Valsa swept his gaze across the room, holding one chest in each hand.
“Captain… this… could this be…”
Elik asked uncertainly.
The others seemed to have guessed as well, all swallowing nervously.
“That’s right.”
Valsa opened both chests at once.
Golden light immediately spilled out, revealing their contents.
Two strange fruits covered in swirling patterns lay inside.
“Devil Fruits.”
Everyone was stunned.
They had all seen one of them before, but they had never known that the Captain had another one in his possession.
Everyone began calculating in their minds.
If the Captain eats one, then what about the other…?
Valsa observed everyone’s expressions and could roughly guess what they were thinking.
But that was only natural.
Desire was one of the most common emotions among pirates.
“Let me make one thing clear first.
I won’t be eating either of these two fruits.
But I will personally choose two of you to consume them.”
Valsa spoke calmly.
Everyone’s expressions changed again.
They all knew how powerful Devil Fruits could be.
Just look at Elik.
Even though he had eaten a fruit whose potential was still unclear, he was already capable of crushing everyone below the officer level with overwhelming force.
However, the Captain had said he already had specific candidates in mind.
At first, everyone felt somewhat nervous.
But after thinking it over, they gradually relaxed.
They trusted the Captain.
Whoever he chose would naturally have his reasons.
And whoever benefited would still be one of their own.
There was no reason to feel jealous.
“Let me remind you of something.
Anyone who eats a Devil Fruit will never be able to swim again.”
“And if the fruit isn’t particularly powerful—or is even practically useless—then you’re better off not eating it at all.”
“Not only would it fail to increase your strength, you’d also lose the ability to swim.
So there’s no need to start a conflict just because someone else gets a Devil Fruit that you wanted.”
“The reason I called all of you here instead of simply summoning my chosen candidates individually is to prevent anyone from feeling that the distribution is unfair.”
“Yes!”
“We understand.
Whoever eats it, it’s all the same.
We’re all family here.”
“Good.
As long as you understand that, that’s enough.”
Valsa gave them another reminder.
“Elik isn’t included, obviously.
You’ve already eaten one.”
“Yes!”
Elik was more than happy to sit this one out.
He eagerly watched everyone’s reactions, trying to guess who the Captain had chosen.
Valsa looked at the first person seated beside him.
Quans.
“Quans, your focus right now isn’t on increasing your combat strength, so I’ll leave these two for someone else.
We don’t even know what types of fruits they are yet.
If we find a fruit with a confirmed ability in the future, I’ll give one to you.
Preferably something with a useful utility ability.”
“Yes, sir.”
Quans responded respectfully.
He wasn’t particularly concerned about it.
Valsa then turned his gaze toward Adrian.
“Adrian, your physical potential is extremely strong, and you’re currently in a period of rapid growth.
Given enough time, you’ll definitely become a powerful fighter.
Until you reach a bottleneck, there’s no need for you to eat a Devil Fruit.”
Adrian’s heart had leaped when Valsa’s eyes landed on him.
But after hearing that he wouldn’t be getting a Devil Fruit, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed.
“You don’t need to be upset.
As far as I know, the man known as the Pirate King, Gold Roger, never ate a Devil Fruit either.
His strength still made him one of the strongest people in the world.”
“What?!
The Pirate King Roger never ate a Devil Fruit either?!”
Everyone exclaimed in shock.
Even Quans stared at Valsa in astonishment.
Where does the Captain get all this information?
Could he have already secretly extended his reach into the Grand Line?
How does he know so many earth-shattering secrets?
In the Four Blues, Devil Fruits had practically been deified.
People believed that only those who ate Devil Fruits could become truly powerful.
The concept of Haki, meanwhile, was widely known only in the New World.
So everyone had assumed that Gold Roger, the man who became the Pirate King, must also have been a Devil Fruit user.
The revelation deeply shocked them.
They couldn’t help but realize that there were other ways to become stronger.
And suddenly, whether or not they received a Devil Fruit didn’t seem nearly as important.
Finally, Valsa looked toward Kweiv.
“I’ve heard what you want.
If you intend to pursue the path of the swordsman, then I also don’t recommend that you eat a Devil Fruit.
Only a pure swordsman can earn the respect of other swordsmen.”
“That’s what I think, too.”
Kweiv’s eyes gleamed with determination.
This was the path he had chosen.
Naturally, he had no complaints.
That left the two candidates for the Devil Fruits.
Lucas and Ang Lance.
When Lucas learned that he had been chosen, excitement overwhelmed him so completely that he couldn’t react for a while.
Once he finally recovered, he stammered, “Captain, I… I… someone like me can also…?”
Valsa smiled and interrupted him.
“Lucas, you’ve been one of the subordinates who has followed me the longest.
I’ve long regarded you as a brother.
Besides, none of the others need this Devil Fruit.”
“And more importantly, you deserve it.”
With that, he pushed one of the chests toward Lucas.
Inside was the first Devil Fruit Valsa had obtained in the Kingdom of Lenk.
Lucas’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
“Captain!”
Tears streamed down Lucas’s face as he sobbed uncontrollably, leaving him at a loss for words.
Everyone in the room burst into laughter.
“Hahahahaha!
You’re a grown man already, yet you cry like a little kid every time!
Aren’t you embarrassed?!
Hahahaha!”
Elik laughed at him from the side.
But secretly, he was just as delighted.
Lucas hugged the chest tightly, wiped his tears, and shot back at Elik.
“Mind your own business!”
Once everyone had settled down, Valsa pushed the other chest toward Lance.
Lance was extremely excited as well, but he didn’t accept it immediately.
“Captain, I’m the newest member of the crew.
Whether it’s seniority or ability, I don’t think I’m the right person for this Devil Fruit.”
“No need to say anything else.”
Valsa waved him off.
“None of the others need it, so naturally it’s your turn.
Besides, we’ve already fought side by side.
I can tell what kind of person you are with just one look.”
“Once you came aboard this ship, that meant I had already accepted you.”
“And besides, this Devil Fruit came from your homeland.”
Lance hesitated for a moment before accepting the fruit.
“If there are no objections, eat it.
Let’s see what abilities these two fruits have.”
“Okay!”
The others watched with intense curiosity and anticipation.
“Let me warn you first.
Devil Fruits taste absolutely horrible.
Prepare yourselves.”
Hearing this, Elik seemed to remember something.
His expression immediately changed.
He couldn’t help gagging.
“That reminds me of when I accidentally ate the Sickle-Sickle Fruit.
That taste was just… impossible to describe.”
Lance’s expression became rather strange after hearing that.
But under everyone’s expectant gazes, he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and took several huge bites, swallowing the entire fruit.
The instant it entered his mouth, Lance regretted it.
The revolting taste shot straight into his brain, nearly making him pass out.
Just as he was about to spit it out, Valsa shouted,
“Don’t spit it out!
You have to swallow it all the way down!”
◇ THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE…
◇
Want to see what happens next?
Read ahead.