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The bullets formed a torrential storm of steel, spraying wildly towards Arthur.
"Tsk, tsk. You're really going to use bullets against me?" Arthur shook his head, not even bothering to lift a hand.
Theoretically, average bullets couldn't harm him, let alone even get close. Unless someone like Garp used overwhelming force to propel the bullets through his defenses, they were useless.
<"Electromagnetism - Barrier!">
An invisible electromagnetic field enveloped Arthur, forming a protective barrier around him.
The bullets, unable to penetrate the barrier, seemed to freeze in mid-air within two meters of Arthur.
From a distance, it looked like a giant metal sphere had formed around him.
"Clink! Clink! Clink!"
The spent bullet casings clattered to the ground, creating a crisp, jarring sound.
Not only Gotti, but Walloon, the underlings, and the remaining pirates and bounty hunters in the bar were all stunned.
"What... What kind of power is this?" Gotti asked, his face filled with shock.
Although he knew about Devil Fruits, this was the West Blue after all. Devil Fruit users were incredibly rare here. Those who did possess one were considered top-tier experts, practically untouchable.
'Gasp...' Aurora sucked in a breath, her heart suddenly filled with excitement.
"The strongest Logia-type—Thunder Fruit!" Arthur's voice came from behind the curtain of bullets, still calm and unperturbed. He hadn't even considered hiding his ability, knowing that it would be exposed sooner or later.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down? Keep a low profile? Hide your strength and bide your time?
Sorry—He never entertained such thoughts. If you had the power, why not flaunt it?
"Is that all you've got? If that's the case, then I'll have to ask you to die!"
Arthur's words echoed through the silent bar, breaking the stunned silence.
Gotti was terrified. He decisively made up his mind and leaped from the booth, attempting to escape through the door. If he couldn't fight this guy alone, then he had to get Capone Bege!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The bullets, frozen in mid-air, were suddenly propelled by an unseen force, transforming into a long, metallic snake that shot back towards Gotti.
Blood splattered everywhere. Gotti's body was riddled with bullets, not a single spot left untouched.
His body crashed heavily to the ground, lifeless.
Arthur had killed Capone Bege's trusted subordinate in seconds. The bar fell deathly silent. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. After a long moment, whispers finally broke out.
"He's young but incredibly powerful."
"The Thunder Fruit? The Strongest Logia?"
The pirates and bounty hunters hid their envy and jealousy, cursing Arthur's incredible luck. They had no idea he had nearly died to obtain this power.
But no matter what, they all understood that this young man would likely rise to prominence in the West Blue—like a newly ignited star.
"I've helped you kill one of them. It's time to show some proof and bring out the Castle-Castle Fruit, don't you think?" Arthur interrupted Aurora, who was still in shock, his voice laced with amusement.
"Alright!" Aurora made up her mind. She gave Arthur a deep look and led the way out of the bar.
The Mafia underlings had long been scared witless. Seeing them approach, they immediately parted to create a path.
News of the Thunder Fruit user on Elbak Island quickly spread throughout the West Blue.
All sorts of rumors emerged, like how he had stumbled upon the Devil Fruit by sheer luck, or that he was a powerful pirate returning from the Grand Line.
Even more absurdly, Arthur was rumored to be a monster capable of rivaling the Marines' strongest fighters and the top figures in the New World.
Arthur couldn't care less about these trivial matters. His current goal was the Castle-Castle Fruit—the existence of which was still uncertain.
According to his analysis, the likelihood of Aurora possessing this fruit was quite high.
Capone Bege hadn't eaten the fruit yet, and they all believed it was with Aurora.
Such certainty implied they had witnessed it firsthand. The probability of it being fake was extremely low.
Aurora walked quickly, with Arthur following closely behind. They traveled for about ten miles.
She stopped at a reef by the sea. After carefully surveying the area, she seemed to have found the right spot and pressed down on a particular rock.
The reef shook violently, gradually revealing a dark, deep opening.
"You built a secret room in a place ? Quite creative." Arthur casually praised her ingenuity.
"Wait for me here!" Aurora said, then entered the cave without waiting for Arthur's response.
She returned a moment later, carrying a gray, durian-shaped fruit in her right hand. The fruit's patterns were straight lines, resembling the markings on a castle wall. In her left hand, she held a thick book.
"Is this the Castle-Castle Fruit? Are you sure?" Arthur stared intently at the gray fruit in her hand, not hiding his desire.
Only the weak hid their true intentions. Arthur wanted to live as he pleased and didn't bother to conceal his desires.
Aurora nodded firmly. "This is definitely the Castle-Castle Fruit. There's no mistake!"
She handed the thick, dictionary-like book to Arthur and flipped to the middle.
The book contained a picture identical to the Castle-Castle Fruit in her hand. Below the picture were lines of text:
[Castle-Castle Fruit: Allows the user to store anything, including themselves, within their body, like a castle. Objects stored inside will shrink, returning to their original size when outside the user's body.]
[In battle, the user can command their crew inside their body to fire bullets, cannons, and other weapons at the outside world. Upon leaving the user's body, the bullets and cannonballs return to their normal size, allowing for immense firepower to attack opponents. Alternatively, the user can release their crew like a vast army, overwhelming opponents with sheer numbers.]
The description was clear and concise, even outlining the general direction for developing the fruit's powers.
"This book is a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. A Celestial Dragon who once passed through my father's territory dropped it! So I'm absolutely certain this is the Castle-Castle Fruit. Are you happy now?" Aurora said coldly.
"—Devil Fruit Encyclopedia!" Arthur's eyes lit up. He snatched the book as if it were a priceless treasure.
The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was undoubtedly one of the greatest works in the world of One Piece. In Arthur's eyes, its value even surpassed the Poneglyphs.
It contained records of all known Devil Fruits, even outlining potential development paths, a culmination of generations of experience and experimentation. Its value was immeasurable.
Although the suggested development paths might not always be correct, they at least provided a starting point, preventing one from fumbling around blindly.
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