Back at Marine Headquarters,
Tsuru reported the mission's outcome to Sengoku.
When he heard that even Kaido had gotten involved in the incident, Sengoku broke into a cold sweat. He knew exactly how terrifying Kaido's strength was.
Running into Kaido—twice in one day, no less—and the fact that the Marines involved even made it back alive was already something worth celebrating.
Thankfully, Kaito had been part of the mission. Without him, things could have gone very badly. Momonga and Yamakaji were among the most powerful Vice Admirals—losing them would've been a heavy blow to the Marines.
Tsuru, especially, was a pillar of the Marines. If anything had happened to her during this mission, Sengoku wasn't sure he could've stayed calm. Who knew—Garp might've charged into Onigashima by himself for revenge.
The fact that they all returned safely... that was enough. Even the Ope-Ope Fruit seemed insignificant compared to their lives.
Thinking about it this way, Sengoku didn't really care that the mission had failed. After all, Kaito had fought until he was completely exhausted! He'd still need to report to the Gorosei and argue his case, though.
Tsuru, however, asked with concern,
"What did Mary Geoise say about this?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll explain the reason behind the mission's failure. You and Kaito just focus on getting some rest."
"Alright. I'll head out then. I'll leave negotiating with those people to you, Sengoku."
"Mm."
With that, Tsuru left Sengoku's office. Sengoku immediately contacted the Gorosei.
Naturally, the Gorosei were furious upon hearing that the mission had failed. But in truth, this wasn't something that could be blamed entirely on Sengoku or the Marines.
First of all, a major wildcard had shown up—Kaido. The intelligence about the Ope-Ope Fruit had likely been leaked to him by Doflamingo.
Chances were, Doflamingo had already told Kaido the secret: that the fruit could perform the Perpetual Youth Surgery. Otherwise, Kaido wouldn't have gone out of his way to intervene.
Doflamingo knowing such a confidential piece of information was clearly linked to his background as a former Celestial Dragon. In the end, the root of the problem still lay with their side.
Of course, the Gorosei would never admit to any wrongdoing. But at least they didn't press the issue too much and just let it go.
Sengoku granted Kaito a full week of vacation. Everyone knew it was thanks to him that Kaido had been held off. Even Momonga and the others hoped he'd get more time to rest properly.
As for Kaito himself, he insisted there was really no need!
...
Back in his office with Kalifa and Ain, Kaito retrieved four Devil Fruits from the Door-Door Space and set them on the desk.
Seeing four Devil Fruits appear at once left Kalifa and Ain completely stunned. They looked at them like they were cheap cabbages at a street market.
Actually, Kaito still had one more fruit that Ain had given him, which he hadn't had the chance to examine. He planned to test it later on some random pirate lackey.
Pointing to the fruits on the table, Kaito introduced their names and abilities to the two women. Then he turned to Kalifa and asked if any of them caught her eye.
Ain had already eaten a Devil Fruit, so she wasn't here to pick another. He just didn't want her to feel left out.
Kalifa hesitated, then shook her head. Honestly, she didn't really like any of them.
Although all four fruits offered significant boosts to combat ability, she wasn't looking for something that focused purely on fighting anymore. What she wanted was a fruit with a special support-type ability.
After all, with her boss around, she already felt like the safest person in the world.
Seeing that Kalifa wasn't interested, Kaito didn't push the matter. There would be plenty more chances to obtain Devil Fruits in the future—no need to rush.
However, among the four, there was one fruit Kaito was particularly interested in: the Pop-Pop Fruit.
As the name implied, its power was all about explosions. Simple and brutally effective. The self-detonation aspect aside, its main strength lay in its ability to detonate inorganic matter. Whether in terms of destructive force or killing power, it was a terrifying weapon.
It was completely different from the Bomb-Bomb Fruit used by Mr. 5 under Crocodile. The Pop-Pop Fruit was a true Paramecia ability, whereas the Bomb-Bomb Fruit merely enhanced the body.
Speaking of nose booger bombs, Kaito couldn't help but think of Garp. That guy loved picking his nose—and especially doing it in Sengoku's office.
If Garp ate this fruit…
Kaito shivered. That mental image was too horrifying to bear.
Shaking off the bizarre train of thought, Kaito focused on the Pop-Pop Fruit.
It looked like a round, black watermelon with a little vine sprouting from it like a fuse. (Totally made up.)
Kaito placed his hand on it, closed his eyes, and activated the Human Path ability.
A few seconds later, a regular watermelon appeared on the table.
Kalifa, seemingly out of nowhere, pulled out a small knife, sliced open the watermelon, and pushed half toward Kaito.
Then she picked a slice from the remaining half and handed it to Ain before grabbing one for herself and digging in.
So there they stood in the office—Kalifa and Ain each holding half a watermelon, their eyes fixed expectantly on Kaito, who had just absorbed the Pop-Pop Fruit's power.
As he slowly opened his eyes, Kaito found himself face-to-face with two literal watermelon-eating bystanders.
He blinked. For a moment, he didn't even know what to say.
Kalifa suddenly stepped closer, her beautiful face leaning in.
Kaito froze. What the hell was she doing? Was this happening right now? Ain was still right there!
Kalifa studied his right eye for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully and said,
"Just as I thought—another tomoe appeared. That's amazing!"
"...That's it?"
Kaito stared at his secretary, a bit disappointed.
"Huh? What else were you expecting, Boss? What were you thinking about?" Kalifa tilted her head in confusion, genuinely puzzled by Kaito's reaction. Ain quietly chuckled on the side.
Damn it, this secretary was getting more and more out of hand! Kaito grumbled internally, then calmed himself and started to feel out his newly acquired ability.
...
After a while, Kaito suddenly extended a finger and tapped a cup on the table.
The cup swelled sharply, then exploded into a pile of shards, startling both Kalifa and Ain.
Kaito glanced at the two of them. The corner of his mouth curled up slightly. That's what you get for getting cheeky.
Then he turned to look at the shattered remains of the cup, nodding in satisfaction. Whether it was control or destructive force, he had already surpassed Gladius by a long shot.
He could easily compress the explosion's range and amplify its power. Otherwise, that blast wouldn't have only taken out a cup—and the remains would've been shards, not fine fragments.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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