"Lord Merlin, do you recognize this fruit?"
Noticing Merlin's eyes light up, Perona asked curiously.
Merlin smiled. "The Logia type, Snow-Snow Fruit (Yuki Yuki no Mi). I didn't expect to find such a good thing here."
"There's a label inside with writing on it."
Perona pointed inside the glass container holding the fruit among the pile of jewels. Merlin's shadow hand reached out, grabbed the container, and brought it before him.
Looking at the handwriting on the label:
[To my future son! This is the birth gift Daddy prepared for you.]
Merlin's mouth twitched. "Hollow hollow hollow!" Perona laughed cheerfully; she had also seen the writing.
She looked at Merlin with a strange gaze, but sensing his look becoming unkind, she hurriedly said, "There shouldn't be just this little treasure here. I'll go look for more."
Saying this, she quickly sank into the ground and disappeared. Merlin looked at the Devil Fruit in the container in his hand. Exerting force with his fingers, crack, the container shattered. The Snow-Snow Fruit fell into his hand.
Surprise flashed in his eyes. The future Monet was the user of the Snow-Snow Fruit, and Doflamingo had a grudge against the Snow Demon. It wasn't hard to guess that he had intercepted Doflamingo's prize.
Mythical Zoan, Logia.
At this moment, the equipment slot appeared before Merlin's eyes. Looking at the origin energy of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Snow Demon in the third slot, Merlin's gaze moved slightly. The Shadow-Shadow Fruit suddenly appeared in his physical hand, and then he equipped the Snow-Snow Fruit.
Sensing this power appear in his body, Merlin pondered, looking at the two items in his equipment slots.
[Compatibility: 100%]
Feeling his internal stamina, in the next moment—[Synthesize]. A brilliant blue halo enveloped the two items.
Under the synthesis rules of the equipment slot, they began to merge.
Stamina drained rapidly like a sluice gate opening. A moment later, Merlin slowly let out a breath, looking at the brand-new Devil Fruit in the equipment slot that retained the appearance of the Snow-Snow Fruit.
"Since the fruit retains the Snow-Snow Fruit's appearance, let the name inherit the Snow Demon form!"
[Name: Human-Human Fruit, Model: Great Snow Demon (Dai Yuki-Onna/Otoko)]
[Effect: After equipping, grants you the ability to transform into a Snow Demon, become ice and snow, and wield the power of ice and snow. You will also gradually possess all the latent characteristics of the legendary Snow Demon.
However, you will also possess a restriction from nature (PS: This restriction is integral to this origin power; it can be "weakened" but cannot be erased).]
[Synchronization Rate: 1%]
[Evaluation: A peculiar Devil Fruit origin power ingeniously born from the fusion of two supernatural Devil Fruit origins under your equipment slot.]
"The foundation of a Mythical Zoan, the ability of a Logia. It can be called the pinnacle of the ice and snow class."
A smile appeared in Merlin's eyes. The potential of this synthesized fruit far exceeded that of the singular Snow Demon or Snow-Snow fruits.
With a thought, the Great Snow Demon Fruit appeared in his hand. Immediately after, Merlin re-equipped the Shadow-Shadow Fruit and the Clear-Clear Fruit from his shadow.
Looking at the Great Snow Demon Fruit in his hand, Merlin made a decision. Although the ability to control ice and snow was strong, it wasn't essential for him right now.
It wasn't a one-hit-kill special ability; even Storm, a Mythical Zoan user, had died at his hands.
Merlin smiled, thinking to himself, It would be a pity not to combine two fruits with such strong compatibility for controlling ice and snow.
As for consuming it to gain a new equipment slot, he had considered it, but dismissed the thought in an instant.
There were plenty of Devil Fruit users, and even more useless Devil Fruits. But these two ice and snow type fruits...
Were rare.
More importantly, Merlin's energy was limited. The Shadow-Shadow Fruit and the Calamity Fruit were enough for him to develop for now. Ice and snow abilities wouldn't bring a qualitative change to his combat power; at most, it would be icing on the cake.
