Kain sat at the polished oak table in the captain's quarters of the Crimson Serpent, watching as Redd carefully organized their newfound treasures. The room still carried traces of its previous owner—Captain Blacktooth's gaudy decorations and the lingering smell of cheap rum—but it had served them well as a temporary command center.
"I still can't believe we pulled this off," Ash said, his eyes moving between the four Devil Fruits arranged in the center of the table and the ancient book Redd had been poring over.
The four brothers had gathered in the cramped but well-appointed quarters after securing their course. With the wheel tied off and the weather clear, Talon had joined them to examine their haul properly.
"What does the book say about them?" Ash asked, leaning forward eagerly. He reached for one of the fruits—a perfectly round, golden orb that seemed to pulse with inner light.
Redd gently moved Ash's hand away. "Careful. According to this, each one is worth more than everything else we found combined."
Kain picked up the ancient tome, its leather binding worn but still sturdy. The pages were filled with meticulous illustrations and descriptions, some in languages he couldn't identify. But the sections on their four fruits were clear enough.
"Let's figure out exactly what we have," Kain said, flipping through the pages. While he already had strong suspicions about the fruits from his transmigrator knowledge, he needed to confirm his understanding against the book's information.
Redd pointed to each fruit in turn. "This one with the midnight black color and blue-purple swirls is the Ink-Ink Fruit. It's a Paramecia type that allows the user to create, control, and manipulate ink."
"Create things out of ink?" Ash asked, his eyes widening.
"Not just create," Kain read from the book. "According to this, the user can draw images or write words that come to life. The book says it's limited only by the user's imagination and control."
Talon whistled. "That's more versatile than I expected."
"This one," Redd continued, pointing to a fortress-shaped, metallic gray fruit, "is the Store-Store Fruit, also called the Castle-Castle Fruit. Another Paramecia. It lets the user become a living fortress, storing weapons, people, and items inside their body."
"Like a walking armory," Kain added, reading from the text. "The user can even transform into a castle-like form."
"This bronze-brown one with the talon-shaped stem is the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Eagle," Redd said. "A Zoan type that grants transformation into an eagle or eagle-human hybrid."
Ash reached for it again. "Flight. Enhanced vision. Powerful talons. That would be perfect for hunting."
Finally, Redd indicated the perfectly round, golden fruit that seemed to glow even in the cabin's dim light. "And this is the Sun-Sun Fruit. A Logia type that grants control over solar energy—heat, light, plasma. The user can create, control, and become sun energy, and the user even has a small control over a gravitational field."
Kain's heart raced as he read the detailed description in the book. Even with his transmigrator knowledge, the specifics were impressive. The Sun-Sun Fruit was easily one of the most powerful Logia types—perhaps rivaling the Tremor-Tremor(Lightning) fruit in raw destructive potential.
"So we have two Paramecia, one Zoan, and one Logia," Talon summarized, exchanging a knowing glance with Kain.
"Four fruits, four brothers," Ash repeated, his excitement barely contained. "It's perfect!"
Kain closed the book carefully. "We need to think strategically about this. Devil Fruits aren't just power-ups—they're life-changing commitments."
"Exactly," Talon agreed immediately, as if he'd been waiting for Kain to make this point. "And not all Devil Fruits are created equal. The Logia types, especially one like the Sun-Sun Fruit, offer a significant advantage in combat."
"What do you mean?" Redd asked.
Kain explained, "Logia users can transform into their element, making physical attacks pass right through them. Without advanced Haki, which is rare in the North Blue, a Logia user is practically invincible."
"So the Sun Fruit is the most valuable," Ash concluded.
"Without a doubt," Talon confirmed. "The Paramecia fruits have incredible utility, but they require more creativity to use effectively. And while the Eagle fruit grants flight and enhanced physical abilities, it doesn't offer the same defensive advantages as a Logia."
Talon continued, "While the Ink fruit and the Castle fruit have their uses, they aren't the strongest options. The Sun fruit, however, is powerful in the early, middle, late, and peak game. As for the zoan fruit, being a predator like an eagle grants it innate power, but if you're considering a zoan fruit, I suggest waiting for either an Ancient or Mythical Zoan fruit if possible."
Kain nodded. "I think we should save the two Paramecia fruits and the Zoan fruit for Talon and Ash's Red Tide crew. They'll need every advantage they can get as pirate hunters."
"What about the other one?" Redd asked.
"One of us should take the Sun Fruit now," Kain said. "It's too valuable to leave unused, especially given what we just did."
The implication hung heavy in the air. They had killed a Celestial Dragon. If anyone discovered their involvement, they would need every advantage possible to survive.
Ash grinned. "So who gets it? I wouldn't mind being a sun man."
"I imagine we all want it," Talon said with a shrug. "So we do what we always do when we can't decide."
Redd was already reaching for his coin. "Flip for it."
The four brothers each produced a coin from their pockets. It was their longstanding method for settling disputes—each would flip a coin, and those who got heads would advance to the next round. The process would continue until only one remained.
"Ready?" Kain asked, positioning his thumb beneath his coin.
The others nodded, and on Kain's count, four coins spun into the air, catching the lantern light before falling back to the table with metallic clinks.
Redd's face fell as his coin showed tails. "Well, that's me out."
"Second round," Kain announced.
The remaining three flipped again. This time, Ash's coin came up tails.
"Dammit!" he exclaimed, slamming his palm on the table. "That would have been so cool. Controlling the sun... I would have been unstoppable."
"Final round," Talon said, his expression neutral as he and Kain prepared for the last flip.
The two coins spun in unison. Kain's landed on heads. Talon's on tails.
Kain felt a strange moment of disconnect—he had essentially just defeated himself, given their shared soul. Talon, however, showed no disappointment. If anything, there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, as if this was the outcome he'd preferred.
Redd sighed, his disappointment evident, but it didn't stop his rational mind. "The Sun Fruit does complement your fighting style perfectly."
Kain agreed, though internally he wondered if he should offer the fruit to Talon instead. After all, he and Redd were about to join the Marines, where they'd have some measure of institutional protection.
Talon and Ash, on the other hand, would be pirate hunters, constantly in danger. A Logia fruit would be invaluable to them.
Before Kain could voice these thoughts, Ash grabbed the glowing Sun-Sun Fruit and tossed it to him.
"Quit thinking about it," Ash said firmly. "You won fair and square. Like we always do—no take backs, no changes. You win, it's yours."
Kain caught the fruit, feeling its surprising warmth against his palms. It was heavier than it looked, and seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.
Kain looked down at the Sun-Sun Fruit in his hands, a smile spreading across his face. What One Piece fan from Earth wouldn't smile at the prospect of eating a Devil Fruit? Especially one as powerful as this.
"Well?" Ash prompted. "Are you going to eat it or just stare at it all day?"
Kain took a deep breath and bit into the fruit. The taste was indescribably foul—like rotten eggs mixed with burnt hair and spoiled milk, all wrapped in the texture of sandy rubber. He forced himself to chew and swallow, fighting his body's natural instinct to reject the revolting substance.
"God, that's disgusting," he gasped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
****
****
Read ahead at https://www.patreon.com/NamelessAuthor_