"Devil Fruit?"
"That's right. Devil Fruits—treasures of the sea. Whoever eats one gains strange abilities far beyond those of ordinary people. But in exchange, they're hated by the sea and can never swim again. You could say that anyone who eats a Devil Fruit will gain power so great, it instills fear in others."
Yemu kept a few things to himself and only told Enel the most basic information.
"So you're saying... the fruit I gave you is a Devil Fruit?"
Sure enough, a flicker of greed flashed in Enel's eyes—something Yemu caught clearly.
"Here, take it. I can't say for sure what kind of ability it grants, but a Devil Fruit is never weak, right?"
Yemu swallowed his heartache and handed the fruit over. This was a gamble—he was betting on Enel's nature.
It seemed the bet paid off. When Enel saw Yemu giving the Devil Fruit back, a hint of disbelief crossed his face. He slowly accepted the fruit, his gaze shifting between Yemu and the glowing object in his hands. At last, as if making up his mind, he slowly unclenched his fist.
"Let's keep moving. We're not far from the place where I found the Devil Fruit."
"Yeah."
A smile crept onto Yemu's face as he followed behind Enel, moving forward.
Before long, a golden city bathed in radiant light appeared in Yemu's view. Beyond that were massive green vines, and at the base of those vines stood a building carved with countless demonic figures—it looked just like the gates of hell.
Yemu suddenly found it hard to move his feet. As a man of humble background, he had never seen so much gold. The urge to charge in and merge all that gold into his body surged within him. But not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Enel, he forced down the impulse. Still, the internal struggle was intense.
Thankfully, Enel, still cradling the Devil Fruit, spoke up.
"The fruit's just inside that gate. Let's go together."
"Alright."
Yemu's voice trembled slightly—this was the moment that could change his fate.
Step by step, he approached the pitch-black gate. As he got closer, the light grew stronger, and the gate lost some of its terrifying aura.
Inside, Yemu saw a vast, empty chamber with a high ceiling. It looked like everything had been cleared out long ago. Only a single vine remained, stretching through the room like a rainbow bridge. At its highest, most central point hung a Devil Fruit marked with flame-like patterns, gleaming brightly.
Yemu felt like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. Forgetting all sense of composure, he rushed toward the vine.
The Devil Fruit was perched high above, but luckily, the giant vine offered a path. After rubbing his palms together, he started climbing.
It had to be said—Yemu's body really was weak. Just a few steps in and he was already gasping for air. But he didn't dare slow down. What lay ahead would determine everything.
Luckily, everything went smoothly...
Just as Yemu finally reached out to touch the flame-patterned Devil Fruit, the ground suddenly began to tremble. A raspy hissing sound echoed around them.
Enel, who had been watching from the side, instantly turned pale. As if remembering something terrifying, he shouted toward Yemu on the vine.
"No! Get down now! The Master of the Sky is back!"
"What!?"
High up on the vine, Yemu didn't catch what Enel said, but the answer came quickly enough.
Outside the building's windows, a massive, multicolored figure darted back and forth, its enormous body crushing ancient ruins in its path. Then, with a deafening rumble and clouds of dust, a gigantic rainbow-hued serpent emerged from the smoke.
No one could tell how long it was—its tail wasn't even visible—but just the width of its body was enough to dwarf dozens of Yemus.
Its two lantern-sized eyes locked onto Yemu atop the vine through the window. Like a guardian catching a thief, it stared him down, tongue flicking in and out as if ready to swallow him whole.
"Hey, hey, come on, are you kidding me!?"
Yemu was practically on the verge of tears.
Now he understood what Enel meant. The Master of the Sky—the enormous serpent that guarded the City of Gold.
As Yemu locked eyes with the serpent, he could read its warning loud and clear: put down the fruit, or get eaten.
But how could he let go of the one thing his future depended on?
Without hesitation, he shouted to Enel in the distance.
"Hey, Enel! Eat that Devil Fruit now, then run back the way we came!"
"What about you!?"
Enel was frozen in fear, unsure of what to do.
"Forget about me, just go! I'm not letting go of this Devil Fruit!"
Seeing Enel still hesitate, Yemu yelled even louder.
"Trust me, I swear I'll make it back alive! I still have to return to the Blue Sea and become Pirate King! I'm not dying here! Now hurry!"
Enel stood frozen for a moment, then clenched his teeth and took off in the direction they had come from.
"Don't forget—eat the Devil Fruit! If you don't, you won't escape from here!"
Yemu shouted after him.
If the Master of the Sky devoured him and went after Enel next, there'd be no chance Enel could get away without the fruit's power.
With that warning given, Yemu finally turned to face the massive serpent.
But the serpent showed no interest in the one who fled. Its eyes remained fixed on Yemu.
"Damn it... what are you staring at?"
Yemu braced himself. He wasn't backing down—not when the Devil Fruit was in his grasp. With a determined breath, he grabbed the fruit and tore it free, then quickly slid down the vine.
Bang!
He slammed hard onto the floor, pain shooting through his entire body as if he were about to shatter.
But there was no time to care.
The moment the serpent saw Yemu actually take the fruit it had guarded for so long, it roared in fury, shook its massive head, and charged straight at him, smashing the roof to pieces.
Yemu scrambled to his feet and barely dodged the serpent's charge, but the shockwave still sent him flying. His already aching body now screamed in agony.
Seeing its prey survive enraged the serpent even more. It opened its gaping mouth—large as a truck—and lunged at Yemu, aiming to devour him whole.
He had no strength left to resist.
The Master of the Sky swallowed him in a single gulp.
With a guttural rumble, Yemu slid down its throat... and into the darkness of its stomach...