Between icing on the cake and gaining a powerful ally, there was no need to think twice.
In this world, unless he could crush everything alone, having some powerful partners was essential.
Tossing the fruit in his hand, Merlin laughed. He glanced at the wealth here. He had to admit, compared to this wealth, he preferred the fruit in his hand.
From this, one could see that Merlin was a firm believer that great power belongs to oneself.
A while later.
An extended shadow cart dragged all the treasure from the vault to the foot of the snow mountain.
Sitting atop the treasure, the shadow cart moved on its own under Merlin's control.
Perona floated beside Merlin, her eyes shining as she looked at the treasure next to her. She said to Merlin:
"These treasures should be able to buy lots and lots of good things, right?"
Merlin glanced at her. This girl was a hidden little miser. He smiled. "Your contribution was significant this time. I'll give you two million as pocket money. Also, you've taken a step forward in your progress to becoming a full member."
Perona's eyes lit up at the first half, but upon hearing the second half, her face fell. She couldn't help but complain, "No way! I've put in so much effort, and I'm still not a full member?"
Merlin glanced at her. "To become my full crew member, you not only need sufficient loyalty but also strong power.
"And you lack both."
Perona puffed out her cheeks, looking at Merlin with dissatisfaction. "Leaving strength aside, I think I'm very loyal to you!
"This is the first time I've trusted an outsider so much."
Merlin rolled his eyes speechlessly. Stockholm Syndrome—Merlin found this girl had a mild case of it.
Upon their first encounter, she was almost scared to death by him, her life hanging by a thread. Then, realizing her life depended on Merlin's whim, and discovering a chance to live, she desperately grabbed onto it.
It was a bit pathological, but a common state in this world.
Baby 5's people-pleasing personality was gradually improving, but some things were hard to change.
For example, she could refuse others now, but she still obeyed Merlin implicitly.
Monet had a mild dual personality; usually very gentle, but incredibly cold in battle.
"You don't believe me?" Perona puffed her cheeks, dissatisfied. "You actually doubt the determination of a beautiful girl like me?"
Merlin's mouth twitched slightly. "Fine, I believe you, okay?"
Hearing this, Perona instantly beamed. "Hollow hollow! So, does that mean as long as I meet the strength standard, I can become your full member?"
Merlin laughed. "The strength I'm talking about refers to your physical fitness and combat skills, not your fruit ability."
Perona froze, then went a little crazy. "Ahhh! Physical fitness and combat skills? Do you want to work me to death?"
"If you don't want to, that's fine. You can just be an apprentice forever! After all, apprentices always do the dirty, hard, and tiring work, and get the smallest share of the spoils."
Merlin glanced at her with half-closed eyes.
Now Perona quieted down, rolling her eyes wildly. She said wearily, "I can clearly use my ability to fight. Why do I have to learn to brawl like a martial artist?"
Hearing this, Merlin smiled. Looking at her sitting on the treasure to his right, he wrapped his right hand in Armament Haki.
It began to flow slowly within him. His palm turned pitch-black, with a cherry-red hue faintly visible at the edges. Merlin placed his right hand on Perona's head and patted it. Perona blinked and looked over, saying helplessly, "Armament Haki is really an annoying power!
"It can actually touch my spirit body."
Merlin nodded. "Exactly. That's the charm of Haki.
"Strong Armament Haki can touch strange energy bodies that are immune to physical contact.
"And the strength of Armament Haki is linked to one's physical strength."
"That's why I want you to train your body. You can't go far in this world full of Haki with just a strong fruit ability."
"I don't need you to become incredibly strong, but at least master Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and proficient Taijutsu.
"Only when you are strong enough will your chances of survival in the future be greater.
"After all, if you can't beat them, you have to be able to outrun them."
Perona blinked, watching Merlin patiently explaining to her. Suddenly, a warm current surged in her heart.
This feeling of being cared for.
"Hollow hollow!" Perona suddenly covered her mouth and giggled. Merlin looked at her. Perona huffed lightly, "Since you put it that way, Lord Merlin, I'll reluctantly train hard!
