Just after Kong Tai finished recounting his battle with Shiki and its spoils to Kuina.
On the deck below, Ah Hua and the other two suddenly let out loud exclamations.
"Wow!"
"No way!"
"It's really a Devil Fruit!"
Ah Hua and the other two's eyes lit up, looking excitedly at the box in Indigo's hand.
The box was already open, and inside lay two strangely shaped fruits, one black and one white, covered in spiral patterns.
Was this the treasure of the sea, a Devil Fruit?
It looked delicious.
Ah Hua and the other two stared greedily at the box and swallowed in unison.
These two fruits seemed to possess a magical allure, emitting an incomparable, tempting aroma, like the most delicious food in the world, making one want to devour them immediately.
They did not reach out to take them, but with immense willpower, they averted their gaze and looked up at Kong Tai, who was descending from the bow.
They never would have imagined that just a few days ago, Kong Tai was still telling them about Devil Fruits.
And now, not long after, Kong Tai had brought back two.
Kong Tai walked past them without mocking their pathetic state.
Let alone Ah Hua and the other two, even he felt a trace of temptation from these things.
For ordinary people, Devil Fruits were like a devil's temptation.
Greed, desire, the urge to possess them immediately – these were all humanly natural.
Most Devil Fruits were eaten upon discovery; only a very few could be preserved.
Those that remained had either been eaten by the person who found them, or the person was not ordinary at all.
Because ordinary people simply could not resist the temptation of these things.
Even though they didn't even know what a Devil Fruit was.
It was precisely for this reason that Devil Fruits in circulation in the world were so rare.
Yet, for most people, pirates, and factions in this world, acquiring them relied on luck and substantial funds.
To the high and mighty Celestial Dragons, they were merely ordinary playthings.
They could even give Devil Fruits to slaves for their amusement.
Therefore, whether Devil Fruits were precious was relative to ordinary people.
For the powerful, unless they were Logia or Mythical Zoan types – fruits that were extremely rare – they would not consider them precious.
Regular Zoan or Paramecia fruits were just ordinary fruits to them.
These two fruits were left behind because, to Shiki, they held no value.
They couldn't even fetch a high price when traded for weapons.
Seeing Kong Tai approaching, Indigo quickly stepped forward with a "splish" sound and presented the box in his hand to Kong Tai.
With a face full of curiosity, he smiled and said, "Kala! Kala! Captain, there are three friends here, but only two fruits. How will you divide them!"
Kong Tai first took the black Devil Fruit from the box and casually tossed it to Alo.
As Alo fumbled to catch the fruit, Kong Tai explained.
"This Devil Fruit is the Ant Ant Fruit. As for what abilities it grants, you'll only know after eating it."
He paused, glanced at Ah Hua and Ah Tao, and said with a smile, "As for why I'm giving it to Alo, it's because I believe this Devil Fruit best suits Alo's personality."
"Personality?"
Alo's face showed confusion.
"Mm! Personality."
Kong Tai looked at Alo, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Alo was the typical kind of person who, once assigned a task, would strictly complete it.
He could stay on the crow's nest for 24 hours.
To be able to endure loneliness and stay in a confined space for a long time was a remarkable quality.
Alo was also the only one among the three who had experienced the harsh realities of society; he knew what a team needed most.
That was why he trained with a gun.
Because their ship already had enough swordsmen, and for those like them who were not yet sword masters, a gun was the most lethal weapon.
Alo was also the one among the three who craved power the most; otherwise, he wouldn't have given up marriage to sail with Kong Tai.
In fact, when Alo joined the ship, Kong Tai had already noticed his hidden ambition.
It was probably due to being beaten up repeatedly in society over the past two years.
He looked at Alo and smiled, "It's not just people choosing Devil Fruits; Devil Fruits also choose people."
"Often, those who are more compatible with a Devil Fruit can develop its abilities to a higher level."
He glanced at the Ant Ant Fruit in Alo's hand and continued, "And this fruit in your hand is very compatible with your personality: considerate of the team, willing to bear burdens, dedicated, and fearless."
"While this fruit might seem weak to others, in my opinion, it should be very powerful if developed to a high level."
Kong Tai looked at Alo and gave him an encouraging look.
He believed in Alo and his own intuition; he felt that the Ant Ant Fruit couldn't possibly be as weak as recorded in books.
After all, in nature, there were no insects more numerous than ants.
Looking at Kong Tai's encouraging gaze, Alo didn't overthink it. Since Kong Tai gave it to him, he would take it.
He raised the Ant Ant Fruit, opened his mouth wide, and took a large bite.
"Ugh!"
At that moment, the fruit in his mouth didn't feel like delicious food but like rotten, stinking sea fish that had been left out for dozens of days.
It was a nauseating taste he couldn't describe, rampaging in his mouth. If he hadn't quickly closed his mouth, he would have spat it out the moment he bit down.
Alo endured the nausea, a fierceness flashing in his eyes, and swallowed the fruit in his mouth.
He looked at the remaining fruit in his hand and didn't stop, quickly taking several large bites to finish the entire fruit.
As soon as he finished eating it, his stomach felt as though it was being churned upside down, and an incredibly disgusting aroma kept bubbling up from his throat.
He covered his mouth, his face turning beet red, afraid he wouldn't be able to resist and would spit out the fruit he had just eaten.
"Ugh!"
After enduring for a while, this guy finally couldn't hold it in and quickly gagged on the ground.
Watching Alo, whose eyes were watering and nose running from gagging, Ah Hua and the other two swallowed hard.
Then they turned their heads to look at the remaining white Devil Fruit in the box in Indigo's hand.
A hint of lingering fear flashed across their faces.
Was this thing so terrible?
How utterly unpalatable was it to make Alo gag like that?
Kong Tai and Indigo, however, grinned and burst into laughter.
Kuina even placed her hands on Kong Tai's back, bent over, and laughed like a goose.
Devil Fruits were famously disgusting.
Rumor had it they were worse than excrement, though Kong Tai marveled at the person who had tested both and made such a conclusion, expressing his deep respect for such a person.
He knew these things were unpalatable, but he hadn't expected them to be so extremely so.
Looking at Alo's state, he probably wouldn't want to see a Devil Fruit again for the rest of his life!