The little creature lay on top of the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit).
Zzzt… zzzt…
Dense arcs of lightning crackled from the fruit's surface—only to be completely absorbed by it.
As it continued absorbing the current, the dragonling's body began to change. Between its scales, faint glimmers appeared—matching the fruit's unique swirling patterns.
Soon after, thin lightning-shaped markings began to form across its small wings, flickering in and out beneath the skin.
Creed stared in surprise. What was going on? Why did this little dragon react to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit like this?
By the end, the dragon's whole body was wrapped in a sea of lightning.
The phenomenon lasted for several minutes before finally subsiding.
The arcs vanished.
The little one patted its belly contentedly and let out a soft "ying."
As it did, a tiny bolt of lightning shot from its mouth.
Creed froze, glancing from the dragon's wings—where the lightning markings were fading—to the fruit in his hand.
The Goro Goro no Mi looked unchanged.
Perplexed, he lifted the little one and examined it from head to tail. It just rolled in his hands, thinking he was playing.
Still no clues.
The egg and the fruit had both been found in that shrine. There had to be some connection.
Narrowing his eyes, Creed probed the dragon's details.
[Name]: Unnamed (Please designate a name)
[Race]: Dragon
[Ability]: C-rank Lightning Control (Extractable)
[Innate Abilities]: Dragon Breath (Extractable), Dragon God Mode (Extractable)
[Overall Power]: C-rank
…
Huh? Lightning Control? Not the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?
So the fruit might still be usable?
And innate abilities? This was the first time Creed had seen such a category.
Two of them, no less—Dragon Breath was obvious from the name, but what was Dragon God Mode supposed to be?
This hatchling was shrouded in mystery from head to tail.
"Ying."
It tilted its head at him, calling softly.
Creed rubbed his temples. "Can you stop saying 'ying' all the time?"
Ain looked puzzled. "But it's cute… and unique."
"You don't understand…" Creed muttered, recalling the trauma of countless "ying-ying monsters."
"Ying!"
"Don't 'ying'!"
"Ying!"
"…Fine. Whatever."
Time to give it a name.
Ying-Ying Dragon? …No.
"Alright, you're 'Falkor' from now on," Creed said.
"Ying." It nodded, then fluttered up to perch on his head, pawed at his hair, and curled up like it had found the perfect nest.
"…Seriously?"
"Here, Ain. Eat this." Creed handed her the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"…Huh?"
"It's a Logia-type. Eat it."
He had no use for it himself—Garp didn't need a fruit, and Luffy already had one. Plus, he wanted to see if the fruit still worked after Falkor's little stunt.
From the start, he had intended it for Ain anyway. When he eventually obtained a Devil Fruit Ability Extraction Card, he could take it if needed.
In this timeline, Ain hadn't eaten the Return-Return Fruit from the original story. It sounded strong, but the restrictions had to be enormous—otherwise, why hadn't she used it on Zephyr, Garp, Sengoku, or Kong to restore them to their primes? Or on Kaido during his Marineford "suicide" stunt?
She never even used it on Zephyr. That alone said plenty about its limitations.
"…Why don't you eat it?"
"I already have a Devil Fruit ability," Creed replied.
Ain recalled his earlier ROOM—it was true.
She bit her lip. She knew exactly how valuable a Logia was… especially one like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, rivaling even the Admirals' powers.
And he was giving it to her.
She thought back to all their battles—how she'd always been on the sidelines, unable to share his burden. His opponents kept getting stronger.
At this rate, she would one day lose sight of his back entirely.
She clenched her fists. She wouldn't let that happen. She would stay by his side.
Taking the fruit, she bit into it.
The moment she did, Creed checked her status—wanting to know if the fruit still had its power.
…
(End of Chapter)
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