After resting for a while, Tsuru personally stepped forward to test Foxxy's ability.
When the Slow-Slow Beam hit her, Tsuru felt her entire body turn sluggish—as if time itself had been thickened like syrup.
But her thoughts remained perfectly clear.
Instinctively, she pushed back with sheer physical strength and willpower.
Foxxy watched closely.
Three seconds… four seconds…
And Tsuru broke free.
His heart sank.
A twelve-second Slow effect… reduced to three or four seconds.
The result confirmed his fear—
The stronger the opponent, the harsher the reduction.
When he first watched the anime, he saw Foxy casually freeze enemies for thirty seconds. It had looked broken—terrifyingly strong.
But those enemies were small fry.
Reality was far less forgiving.
Yafeil lasted ten seconds.
Tsuru lasted only three or four.
The cold difference hit him like a bucket of ice water.
His Fruit… had far more flaws than he ever imagined.
While Foxxy was grappling with disappointment, Tsuru paced thoughtfully, her eyes brightening.
She had clearly noticed the same issue.
Yet it didn't dampen her interest.
Because even with its flaws, the Slow-Slow Fruit was undeniably dangerous—potentially terrifying.
And the boy before her—
had limitless room to grow.
Tsuru smiled.
She had found a rare treasure.
"Foxxy, how old are you?" she asked.
"Fourteen."
He steadied his breath.
"And you want to become a Marine?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Tsuru's expression sharpened. She wanted to see his heart—at least a glimpse of it.
"I want to get stronger. I want revenge. I want to wipe out pirates.
And I want to keep living… because that was my promise to Abis."
Foxxy met her gaze without hesitation or deceit.
Compared to Tsuru, he was a toddler trying to negotiate with a grandmaster strategist.
But sincerity… sincerity always carried weight.
And Tsuru could tell—
Everything he said was true.
After several silent seconds, her stern face softened into a smile.
"Then… welcome to the Marines."
She accepted him so decisively that Foxxy almost forgot to breathe.
Her instincts told her the boy was hiding something—but who didn't have secrets?
What mattered was that his foundations, his morality, were intact—or at least serviceable.
And he had potential.
"Rest for now," Tsuru said. "We'll reach Marineford tomorrow."
Foxxy hesitated, then asked quietly:
"Vice Admiral… is it really true? The villagers… all of them…?"
Tsuru didn't answer.
Natalubis did.
"They've all been properly buried. Rest easy."
"…Thank you. I'll return to rest."
Foxxy bowed deeply to Tsuru, Natalubis, and Yafeil—despite the pain—and followed Yafeil out.
"That child has good manners," Natalubis murmured.
"He's impressive," Tsuru agreed, watching Foxxy leave.
"A polite child who understands gratitude… and one with potential? Worth investing in."
She could see it clearly—
Foxxy knew exactly how powerless he currently was.
He knew how to conduct himself.
Sincere or not, he had passed the first test:
He was someone people could accept.
Back in the Medical Bay
Foxxy lay on his bed again, wincing from the lingering pain. He thanked Yafeil, who gave him a reassuring nod before leaving.
Once alone, his expression darkened.
Scarblade had gotten away.
He clenched the sheets.
This debt—he would repay in blood.
Abis, Kot, the villagers…
Their deaths would not be forgotten.
He touched his bandaged left eye.
The thought of being one-eyed didn't bother him. In this world, with so many absurd abilities and advanced medical techniques, he was confident he could restore it someday—if not with normal means, then with something like the Op-Op Fruit.
But revenge required strength.
Real strength.
And right now?
His ability was pathetic.
Worse than pathetic—poorly understood and even more poorly developed.
He had thought the Slow-Slow Fruit was a cheat ability.
However, the flaws… the flaws were everywhere.
The Flaws of the Slow-Slow Fruit (as he now understood them):
1. The ridiculous hand gesture.
The accursed orchid pose.
Forty-plus days of experimenting, and he couldn't change it.
It had to be this silly, humiliating form—or the Fruit wouldn't activate.
2. The effectiveness dropped sharply against stronger opponents.
Yafeil dropped from 12 to 10 seconds.
Tsuru dropped from 12 to 3–4 seconds.
He swallowed bitterly.
Reality hurt more than the wound in his eye.
3. The Slow Beam was slow.
Painfully slow.
If the target had half a brain cell, they could dodge it.
4. The Slow effect duration was fickle.
It would break early if the target was significantly stronger.
5. Mirrors.
Because the ability manifested as "light," mirrors reflected it.
Just like how the Glint-Glint Fruit was affected by reflective surfaces.
6. Observation Haki.
Once the beam was anticipated by someone with strong Observation Haki, hitting them would be a nightmare.
The more he analyzed, the worse it looked.
He had expected a cheat ability.
What he had was a minefield of limitations.
He rubbed his forehead and sighed.
He had boarded Tsuru's ship.
He was guaranteed entry into the Marines.
Now came the hard part:
He had to grow. Quietly. Efficiently. Ruthlessly.
Revenge could wait seven or eight years.
He wasn't rushing.
He couldn't rush.
As for the Fruit's development, Foxxy had scribbled a few paths in his mind:
Improve survivability during activation.
If he couldn't reduce the hand gesture, maybe he could reduce vulnerability while using it.
Increase beam speed, size, and duration.
The beam must be faster, broader, and longer-lasting.
Borrow concepts from other Fruits.
The Paw-Paw Fruit's ability to convert damage into harmless force fascinated him.
Examine whether the Slow effect was time-based or body-based.
Did it slow the body, or slow the target's subjective time?
If it were the latter…
If he could expand on that…
Then one day—
Time could be slowed.
Paused.
Stopped.
His heart raced.
If that were possible, he wouldn't just be a Marine.
He would be the King of the world.
He forced himself to calm down.
For now, he needed to build fundamentals.
No matter how powerful the Fruit, without a strong body, he was worthless.
Not to mention, the "Origin of Humanity" issue was… important for any male.
Therefore:
His next objectives were clear:
Master at least two or three techniques of the Six Powers.
Shave and Moonwalk were mandatory.
Awaken Haki—both Armament and Observation.