Just then, Kuro stepped forward.
He dropped to one knee and said, "Boss, I want that Devil Fruit."
He paused, then continued, "I know I'm the most recent addition to the crew and I haven't made any real contributions. But like everyone else, I want to serve under Lord Wayne. I know I'm not strong enough, and that's exactly why I'm asking for this Fruit."
"I'm willing to risk my life for you, Lord Wayne!"
Wayne looked at Kuro, who stood there with a serious expression. None of the other crew members showed any desire to contest him for it. After a moment's thought, Wayne realized this Fruit really did suit Kuro.
"Alright, if no one else wants it, then it's yours."
Kuro took the Devil Fruit and, without hesitation, bit into it. His face instantly contorted into a look like he'd just eaten a pile of dung. He instinctively tried to throw the rest of the fruit away.
But after catching a glimpse of Wayne's death glare, he grit his teeth and forced himself to finish it. Then he downed three barrels of water to keep from throwing up.
He closed his eyes and stood still for a moment, trying to feel the power flowing through him. When he opened them again, excitement was written all over his face.
"From this moment on, I am the wielder of the Ancient Zoan-Type: Sabertooth Cat Fruit!"
Gloria, watching from the side, tilted her head. "Ancient Zoan?"
Kuro nodded. "Yeah. The sabertooth cat was a long-extinct species of feline one of the most feared apex predators of the Grand Line in ancient times."
"I've only just eaten the Fruit, but I can already identify three main abilities."
"First, my physical strength and speed have doubled. And when I transform, those stats climb even higher."
Kuro gave a low growl. His hair lengthened and black fur sprouted all over his body. His muscles bulged, and it was clear his physique had received a huge boost.
"Second, my neural reflexes and dynamic visual acuity have drastically improved."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly morphed into feline slits. Kuro reached toward a nearby apple tree, grabbed a handful of leaves around thirty and tossed them into the air. Then he jumped, his hands moving so fast they left afterimages. In just two seconds, he'd caught more than twenty of the leaves midair.
Gloria and Robin both gasped in awe. Even Wayne's eyes widened in disbelief.
Kuro noticed Wayne's expression and grinned proudly, clearly waiting for praise.
Wayne's lips twitched into a thin line. "You've really outdone yourself."
Kuro's smile froze.
Wayne's eyes narrowed with murderous intent. "You've really outdone yourself. You actually had the guts to damage my apple tree?"
"Clean the toilets. No food until you're done!"
Wayne turned away, clearly in no mood to watch the rest of Kuro's "performance." It didn't matter how powerful the Fruit was. Kuro wasn't about to go from weakling to powerhouse overnight. Ancient Zoan or not, even a Mythical Zoan wouldn't survive a single serious strike from Wayne.
Kuro sulked his way toward the latrines. He had let the power get to his head for a moment, but reality hit quickly. On this ship, his standing was fifth at best.
First, of course, was Wayne. Second and third were tightly held by Gloria and Robin. And fourth? That title belonged to the red Fuji apple tree transplanted from Water 7.
Life at sea was calm and pleasant. Wayne's favorite pastime was standing at the bow, gazing out over the endless ocean and feeling the salty wind on his face.
That was the allure of the sea its boundless mystery. No matter how powerful you were, the Grand Line would never let you forget your limits.
Wayne lit a cigarette and looked up at a cloud shaped like cotton candy drifting lazily through the sky. Suddenly, a News Coo flapped into view, a mailbag slung over its back.
"Oh, right. It's deadline day again."
Wayne pulled a sealed envelope from his coat and fished out fifty Berries. He raised his hand to signal the bird.
The seagull circled above a couple of times, then swooped down with a squawk.
"Huh? You again? Here, this is today's manuscript. And grab me a newspaper while you're at it."
Wayne recognized this particular News Coo it had a distinctive red birthmark above one eye. It was the same one that had delivered newspapers to him back in the desert.
He currently had a small serialized column in the World Economic Journal, where his reimagined versions of classic literature were being published.
Today's submission was Chapter Ten of Water Margin: "Lin Chong Strikes Down Instructor Hong." In Wayne's creatively modified version, Lin Chong was a justice-obsessed Marine officer who eventually abandoned the Navy after seeing its corruption and collusion with local lords.
Originally, Wayne had intended to portray the collaboration between Celestial Dragons and Marine Admirals. But afraid of drawing too much heat and a summons from Sengoku he'd scaled it back to focus on regional nobility.
Wayne's retelling of Water Margin had earned quite a bit of popularity among pirates and disillusioned Navy officers alike. In their hearts, they imagined themselves as modern-day outlaws, crushed by the system but still clinging to their ideals just like the heroes of Liangshan.
"Speaking of which... the royalties for Journey to the West should be coming in soon."
Unlike his cooking or singing, the rewards for writing didn't come immediately. A book even a great one had to spread before it earned recognition.
At the moment, Wayne's "life points" totaled 978. Most of those came from cooking-related rewards, with occasional boosts from performing at concerts.
He took a bite of his apple and placed the envelope and fifty Berries into the News Coo's mail pouch. Then he pulled out a fresh newspaper.
Information was always scarce at sea. Unless you had your own intelligence network, rumors and newspapers were the only sources of news.
"You're still here?"
"Coo coo!"
The seagull let out a pair of cheerful cries, then flopped down on the deck and rolled around. When it stood again, it stared expectantly at the apple in Wayne's hand.
Wayne blinked. "Oh, you little scam artist."
With a sigh, he plucked another apple off the tree and tossed it to the bird.
The News Coo chirped in delight and eagerly dug in.
Wayne left it to its feast and turned his full attention to the newspaper.
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