Chapter 8 : Swallowing the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit, The Carrier's First Evolution!
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To celebrate their king's victory over Musshuru and the Razor Pirates, the people held a massive bonfire party.
Unable to refuse the citizens' overwhelming enthusiasm, Jin ended up drinking quite a bit.
He was drunk all night.
When he woke up, he found his head resting on something soft and furry. His first thought was, 'Oh crap, did I black out and lose my innocence??'
He shot up in a panic, only to see that he'd been using a passed-out Chopper as a pillow.
Thank god... it wasn't that terrifying Dr. Kureha.
Jin cleared his throat, rubbed his temples, and splashed his face with water. Thanks to his superhuman constitution, his mind cleared quickly.
He opened the carrier's interface.
——————
[Primary Authority: Captain Jin]
[Hull Data: Length 22m | Width 13m | Height 8.3m | Weight 58 Tons]
[Internal Space: 210 x 68 x 32 m³]
[Ability: Munch-Munch Fruit]
[Armaments: Main Cannon (1) | Heavy Cannons (3) | Firearms (340) | Blades (264)]
[Note: Trans-dimensional travel has irradiated the hull with Spacetime energy, granting it super-strength and a 'living' characteristic via absorption of biological matter. With sufficient materials and energy, its evolutionary potential is limitless.]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals (219/100) | Refined Steel (10/10 tons) | Gold (0.1/0.1 tons) | Silver (1/1 ton) | Rare Earth Metals (10/10 tons) | Biological Matter (1/1)!]
[Note: Requirements met. Evolve now?]
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"It's ready?"
A grin spread across Jin's face. Without a moment's hesitation, he commanded:
"Evolve!"
[Notice 1: Evolution initiated. Please clear all living beings from the ship within 1 minute.]
[Notice 2: During evolution, all ship functions will be suspended. Please wait patiently for the upgrade to complete.]
[Notice 3: Avoid any damage to the hull during evolution. Damage will consume energy and may even lead to evolution failure.]
"Oh?"
"So there are conditions."
Jin glanced around.
The living beings on the ship, besides himself, included his cooks, the imprisoned Dahm and Lapahns, and the still-drunk Chopper.
One by one, they were all "ejected" from the ship.
"What about me?" Jin wondered.
"As the Captain, you must remain on board to oversee the process," Ai explained.
Jin became thoughtful. He, the carrier, and Ai were not native to this world. In essence, they were a single, unified entity.
Jin called Dalton over and had him take custody of Dahm, instructing him to let no one near the ship.
Dalton accepted the order.
As he walked away, he looked back. Wisps of black and red, like clouds of fire, began to rise from the ship's hull, burning and twisting the space around it.
The ship, and the person on it, grew hazy and indistinct.
'What the hell is that?' Dalton wondered. Though his curiosity was piqued, he remembered his duty. On the Grand Line, nothing was ever truly surprising.
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[Upgrade Time Remaining: 47:59:58]
"Two days?"
"That's not too bad."
Jin went back inside the cabin and sat down.
He could feel his own heartbeat begin to resonate with the ship as it evolved, their breaths gradually syncing.
A strange power flowed between them. His vision filled with a mottled, multicolored phantasmagoria.
It was like the "Forbidden Realm" created by the Sing-Sing Fruit to seal away its demon.
The difference was, the "demon" of the Munch-Munch Fruit had been erased by the Spacetime energy, leaving behind a silent, desolate void.
'So Devil Fruits really do contain demons...'
Jin thought. 'Or to be more precise, they're a collection of the residual wills of past users.'
The Sing-Sing Fruit was an Awakening that had run rampant.
What about Luffy's "Nika"?
Suddenly, Jin heard a faint rustling, like something whispering just at the edge of his hearing.
He looked and saw another "Forbidden Realm" taking shape, this one in the form of a mushroom.
"The Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit?"
"Interesting..."
"A person can't eat two Devil Fruits. Is it because the two 'demons' would conflict with each other?"
After pondering for a moment, Jin pushed the thought aside and began to train. His fight with Dahm had been a real eye-opener.
He now had a much clearer understanding of his own weakness. And recognizing one's weakness is the first step to becoming strong.
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Two days passed.
The countdown ended.
[Evolution Complete!]
"WHOOOOOOM..."
A deep, low thrum, like the song of a whale from the depths of the ocean, echoed out, vibrating across all of Drum Island and shaking people to their very souls.
The island's residents, though they had grown familiar with the sound and knew it came from their king's warship, couldn't help but tremble when they heard it. It was as if they were facing some colossal, higher-dimensional being from the abyss.
The island's fauna—the Lapahns, hiking bears, and moose—were forced to their knees, bowing down and trembling uncontrollably.
It was as if they were in the presence of the King of Beasts.
"It's done?"
In the training room, Jin, who had been in a meditative state, opened his eyes. As he stood up, his joints popped and cracked.
For the past two days, he had maintained his meditation, resonating with the ship's hull, and he could feel his own power growing in tandem.
It felt as if he had evolved right alongside it.
It was a strange and wonderful sensation.
Taking a deep breath, Jin could hear the sound of the wind and snow outside, and even the hushed discussions of the guards farther away.
His five senses—his hearing, his sight—had all been significantly enhanced.
Jin opened the ship's interface.
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[Primary Authority: Captain Jin]
[Hull Data: Length 36m | Width 18m | Height 10.6m | Weight 88 Tons]
[Internal Space: 210 x 68 x 32 m³]
[Abilities: Munch-Munch Fruit | Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit]
[Armaments: Main Cannon (1) | Heavy Cannons (3) | Firearms (340) | Blades (264)]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals (119/500) | Refined Steel (0/20 tons) | Gold (0/1 ton) | Silver (0/5 tons) | Rare Earth Metals (0/50 tons) | Biological Matter (0/3)!]
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The carrier's length, width, height, and weight had all increased significantly.
It now possessed the power of the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit.
The internal space remained the same.
The requirements for the next evolution had increased dramatically.
Closing the interface, Jin walked outside. The interior layout hadn't changed much, aside from the addition of some brightly colored mushrooms growing in various places.
Also, the "living" characteristic of the carrier was now much more pronounced.
Jin summoned Ai.
"Give me an assessment of this evolution."
"Of course, Master!"
Ai first performed a full scan of the ship's hull. Soon, it generated a detailed, fifty-page report.
The report provided a professional analysis from multiple perspectives, including changes in ship design, material data, and hull strength.
In short, while the changes might not seem drastic on the surface, every aspect of the ship had been upgraded, especially with the integration of the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit.
"With proper development, the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit can significantly enhance the carrier's capabilities in all areas, including endurance and combat," Ai explained.
"Example one: The Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit can directly hybridize and develop all types of fungi and mushroom-based plants. This will provide the carrier with a stable industry, allowing it to generate income for purchasing upgrade materials."
"Example two: Different types of fungi can be developed into different abilities. Some mushrooms can sense and receive long-range electromagnetic signals, serving as the carrier's radar and surveillance systems. Some fungi are highly toxic or explosive and can be used to create special bombs, diversifying the carrier's weapon arsenal. Some mushrooms have a high fiber content that can be extracted and used for textiles..."
"..." Jin was floored. One little Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit, and Ai had mapped out an entire industrial chain for it.
Why was it that a fruit that seemed so unremarkable in the original story was rated so highly by Ai?
It was probably a matter of perspective.
To the natives of the pirate world, the purpose of a Devil Fruit was to increase one's combat power. If it didn't provide a big boost, it was considered trash.
But Ai's analysis was focused on the optimal utilization of the fruit's potential. Combat was just one aspect of its development.
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