"Hey!"
"Ryuen, you still haven't answered my question!" Garp snapped back to reality and shouted at the door again.
"What? Obviously, I'm gonna eat it!" Ryuen's voice came from inside.
"Eat it?"
"Hey, Ryuen, listen up! Vegapunk said that artificial Devil Fruit is a *failure*!" Garp shouted.
"It's fine!"
"Even if it fails, I'll eat it!" Ryuen's voice came from inside again.
"What?"
"You're going to eat it?"
"Ryuen, are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't you know a person can only eat one Devil Fruit?" Garp shouted anxiously.
"Ah, come on!"
"Vice Admiral Garp, don't listen to Ryuen's nonsense. He's just messing with you. Our ship doctor needs it for research!" This time, Nami's voice came from inside.
"Ohhh~~~"
"Well, that's a relief. I thought this brat was actually going to eat two Devil Fruits." Garp muttered under his breath and turned to leave.
Bogart followed behind him. He knew Garp was just looking for an explanation. Whether it was true or not didn't really matter.
Besides, the Dream Exploration Team had given an explanation, which meant Garp had something to report back to Marine Headquarters.
~~~~~~
Inside the villa.
As soon as Ryuen brought the small box back, Nami immediately snatched it from him. She recognized this kind of box very well!
Back when she and Ryuen went to the Oikot Kingdom, they had found a similar box, and that was how she got the Door-Door Fruit.
But Sugar, who knew about artificial Devil Fruits, didn't see it the same way.
"Um... Kuina, I've heard that artificial fruits can fail. Are you sure you want to eat it?" Sugar, the small-framed girl, asked anxiously.
Among everyone in the villa, she knew more about artificial Devil Fruits than anyone else.
Even though she had just joined the Dream Team, she still felt the need to warn them. After all, those who ate a failed artificial Devil Fruit ended up in a terrible state!
Hearing this, the others immediately looked at Kuina.
Kuina, however, turned to Ryuen and said firmly, "I'll eat it—because I trust Ryuen!"
"Ryuen!"
"I'm telling you, if she eats a failed artificial Devil Fruit, she'll lose her ability to feel sadness and anger! She'll become someone who can only laugh all the time!"
"And you're still letting her eat it? That's so irresponsible!" Sugar shouted, clearly upset.
But after she finished yelling, she realized everyone else was smiling at her.
Kuina walked up to Sugar, bent down, and gently patted her head. "Sugar, thank you. We all know what you just said. But we trust Ryuen."
"*Sigh~~~*"
"Huh???" Sugar was completely stunned.
Then she noticed that everyone in the villa was looking at her with warm, encouraging smiles. Her face turned red with embarrassment.
"I... I don't care about you guys anymore! I'm going back to my room!" Sugar huffed and ran off, flustered.
No one stopped her.
"This little girl has finally started to feel at home here…" Robin said softly as she watched Sugar disappear into her room.
At that moment, Nami opened the box, revealing a small, bright red apple inside. She then asked in a gentle voice, "Kuina, when do you plan to eat it?"
"Tonight. For now, this Devil Fruit's ability has to remain a secret, doesn't it?" Kuina replied, looking at Ryuen.
"Ahahaha~~~"
"That's exactly what I was thinking. The fact that this is a successful Mythical Zoan Fruit shouldn't be revealed just yet."
"Otherwise, both the Marines and the World Government will force Vegapunk to create more Mythical Zoan Fruits. That would be a huge problem." Ryuen scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"I knew it. Then tonight, take me to that uninhabited island we found when we arrived at Sabaody Archipelago."
"I'll need to test my powers after eating it, and it wouldn't be safe to do that here." Kuina said, looking at Ryuen.
"Alright. I'll take you there tonight." Ryuen nodded.
"*Sigh...*"
"I remember when we were kids, Ryuen said a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit was worth at least 3 billion berries~~~" Nami let out a long sigh as she hugged the box tightly. But as she spoke, her gaze shifted to Kuina, making her meaning crystal clear.
"You!"
"Fine, I agree! Happy now?" Kuina said angrily.
As soon as she said that, the other girls, except for Sugar, burst into laughter. Nami was grinning from ear to ear, clearly delighted.
"Hehehe~~~"
"Here, it's all yours! Make sure to finish it, okay~~~" Nami said with a playful smile, reminding her one last time.
Kuina took the box, and in an instant, she felt a surge of power rushing through her body!
She was now even more satisfied with this fruit.
She hugged it tightly, occasionally giggling to herself, already picturing the day she would become the world's greatest swordsman.
"Look at her, Kuina's completely spaced out..." Lia pointed at Kuina and muttered.
At the stairway on the second floor, a small, cute head peeked out.
Sugar watched as everyone downstairs placed their full trust in Ryuen, but she still couldn't quite understand it.
After all, if someone ate a failed artificial Devil Fruit, the side effects could be terrible.
Even in the Donquixote family, if Doflamingo had ordered the officers to eat artificial Devil Fruits, they would have strongly resisted.
But looking at Kuina now, she showed no hesitation at all. Instead, she trusted him completely and even seemed relieved.
"This guy... everyone really trusts him, huh..." Sugar pouted and muttered before heading back to her room.
At this moment, she started to feel that staying with the Dream Exploration Team might not be a bad choice.
After all, staying here meant she could save her sister and her former companions while also having a place where she truly belonged.
————
Nightfall.
Only Ryuen and Kuina set out in the darkness, trying to avoid drawing attention. If too many people left at once, others would surely notice.
"You two better come back soon~~~" Nami said softly as she saw them off at the shore.
"Got it! You're always overthinking things!" Kuina rolled her eyes at Nami before Ryuen could even respond.
Seeing this, Ryuen spread his wings and picked Kuina up, while she held onto the small box containing the Devil Fruit.
With that, Ryuen took off into the sky, quickly disappearing from Nami's sight.
Watching them vanish, Nami turned back, opened a spatial gate, and returned to the villa.
~~~~~~
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