Let the ship spirit eat the Storm-Storm Fruit that can control storms!
This idea struck Kyle like a bolt of lightning as he watched Diga carry cannonballs.
As the ship's spirit, Diga already had the ability to control the ship's direction.
If he could pair that with the power to summon wind from the Storm-Storm Fruit...
Then this pirate ship of his would absolutely become the fastest and most agile sailing vessel in the world!
Of course, it was just a sudden thought for now. Before taking action, there were a few things Kyle needed to confirm.
He smiled kindly at little Diga as an idea formed in his mind.
"Hey, Diga, do you know what a Devil Fruit is?"
"Devil Fruit?"
Diga tilted his head, looking adorably confused.
"I do~!"
"Devil Fruits are treasures of the sea. If someone eats one, they gain mysterious powers!"
"But at the same time, those who gain abilities are hated by the sea!"
"I also know there's one in the captain's quarters~!"
The childlike ship spirit answered seriously, his expression pure and sincere—so much so it would have made any woman swoon.
Kyle's face lit up at the answer, immediately showering Diga with praise.
"That's right! As expected of my ship spirit—you're a smart one!"
As he thought, ship spirits were born with a natural understanding of the world.
Whether it was inherited memory or drawn from the knowledge of the crew, Kyle didn't know.
But either way, Diga's foundational understanding would save Kyle a lot of explaining.
After a couple of compliments, Kyle quickly got to the main point.
"So, if you eat the Devil Fruit, but the Diga—our ship—comes into contact with seawater..."
"As the ship spirit, would you still be weakened and lose your powers?"
Giving a Devil Fruit to a ship spirit was a wilder idea than anything Kyle had attempted before.
But if eating it meant the entire ship would be crippled upon touching seawater, then that would be a disaster.
Thankfully—
After thinking about it seriously for a moment, Diga gave Kyle an answer that completely delighted him.
"Hmm... no, Captain Kyle."
"Even though I'm the embodiment of the Diga, the connection between a ship spirit and the ship itself is more of a soul or spiritual link—not a biological one."
"So a Devil Fruit's curse wouldn't affect both me and the ship at the same time."
Diga explained with the serious expression of a mini-detective, like a tiny Conan solving a case.
Kyle couldn't help but beam at the answer.
"That's amazing!"
"Come on, Diga! Follow me!"
He pounded a fist into his palm, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Now that Kyle had the system to make him stronger and give him powers, he had no need for a Devil Fruit with obvious weaknesses.
Which left only two fates for the rare Storm-Storm Fruit:
Sell it at auction for a huge sum of Berries...
—or—
Keep it and wait for the perfect person to come along.
Now, with the ship spirit Diga, the second option had arrived!
If not now, then when!?
As Kyle entered the captain's quarters, the spirit form of little Diga instantly followed, phasing through the railing near the doorway.
Before Diga could even step inside, Kyle had already returned, holding the Storm-Storm Fruit in hand.
"Try it. See if you can eat it."
He held out the green, spiral-patterned fruit to Diga.
"Eh!?"
"Captain Kyle, are you giving me a Devil Fruit?"
Diga squeaked with surprise, his tone filled with joy.
Clearly, he had no real concept of its value—he just saw it as a special gift from Kyle, which made him happy.
And since the captain's mission was for him to eat it, of course he'd do his best.
In a sudden motion, the spirit Diga leapt down from the railing.
Kyle clearly heard the sound of something landing.
At that moment, he understood—Diga had taken on a physical form.
Kyle watched nervously as the small spirit took the fruit from his hand and bit into it without hesitation.
After all, no ship spirit in the world of pirates had ever eaten a Devil Fruit.
Kyle had no idea if this bold idea would even work.
When he heard a faint gulp, Kyle leaned forward anxiously. But Diga's expression didn't change—he was calmly munching on the rest of the fruit.
"So... how does it taste?"
"Hmm?"
Diga looked up while chewing, his words slightly garbled.
"Sorry, Captain Kyle. I don't have a biological taste system, so I can't really answer that question."
"Ohhh~ that's actually a relief."
Kyle thought it was a little sad that Diga couldn't enjoy flavors...
—but at least he didn't say it "tasted like crap." That was good enough.
Finally, after some time, Diga finished the entire fruit—which was nearly one-fifth his size.
Before Kyle could ask anything more, a gentle breeze suddenly swirled around Diga.
He playfully waved an arm—
And instantly—
A storm burst forth, transforming into a horizontal tornado that blasted out toward the sea beside the ship!
A second later, a giant water column spiraled into the sky, like a sea serpent rising from the ocean, letting out a deafening roar before fading into the horizon.
"It worked!!?"
Kyle's tension melted away, replaced by an easy smile as he saw Diga successfully use the Storm-Storm Fruit's power.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a compass and a map of the East Blue from his pack.
After pinpointing their location near Arcsy Island's port, Kyle pointed in a direction with a grin.
"All right, Diga! Let's test your new power!"
"From here on, use your Devil Fruit ability to head full speed in that direction!"
"Got it, Captain!!!"
With a wide smile, Diga accepted the order.
He didn't even move, but the ship slowly began to turn.
In a blink, Diga was up in the crow's nest, standing steadily on the railing.
The next moment—
The once-still sea began churning with layered waves.
The previously slack sails billowed out with force.
Wind surged, moving up and down in two separate streams—
One powering the sails, the other driving the ocean waves.
Yet on deck, there wasn't the faintest trace of wind pressure.
Clearly, every gust near the ship was under Diga's complete control!
Kyle's dark eyes sparkled.
If their previous speed was like riding a bike...
Then now, they were on a turbocharged electric motorcycle!
They were moving at least three times faster!
This far exceeded the normal speed of any sailing ship!
And this was just the beginning—Diga had only just eaten the fruit.
Since he was a system-generated ship spirit, just like Kyle himself, he possessed unlimited potential!
As the Diga's level rose and more crew joined the ship, Diga's power would only grow stronger.
One day, the ship might even be able to soar through the sky!
And with his passive intangibility, Diga didn't fear seawater, Seastone, or any typical Devil Fruit counter.
The more Kyle thought about it, the more perfect this decision seemed.
"No doubt about it—I'm a genius!"
He silently gave himself a pat on the back.
Kyle truly believed—
This Storm-Storm Fruit had never, and would never again, be used in a way as brilliant as this!
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Note: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 42... You can read 35 chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/Aurevynluv