The waves sparkled and surged.
Back in the sea, Evan’s entire body was in pain.
His open wounds were stinging from the salt in the seawater, the sharp pain and accumulated fatigue washing over him.
Evan gritted his teeth, relying on his immense willpower to stay afloat.
He looked down at Robin, noticing that, as a Devil Fruit user, she was even more exhausted than he was.
They had come this far; there was no reason to give up now.
Evan pretended to be unaffected, holding the treasure chest in one hand and carrying Robin with the other, swimming towards the shore.
He knew the greatest danger was not yet over!
If the pirates on the ship realized he was at his limit, they would certainly fire the cannons to ensure he wouldn’t survive.
On the pirate ship, the crew leaned on the railing, watching as Evan swam further away with the Devil Fruit and Robin.
“Captain Augur, he’s clearly almost out of strength. Should we fire the cannons now…” one pirate suggested, eyes gleaming with malice.
He seemed to have completely forgotten how he had been begging for mercy moments ago.
Such was the nature of vile people.
“If you want to die, go ahead, but don’t drag us with you!” Augur shot him a cold look, then turned his gaze to Evan’s retreating figure. “I know he’s at his limit too!”
“But that kid is too strange, with a terrifying determination. If we provoke him, he’ll fight us to the death. It’s not worth it.”
Augur sighed, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and respect as he watched the distant figure.
The pirate who had suggested firing felt a chill, remembering the screams of his injured comrades and the overwhelming fear that had gripped him earlier.
“So we just let him leave?” Some pirates were still unwilling to accept it.
“Of course not.” Augur sneered, “He’s taken a genuine Devil Fruit! As long as we spread the news, many pirates will help us cause him trouble!”
“Captain, you’re brilliant!”
“Alright, set sail immediately!”
With a wave of his hand, Augur gave the order, taking over the position of the late Gubal as the new captain of the Nicolo Pirates.
Evan used his last ounce of strength to crawl onto the shore, placing Robin and the treasure chest down before collapsing.
His vision went black, and he lost consciousness completely.
Six days later.
In the eastern residential area of the island, inside a hospital.
Evan sat on a hospital bed, his entire body wrapped in white bandages like a mummy.
His eyes were filled with helplessness as someone at his bedside fed him.
“Evan, open wide,” Robin urged, holding a spoonful of porridge to his mouth.
Evan mechanically opened his mouth, closed it, and swallowed.
“Hey, little girl, I have my hands and feet. I’ve almost recovered, so there’s no need to feed me anymore!” Evan protested.
“No way. The doctor said no moving around for a month!” Robin retorted with her innocent eyes, then added gently, “Be good, eat up, and you’ll get a candy reward.”
Seriously, this was like treating him as a three-year-old.
Evan was speechless.
After enduring a bowl of porridge, Robin finally left to study archeology.
Before closing the door, Robin reminded him not to move, leaving Evan feeling exasperated.
Being a mentally mature adult cared for by a six-year-old girl was quite a strange experience.
Evan flexed his fingers. His body had mostly recovered from the severe injuries.
His trained physique had far superior self-healing and recovery abilities compared to an ordinary person.
It had taken six days to recover from these heavy injuries due to the severity of his wounds.
Evan glanced at the treasure chest on the bedside table, picked it up, and opened the lid, revealing a round fruit with strange patterns. This was the Devil Fruit he had obtained.
Its shape was even odder than he had imagined. Although every Devil Fruit had different shapes, colors, and patterns, a completely round one was unusual.
Evan might have suspected the pirates had tricked him with a ball if it weren’t for the patterns.
“Should I eat it?”
Looking at the Devil Fruit in his hand, Evan hesitated.
In the world of pirates, one could gain power through physical training, swordsmanship, Haki, and Devil Fruit abilities.
Of course, physical training and swordsmanship eventually required Haki for support.
Devil Fruit’s abilities were unique among these.
Eating a Devil Fruit would grant special powers but also curse the user to fear seawater and Sea-Prism Stone.
It was like making a deal with the devil, trading for power but being cursed for life.
Evan knew there was no such thing as a useless Devil Fruit, only useless users.
However, his concern was whether the ability of this Devil Fruit would suit him or if it was more of a supportive ability, like the Horm-Horm Fruit or the Moa-Moa Fruit.