"I'm not saying this because I'm worried about disappointing you; I just want to become stronger."
Standard tsundere lines!
Merlin listened to her words, sighing inwardly, but finding it amusing.
Before long, the two arrived at the previous battlefield. Seeing Monet and Pink cleaning up the battlefield, it wasn't hard to guess that they had won.
Monet walked over, carrying Storm's head in her hand. She said softly to Merlin, "This guy's bounty is 260 million Berries. We'll find a Marine base to exchange it later!"
Merlin glanced at it and nodded. Looking at Monet, a smile appeared in his eyes. "Let's go back to the ship first!"
Both nodded.
Soon after, the group returned to the port. They stored the large amount of treasure harvested this time in a cabin in the ship's basement that had been cleared out to serve as a treasury.
"Merlin, did you need me for something?"
After the treasure was sorted, Monet came to Merlin's room. Seeing Merlin standing by the window, she asked curiously.
Merlin sized up Monet in front of him. Grass-green shoulder-length hair, delicate and exquisite features. She wasn't tall, and her figure was gradually becoming graceful.
He hooked a finger. The shadow beneath him swelled up, growing into a shadow pillar. Then, the Great Snow Demon Fruit appeared at the top of the pillar.
Merlin reached out and took the fruit from the pillar, which was level with his waist. He looked at Monet and smiled. "I think this is a pretty good Devil Fruit. Eat it!"
Curiosity appeared in Monet's eyes. She reached out and took it. This was her second time seeing a Devil Fruit up close. After just a few glances, Monet recognized the shape of the fruit and looked at Merlin in surprise. "The Logia type Snow-Snow Fruit?"
"Should be. Found it in that Storm's treasury. Do you like this ability?"
Monet looked at Merlin, a light flashing in her eyes. She nodded with a warm smile. "Since you think it suits me, I'll eat it."
With that, Monet held the Great Snow Demon Fruit and took a big bite. She ate it with a normal expression. Merlin asked curiously, "Does it taste bad? You don't seem to feel anything."
Hearing this, Monet's eye twitched. She said helplessly, "It tastes terrible, an indescribable taste. But I think even if it tastes bad, one doesn't necessarily have to show it."
Merlin's mouth twitched. He had thought the synthesized fruit might taste different. It seemed the taste of Devil Fruits remained unchanged.
As Monet continued to eat the fruit flesh, her body suddenly began a quiet, invisible transformation.
Her features became more harmonious.
Her skin became even finer, to the point where pores were almost invisible.
Even her temperament gradually gained an icy quality.
The changes didn't stop there. Merlin watched as her hair turned white from the roots, inch by inch.
Until it became completely snow-white.
Paired with that snow-white hair and her golden eyes, suddenly, a cold, glamorous beauty appeared.
Monet looked at her body in confusion. Then, her body turned into ice crystals and snowflakes inch by inch, drifting apart.
Soon, Monet reconstructed her body from the ice crystals and snowflakes in front of Merlin.
Monet looked at Merlin with surprise in her eyes. "I feel my body is filled with incredibly powerful strength."
Then, she looked a bit puzzled. "But why do I feel like... although I can turn into an element, it doesn't seem as simple as just the Snow-Snow Fruit? It feels kind of like a Zoan type."
Saying this, Monet looked at her snow-white hair. With a thought, the snow hair turned back to green.
Merlin looked at her and laughed, explaining half-truthfully, "Maybe we saw it wrong. This is actually a never-before-seen ice and snow type Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!"
Monet nodded thoughtfully, but soon said in high spirits, "Then what should we name it? For a never-before-seen Devil Fruit, we have naming rights."
"Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Great Snow Demon Model."
Hearing this, Monet looked a bit helpless. "What a casual name."
But then she smiled brilliantly. "But it works. The Snow Demon Fruit doesn't have the ability to turn into ice and snow, but I do. So I am the Great Snow Demon."
Merlin smiled. "Since you're an ability user now, you'll have to put some thought into developing your abilities from now on."