The people of Drum—no, Winterhan now—celebrated their king's victory over Mushuru and the Razor Pirates with a grand bonfire festival.
The flames leapt high into the snowy sky, the air filled with laughter, song, and the aroma of roasted meat. Jin, unable to resist the unrelenting enthusiasm of his subjects, was dragged into the revelry.
He drank. And drank. And drank more.
By the time the last drumbeats faded and the stars wheeled silently overhead, he had surrendered to a deep, drunken sleep.
…
When he woke, his head throbbed, his mouth was dry, and he realized he was lying against something warm and soft.
What the hell? Don't tell me I blacked out and… lost my virginity?
Heart pounding, he bolted upright—only to find that this warm body was Chopper, snoring away in a drunken stupor.
"…Oh thank god."
Relief washed through him. At least it wasn't that terrifying hag, Dr. Kureha.
…Wait. Why did that thought even cross his mind?
Jin coughed into his fist, shaking his head. He splashed cold water on his face, the alcohol haze clearing quickly thanks to his altered body. Before long, he was fully alert again.
He opened the warship's interface.
[Primary Authority: Captain Jin]
[Hull Data: Length 22m, Width 13m, Height 8.3m, Weight 58 tons, Internal Space 210×68×32 cubic metres]
[Ability: Munch-Munch Fruit]
[Armaments: 1 Heavy Cannon, 3 Secondary Cannons, 340 Firearms, 264 Blades]
[Note: Vessel mutated by temporal radiation. Possesses immense strength, capable of absorbing active matter, and exhibits "living" properties. With energy and materials, can evolve infinitely.]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals 219/100, Refined Steel 10/10t, Gold 0.1/0.1t, Silver 1/1t, Rare Earth 10/10t, Active Matter 1/1]
[Note: Requirements Met. Begin Evolution?]
Jin's eyes widened. "We're ready? Finally!"
"Evolve!"
[Notice 1: Evolution initiated. Evacuate all living beings within 1 minute.]
[Notice 2: All ship functions suspended during evolution. Please wait for completion.]
[Notice 3: Damage to the vessel during evolution may cause energy loss or failure.]
"Huh? There are conditions?"
Before he could think too long, the ship reacted—expelling every living being besides himself. The chefs, the captured Dam, the Lapahns, and even a still-snoring Chopper were spat out into the snow.
"…What about me?" Jin muttered.
Little Ai's voice chimed: "As captain, Master must remain aboard to oversee all systems. You, the ship, and I are intrinsically bound as one."
Jin rubbed his chin. It was true. None of them—the ship, the AI, nor himself—were truly of this world. They were parts of the same anomaly.
He summoned Dalton, ordering him to guard Dam and ensure no one approached the vessel.
Dalton obeyed. But before leaving, he cast one last glance back. Black-and-red flames coiled over the ship, twisting the very air, as if the vessel itself burned reality. The warship blurred, fading into something half-real, half-imagined.
Dalton's curiosity gnawed at him, but he held his ground. He had seen enough wonders at sea to know that some mysteries were best left alone.
[Evolution Countdown: 47:59:58]
"Two days, huh? Manageable," Jin muttered, returning to the cabin.
As the process began, he felt it—his heartbeat syncing with the ship's rhythm, their breaths becoming one. Energy flowed between them, weaving in and out of his veins like invisible threads.
His vision blurred. A kaleidoscope of colors and fractured shapes opened before his eyes, like a dreamscape. It reminded him of Uta's Sing-Sing Fruit domain—a forbidden realm conjured by awakened power.
But here, the "demon" of the Munch-Munch Fruit had been erased by the temporal fusion. What remained was silence. Emptiness. A dead, hollow domain.
So Devil Fruits really do contain demons… remnants of past wielders' will, Jin thought.
Wasn't that what had driven Uta to madness?
And what of Luffy, whose Nika fruit held the will of Joy Boy?
Whispers echoed. A rustling, furtive murmur. Jin turned—and saw another domain manifest, shaped like a giant mushroom.
"The Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit?" he mused. "Interesting. So the reason people can't eat two fruits—is it because the 'demons' clash within?"
He considered it, then shook his head. Thinking too much was pointless. Better to act.
He focused back on his own training. His clash with Razor Dam had been a sobering lesson.
For the first time, Jin saw clearly—his own weakness. And acknowledging weakness was the beginning of strength.
…
Two days later.
[Evolution Complete!]
"Wooooooh…"
A low, resonant hum, like a whale song from the abyss, rippled across all of Drum Island. It wasn't sound, but vibration—something that reached the soul itself.
The people were no strangers to this voice. They knew it belonged to their king's warship. Yet even so, when it came, they trembled. It felt like the call of something vast, ancient, beyond comprehension.
Across the forests, Lapahns, Hiking Bears, and reindeer collapsed, groveling in the snow. Their bodies shivered as if in the presence of the King of Beasts.
…
Inside the training hall, Jin stirred from meditation. His eyes snapped open.
Bones cracked as he rose, each step infused with vigor. Two days of resonance had refined him. His strength, his senses—they had grown in tandem with the ship.
Breathing deep, he heard the snowflakes outside, the hushed conversations of guards hundreds of meters away. His sight, his hearing—every sense was sharper.
He pulled up the ship's interface.
[Primary Authority: Captain Jin]
[Hull Data: Length 36m, Width 18m, Height 10.6m, Weight 88 tons, Internal Space 210×68×32 cubic metres]
[Abilities: Munch-Munch Fruit, Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit]
[Armaments: 1 Heavy Cannon, 3 Secondary Cannons, 340 Firearms, 264 Blades]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals 119/500, Refined Steel 0/20t, Gold 0/1t, Silver 0/5t, Rare Earth 0/50t, Active Matter 0/3]
The numbers didn't lie. The ship had grown larger, heavier, stronger. And it had inherited the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit.
Closing the interface, Jin walked through the corridors. The layout was much the same—but now, colorful mushrooms sprouted along the walls, glowing faintly.
The ship felt more alive than ever.
"Little Ai. Evaluation."
"Understood, Master."
The AI scanned, compiling data in moments. A fifty-page report materialized, detailing hull composition, stress tolerances, energy efficiency, and more. It was technical, meticulous.
But the summary was clear: every facet had improved. Especially with the integration of the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit.
"With this fruit," Little Ai explained, "we can vastly enhance the ship's sustainability and combat options."
"For example, fungi can be genetically bred, hybridized, and cultivated. This will create a renewable industry for profit, funding further upgrades."
"Additionally, specialized strains can be weaponized. Some fungi sense and transmit electromagnetic waves across vast distances—perfect for radar and surveillance."
"Others produce lethal toxins, capable of detonation—ideal for bombs, diversifying our arsenal."
"Still others have strong fibers, extractable for textiles and materials."
Jin blinked. "What the… A whole industrial chain from one fruit?"
It was almost comical. Mushuru had been pathetic, wasting such potential.
Why? Perspective.
To the natives of this world, Devil Fruits were mere combat boosters. If a fruit couldn't add immediate battle strength, it was branded "garbage."
But Little Ai's analysis sought total optimization. For her, combat power was only one facet. Development potential, versatility, and industry were equally vital.
And so, the "trash" Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit… had become the seed of empire.