Chapter 102: The Hidden Devil Fruit

"It can completely offset the curse of the sea!"

……

"Offset... the curse?"

Gao Wen's eyes lit up.

He naturally knew what this meant.

In the worldview of pirates, aside from Devil Fruits, what else is most closely associated with curses?

Once one eats a Devil Fruit, they become subject to the sea's curse; not only do they lose the ability to swim, but they are also suppressed by Seastone.

Yet even under such conditions, various Devil Fruits remain sought after by countless pirates and Marines.

The reason lies in the fact that the diverse abilities provided by Devil Fruits are simply too powerful, offering an immediate and dramatic impact on an individual's combat strength and potential.

The best example stands right before Gao Wen at this moment: the Cat Brothers, wearing foolish grins as they gaze at the bounty poster.

Originally, the potential of these two was merely at the Iron tier; while slightly stronger than the ordinary pirates under Gao Wen's command, the margin was extremely limited, and neither their combat strength nor their potential could compare to the several officers of the Gao Wen Pirates.

But after consuming Devil Fruits, their potential directly ascended by one rank, reaching the Bronze level like Ah Jin, which could almost be described as a qualitative transformation.

Moreover, what these two consumed was merely the most ordinary Zoan-type Neko Neko no Mi among all Devil Fruit abilities.

Had it been a Logia or a Mythical Zoan type, their potential could have soared directly to Silver, or even Gold; the boost to their inherent potential and immediate combat strength cannot be overstated.

"This emblem can help me completely offset the side effects of Devil Fruits."

"In other words, if I eat a Devil Fruit now, it's pure profit with no loss!"

At this moment.

Even Gao Wen felt his heart surge with excitement.

According to Gao Wen's own expectations.

If he could consume a suitable Devil Fruit and familiarize himself with its abilities, there was a high probability his immediate combat strength would skyrocket directly to the Gold tier.

His potential might even, by virtue of this opportunity, brush against the Legendary tier.

Although he had not awakened Conqueror's Haki, and even if he fully realized his potential he would likely rank among the weakest within the Legendary tier, that still represented the Legendary tier, the strongest echelon in this world!

Any single individual from that group, if isolated, would force the Marines or even the World Government to treat them with utmost caution.

Furthermore, speaking of rare Devil Fruits, Gao Wen currently held one in his hand—the one given to him by Gasha!

Thinking of this.

Gao Wen could no longer restrain himself; he looked at Gasha and asked:

"That Devil Fruit you gave me earlier, what type is it?"

Gasha put down the bounty poster in her hand, shook her head, and said:

"It is not recorded even in the latest Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."

Then, as if recalling something, she smiled and said:

"However."

"When I was previously investigating the true form of that fruit, I did hear a rumor that the World Government is deliberately concealing the existence of certain fruits."

"This is because users of those Devil Fruit abilities have, throughout history, caused terrifying devastation, with some even leading to the disappearance of several kingdoms and the extinction of all life."

"In the histories circulated among certain rare races, these abilities are even bestowed with the title of 'God'."

"The one I gave you might very well be one of them."

"Is that so..."

Gao Wen's brows furrowed slightly.

"Might very well be" implied the probability was not one hundred percent.

Even with the emblem offsetting the fruit's side effects, Gao Wen could only consume one Devil Fruit in his lifetime.

At least before confirming the true form of that fruit, Gao Wen forced himself to suppress the throbbing excitement in his heart.

"Do you have other versions of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia here?"

"They are still on the way."

"Good, hand it over to me once it's ready."

"Mm-hmm-hmm."

Gasha nodded repeatedly.

Xiang Keluo, standing nearby, immediately saw through the emotions Gao Wen could hardly hide and couldn't help but remind him:

"Whether the ability is strong or weak remains unknown, but the resulting side effects are equally formidable; with me here, you will reach the summit no matter what."

Having witnessed the Cat Brothers' abilities and now understanding the side effects of Devil Fruits, Xiang Keluo had lost all interest in them.

After all, who would be willing to take such risks to eat that kind of thing?

Gao Wen nodded:

"I know."

"It's good that you have a clear mind about it."

Seeing this, Xiang Keluo did not continue further.

A few minutes later.

The crowd gathered in the port gradually began moving toward the central area under Molly's leadership.

Gao Wen and the others were temporarily arranged to stay in a building next to the Lord's Manor.

Now that Gasha had joined the Gao Wen Pirates, this port naturally became part of Gao Wen's sphere of influence, so they stayed here with a clear conscience.

Moreover, for Gao Wen, the most important thing at present was to figure out the true form of the Devil Fruit currently in his hand.

……

Time flew by, and three days passed.

Back at the port, Gasha took over all the affairs great and small, and as one order after another went out, Raven Port gradually regained its former bustle.

Yet after two pirate raids within just a few months, scorch marks from cannon fire still lingered on some of the buildings.

Inside the Lord's manor.

"Young Lady!"

A cheerful cry rang out.

Molly pushed open the door to Gasha's office and dumped the several Devil Fruit compendia she was carrying onto Gasha's desk.

"These are the various editions of the Devil Fruit compendia we've collected."

"This one is even a version from over a hundred years ago!"

"There must be fruit abilities in here that we haven't seen yet!"

Saying so, Molly placed one of the books in front of Gasha.

Gasha lowered her head.

There on the desk lay a Devil Fruit compendium whose cover had completely discolored, its pages yellowed like they had been smoked.

She flipped it open at random, turning page after page.

She compared the Devil Fruits recorded in this compendium against the photograph in her memory, then shook her head and turned to the next page.

On and on like this.

"I'll help you too."

Molly gave a sweet smile, took out a compendium of her own, and began flipping through it in earnest.

For a while, the only sound in the office was the rustle of paper, until a familiar illustration appeared before Gasha…

"Zoan—Mythical Zoan…"

"Found it!"

"The fruit we gave to Mr. Gao Wen!"

Gasha let out a gasp and flipped the battered compendium to its last page, only to find a Devil Fruit she recognized there.

Yet the entry beneath the fruit made Gasha's breath catch for an instant.

"The Undying Fierce God who drains the earth dry, withers all life, and drags everything into the realm of death!"

"Once it turned an entire nation into a wasteland, a forbidden zone for living things, and every few hundred years it reappears on the seas, Heavy on the Sea, seeking its fated host…"

……

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't that a bit over the top?"

Molly tilted her head to look at the compendium in Gasha's hand and pouted:

"The handwriting here was clearly added later—the original version shouldn't have looked like this."

"It's probably a prank by someone who came after."

Saying so, Molly pointed at the spot where the fruit's information was recorded.

The handwriting there was clearly different from the printed type elsewhere, and the script even looked extremely scrawled.

After a glance, Gasha paid it no more heed:

"Perhaps."

"But Mr. Gao Wen probably can't wait any longer."

(End of chapter)