The more Rowan learned about the Villainous Crew System, the more terrifying it became.
At first, he had thought the Black Coffin of Nullification was the system’s greatest gift.
Now he realized it wasn’t even close.
The coffin was powerful enough to shake the world, but it was merely a tool.
The system’s true core ability centered on him.
As captain, Rowan could negate the fatal consequence of consuming multiple Devil Fruits.
In other words—
He and every officially recognized crew member could safely wield two Devil Fruit powers at the same time.
No exploding bodies.
No mysterious death.
No impossible barrier that had restrained the world for centuries.
A true Dual Devil Fruit crew.
Rowan’s pulse quickened.
The implications were staggering.
The Black Coffin could guarantee Devil Fruit acquisition.
The system could allow someone to possess two of them.
The combination was nothing short of outrageous.
If he recruited the right people and matched them with carefully chosen abilities…
The result wouldn’t be an ordinary pirate crew.
It would be a collection of monsters.
A force capable of standing alongside the Yonko.
Perhaps one day, even surpassing them.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
For the first time since Valeria’s fall, the future no longer seemed completely bleak.
Of course, all of that was still far away.
Before he could build a crew, before he could challenge the World Government, before he could even think about revenge—
He needed strength.
And fortunately, his father had prepared for that.
“Devil Fruits…”
Rowan’s gaze fell to the chest beside him.
A memory surfaced.
“If I remember correctly, there should be a few inside.”
He immediately crouched beside the ornate treasure chest he had carried from the kingdom.
Despite everything he’d endured during his escape, he had never once let it out of his sight.
With careful hands, he lifted the lid.
The contents were finally revealed.
Three Devil Fruits.
Three books sealed inside waterproof coverings.
Rowan’s eyes immediately went to the books.
Only after confirming they had survived the journey intact did he allow himself to relax.
A wave of relief washed through him.
These weren’t ordinary books.
They were treasures that couldn’t be measured in gold.
Perhaps they were even more valuable than the Devil Fruits themselves.
The first was a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
The second was a detailed Haki Manual, containing information on all three forms of Haki.
The third was a weathered journal left behind by a Great Swordsman, recording years of experience and insight.
Valeria may not have possessed the military might of the World Government, but it had stood for centuries.
Its royal treasury contained far more than wealth.
It contained generations of accumulated knowledge.
The old king had understood exactly what his son would need.
Gold could be spent.
Jewels could be stolen.
But knowledge could become strength.
And strength was the only currency that truly mattered on the seas.
A flicker of warmth appeared in Rowan’s eyes.
Even at the very end, his father had been thinking about his future.
After a moment, he turned his attention toward the Devil Fruits.
There were three in total.
Two could be identified through the encyclopedia.
The first was the Swift-Swift Fruit, a Paramecia.
Its ability allowed the user to accelerate themselves and even increase the speed of external objects.
At first glance it seemed simple, but Rowan quickly realized how versatile it could become in the hands of a skilled fighter.
The second fruit belonged to the Zoan category.
The Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Bronthe Cat.
An Ancient Zoan.
According to the encyclopedia, the Bronthe Cat was a prehistoric predator known for overwhelming speed, strength, and ferocity.
A powerful combat fruit.
Either of them would be considered valuable treasures.
Yet neither one truly captured Rowan’s attention.
His gaze settled on the third fruit.
The moment he looked at it, everything else faded into the background.
This was the rarest item in the chest.
A Devil Fruit that didn’t appear anywhere in the encyclopedia.
Its abilities were unknown.
Its name was unknown.
Its history was unknown.
Only its classification remained.
Mythical Zoan.
Rowan unconsciously held his breath.
Among all Devil Fruits, Mythical Zoans occupied a league of their own.
They were even rarer than Logias.
Every known example possessed extraordinary power.
Kaido’s Azure Dragon.
Marco’s Phoenix.
Yamato’s Okuchi no Makami.
Each one granted abilities that bordered on legend.
Of course, power varied from fruit to fruit.
But generally speaking, a Mythical Zoan was synonymous with greatness.
And now one sat in front of him.
Waiting.
The problem was obvious.
Nobody knew what it actually did.
Rowan frowned.
The Swift-Swift Fruit was reliable.
The Ancient Zoan offered tremendous physical power.
Both were proven choices.
The unknown Mythical Zoan was different.
It was a gamble.
A massive one.
For several moments, he simply stared at the fruit in silence.
The sea breeze swept across the beach.
Waves crashed against the shore.
Somewhere in the distance, seabirds cried overhead.
Yet Rowan barely noticed any of it.
His attention remained fixed on the fruit.
Then a thought surfaced.
Even if the gamble failed…
He wasn’t like everyone else.
The Dual Devil Fruit System changed everything.
Most people only got one chance.
One fruit.
One decision.
One path for the rest of their lives.
But Rowan could eventually possess a second Devil Fruit.
Compared to everyone else in the world, he had room to take risks.
That realization shattered the last of his hesitation.
His eyes sharpened.
“Fortune favors the bold.”
Reaching into the chest, he picked up the mysterious fruit.
Its surface was covered in intricate swirling patterns unlike anything found in nature.
A genuine Devil Fruit.
A treasure countless pirates would slaughter each other to obtain.
Rowan took a deep breath.
Then bit down.
The effect was immediate.
His face twisted in horror.
The stories hadn’t exaggerated at all.
The taste was beyond awful.
It felt like chewing rotten garbage that had been left to ferment in seawater for years.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to spit it out.
He nearly did.
But after everything he had lost, there was no turning back now.
Forcing himself to endure the taste, he swallowed.
The moment the fruit passed his throat—
Something exploded inside him.
“AAAAARGH!”
A roar tore from Rowan’s lips.
Violent energy erupted throughout his body.
Every muscle tightened.
Every nerve ignited.
Bulging veins crawled across his skin as unimaginable power surged through him.
It felt as though a volcano had awakened inside his chest.
Power.
Boundless power.
Wild.
Ancient.
Savage.
The force flooded every corner of his body, crashing through him like a tidal wave.
Crack.
The sand beneath his feet shattered.
Fractures spread across the beach.
A violent burst of pressure exploded outward, sending sand and debris flying in every direction.
Rowan dropped to one knee.
His teeth ground together hard enough to draw blood.
The transformation had only begun.
The power raging through him was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
This wasn’t simply strength.
It felt alive.
As if some ancient existence had been sleeping within the fruit for countless centuries.
And now it was awakening.
The air grew heavy.
The temperature seemed to drop.
Even the sounds of the island appeared to fade away.
The sea became strangely still.
The wind faltered.
For a brief moment, the entire island seemed to hold its breath.
Then the true transformation began.