Sky Island, Little Western Sky, East Coast.
Boom!
Kaboom!
Accompanied by a thunderous explosion, a crater several hundred meters across was blasted into the island clouds.
A powerful shockwave rapidly spread in all directions, causing enormous waves to surge across the White-White Sea.
After quite some time, all the disturbance finally subsided.
Inside the massive crater in the island clouds, Rocks had one hand clamped around the neck of an elderly figure.
“Old man, don’t look down on me!”
With that, Rocks casually tossed the old man aside like a dead dog.
“Cough, cough!”
The old man coughed, a wisp of electricity escaping from his mouth.
“Captain, are you all right?”
Ren, who had been blown backward by the shockwave, walked over while pulling a large hammer from his personal backpack.
What exactly had just happened?
Ren had no idea either.
Only a few minutes ago, they had just docked the ship along the shore and were preparing to rest and explore this Sky Island for a while.
Yet the moment they stepped ashore, some inexplicable old man suddenly rushed out and looked down at them from above.
He had babbled on about gods, judgment, kneeling, submission, and all sorts of lofty nonsense.
The people Rocks disliked the most were those who considered themselves superior to everyone else.
Whether it was the Celestial Dragons or the old man standing before them, they were all the same.
Rocks dared to barge into the Reverie and even dared to kill an Admiral.
Naturally, he wasn’t going to indulge some inexplicable old geezer.
And then, there was no “then.”
Rocks brought his sword down with a heavy artillery-like blow, and the arrogant so-called god immediately became obedient.
As for the identity of this divine old man, Rocks didn’t know.
He only knew one thing.
This old man was some kind of Ele.me delivery rider, specifically here to deliver a Devil Fruit to him.
That’s right!
During the battle just now, the so-called divine old man had put up some resistance.
From the abilities he displayed, how could Ren possibly fail to recognize him?
The old man was none other than a Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi user!!!
This discovery sent Ren into wild excitement.
It was practically a pie falling from the heavens, an incredible stroke of luck that absolutely could not be missed.
After all, this was one of the strongest types of Logia!
And even among Logia-type Devil Fruits, the Goro Goro no Mi was one of the very highest tier!
With both extreme speed and overwhelming power, it was enough to send an ordinary person soaring straight to the top!
Excitement filled his heart, and his hands trembled.
Ren raised the large hammer high above his head and mercilessly brought it down upon the unconscious Goro Goro no Mi user.
Splat!
The old man’s head split open, and he died on the spot, deader than dead.
At the same time—
[Congratulations, Host, on defeating a Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi user.]
[Goro Goro no Mi successfully recorded.]
The pleasant mechanical notification rang in Ren’s ears.
Hearing it alone wasn’t enough.
Ren sank his consciousness into the little black-room space and summoned the Editor panel.
Looking at the symbol representing the Goro Goro no Mi that had appeared among the recorded Devil Fruits, the curve of Ren’s lips grew wider and wider.
His physical body’s mouth curled upward along with it, and he was so delighted that he could barely close it.
After all, this was one of the strongest types of Logia!
And even among Logia-type Devil Fruits, the Goro Goro no Mi was one of the very highest tier!
With both extreme speed and overwhelming power, it was enough to send an ordinary person soaring straight to the top and become a first-rate powerhouse!
It could be said that no matter how many Devil Fruits he recorded afterward, the Goro Goro no Mi would always be the foundation that allowed Ren to establish himself in this sea.
With this ability, the position of vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates was firmly his.
He could even start looking forward to the captain’s treasu—
Just as Ren’s ambitions began to swell, Rocks’ gaze made him jolt and come back to his senses.
“Kid, something’s wrong with you.”
Rocks looked at Ren suspiciously.
“Cough, cough.”
Ren coughed and hurriedly composed his expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“What were you grinning about just now?
You looked like you’d just picked up a ton of treasure!”
Rocks raised an eyebrow.
“And this old geezer—did you have a grudge against him too?”
“It’s always best to pull out the roots when cutting down weeds, otherwise they’ll grow again when the spring breeze blows.
Finishing off an enemy is absolutely necessary.”
Ren seriously rambled on, giving a long explanation about the importance of making sure an enemy was truly finished.
Rocks nodded.
“Although what you said makes a lot of sense, I still feel like you’re hiding something from me.
Are you going to confess yourself, or…?”
Stare.
Under the pressure of Rocks’ relentless gaze, as though he intended to get to the bottom of the matter no matter what, Ren weighed his options carefully.
In the end, he decided to “confess.”
Since he had chosen to board Rocks’ great ship, there were indeed some things that needed to be made clear.
After all, they were on the same ship.
He couldn’t hide it forever.
He couldn’t exactly go his whole life without using his abilities.
“All right, I’ll confess.”
Ren raised one hand.
“Captain Rocks, I’m actually a Devil Fruit user.”
“You’re a Devil Fruit user?”
Rocks was somewhat stunned.
After spending all these days at sea with Ren, he hadn’t noticed anything at all.
Ren really had hidden it quite deeply.
Or perhaps…
Rocks suddenly had a strange thought.
“You’re so good at cooking.
Don’t tell me you’re a Chef-Chef Fruit user?”
“What are you thinking?
Cooking is just my hobby.”
Ren was instantly rendered speechless.
“You might not understand if I just tell you.
How about I let you experience it directly?”
As he spoke, Ren extended one hand.
Rocks understood and shook it.
Zzzzt~
A tiny electric current traveled along Rocks’ right hand and instantly coursed through his entire body, making him shudder with the sensation of being shocked.
“This feeling…”
Rocks’ eyes widened in disbelief.
He had felt this exact sensation earlier when fighting the divine old man.
Rocks looked at Ren, then at the corpse of the divine old man, and finally spoke the astonishing truth.
“Ren…
did you steal this old man’s ability?”
“‘Steal’ isn’t quite accurate.”
Ren shook his head.
“To be precise, it’s copying.
I’m a Paramecia-type Copy-Copy Fruit user.
This ability itself doesn’t possess much power, but it allows me to copy other people’s abilities and use them as my own.”
The Paramecia-type Copy-Copy Fruit!
This Devil Fruit genuinely existed in the world of pirates!
“Copy Devil Fruit abilities!”
Rocks had never heard of such an ability before.
His eyes widened, and he couldn’t help sucking in a breath of cold air.
Even someone who had always looked down on Devil Fruits was shocked by this ability.
Because this truly was an utterly terrifying power.
In theory, a person could only possess one Devil Fruit ability in their lifetime.
But after eating the Copy-Copy Fruit and gaining its copying ability, Ren could possess multiple abilities simultaneously.
If this secret were to get out, it would absolutely terrify people.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the curve of Rocks’ lips grew wider and wider.
Finally, he couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
At first, he had merely regarded Ren as a living map and guide to the treasure of the City of Gold.
Later, Ren had conquered his stomach with his cooking skills, giving Rocks the feeling that he had stumbled upon a treasure.
Now, Rocks could say without the slightest hesitation that he had truly encountered a treasure boy this time.
With the ability of the Copy-Copy Fruit, Ren would inevitably become famous across the seas one day!!!