Zixu obtained an unlit cigarette.
[You have obtained the Artificial Devil Fruit.]
"!!!"
Zixu stared at the words in disbelief—a Devil Fruit! Even if it's artificial...
"You did well! You did really well!" Zixu suddenly burst into laughter, patting Haku's shoulder excitedly. It seemed he had misjudged him—Haku might just be the real hidden Ōu-sama (Lucky Emperor).
Zabuza, watching this sudden shift in emotion, frowned in confusion. Just moments ago, Zixu had been scowling, and now he was beaming with joy. Does this guy have some kind of mental condition?
"We'll be heading off first," Zabuza said, uninterested in lingering any longer. It was getting late, and they needed to return to their assigned lodgings.
Zixu took the opportunity to squeeze Haku's shoulder once more before burning through all 500 of his remaining draws. However, he didn't check the results immediately. Instead, he smiled and waved at the two of them.
"We'll be holding a martial arts tournament soon. The rewards will be generous. Would you be interested in joining?"
"We'll see when the time comes. If the competition is strong, we're in," Zabuza replied, dragging a confused Haku away. Haku gave Zixu an apologetic smile, bowed slightly, and followed after his mentor.
"I've struck gold. Although artificial Devil Fruits have serious side effects, they'll serve as excellent research samples..."
Zixu considered the consequences of consuming an artificial Devil Fruit. Even in cases of successful transformation, the results were grotesque—random mutations that fused animal and human bodies in the most unnatural ways. A man growing from a tiger's head, a lion's face protruding from someone's stomach, or worse, a human torso emerging from a chicken's backside.
And those were the successful cases.
Failure meant losing all potential for power while being permanently afflicted with an unnatural, ceaseless smile—the curse of the Warau-mono (Smilers). The failure rate? A staggering 90%.
"This thing isn't suitable as a tournament prize. Better hand it over to Orochimaru for research. Who knows? Maybe he'll even develop something new. I wonder what would happen if he and Dr. Vegapunk ever met..."
Storing the artificial Devil Fruit carefully, Zixu hummed to himself as he walked back. He had burned through 500 draws—now all that remained was to return home and check the spoils of this gamble.
"With the surprise I just pulled, I have a good feeling about the rest of my rewards."
—
Creeeak~
Zixu pushed open his door. Though he rarely stayed in the village, his room was kept impeccably clean—thanks to Hyuga Chinano and the others, who ensured it was maintained regularly.
He collapsed onto his bed like a sprawled-out pancake and finally opened his system notifications.
[You have obtained 37 firearm modification blueprints.]
[You have obtained 50 kg of Wapometal.]
[You have obtained a Power Rock.]
[You have obtained 200 steel plates.]
…
"Firearm modifications? Not bad. We could create guns that absorb chakra to form bullets, reducing reliance on steel and gunpowder."
"Wapometal is a rare find. It's highly malleable, incredibly durable, and even has memory-metal properties, allowing partial self-repair. No wonder even the Navy covets it."
"Power Rock... wasn't that from a One Piece movie? I don't remember much, but I do know it's ridiculously destructive. Easily the equivalent of a small nuclear bomb..."
The first hundred draws were promising, but there was a problem—none of the items were suitable as tournament prizes.
Zixu carefully sealed the Power Rock using his finely honed Fūin Jutsu (Sealing Techniques), then continued checking the log.
[You have obtained Seastone Handcuffs.]
[You have obtained White Fish.]
[You have obtained the Guru-Guru no Mi (Spin-Spin Fruit).]
[You have obtained Hawkeye's Swordsmanship Notes (Incomplete).]
[You have obtained Sanji's Recipe Book.]
Skipping the less significant prizes, Zixu focused on the valuable ones, scanning further down as more system messages flashed by.
[You have obtained the Tori-Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix (Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Beast: Phoenix Form).]
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Zixu shot upright, nearly snapping his bed frame in half. But honestly, who wouldn't react this way?
"Holy shit! This is insane! The best thing I'd ever gotten before this was the Nagi-Nagi no Mi (Silence Fruit). Is this just an extreme stroke of luck?! Or does the lottery system have some hidden mercy mechanic?"
He wasn't sure if there was a built-in pity system, but he preferred to believe it was his own fortune—or perhaps Haku's subtle luck—that had done the trick.
For a long while, Zixu bounced excitedly on the bed like a child, unable to wipe the grin from his face.
"Ahem... Normal reaction, totally normal. Alright, let's see... This definitely won't be used as a tournament prize. I'm keeping it."
Satisfied, he resumed scanning his rewards. The Phoenix Fruit alone was worth the entire gamble, but if there were any other hidden gems, this would be his best haul yet.
"Kaido's Hasshōkō (Eightfold Principle)... Hm. It's just an ordinary kanabō (spiked club), but given the number of powerhouses it has crushed, it's anything but ordinary. Maybe I should forge one myself using Wapometal?"
He skimmed past dozens of lesser items before stopping at another highlight.
[You have obtained Rokushiki – Geppō (Navy Six Styles – Moon Step).]
[You have obtained... Bucky's socks...]
"Alright, that's enough of that. The haul was solid."
Still, no matter how many times he ignored the useless items, he couldn't fully avoid seeing them.
"Now, about the tournament prizes... The Spin-Spin Fruit, White Fish, Swordsmanship Notes... Not the best lineup."
The Guru-Guru no Mi (Spin-Spin Fruit) granted the ability to turn body parts into high-speed propellers, allowing aerial movement. While it had potential, it was obscure and unimpressive in a world filled with stronger abilities.
He decided to use it as a tournament prize. Ideally, one of his own villagers would win it, but if an outsider took it, so be it.
As for Hawkeye's Swordsmanship Notes, he would keep the original and only offer a transcribed version—with selective omissions. If someone shows promise, I can string them along and bait out something bigger.
Sanji's Recipe Book was best given to the village's chefs. While ingredient availability differed, they could still use it for inspiration to create better dishes.
The Moon Step from the Rokushiki (Six Styles) could be invaluable. He planned to teach it to civilians and lower-level shinobi—those without ninjutsu could gain incredible mobility from it. Definitely worth sharing.
Finally, Zixu's gaze landed on the Seastone Handcuffs.
"This is a problem. So far, Devil Fruit users have had no weaknesses here, but now I possess the key to countering them. This changes everything..."
A slow smirk formed on his lips.
"Things are getting interesting."
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