Captain Nezumi stumbled toward the full-length mirror placed in the corner of the shop, his movements stiff and uncoordinated as his body continued to feel strangely unfamiliar.
The moment his eyes met his reflection, his entire body froze.
His hair had turned a sickly green, his spine was grotesquely hunched forward, and the top of his head had developed an unnatural protrusion resembling a turtle shell.
Even his limbs appeared slightly shortened, as if his body structure had been forcibly rearranged.
“Ah!!!
What kind of Devil Fruit is this!!!”
Nezumi’s eyes widened in terror as he grabbed his distorted head with trembling hands, letting out a shrill, broken scream filled with disbelief and panic.
Xia Wen glanced at him casually and shook his head, his tone as calm as ever.
“I hadn’t even finished introducing that artificial Devil Fruit before you swallowed it whole.
You’re far too impatient.”
“However, the result is as expected you’ve become a flawed Devil Fruit user.
Your back now has hardness comparable to steel.”
“Artificial Devil Fruit?” x2
Smoker and Tashigi both reacted at the same time, their expressions shifting into identical confusion.
Artificial Devil Fruits… actually existed?
“That’s right.”
Xia Wen’s gaze briefly landed on the trembling Nezumi before he continued without urgency.
“This is an artificial Devil Fruit created by a certain scientist, modeled after the abilities of an ordinary turtle.”
“However, artificial fruits are inherently unstable.
They often come with defects and unpredictable side effects some even affect cognition or emotional stability.
In comparison, he’s relatively fortunate.”
Smoker’s mouth twitched slightly as he evaluated the situation.
To him, this so-called artificial Devil Fruit was practically a scam.
Especially Nezumi’s result aside from making his back harder, it granted no meaningful combat ability, no mobility advantage, nothing of real value.
It was barely different from not eating a Devil Fruit at all.
Nezumi, whose remaining hope had been completely shattered, staggered backward in despair.
“I… I didn’t even eat a real Devil Fruit…”
Then, as if clinging to the last shred of hope, he turned toward Xia Wen.
“Shop Owner… does this mean I can still eat another real Devil Fruit in the future and become a proper ability user?”
Before Xia Wen could respond, Smoker coldly cut in.
“Impossible.
Even if it’s an artificial one, the rule still applies one person can only consume a single Devil Fruit in their lifetime.”
“That’s an absolute law of the sea.”
Silence fell for a moment.
No one noticed that Xia Wen’s gaze briefly flickered with a different thought.
Jars could produce anything.
If Devil Fruits could be drawn from them, then theoretically, there might even exist items that bypassed the one-fruit limitation entirely.
But he said nothing.
Nezumi’s face turned ashen.
His legs trembled as despair fully consumed him.
His fate, in Xia Wen’s mind, was already sealed.
With Marine Headquarters now aware of his involvement, and considering his past actions with Arlong, imprisonment in Impel Down was the most likely outcome.
At that moment, Smoker exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, finally making his decision.
“Boss, give me twenty jars.
He’ll pay.”
He pointed casually at Nezumi, whose soul looked half gone already.
“I’ll take ten.
Tashigi will take ten.”
Tashigi blinked in surprise.
“Eh?
I’m included too?”
Smoker responded without hesitation, cigar still in his mouth.
“This is part of Marine Headquarters’ verification mission.
As my subordinate, you naturally participate.”
“…Understood!”
Nezumi, now completely broken mentally, did not resist.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, he silently handed over two million Berries.
“Thank you for your patronage.
I hope you open something worthwhile.”
Xia Wen smiled faintly, and with a subtle motion of his hand, the remaining jars shifted forward, aligning neatly in front of Smoker and Tashigi.
Smoker narrowed his eyes, then struck a jar decisively.
“Crack!”
Unlike Nezumi’s disastrous start, the moment this jar shattered, a noble purple glow burst forth, illuminating the shop.
Smoker’s eyes sharpened instantly.
This was different.
His instincts told him something valuable had appeared.
As the light faded, a crimson katana with golden patterns and elegant craftsmanship lay quietly on the table.
Tashigi, who had dreamed of becoming a master swordsman since childhood, immediately stepped forward.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned in.
“This… this sword!
It’s definitely at least the level of a Twenty-One Great Grade Sword!”
She reached out instinctively, fingers trembling toward the blade
“Tashigi.”
Smoker’s hand grabbed her shoulder firmly.
“Don’t rush.
Listen to the Shop Owner first.”
Having already witnessed Nezumi’s fate, Smoker had begun to trust the mysterious shop’s mechanisms.
But that only made him more cautious.
If this sword carried hidden danger, a single careless touch could change everything.
Tashigi froze, then quickly stepped back, cheeks flushed.
“I’m sorry, Captain!
I’ll write a self-reflection report!”
Smoker waved it off, then turned his attention to Xia Wen.
“Shop Owner, this sword is”
Xia Wen spoke calmly.
“Akiba Sword.”
“A rare weapon from another world, imbued with fire attributes.”
“After system conversion, it slightly increases strength and attack speed when equipped.
Its blade is extremely durable, comparable to the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords.”
“And when executing sword techniques such as upward strikes, it gains additional damage output.”
“Note: A sword this cool would be wasted if not shown off properly.”
Dungeon Fighter Online equipment had made its appearance in this world without ceremony.
Tashigi’s expression shifted repeatedly first joy, then shock, then confusion, and finally disbelief.
Since when did great-grade swords come with such strange properties?
What kind of obsessive craftsman would design a weapon with “skill bonuses”?
And what was this nonsense about upward strike techniques dealing bonus damage?
Smoker, however, focused on a different detail entirely.
“Fire attributes?”
“You mean it generates flames during combat?
Is it fused with a Devil Fruit?”
That would explain the enhancement effects as well.
It was the only logical conclusion.
Xia Wen simply smiled.
“How it works… you’ll understand if you try it.”
Tashigi immediately looked at Smoker with anticipation.
For a swordsman, such a blade was irresistible.
“Be careful.
If anything feels off, drop it immediately.”
“Understood, Captain!
I’ll demonstrate it properly!”
Tashigi gripped the Akiba Sword tightly.
At that moment, her expression changed completely.
“Haa!” “Hmph!”
She moved.
Clean, precise sword techniques filled the shop as she performed a series of fluid strikes.
With each swing, faint crimson light trailed the blade, resembling flickering flames dancing in the air.
Smoker observed silently, calculating.
A weapon of this caliber… easily worth tens of millions of Berries.
His lips curled slightly.
Then he glanced at Xia Wen, who remained as calm as ever.
“This mysterious Shop Owner… seems to be taking a loss today.”