Chapter 8: Space Fruit?

The man raised his head. On his dirty face, a pair of dull, lifeless eyes stared out, devoid of any vitality, while his lips were cracked like a parched droughtland.

Seeing this, Saint Saint Saiwen fetched food and water, placing them before the man: "Eat your fill before speaking."

Only someone who has known hunger understands exactly what torture it is to be both starving and thirsty.

Under normal circumstances, even if he intended to kill the other party, Saint Saint Saiwen would let them eat their full first, believing a full belly makes for a better journey, refusing to let anyone die as a starving ghost.

Even with his hands shackled by Seastone handcuffs, it did not stop the man from devouring the food in huge, ravenous mouthfuls.

Such a wretched eating manner reminded Saint Saint Saiwen of the time before he joined the Luo Jie Pirates, when he had encountered kind villagers offering food; back then, he had likely eaten just like this.

Starving one meal, full the next, with no manners whatsoever.

The man finished two bowls of braised pork rice in three strokes and five sweeps. "The chef on your ship has excellent culinary skills."

"My name is Phoenix. I am a doctor, a Space Man who ate the Space Fruit."

"The World Government seems to have mastered a method to recover Devil Fruits. I guess they want to recover the Space Fruit, which is why they captured me."

A doctor? The Space Fruit?

Saint Saint Saiwen pressed his lips together. Outwardly he remained unmoved, but inwardly his heart pounded uncontrollably. Could it possibly be the Ope Ope no Mi, the surgical fruit with a 5 billion bounty from the World Government?

If it truly were the Space Fruit, the CP Chief would not have drawn his gun and attempted to kill Phoenix after Mihawk appeared.

Then the truth was about to reveal itself.

The World Government would rather kill this fellow than let him fall into others' hands.

Moreover, this fellow's behavior before and after showed a huge gap.

A person harboring a will to die would never eat like this; only someone desperate to survive would wolf down food without restraint, clutching every single chance to live.

And this explanation, every word and phrase fitting perfectly... it seemed as if he had rehearsed it repeatedly in advance.

Although, aside from Law, there was no information on the sea regarding other users of the Ope Ope no Mi.

This was actually not hard to understand.

A Devil Fruit capable of granting eternal life, ranked at the level of a strategic nuclear weapon, the World Government would absolutely erase all information about it.

This is eternal life!

However, even if the doctor truly was a user of the Ope Ope no Mi, Saint Saint Saiwen estimated that the other party currently could not yet perform the Immortality Surgery.

Just ten CP members were enough to arrest this fellow; one could imagine his strength was merely so-so, likely not even as strong as Saint Saint Saiwen's current self.

"This leader, I have yet to ask your name?"

"Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen."

The doctor then asked again: "Leader Saint Saint Saiwen, where are you planning to go?"

Saint Saint Saiwen looked at the doctor with a smile.

"Where we are going is none of your concern. You are the trophy I snatched from the World Government's hands."

"Isn't it a coincidence? I am also quite interested in the Space Fruit. Even more coincidentally, I also master a method to recover Devil Fruits."

Hearing this, the doctor froze motionless. His already pale complexion instantly turned even paler.

Even Mihawk, who was nearby taking a small sweet drink from an ice bucket, stood frozen in place:

Oh no, he's even more interested in Saint Saint Saiwen.

The doctor wore a bitter smile on his face, possessing a sense of brokenness as if he had just left a wolf's den only to enter a tiger's mouth: "Leader Saint Saint Saiwen, a man with the qualities of a king like you actually understands this?"

"Just a joke."

Saint Saint Saiwen patted the doctor's shoulder: "From now on, the cleaning duties on the ship will be left to you."

"Yes, Captain! I guarantee the work will be completed."

After leaving the port, Saint Saint Saiwen and his group continued moving toward Jaya Island.

Even if the doctor truly was a user of the Ope Ope no Mi, Saint Saint Saiwen would not coerce the other party right now.

He was only fifteen years old.

Being forever twenty was indeed wonderful, but being forever fifteen was just a bit lacking.

At the very least, he must wait until his body was fully developed and growth had stopped before considering immortality.

Rather than wasting time here, it was better to head to Elbaf as soon as possible and use that great golden pillar to purchase the legendary weapon Mengxiang Yixin.

What if that idiot on the continent of Teyvat delisted Mengxiang Yixin? What then?

Saint Saint Saiwen had to consider: this might be the only chance he would have in his entire life.

Once missed, it would be missed forever.

World Economic News.

Morgans, the president of the news agency, alternated between staring at the faxed photos in his hand and looking at the Den Den Mushi.

"Are there clearer photos? Like this, they simply won't create a sensational effect."

The Den Den Mushi opened its mouth, mimicking a person's expression: "3 million Berries, and I will send you all the photos."

Morgans sneered: "3 million Berries? I think you've gone mad for money."

The Den Den Mushi: "Don't forget, he is a member of the Luo Jie Pirates. Before I was knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki, I took many photos that could make newspaper sales explode."

"Also, all ten CP members are dead, and he took that criminal away."

Morgans said gloomily: "You don't even know his surname."

The Den Den Mushi: "Does the surname matter? What do you think of the Luo Jie surname?"

"I never sell fake news!" Morgans cursed: "Just a small Luo Jie Pirates chef, take it or leave it, 2 million Berries flat."

The Den Den Mushi: "Deal."

After receiving the high-definition photos transmitted by the Den Den Mushi, Morgans placed his hands on his hips and threw his head back, laughing wildly.

"Big news! This is big news!"

Morgans deliberately chose a photo for the cover: the sky flashing with lightning, black-red dominance tearing the horizon, with Saint Saint Saiwen holding a blue-glowing long sword.

He found another close-up: snow-white hair, a slightly youthful facial close-up.

"Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen! King-quality, Natural-type Goro Goro no Mi, killed World Government agents, abducted a mysterious prisoner. Yes, write that."

"What codename should we use?"

Morgans paced around the office, muttering constantly: "Devil's Descendant was taken by Barrett, and Bai Fa sounds like it has no intimidation."

"Goro Goro no Mi... Goro Goro no Mi..."

"Raiden Shogun?"

"Forget it, let's just call him Lei Shen."

After finalizing it personally, Morgans shouted excitedly: "Tomorrow's newspaper will definitely sell out!"

However, before formal printing, Morgans took out a Den Den Mushi to contact an old acquaintance, CP9 agent Brother Lu Bianyi.

"Brother Lu Bianyi, I found Barzab's whereabouts. Three million Berries, and I'll send you the location immediately."

The Den Den Mushi gritted its teeth and asked: "Is Mihawk still with him?"

Morgans paused: "They are together? I haven't received news that they are together."

The Den Den Mushi: "Good, thanks."

East Blue, Loguetown.

When Brother Lu Bianyi received the news that Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen had appeared on St. Tin Island, he was completely stunned.

"What?!"

"You, a 'three-no' contestant and non-combatant with no Haki, no Busoshoku, and no Devil Fruit ability, how dare you enter the Grand Line?"

"How dare you!"

Thinking of how he had wandered around the East Blue like a headless fly for over a month, Brother Lu Bianyi's anger bar filled to the max.

"Barzab, you truly deserve to die!!!"