However, although I still don't know its name or ability, at least this proves that this Devil Fruit isn't necessarily worthless. It might even be quite good, haha…"
Eli laughed foolishly, while Hades, standing beside him, rolled his eyes.
"You're just deceiving yourself, avoiding reality…"
"That can't be helped. No one dares to eat it without knowing its abilities."
"In this way, this Devil Fruit does seem somewhat wasteful. A fruit that remains uneaten due to uncertainty is just like money sitting in the bank but never spent—it looks valuable, yet serves no real purpose."
Regina sighed, expressing her thoughts.
"That's an interesting perspective…"
The crew started chattering, each voicing their own opinions.
As for Caesar, it was impossible to tell whether he was disappointed or indifferent.
He placed the mysterious Devil Fruit next to two others whose names and powers remained unknown. Then, he set aside the other three uneaten Devil Fruits in a separate pile.
Thus, there it was.
A total of nine Devil Fruits.
Three of them had already been eaten:
Eli consumed the Self-Healing Fruit, which significantly enhanced his close-combat potential. If he ever awakened its power, he could even serve as a ship doctor.
Lily ate the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, granting her the ability to generate and control weather phenomena.
Arnold acquired the Double-Speed Fruit, a perfect enhancement for a sniper, boosting both his reaction time and movement speed.
Three Devil Fruits still had unknown abilities.
And the final three fruits remained uneaten:
An Arachnid Zoan-type, the Spider-Spider Fruit, which was met with universal disdain. No one was eager to transform into a spider.
A Canine Zoan-type, the Arctic Fox Fruit, notable only for its enhancement of cuteness rather than combat effectiveness.
A Paramecia-type, the Spark-Spark Fruit, which had excellent potential—arguably a non-Logia version of Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Despite acquiring nine fruits, only three had been put to use. The utilization rate was low, but even this modest increase in abilities had strengthened the Caesar Pirates. Once Arnold and the others fully developed their Devil Fruit abilities, their crew's overall strength would see a significant leap.
Caesar's gaze lingered on the uneaten fruits, particularly the Spark-Spark Fruit. He then turned to his crew.
"This fruit has potential. If developed properly, it could rival the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. So, who's interested?"
"Caesar, aren't you interested?" Eli asked.
Caesar shook his head.
"Well… not really. It wouldn't significantly boost my strength or complement my fighting style."
He sighed inwardly.
"If only I had the Quake-Quake Fruit instead… that would be ideal."
Naturally, Brad, Gnali, and Yaxi showed no interest. The three of them had long since sworn off Devil Fruits.
That left only Wei Na and Regina.
The Cloud-Cloud Fruit had been a good fit for either of them, yet they had chosen to leave it for Lily. Now, all eyes turned to them once again.
The two women studied the Spark-Spark Fruit in silence. Then, almost simultaneously, they shook their heads.
Regina spoke first.
"I've thought about it, and I'll pass. This fruit doesn't suit me."
Wei Na nodded in agreement.
"I could use it, but I'd rather wait for something better. You all know me—I'd rather have nothing than settle for something suboptimal. A Devil Fruit is a lifetime commitment. If I pick the wrong one, I may never get another chance."
Her words resonated. Like Regina, she wanted a fruit that perfectly matched her skills, not just something usable.
"What a pity. I thought we'd gain another Devil Fruit user," Brad said, shaking his head. He had been mentally tallying the number of fruit users in their crew.
"I really thought Wei Na would take this one," Yaxi commented.
He shrugged. "Imagine using this fruit to discharge electricity while kicking an opponent—it'd be devastating. And if you used it to stimulate muscle reflexes, your kicks would be even faster."
Eli nodded. The logic was sound.
Wei Na, however, remained thoughtful. "That makes sense, and it would enhance my abilities. But it wouldn't bring out the full potential of my martial arts style."
Caesar agreed. "Wei Na's kicking skills are already formidable. What she truly needs is an ability that elevates her combat effectiveness, not just an additional trick. Something like flight, enhanced mobility, or an explosive impact when kicking—those would be true game-changers."
Everyone nodded in realization.
"As expected of our captain. He always gets straight to the heart of the matter," Brad said, giving Caesar a thumbs-up.
"Of course," Gnali laughed. "Caesar's insights have helped all of us grow stronger."
Wei Na's eyes gleamed as if she had just discovered a new path forward. She had been stuck at a bottleneck in her training, uncertain of how to improve—but now, she saw a way.
"Thank you, Captain. Your advice gave me a fresh perspective," she said, smiling.
---
[112]Unwanted Fruits and Future Plans
Seeing that no one had chosen the Spark-Spark Fruit, Caesar nodded. The remaining six fruits would have to wait.
Besides Brad and the others who had no interest, that left Caesar, Wei Na, and Regina to keep an eye out for more suitable options in the future.
"That's fine," Caesar remarked. "After all, a Devil Fruit is a long-term commitment. If you eat one that doesn't suit you, it may actually weaken your overall combat abilities. And once you find a fruit that truly matches you, you'll regret having settled for less."
Regina agreed. "Exactly. Just as Wei Na said—it's better to have nothing than to compromise."
The remaining six fruits would remain untouched for now.
Caesar stored them back in the captain's quarters, organizing them by type:
The Spark-Spark Fruit, Spider-Spider Fruit, and Arctic Fox Fruit on one side.
The three mystery fruits on the other.
Then, he turned to the crew.
"Other than the Spark-Spark Fruit, I plan to sell or trade the Spider-Spider and Arctic Fox Fruits. Any objections?"
"Sell them quickly," Lily blurted out, visibly shivering. "I can tolerate the fox, but the spider? Just imagining a human-sized spider is nightmarish…"
"I hate arachnids!" she added, clinging to Regina for support.
Wei Na, too, wrinkled her nose. "Yeah… I can't imagine anyone actually wanting that thing."
Regina, usually composed, also showed mild distaste. It seemed the crew's women had a universal aversion to spiders.
The male members, however, remained indifferent.
Caesar, unfazed, chuckled to himself. They just haven't seen Spider-Man. Otherwise, they'd realize how terrifyingly effective a spider-based ability could be…
Still, since no one wanted it, he had no reason to keep it.
With the Devil Fruit discussion settled, Caesar glanced at the time.
"Yaxi, let's prepare lunch."
Yaxi's eyes lit up. "Oh! I actually had a flash of inspiration this morning. I created a new dish that'll blow your minds!"
---
Lunch and an Unexpected Culinary Disaster
At mealtime, everyone gathered to try Yaxi's new creation: a curry stew with potatoes, eggplant, and fish.
The result?
A mushy, unappetizing disaster.
Most of the crew barely touched it, while Yaxi—his pride on the line—forced himself to finish it, tears in his eyes.
After lunch, the crew split into small groups and headed into town.
While some gathered supplies, others scouted for news. On the open sea, information was scarce, and major world events could unfold without them knowing.
Caesar, an advocate for intelligence gathering, reflected on past events.
"If only Whitebeard had known immediately that Blackbeard had defeated Ace and turned him over to the Marines… history might have played out differently."
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