Dier furrowed his brows, recalling the strange phenomena on the island.
Hypnosis was ineffective because the Diers had already been molded by the King's will.
The power of Devil Fruits involved fundamental rules—his hypnosis couldn't override them.
The deceased elder had his life force drained away. The talk of souls turning into butterflies was clearly just turning them into snacks.
But the part about remaining forever by the King's side was accurate.
The curse preventing departure originated from the King, and the absence of newspapers and Den Den Mushi was also his decree.
By killing a few News Coos, the others would mark this place as forbidden territory.
He advocated nationwide fitness, hence children played with solid Black Guns as toys.
Yet Dier still felt unsatisfied—several mysteries remained unsolved.
He decided to voice his questions outright:
"What are you waiting for? Is this suddenly organized ranking competition related to the Rainbow Mist that appeared three days ago?"
"Correct, you're quite perceptive."
The King nodded and said:
"In this world, quality far outweighs quantity;
I've been waiting for a Dier with unparalleled talent—he will become the sharpest blade to help me conquer this world."
"Have you found him?"
"No!"
"But I did discover something else from the Rainbow Mist."
The King clapped his hands, and silver-armored soldiers entered carrying a treasure chest.
Click~
The chest opened, and the King lifted out an apple—crimson red with five white stems at its crown.
From Dier's perspective dozens of meters away, it looked like an ordinary apple.
Just unnaturally red.
"You waited all this time... for an apple??"
"Hahaha~ Most would easily mistake it for one."
The King cradled the apple with undisguised delight:
"Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Creature Type: Flame Devouring Lord."
"A legend persists on an island in the North Blue."
"There exists a monster called Flame Devourer—handsome, indistinguishable from humans;
He breathes flames that parch the earth, leaving no land to farm;
He bewitches village women, enters their homes, and devours their last scraps of food."
"Every year, the islanders execute their most handsome man, believing him to be Flame Devourer's incarnation, hoping to end the drought."
"Of course, legends are just legends. Their droughts were purely weather-related—killing people couldn't change that."
"But this fruit truly exists."
Zzzzt~
The giant screen lit up again, now displaying lines of text.
Dier held his breath, straining to read.
Then realized he couldn't understand it.
The screen showed what appeared to be scribbled symbols—another language entirely.
"This excerpt comes from the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, describing this very fruit;
Look, what magnificent power it holds."
The King clenched his fist, exclaiming excitedly:
"At last, I need wait no longer, hahaha!!"
"In days, when the ranking competition concludes, I'll not only find the top ten Diers in every field;
But also the strongest combatant—he will eat this fruit and become my blade!"
Dier's face darkened with frustration. Couldn't he just say what the ability actually was?!
"Aren't you afraid that after eating this fruit, he might break free from your control?"
The King chuckled lightly in response, "Of course not."
"I've had a few Ability Users under my command over the years."
"Moreover, you've brought me a delightful surprise!"
Zzzzt~
The image on the large screen changed again, this time showing the room where Robin and Hina were being held.
The King personally zoomed in on Robin's image, his breathing growing rapid:
"The sole survivor of Ohara, capable of deciphering Poneglyphs and reviving Ancient Weapons!"
"How did you know?!"
"Living a long life has its advantages."
The King gave another light chuckle as the screen switched to display the treasure vault.
Centuries of accumulated wealth were piled there, including several massive logs of wood.
"Those are branches from the Adam Treasure Tree, the finest shipbuilding material."
"I had planned to pay a fortune to commission the world's greatest shipwright, the fish-man Tom, to build me a vessel. But now, that's no longer necessary."
"The Ancient Weapon Pluton—the most fearsome warship in naval history, said to possess the power to obliterate an island with a single cannon shot."
"With it, I can unify the world even faster!"
He turned around, his sightless eyes fixed on Dier,
"When everyone in the world is named Dier, that will be the moment I become the King of the World—forever undying."
