"What exactly is this thing...?"
Elric turned the emerald-green seeds over in his palm, examining them from every angle. They were smooth and perfectly formed, roughly the size of walnuts. Aside from their faint warmth—as if something alive pulsed within—he couldn't determine what made them special.
His clairvoyance revealed nothing unusual. His supernatural senses detected only dormant potential, like embers waiting to ignite.
After several minutes of fruitless examination, Elric stopped wasting time.
He placed the seeds into a sealed glass jar and stored them inside the Mirror World. If anyone could decipher their properties, it would be Elizabeth. She had shown remarkable insight into botanical anomalies before.
With the seeds secured, Elric finally turned his attention to the real reward.
Devil Fruit experience points.
His current total: 2,600 points.
A quick mental calculation told him everything he needed to know. This was enough—enough to push all of his Devil Fruits to level four. Every single one.
The thought made his pulse quicken despite his usual composure.
Without hesitation, Elric began allocating the points.
He started with the three fruits he relied on most in combat—the Magma Fruit, the Thunder Fruit, and the Fish-Fish Fruit. These three formed the core of his overwhelming power.
Among them, the Magma and Thunder Fruits were already at level three. The Green Dragon Fruit remained at level two, having been acquired more recently.
Now, all three would ascend to level four simultaneously.
Ding. Congratulations, Host. Magma Fruit upgraded to Level 4 (1/500).
All Level 3 effects doubled. Level 4 skills unlocked.
New Skills:
[Great Eruption] — Create a colossal magma mountain and trigger a volcanic-style detonation. The eruption scatters countless magma bombs across a wide area, capable of large-scale carpet bombardment. Effective for both single-target annihilation and area-wide destruction.
[Meteor Volcano] — Launch massive magma fists into the sky, which then fall like a meteor storm. Covers an extremely wide area. Each impact carries enough force to sink large warships and permanently reshape the battlefield.
Elric's eyes gleamed. These two skills alone could level an entire military base in seconds.
The notifications continued.
Ding. Congratulations, Host. Thunder Fruit upgraded to Level 4 (1/500).
All previous skill effects doubled. New Level 3-4 skills unlocked.
[Divine Sanction] — Within your heart-network range, summon a thunder pillar over twenty meters wide that descends from the sky like heavenly punishment. Instant casting. Devastating impact.
[Thunderstorm Domain] — Generate a wide-area lightning field around yourself, unleashing indiscriminate electric shocks. Extremely effective for crowd control and clearing multiple enemies.
[Lightning Forging] — Use the extreme heat of lightning to instantly melt and reshape metals, especially precious metals like gold. Can forge weapons, tools, or structural components in seconds.
[Thunderbird] — Summon a gigantic lightning bird shaped like a phoenix. Fast, powerful, and capable of long-range destruction. Can be controlled remotely or set to autonomous attack mode.
[200 Million Volts: Thunder God] — Release all stored lightning energy to form a massive lightning avatar around your body. All abilities increase dramatically in scale and power. Duration limited by energy reserves.
Elric's breathing steadied as he processed the information. The Thunder God form alone would make him a walking natural disaster.
Ding. Congratulations, Host. Fish-Fish Fruit upgraded to Level 4 (1/500).
All previous skill effects doubled. Level 4 skills unlocked.
[Corrupt Wind Tornado] — Create multiple massive tornadoes with tearing and cutting properties. Can be sustained and directed at will.
[Kamaitachi] — In human-beast form, wind blade attacks become ten times stronger than ordinary corrupted winds. Capable of slicing through reinforced steel like paper.
[Dragon Lord's Crushing Ascent] — When combined with close-combat techniques, release dragon-shaped shockwaves from horns, limbs, and tail. Attacks strike from all angles with no blind spots. Each impact carries the force of the dragon's full power.
"...Insane."
Elric exhaled slowly, his eyes reflecting dangerous light.
At level four, all three fruits possessed destructive power that bordered on mythological. Skills like Thunder God, Meteor Volcano, and Dragon Lord's Crushing Ascent were nothing short of ultimate techniques.
Any one of them could level a city block in seconds.
Combined? They could wipe a small country off the map.
And that wasn't even counting the doubled base effects.
Take the Green Dragon Fruit as an example. His raw physical strength—already monstrous at level two—had now doubled again. From over six thousand units to well beyond ten thousand.
The sheer magnitude was absurd. He could probably punch through a mountain now.
After taking a moment to center himself, Elric turned to the remaining fruits. There were still plenty of experience points left—1,553 to be exact.
Without hesitation, he pushed the rest forward as well.
