"Huh???"
Madson and Law gaped in shock as they turned to stare at Dier.
Having spent over a year aboard the Storm Petrel, they were well acquainted with the legends of the Flame Devourer—but none of those tales mentioned eating people.
Dier himself looked puzzled, his eyes filled with confusion.
Flame Devourer?
He hadn't even transformed into his Beast Form.
Eat her?
That wasn't part of the legend either.
"I... I'm useless. No one needs me."
The girl raised her head, her voice trembling.
"Lord Flame Devourer, please eat me. That's the only value I have."
"I refuse."
Dier scratched his head, rejecting her outright. Sure, he had a big appetite, but that didn't mean he'd eat just anything.
"You're worth more than being food. Sit down and tell me about this Flame Devourer."
A faint glimmer of hope flickered in the girl's eyes before she swallowed hard.
Gurgle—
The roasted meat over there smelled so good.
Someone starving shouldn't gorge themselves on rich, greasy food all at once.
Dier pulled some after-meal fruit and a cup of milk from his Storage Space, warmed it up, and handed it to the girl.
She immediately wolfed it down, stuffing her cheeks until they bulged.
Even so, she didn't forget to prove her worth, mumbling between bites about the legend of the Flame Devourer.
"The... mmph... Flame Devourer is the demon of this island."
"Mom said it's because of him that it's so hot here, making it impossible to farm."
Her story matched what Dier had heard from the old King.
"But why do you think I'm the Flame Devourer?"
"White hair, good-looking, and you can use fire!"
Her answer was simple—likely because her mother had simplified the part about "bewitching village women" into "good-looking" for a child's understanding.
"Does the Flame Devourer here eat people too?"
Robin sat on a fallen tree trunk, legs crossed, a notebook resting on her lap.
She kept a logbook, writing almost daily since their journey had stabilized, occasionally jotting down interesting island tales.
She'd heard about the Flame Devourer from Dier and even learned more on Ghost Island.
Neither version mentioned the Flame Devourer having a taste for human flesh.
Yet this little girl had outright asked Dier—supposedly the Flame Devourer—to eat her.
"No."
The girl shook her head, her expression downcast.
"But everyone says I'm useless, that I have no value. I want to be useful, to be needed by someone."
"I don't know how to do anything. All I have left is my body."
"Even though everyone's starving, no one wants to eat me. They just tell me to get lost."
"Lord Flame Devourer is a legendary monster... so you'd eat me, right?"
Dier rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. There was something oddly familiar about her personality, but he couldn't place it.
"What's your name?"
The girl shook her head dejectedly. "Mom never gave me one."
"Then... do you have any abilities?"
If she had no name, perhaps her Devil Fruit Ability could serve as an identifier.
"I... I think so."
She stood up hesitantly, extending her grimy little hand.
"Hnnngh!!"
Squeezing her eyes shut, her dirty face flushed red from exertion.
Dier watched closely as her index finger twisted and morphed into... a tiny stick.
The girl looked anxious, afraid Dier would find her useless.
Dier's lips curled into a faint smile. Based solely on the girl's current behavior, he couldn't determine what kind of Ability User she was.
But when combined with her personality, the answer became obvious.
The Arms Fruit—its user could transform any part of their body into any weapon.
Whether it was cold weapons like swords, axes, or bladed tools, or firearms and cannons, all fell under the category of weapons.
A wooden stick might seem crude, but it still counted as a weapon.
"From today onward, your name is Baby-5. You'll be coming with us."
"O-okay!"
The girl, Baby-5, was overjoyed, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
"I'll do my best to serve Lord Flame Devourer!"
About a week ago, she had been abandoned by her birth mother.
This year's drought was especially severe. While they had managed to harvest some crops in previous years, this year yielded nothing.
She and her mother had been reduced to begging for food.
Their already struggling family couldn't afford to raise a child, especially since Baby-5 had no ability to work and couldn't contribute anything of value.
So, a week ago, her mother took Baby-5 up the mountain and abandoned her, leaving behind a cruel parting remark:
"You're completely useless, just an extra mouth to feed. No one will ever need you.
Don't follow me back."
Left alone on the mountain, Baby-5 cried her heart out, then began searching for her own worth.
She longed to be needed.
But she was only seven years old—if she had any real value, she wouldn't have been abandoned in the first place.
After much deliberation, she realized the only thing left of any use was her own body.
So she started offering herself, trying to get someone to eat her.
Because of the famine, everyone on the island was starving, but they still held onto some shred of conscience—no one would lay a hand on Baby-5.
The kinder ones would chase her back up the mountain to prevent her from encountering someone truly desperate.
Adoption was out of the question—they could barely feed their own children, let alone take in a strange little girl.
Driving her back up the mountain was already the extent of their mercy.
But Baby-5 was too young to understand this as kindness. Instead, she took it as rejection.
"I don't need your body! Get back up the mountain!"
She grew increasingly despondent, increasingly desperate to be needed.
In the days that followed, she survived by eating tree bark and withered grass, barely clinging to life.
She wasn't afraid of death—she was afraid of dying without value, of dying unnoticed.
So until someone needed her, she had to keep living.
Three days ago, she had accidentally eaten the Arms Fruit.
The moment she swallowed it, she understood her new ability—but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't use it.
Most Devil Fruit Abilities relied on physical stamina to activate.
At the time, she was barely surviving—activating an ability was beyond her.
Not long after, Madson's boisterous laughter echoed through the night, catching her attention.
The faint aroma of roasted meat guided her steps, leading her closer to the group.
In the glow of the firelight, the first thing she noticed was Dier's delicate features and striking white hair.
Flame Devourer was a monster from terrifying legends—surely... he wouldn't refuse to eat her out of disgust?
That was what Baby-5 thought to herself.
Just then, Madson happened to bring some roasted meat to the sulking Law.
The rich aroma immediately triggered a reaction in her body, starved for days. Her stomach growled instinctively, drawing Dier's attention.
She had intended to feign good health, to make herself appear more appetizing.
Yet her weakened body stumbled after just two steps, collapsing to her knees before Dier.
Dier was quite intrigued by her physique, though days of living in the mountains had turned Baby-5 into a grimy mess.
First, he conjured a stream of water to wash Baby-5's face, planning to have Robin help her bathe properly once they returned to the Storm Petrel.
For now, the meat was ready.
Under the circumstances, it was time to eat.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, a Pirate ship bearing the Donquixote emblem lay anchored by the shore.
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