"I hope you'll live a little longer. A world full of puppets would be dreadfully dull."
Dier looked utterly speechless, finding his logic flawed:
"If you unify the world, why not just make them serve you? Why go through the trouble of renaming everyone?"
Though the World Government also suppressed free will, they were nowhere near as extreme as this.
"Because I fear death."
The King stated this matter-of-factly, without a trace of shame.
"I've reached this point by relying on the Control Fruit, but others could achieve the same with other miraculous Devil Fruit Abilities."
"Those lucky individuals might charge recklessly with their powers, forcing me to deal with them—and who knows, they might even overthrow me."
"Rather than leave such unstable elements, it's better to turn everyone in the world into Dier."
"You're really... thorough, aren't you?"
Dier was at a loss for words, his mind racing as he desperately sought a way out.
Hypnosis? Useless—like winking at the blind.
Lightning? Couldn't attack from a distance.
Flame Power? Unless he could incinerate someone in one breath, a single command could freeze his movements.
Mind control and speech control...
His scattered thoughts coalesced into a solution.
A glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke:
"Do you know about Sea Stone?"
"Of course. The crystallized essence of the sea, the bane of Ability Users."
"Do you have any here? Fetch me a pair of Sea Stone handcuffs. This barrel is too short—my legs are cramping from being bent."
The King's lips curled upward, laughter bubbling in his voice:
"Ahahaha~ You'll get them, you'll get them!"
He was delighted.
When his dream was realized and everyone became Dier, this Dier before him would be the only remaining person he could have normal conversations with.
But if Dier remained stubborn and refused to speak, there'd be nothing he could do.
After all, he'd already tried earlier—Dier hadn't shouted "I'm a scoundrel" three times.
Now, by asking for Sea Stone, Dier was showing signs of submission.
"Dier, you may move the lower half of your body now."
The King pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Your tendons in the arms and legs—"
"Wait a second!!"
Dier hastily interrupted, not wanting to become disabled.
"Do you have any other requests?"
"Well, about that..."
Dier suddenly grew somewhat embarrassed, his eyes darting around as he hesitated:
"Could you... not cut off all my limbs?"
"I'm only twelve... I haven't even... you know..."
"I'd prefer to be the active one when the time comes, not lying motionless in bed with all my limbs severed."
The King's smile grew more pronounced. Young people—he understood.
"I promise you, old man. But until we find Sea Stone handcuffs, you'll have to stay in a barrel."
"Should I call the most beautiful Dier on the island for you?
How about Hunter Dier's wife?"
"I'm only twelve, Your Majesty!"
Dier looked exasperated. What could a twelve-year-old even do?
"At least wait until I'm an adult."
"Hahaha~ This old man got ahead of himself."
The King rose and returned to his golden throne, idly playing with the Mythical Zoan fruit while dangling promises:
"By then, we'll have conquered many nations. Queens, princesses—I can grant them all to you."
Why are they all married women?!
Dier closed his eyes in refusal. He wasn't like that Cao guy.
The King paid no mind to Dier's disrespect, instead stroking his chin thoughtfully:
"Come to think of it, I still don't know your Devil Fruit Ability. You can electrify things, control flames, and my investigations suggest you also possess hypnosis."
"Oh, it's a Mythical Zoan."
Dier replied weakly:
"Something like Thunder Flame Hypnosis Dragon;
Is that apple in your hand really a Devil Fruit? It looks nothing like the big patterned fruit I ate back then."
Snap
The King snapped his fingers.
A soldier in silver armor approached, took the apple from his hand, and walked over to Dier.
"Ordinary people often mistake it. Look closely—there are some patterns near the top."
Following the King's order, the soldier held the fruit up to Dier.
Aside from the markings at the top, there was also a wavy pattern in the middle of the apple.
A glint flashed in Dier's eyes. Without hesitation, he lunged forward and opened his mouth.
Crunch
He took a bite out of the apple.