It might not be a wise choice if it meant gaining the weaknesses of seawater and Sea-Prism Stone.
After all, he believed he could reach the pinnacle of strength alone through physical training! There was no need to rely on Devil Fruit’s powers.
“But time… time is running out!”
Evan sighed. There wasn’t much time left for him.
Two years might seem long, but it was actually very short.
He had to face the World Government’s Buster Call!
Every possible way to enhance his strength had to be taken.
Evan decided to eat the Devil Fruit.
Once decided, he wasted no time, taking a bite of the round Devil Fruit.
A strong, foul taste filled his mouth!
As expected, it tasted like excrement.
Although it was said that only one bite of a Devil Fruit was necessary to gain its powers, who knew if that was true? Better to endure more suffering, to be sure.
Evan suppressed the urge to vomit, consuming the entire Devil Fruit.
He ate it all, not leaving a single piece!
Suddenly, Evan froze, feeling a strange sensation in his heart. Somehow, he had acquired something.
Following the response from deep within, he extended his left hand, and a bright orb of light appeared in his palm.
For a moment, Evan thought he was hallucinating.
To his surprise, almost instantly, his Devil Fruit ability manifested.
“Devil Fruits are categorized into three types: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia…”
Evan hoped it was a Logia type, as they were immensely powerful with great potential.
Being able to turn into elements made one immune to physical attacks except from Haki and Sea-Prism Stone and enabled one to harness the power of nature.
However, the glowing orb in his hand didn’t resemble any Logia ability.
Nor was it an animal-transforming Zoan type…
That left only the Paramecia type, which had various abilities.
Evan sighed. Paramecia fruits ranged from incredibly powerful to nearly useless, with abilities for both offense and support.
Robin’s Hana Hana no Mi, Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi, Shiki’s Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, Kuma’s Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, and Gasparde’s Ame Ame no Mi were all Paramecia.
The abilities varied greatly in strength and function.
Evan waved his hand, trying to throw the floating orb, but nothing happened.
How was he supposed to use it?
Evan wondered, but then something clicked, and the light orb expanded.
With him at the center, an invisible circular space formed, encompassing the entire hospital.
Inside the circular space, everything appeared three-dimensionally in his mind—every room, every corner, every light, every bed, every person…
Everything within the space was revealed!
It was like having a god’s-eye view!
Evan was amazed. It felt like scanning, with nothing escaping his “sight.”
This ability resembled Trafalgar Law’s Ope Ope no Mi’s “ROOM-Scan” technique!
Evan’s expression became peculiar. Could this fruit be the Ope Ope no Mi?
No.
The Ope Ope no Mi required the user to have high medical knowledge to utilize its abilities.
Moreover, the Ope Ope no Mi was heart-shaped, unlike the round fruit he had eaten.
“What else can this ability do besides giving a god’s-eye view?”
Evan pondered, focusing on a fruit basket in the next room, and waved his right hand.
The fruit basket shook violently, falling off the table, apples rolling everywhere.
He reached out and grabbed in the air.
A red apple floated from the air into his hand.
Evan’s eyes widened, and he took a bite of the apple.
Crisp, sweet, juicy, and real!
He had indeed manipulated the fruit basket in the next room, retrieving an apple from a distance.
“This is like a space manipulation ability!”
Evan’s heart raced. Following his intuition, he felt a shift, and his body vanished from the hospital bed.
In the next instant, Evan appeared on the hospital balcony, bathed in bright sunlight, a refreshing breeze blowing.
“Ah!”
A nurse on the balcony, hanging clothes, stared at the suddenly appearing Evan, dropping her clothes hanger.
Evan, still wrapped in bandages and holding a half-eaten apple, stood there…
Quite a frightening sight!
With a thought, Evan vanished from the balcony and returned to his bed.
“This ability allows for spatial movement, even teleportation!”
Evan suppressed his excitement, ignoring the distant screams from
the rooftop.
He experimented a few more times—in the bathroom, the next room…
Finally, back in bed, his eyes gleamed brightly.
Evan discovered he could move freely within the space he created!
It wasn’t just space transfer; it didn’t require swapping with any object. He could move independently.
Directly touching the realm of space, this ability was extraordinary!
Evan smiled, deciding to name his newfound power “Space.”
The Space Devil Fruit!
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