Under the earnest persuasion of Kurozumi Orochi, Kozuki Oden finally solidified his resolve. Kurozumi Orochi felt he had never been so humble, not even when he served as a house servant for others, and all he said were insincere words.
After all, he held only hatred for Wano Kuni, and seeing its people in dire straits was what he truly wished for.
Meanwhile, on Ghost Island, something peculiar had occurred. Maria accidentally entered a room and coincidentally consumed the Zoan-type Fruit of the Ancient Rose-Griff Spider Form.
"Kaidou, are you telling me this is a coincidence?"
"Of course, there were multiple fruits there. It's said Zoan-type fruits choose their owners, so it was obviously just a coincidence."
"Don't joke around. The security room door houses Rotom, and she didn't have the access rights to enter. Only you and I can alter Rotom's permissions. It's more fitting to say this was orchestrated by you."
Since the intelligence upgrade of the equipment on Ghost Island, with substantial help from Rotom, the auto-audit function of mechanical doors has removed numerous hassles.
Maria didn't have the clearance to enter the Hundred Beasts Pirate Crew's Treasure Vault, not even Yamato could.
Only Arceus or Kaidou could alter permissions, even if Shaina or Queen could command the Rotoms to perform some tasks, they lacked the qualification to change those permissions.
Without Kaidou's consent, Maria wouldn't even have come close to that fruit, let alone touched it.
"She's White's daughter after all. Her physical condition wasn't quite up to par. Without using this method to enhance her physique, she might not withstand the next phase of training."
Saying so, Kaidou pulled out a box from somewhere. From the clanging sounds inside, it was clear they were metallic objects.
Opening it revealed the hollow iron spheres he forged when Arceus went to Ohara.
"Are you serious?"
"Relax, they're wrapped in rubber."
In some sense, the difference wasn't significant because the material of what Kaidou hurled mattered far less than his own strength or Haki.
"Remember to revoke her permissions. Aren't you worried she'll eat two fruits without understanding anything?"
He didn't cease Yamato's training but reminded Kaidou to cancel Maria's subsequent permissions.
"No one eats a second fruit. Maria took one bite and tossed the rest aside because it was too unpalatable."
...
Even though she had eaten a Devil Fruit, Maria didn't feel the joy others did. Although the Spider-Spider Fruit had enhanced her abilities significantly, such as wall-climbing, web-spitting, and the inherent strength of a spider.
But none of these could fix a fatal issue. To Maria, the Human-Beast Form of the Spider-Spider Fruit looked too ugly to bear.
The Beast Form was just a regular spider, but the Human-Beast Form turned into a creature with a spider-human hybrid face, extra arms, and a large spider-like rear.
This transformation was reminiscent of an alien-like gorilla, something she found hard to accept. Women loved beauty, and even the carefree Yamato was no exception. This was why Milcery's cute appearance was so loved by them.
So, she was very resistant to this monstrous form.
"I don't want it, it's too ugly. That form is just too hideous..."
During their lessons, Maria refused to use her abilities. This made the instructor, Queen, quite at a loss. The applications of a Zoan-type Ability User's powers are closely tied to the original animal.
What animals can do, what their inherent traits are, these abilities would manifest more dramatically in Zoan-type Ability Users and even allow them to develop unique functions.
That Spider-Spider Fruit wasn't modified yet. Without a plan to sail soon, Maria didn't need it. Hence, Queen was delivering an animal science lesson, but practical issues arose.
"Hey, can't you cooperate a bit? This is Brother Kaidou's order. If it doesn't go well, I'm in a tough spot."
Initially, Queen thought handling kids would be easy. Whether it was Shaina guiding Olga or Zeraora managing Setsuna, no troubles emerged.
Even the combat teachings by King and Kaidou progressed smoothly, but things stalled when it came to himself.
"No, it's too ugly!"
"That's how spiders are. No matter how you resist, you can't change that. You're the one who chose the fruit."
"No, it's not that spiders are ugly; it's that form!"
She didn't dislike spiders. She even kept a large, non-venomous one. She wasn't resistant to the Beast Form, but the Human-Beast Form was unbearable.
"I see, I do have a way to make your transformation look prettier if you're brave enough. Wait here."
With that, Queen returned to his lab. When he came back, he carried a few oddly colored liquids.
"This is a new invention of mine. It can change a Zoan-type Ability User's form, though no one but me has tried it. Want to give it a shot?"
He himself was the first. With a modified body and chemical aid, Queen could perform extraordinarily bizarre moves while transformed.
The development direction of Paramecia-type Fruits is the broadest, while Zoan-type Fruits have the most comprehensive application for physical use and external intervention. Chopper's Rumble Ball inducing multiple transformations, Queen's chemical developed odd forms, were both achieved through medication.
Maria took Queen's concoction without hesitation but noticed no change in form.
"Don't rush; it's a long-term treatment. Changing forms takes time."
Maria began her days of using medicine to alter her form, while life in Wano Kuni continued as usual. After the feigned death incident, more patients started visiting the Hundred Beasts Pokemon Center for treatment, ending the leisurely life of its doctors.
Nightin also gained two assistants. Among these doctors were some skilled in herbal medicine, and upon meeting Nightin, Nightin's herb knowledge effortlessly won them over, making them willingly serve as assistants.
On this day, with the new edition of the newspaper arriving at Ghost Island, a different emotion surged within Nightin.
[The Undersea Prison Breached, Golden Lion Shiki, Escapes Successfully!]
The supposedly unbreakable Undersea Prison, with its indestructible Iron Defense, became irrelevant today. Shiki escaped, sacrificing his legs to succeed...