The allure of the words 'eternal youth' for women goes without saying. Especially since not long ago, they had learned from Makoto that they would be staying in this world for at least thirty or forty years.
Although Makoto had also mentioned the possibility of finding something called [Pure Gold] to drastically slow aging, who could guarantee it would definitely be found?
Moreover, this Devil Fruit capable of granting eternal youth was right in front of them. The temptation was immense. So immense that every woman present unconsciously quickened her breathing.
Yet, even so, not a single person dared to speak up and fight for it. Not only was everything on the ship decided by Makoto, but he had also previously stated his policy for distributing Devil Fruits.
If he found one himself, he would decide the most suitable person based on the fruit's characteristics. If someone under him found one, it belonged to the finder.
And the ones qualified to eat this Vampire Fruit were naturally the three women who found it: Alice, Erina, and Leonora.
This infuriated the last woman of the Nakiri Family, Mana, 'Damn it, if they had taken me along yesterday, I would also be qualified to eat it.'
Mana strongly suspected her daughter was hiding things from her. After the party, she was definitely going to have a good talk with her.
Thus, everyone's gaze turned to those three women.
"Then let me eat it. I was the first to pick it up," Alice said, unable to wait any longer, stepping forward with her hands on her hips, looking like she was 'not going to yield to anyone'.
However, Erina and Leonora immediately objected. It was true that Alice was the first to touch the Devil Fruit. But at the time, none of the three had expressed a desire to eat it.
They had decided to take it back and check what ability it had. It just happened that Alice was the one who picked it up first. And Makoto's rule was 'whoever discovers the Devil Fruit gets it', not 'whoever picks it up first gets it'.
"You two girls are still young and can't handle it. You should let Mother handle it," Leonora argued vehemently. After all, the misunderstanding that had led to her giving up her body happened because of her anxiety over her looks.
Now that the opportunity had come, how could this young mother let it slip by?
Moreover, compared to Pure Gold, which only drastically slowed aging, Leonora felt the Vampire Fruit suited her better. Even if she got Pure Gold, it would only prevent further aging... her existing crow's feet would still be there.
The Vampire Fruit was clearly superior… it wasn't just about maintaining eternal youth... it could actually restore youth.
"Mom, you're a widow. Even if you get younger, no one's going to see you, right?" Alice pouted and shot back without mercy. "Better give it to me."
Hearing this, Leonora was furious, 'Who says no one's going to see me? Wasn't someone at it all night long yesterday?'
Erina also clung to the Vampire Fruit for dear life, refusing to let go. "Auntie, you're already older. You should let a younger person have it."
"Erina, you're still young. You'll have other chances."
"I'm not young!!"
"That's not what I meant..."
The three women argued fiercely, neither willing to concede. Alice grabbed one end of the fruit, Erina yanked the other, and Leonora hugged it from the middle. The three were locked in a stalemate like a tug-of-war.
Makoto stroked his chin, watching the scene. To be honest, he personally felt it would be more suitable for either Alice or Leonora to eat it.
After all, they were both Europeans with naturally fair skin, which matched the vampire ability well. But Erina naturally couldn't give up easily either. Not only was this a rare Mythical Zoan, but it also had the ability of eternal youth.
In the end, the three Nakiri women turned their gaze to Makoto. They still needed this man to make the decision. Facing these three women, all of whom had a relationship with him, Makoto pinched the bridge of his nose. "Play a game of Landlord. Whoever runs out of cards first gets it."
As soon as he said this, the three Nakiri women were stunned for a moment. But thinking about it carefully, although the method was a bit casual, it was definitely the fairest.
Leave everything to luck... whoever loses has no excuse. However, Erina still looked troubled, gazing at Makoto with tearful eyes. "But Makoto-kun, I'm not good at cards..."
Makoto waved his hand. "It's fine. They're both equally bad."
Normally, after training, playing cards was one of the main pastimes. And these three women of the Nakiri Family, to be precise, including Nakiri Mana, all four women, were equally bad at cards.
There was no need to worry about card skills... it was pure gambling on luck.
Newgate and the others listening nearby looked bewildered.
"Landlord... what's that?" Silver Axe frowned and whispered.
John shook his head.
When Busujima Saeko brought a deck of cards from the cabin, the Rocks Pirates members were speechless again, 'Good grief, so it's just playing cards? Is it really okay to be this casual?'
Soon, Alice, Erina, and Leonora sat in a circle on the deck. Saeko acted as the dealer, shuffling the cards and placing them in the middle. Makoto stood by, watching them with a smile. "Whoever finishes first gets it. No crying if you lose."
"I won't cry!!" Alice said, puffing out her cheeks.
"That's right!" Erina chimed in.
Leonora didn't speak, but her hands were already trembling.
The Landlord competition for the Vampire Fruit had officially begun. The atmosphere was much more serious than usual when they played cards.
Normally, playing cards resulted in at most sticking paper strips on faces or betting on taking off clothes. But the importance of the Vampire Fruit was far greater than those things.
Then, Leonora, as the landlord, took the extra cards. She flipped over the three cards, her eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K." Leonora took a deep breath and threw down a straight, "What do you think? Pretty good hand, huh? Can anyone match that?"
She scanned her two 'opponents' smugly, her gleeful demeanor not at all like a mother in her forties.
"Bomb," Alice said expressionlessly, throwing down four cards.
Leonora's smile froze on her face.
"Mom, play your cards," Alice said, crossing her arms, a smile of assured victory on her lips. Leonora bit her lip, staring at her own hand for several seconds. Then—
"Sorry, I played wrong." She quickly took back the straight flush she had just played and swapped out two cards. "A pair of threes."
The deck fell silent for a moment.
"Mom! That's too much!" Alice puffed her cheeks in anger, loudly accusing her mother of her 'crime'.
"I just played wrong," Leonora said calmly.
The Rocks Pirates remnants, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel exasperated.