“So, did you actually eat it?”
Icey suddenly thought of this key point, which was easy to overlook.
After all, what was certain was that Aqua had only bitten the Devil Fruit.
Aqua rested her chin on one hand, tilting her head as she recalled, and then seriously said, “It was so awful that I purified the juice into clean water, and I spat out the flesh, of course.”
“Icey, I’m telling you, this stuff tastes terrible. You can try it if you don’t believe me!”
Her eyes darted around, trying to trick Icey into taking a bite as well.
That way, this billion-berry fruit wouldn’t be solely her responsibility. Icey would share the blame if they needed to compensate Fossa Town, and she might even find a way to pin the entire mess on him!
Yes, that’s the plan!
Thinking this, the worried Aqua couldn’t help but smile, marveling at her own cunning.
“Is it really that bad?”
Icey looked skeptically at the Devil Fruit in his hand, his throat moving as if tempted to try.
“Really, really, I swear, the taste is beyond anything you can imagine!”
Aqua nodded frantically, watching Icey eagerly.
“Then I’ll give it a try.”
Icey brought the Devil Fruit closer, slowly opening his mouth.
Seeing this, Aqua’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Just when she thought her grim fate was about to turn around.
Thud!
Icey smashed the Devil Fruit on her head, turning her teeth into saw-like shapes: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning, trying to drag me down with you?!”
“I’m sorry, Lord Icey, I was wrong!” Aqua clutched her head, apologizing sincerely.
You know you’re wrong, but you’ll still do it again…
Icey sighed, realizing just how problematic this foolish goddess could be.
Ignoring Aqua’s apologies, he picked up the fallen Devil Fruit.
Whether it was the shape or the awful taste, this Holy Fruit of Fossa Town was definitely a Devil Fruit.
Aqua had said she purified the juice and spat out the flesh. She hadn’t “eaten” the fruit and thus couldn’t gain its power.
The next question was whether this partially eaten Devil Fruit was still useful or if it had become a dud.
To verify this, the best method would be to throw it into the wishing pool.
But if it still had power, using it that way would mean missing out on potentially god-level abilities.
If this fruit was as rare as the Ope Ope no Mi, worth 5 billion berries, not eating it or using it for a wish would be a huge loss.
Considering the pros and cons, Icey decided to put the fruit away for now.
He would wait until he could identify its specific ability before making a decision.
The rest of the loot was easily accounted for with the Devil Fruit issue resolved.
The gold, silver, jewels, and firearms stockpiled by the Black Cat Pirates were worth nearly 30 million berries.
Compared to Buggy’s crew, who focused on treasure hunting and bomb-making, the Black Cat Pirates, who frequently raided towns, were much more lucrative.
Including Captain Kuro and the disintegrated Nyaban Brothers, the total bounty was 27 million berries, reported by the adjutant temporarily replacing Captain Morgan.
Held tightly by his secret, he was very cooperative, with no objections.
After capturing the remaining pirates, they boarded the warship and returned to the nearest branch to report and apply for the bounty.
With their bounty, Icey, Aqua, and King sailed back to Fossa Town on Dramonda Island by sunset.
“Thank you, Mr. Icey, Lady Aqua, and Mr. King. We are truly grateful!”
Learning that Captain Kuro and Captain Morgan were defeated, Fossa Town’s mayor wept with joy, his whole body trembling.
The townsfolk, covered in ash, also cried with gratitude.
The little boy whose candy was “stolen” cried the loudest among them.
Perhaps due to Aqua’s holy water, the scorched earth showed scattered signs of life, with seeds sprouting delicate shoots.
It symbolized the town’s rebirth from the pirates’ shadow.
“No need to be so polite. We also gained a lot from this. Besides…”
After a few seconds of hesitation, Icey took out the bitten Devil Fruit, “As you can see, we couldn’t bring back your Holy Fruit intact.”
“Ah?” The mayor reached out with trembling hands, taking the Devil Fruit.
He stared at the small bite mark on it, seemingly devastated.
The townsfolk looked equally disheartened.
After all, the fruit symbolized peace and prosperity, a spiritual pillar for them.
“Was it those damn Black Cat Pirates?” the mayor asked, his voice shaking.
“No.”
Icey shook his head gently and then shot a serious look at Aqua, who was hiding behind.
In truth, he could have blamed the Black Cat Pirates, as they were either dead or captured, and no one would know the truth.
But to teach Aqua a lesson and test the townsfolk, he chose to tell the truth.
“Aqua!”
The named Aqua reluctantly stepped forward, looking embarrassed.
The grieving townsfolk exchanged glances, understanding Icey’s meaning: Lady Aqua had bitten the Holy Fruit!
Aqua lowered her head and legs together, not wanting to admit her mistake before her followers. She even thought of excuses to avoid responsibility.
She had a heavy burden as a goddess!
However, her dignity and duty as a goddess forbade her from lying to her faithful followers.
Damn it!
Fine, she’d admit it and give Icey’s ship as compensation!
