What was even more astonishing was that the Devil Fruits’ appearance had changed as well.
The originally pure-white fruits gradually turned into a rocky, earth-yellow color, as if they were undergoing a transformation and becoming something far more powerful and mysterious.
This was also Ron’s first time seeing the true appearance of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
He had never imagined that a Devil Fruit said to possess the power to destroy the world would look so ordinary.
Yet it was precisely this seemingly plain appearance that concealed such terrifying destructive power, making Devil Fruits treasures coveted by pirates everywhere.
"Hahaha! Then I, Jozu, won’t hold back!"
With that, he grabbed the first Tremor-Tremor Fruit from the table and stuffed it straight into his mouth.
He didn’t even chew.
He swallowed it whole.
"... Jozu is way too fierce!"
"He swallowed it whole? Does that let you avoid the disgusting taste of a Devil Fruit?"
"No idea, but judging from how excited he looks, maybe it does!"
"Then I’ll eat mine like that in the future!"
"Same here!"
"..."
The other Division Commanders and the surrounding pirates were all stunned as they waited for changes to occur.
A few moments later—
"Uh... I don’t feel any different."
Jozu scratched his head sheepishly with a foolish grin.
"Sorry for embarrassing everyone."
"That’s normal. Other than Pops, who succeeds on the first try?" Ace said, stepping forward to comfort him.
"Try another one."
"Alright! This one will definitely work!"
Jozu picked up the second Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
This time, under everyone’s watchful gaze, he carefully chewed every bite before swallowing it.
His expression never changed once.
Ron: "..."
Ron felt his scalp go numb.
For a moment, he even wondered whether the fruit was fake.
Was there really someone in this world who could eat a Devil Fruit without showing the slightest reaction?
And not only that—
He was actually chewing it thoroughly and swallowing it bit by bit.
That was absurdly hardcore.
It wasn’t just Ron.
The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates were equally dumbfounded.
Their jaws practically hit the floor.
"I hereby declare Jozu the strongest..."
"Same here."
"Do you think Jozu doesn’t have a sense of taste? Otherwise, how could he not react at all?"
As everyone discussed the matter, Jozu himself was becoming increasingly anxious.
He was practically on the verge of tears.
He carefully examined every sensation in his body.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"That can’t be right! My luck can’t possibly be this bad!"
"No reaction at all... Could this Tremor-Tremor Fruit be fake?"
"I don’t believe it!"
Before anyone could stop him, Jozu grabbed the final Tremor-Tremor Fruit and shoved it into his mouth.
He bit down twice.
Without caring whether it was fully chewed, he swallowed it.
A moment later—
A look of joy suddenly appeared on his face.
Then that joy exploded into wild excitement.
"It worked! I can feel it—it worked!"
Jozu slowly raised his right hand.
A transparent spherical force field gradually formed above his palm.
It emitted a faint, mysterious glow, as though it contained limitless power.
Then—
He clenched his hand.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A chilling sound echoed through the air.
It resembled the screech of glass being scraped by something sharp.
As Jozu tightened his grip, the cracking sounds became louder and more frequent.
At the center of the transparent force field, countless visible fractures spread outward.
The cracks expanded at an astonishing speed.
Wherever they passed, the air itself seemed to tear apart.
Even space appeared distorted, as though it were on the verge of shattering.
"Heh!"
Jozu grinned confidently.
Without warning, he swung his right arm forward and unleashed the accumulated power in a single punch.
The blow carried not only immense force but a power capable of shaking the heavens and earth.
Instantly, the surrounding space trembled.
The cracking sounds grew even more violent.
It was as if the atmosphere itself could no longer withstand the overwhelming pressure and was beginning to collapse.
In the next instant—
A small mountain in the distance was struck by an invisible force.
The mountain shook violently as though it had been hit by a natural disaster.
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted.
The entire mountain exploded apart.
Countless rocks flew in every direction.
The scene was spectacular and terrifying.
Everyone present was left speechless.
No one had imagined that Jozu could unleash such apocalyptic destructive power.
Even Jozu himself was shocked.
A trace of surprise and excitement flashed across his eyes.
He hadn’t expected a casual punch to possess such devastating force.
The lingering pressure from the attack still hung in the air, making everything feel heavy and oppressive.
"Again!"
Jozu shouted excitedly.
Both hands reached out into empty space as though grabbing something invisible.
The air immediately began to distort.
Then he yanked downward with all his strength, as if trying to drag the sky itself down to earth.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
More fractures appeared in the air.
The cracks rapidly spread outward before converging upon another nearby hill.
At that moment, it looked as though an enormous invisible hand had seized the mountain.
Then—
It slammed downward.
BOOM!
The mountain collapsed instantly.
Dust and debris filled the sky.
Rocks scattered everywhere.
The once lush green hill was reduced to a field of ruins.
Silence fell over the entire area.
Everyone stared at the devastation in stunned disbelief.
The only sound that remained was the constant intake of shocked breaths.
"T-That’s terrifying! He flattened an entire mountain with a single punch!"
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit truly deserves its reputation as the strongest offensive Devil Fruit!"
"Of course it does! Don’t forget that when Pops was younger, he was known as the man with the power to destroy the world!"
"It’s Pops’ power, after all. Naturally it’s the strongest!"
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard laughed before speaking in a deep, powerful voice.
"Jozu, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit places a considerable burden on the body."
He patted Jozu’s shoulder and continued.
"Every time you use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit’s power, you unleash tremendous destructive force. But at the same time, your body suffers an equivalent backlash."
"The power works both ways."
"It doesn’t just release energy outward—it also impacts the user."
"My body became this weak because of countless hidden injuries accumulated over many years."
"Those seemingly insignificant wounds piled up little by little until they eventually became impossible to ignore."