Golden Lion Shiki, a seasoned Devil Fruit user, understood one absolute truth about these strange powers:
> "No matter how mighty a Devil Fruit is… there's always something that counters it."
During his time sailing under Rocks D. Xebec, Shiki had obsessively studied a book that catalogued the Devil Fruits. He wasn't just looking for powerful abilities—he was searching for his natural counter.
That's when he found it:
The Gravity Fruit.
A Paramecia that could manipulate gravitational force itself. The very antithesis of his own Lion-Lion Fruit, which granted him the power to levitate anything he touched.
> Levitation lifts. Gravity crushes.
In raw force, gravity was the superior. That's why, for years, Shiki hunted for the Gravity Fruit—not to eat it, but to lock it away forever. Keep it out of reach. Out of existence.
And now?
> That power was right here.
In the hands of a rookie Marine.
Shiki's eye twitched as he stared down at the young man—Kyle—who held two swords and had just used gravity to rip the battlefield apart.
> "He's just a recruit… but that fruit… that damn fruit—"
If someone like Admiral Garp or Sengoku had eaten it… even he, the Golden Lion, would've had no chance. But now—he could kill this boy before it was too late.
Dodging Zephyr's incoming punch, Shiki spun into the air, cape flapping wildly, and laughed with a razor-toothed grin:
> "Je-ha-ha-ha!!
I never imagined I'd finally find the Gravity Fruit…
And in the hands of a brat Marine, no less!"
> "That kind of power doesn't belong in the Navy!"
"So I'll end it here—and take you down with it!"
---
Down on the field, the Marines were still in shock.
They thought the ruptured earth and massive crater had come from Admiral Sengoku or Akainu.
But when Shiki laughed and pointed at Kyle, everything changed.
> "Wait… that wasn't the Admiral? That was… him?"
> "He's just a recruit—how the hell does he have that kind of power?"
> "Yo, maybe we should get on his good side now before he becomes a Vice Admiral!"
But while some were impressed, others saw something far more terrifying:
> If Shiki was going after Kyle… then they were all in danger too.
"Damn it!" one recruit cried. "I'm not ready to die! I didn't sign up for this!"
"This is insane—he's targeting the whole squad now!"
"Run for it! Everyone scatter!"
Panic took hold. The Marine formation shattered. Some deserted outright, sprinting toward the escape route carved by Kyle's gravity blade. Chaos reigned.
But the top brass? They weren't watching the deserters.
They were watching Kyle.
Sengoku narrowed his eyes. Zephyr dropped his cigar, lips tight. Akainu said nothing, but the heat radiating from his body showed his rising interest.
They had all seen Devil Fruits. They knew how most weren't worth much—tricks and gimmicks that made users vulnerable to the sea for little payoff.
But this?
This was one of the rare ones.
> A fruit that could change the fate of a war.
A fruit that could shape a new Admiral.
Sengoku and Zephyr exchanged a glance. They didn't need words. The moment Kyle had stepped forward to protect fellow Marines, his heart had already passed their test.
Now—with the Gravity Fruit awakened—his potential was limitless.
> "We can't lose him here," Sengoku muttered, hands clenched.
> "No report, no intel, no background check," Zephyr growled. "And yet we let this kind of monster go unnoticed."
Even Akainu—ever cold, ever unflinching—watched Kyle with a flicker of intrigue.
> "This one… he's not like Kizaru."
He thought back to how Kizaru always moved at his own pace, never caring too much. But Kyle? Kyle had jumped into the fight, protected his allies, and now stood firm in the face of death.
> "He'd be a damn fine soldier under my command."
---
At that moment, every high-ranking officer came to the same conclusion:
> "This recruit… he's the real deal. And we need to protect him."
---
📟 SYSTEM ALERTS:
[Ding! You've received 6,000 Attention Points from nearby Marines!]
[Ding! You've received 15,000 Attention Points from Akainu Sakazuki!]
[Ding! You've received 20,000 Attention Points from Zephyr 'Black Arm'!]
[Ding! You've received 20,000 Attention Points from Fleet Admiral Sengoku!]
[Ding! You've received 100,000 Attention Points from Golden Lion Shiki!]
[Alert: You have been added to Shiki's Kill List!]
> The predator had found his prey… and now he would not stop.