It could transform into all living creatures in the world, although the concept of this phrase in the encyclopedia's description was a bit vague.
For example, did a mythical creature like the Azure Dragon, which existed in legends, fit into the category of "in the world"?
To say it didn't count, it did actually exist. To say it did count, there were no other dragons besides the one granted by the Devil Fruit.
But regardless of whether he could transform into other mythical beasts, the few examples explicitly mentioned in the encyclopedia's description were enough for Allen to recognize the fruit's potential.
For instance, the description mentioned the Giant Tribe.
Since he could transform into the Giant Tribe, there was no reason he couldn't transform into the Ancient Giant Tribe.
By extension, the Lunarian Tribe, the Buccaneer Tribe, and the Oni Tribe would certainly be no problem either.