Just as she was about to confess, the mayor suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! It seems nothing escapes Lady Aqua’s wisdom!”
Both Aqua and Icey were baffled by the mayor’s seemingly out-of-place statement.
King maintained his usual cold stance, making it hard to gauge his thoughts.
“It seems Lady Aqua foresaw our decision.”
Milani, who almost became a slave, giggled.
“So, what’s your decision?” Icey asked.
“Well, Mr. Icey,” the mayor began, “the Holy Fruit has always attracted greedy pirates, bringing trouble and danger, like this time.”
“Despite representing peace and prosperity, it often caused crises for our town.”
“We’re too weak to protect it. So, we agreed that if it was recovered, we’d give it to Lady Aqua as a reward.”
The mayor solemnly handed back the Devil Fruit, showing great respect for Icey, who was held in higher regard than even Lady Aqua.
Icey nodded, understanding their distress was because they couldn’t present the fruit intact to Aqua.
“Ha ha ha! Just as I thought. Very well, I’ll accept your generous offer!”
Aqua, her face bright with pride, hopped over and eagerly took the fruit from the mayor.
“There’s one more thing, Lady Aqua,” the mayor said tentatively, “We’d like to build a statue of the water goddess in our newly rebuilt town center.”
Faith was vital to these townsfolk, and they needed a new symbol with the Holy Fruit gone.
“No problem, no problem,” Aqua said, casually waving her hand, and rubbing her cheek against the precious fruit.
To her, this was a normal request.
Seeing the devout looks in the townsfolk’s eyes, Icey realized that, along with Luffy and Milani, the followers of the Axis Cult had increased significantly.
Their pure and abundant faith would greatly enhance Aqua’s power, benefiting their team.
But it also meant an increased risk of her causing trouble…
Thinking about future adventures, Icey felt a bit worried.
“Mr. Icey and Mr. King, you are also great benefactors of Fossa Town. Should we build statues for you as well?”
The mayor asked earnestly.
“Just one for Aqua is enough.” Icey had no interest in such things.
His power didn’t come from faith; having a statue felt unnecessary.
King felt the same way.
“By the way, rebuilding your town must require a lot of funds?” Icey asked suddenly.
“Well…” The mayor looked troubled.
Although they saved many important buildings, the fire caused disastrous damage.
“We seized a lot of treasure from the Black Cat Pirates’ hideout, and some of it likely belongs to you.”
Seeing Aqua happily performing her tricks for the townsfolk, Icey smiled.
“Lady Aqua said we should give you 10 million berries to help rebuild your town.”
Giving away a billion-berry Devil Fruit and revering Aqua as a deity, Fossa Town deserved some goodwill.
It was an investment, and a rebuilt Fossa Town would be great publicity for the Axis Cult.
Hearing Aqua’s generosity, the mayor couldn’t hold back his tears.
“I can’t believe Lady Aqua would do this for us. We’ve already received so much; we can’t…”
“Aqua would be very sad if you refused,” Icey interrupted.
“This…”
After some hesitation, the mayor finally nodded.
Once the town was rebuilt, he planned to print Aqua’s teachings and distribute them to travelers and adventurers, recruiting them to the Axis Cult!
Icey saw a near-mad determination in the mayor’s eyes.
Crazy is good. If you’re a follower of the Axis Cult, you’ve got to be a little crazy.
He felt satisfied with this investment.
……
The nearest Navy branch wasn’t far from Fossa Town. Soon, the adjutant returned with 27 million berries and a thank-you banner.
Yes, there were no handling fees this time!
“Mr. Icey, thank you again for your contribution to the Navy. I am Lester.”
At Fossa Town’s port, Lester bowed to Icey.
He was much more sincere and formal than at the Black Cat Pirates’ base.
“It
was nothing,” Icey said, glancing at Lester’s clean Navy uniform.
Looking at the distant townsfolk, Lester lowered his voice, “Your recent actions have caught the attention of the East Blue Navy high command. You can expect someone to contact you soon.”
The Navy’s recruitment, huh?
After a few seconds of thought, Icey casually picked his nose, “Got it.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. If you need any help, just let me know.”
“Just keep doing what you’re supposed to do,” Icey said as Lester walked away.
“Thank you for your guidance.”
Shortly after the Navy left, amidst the townsfolk’s cheers for the Axis Cult, the Sea Restaurant Infinite Dream set sail for Cocoyasi Village.
After all this work, they still hadn’t finished picking oranges!
On the ship, Aqua, holding the Devil Fruit, cheerfully approached Icey.
“Icey, you saw it, they gave me this Devil Fruit!”
“I had every right to eat my own thing! So, the 10 million berries from this expedition should be returned to me, right?”
Sitting at the familiar front desk, Icey leisurely sipped his iced cola.
“10 million berries? I just donated that in your name to Fossa Town for their reconstruction. As their new faith, surely you wouldn’t have the face to take it back, would you?”
“What? What?!!!”
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