The Surgical Fruit, Thread Fruit, Staring Fruit, Mirror Fruit, Dragon-Dragon Fruit (the Western dragon model he'd obtained from Emma), Split Fruit, and Slow Fruit—all upgraded to Level Four in rapid succession.
Ding. Surgical Fruit upgraded to Level 4. All previous effects doubled.
New Level 4 skills unlocked:
[Mind Exchange] — Within ROOM, you may swap the consciousness and personalities of multiple targets. Note: Extremely difficult against targets with high spiritual resistance.
[High-Frequency Scalpel] — Infuse weapons with surgical energy, allowing them to slice through materials normally considered indestructible.
[Anesthesia] — Within ROOM, tap a target to paralyze their body instantly, completely preventing movement.
[K·ROOM] — Fruit Awakening Skill — Create an oversized ROOM and apply K·ROOM, allowing the weapon itself to become gigantic. For example, extending a blade hundreds of meters long.
[R·ROOM] — Create a massive silent ROOM. Within this space, all sound is completely erased, forming a perfect soundproof domain.
Elric clenched his fist slowly. The Surgical Fruit's versatility had just multiplied tenfold. Mind Exchange alone opened up possibilities he hadn't even considered before.
Ding. Thread Fruit upgraded to Level 4 (1/500). Original effects doubled. New skills unlocked.
[Super Winch Whip] — Tens of thousands of threads intertwine into a single massive wire whip. When swung, it possesses catastrophic destructive power—can cleave a building in half with one strike.
[Bullet Line] — Threads fire from fingertips at extreme speed like bullets, possessing terrifying penetration. One of the most reliable long-range sniping techniques available.
[Birdcage] — Countless threads rain down from the sky like meteors, forming a gigantic cage of razor-sharp lines. The enclosed area can expand to cover an entire large city.
Birdcage – Special Notes:
The birdcage is nearly indestructible. Once formed, it contracts at a constant rate. Any object touching the cage—buildings, rocks, or people—is shredded instantly. All signals inside the birdcage are blocked. No contact with the outside world is possible.
The Birdcage technique made Elric pause. That was essentially a death trap on a city-wide scale. Terrifying.
Ding. Staring Fruit upgraded to Level 4 (1/500). Original effects doubled. New skills unlocked.
[Perspective Enhancement] — Special vision techniques have no effect on you. Within range, you can see through everything. No material or energy can block your sight.
[Vision Sharing] — Link up to thirty people and share vision with them. Perspective, duration, and control are determined entirely by you.
Ding. Mirror Fruit upgraded to Level 4. Original effects doubled. New skills unlocked.
[Mirror Copy] — Create a "mirror copy" of a target. The replica looks identical but has no independent consciousness or combat ability—an empty shell that must be controlled externally.
[Mirror Reflection] — Use mirrors to reflect or even distort enemy attacks.
Ding. Split Fruit upgraded to Level 4. Base effects doubled. No new skills unlocked.
Ding. Slow Fruit upgraded to Level 4. Base effects doubled. No new skills unlocked.
The cascade of notifications finally ended.
Elric stood in silence for a long moment, processing the sheer scope of power he now commanded.
"...That's an absurd number of abilities."
Level four was completely different from anything before. The jump in power wasn't linear—it was exponential.
Skills like Mind Exchange, K·ROOM, and Birdcage weren't just combat techniques. They were divine abilities that could reshape reality itself.
And their usefulness extended far beyond battle.
Mind Exchange in particular caught his attention. Swapping consciousness and personality—that was essentially soul exchange. The applications were endless. Interrogation. Punishment. Control.
Of course, it came with strict limitations. Targets with high spiritual power couldn't be affected easily. But for most people? It would work perfectly.
Another ability that intrigued him was the Staring Fruit's Perspective Enhancement.
Earlier, that strange gray stone had blocked his clairvoyance completely—the first time anything had managed such a feat. Now, with this upgrade...
Elric retrieved the stone from the Mirror World.
As expected, the stone immediately released its distorting fog. His normal vision wavered and blurred.
He activated Perspective Enhancement.
The effect was immediate. Under this enhanced vision, the fog could no longer fully obscure his sight. He could see through it—not perfectly, but well enough.
"Good."
Satisfied, Elric returned the stone to the Mirror World. That particular weakness had been eliminated.
All ten Devil Fruits were now at Level Four.
From his original 2,600 experience points, he had 1,553 remaining—still a substantial reserve.
With that amount, he could push three more fruits to level five right now if he wanted.
But he chose not to.
Level four was more than sufficient for the current situation. His power had already reached a level where very few things in this world could threaten him.
And who knew what other powerful fruits he might obtain in the future? Saving the points was the wiser choice. Flexibility mattered.