Soon, Dave surfaced, carrying a large treasure chest along with some other useful scraps that Tony could likely repurpose. He set the scraps aside and gazed at the treasure chest in his hands.
"Mm, what is that?" Emma asked, noticing the massive locker-like chest he was lugging.
The others also turned their attention toward him, curious about the find. Dave shrugged nonchalantly and said, "I found some buried gold." He placed the large locker down in front of them, piquing their interest even further.
"Well, let's see what's inside," Tony said, walking over to examine the chest, while the rest gathered around, waiting to see what treasures Dave had discovered.
Dave nodded as he handed the locker to Tony, who immediately generated a laser cutter to slice it open. Everyone watched closely, anticipation growing as they wondered what treasures might lie within.
"Maybe there's gold and jewelry, like pirates usually hoard," Diana speculated, and the others nodded in agreement.
After a few moments, Tony successfully cut through the lock, and as expected, the chest contained various gold coins, jewels, and a large sum of berries, the currency of the One Piece world. However, Dave's attention quickly zeroed in on something far more valuable—a Devil Fruit sitting among the treasures. Ignoring the gold and jewels, he picked up the fruit, his curiosity piqued.
"What is that weird-looking fruit?" Trish asked as she sensed the strange power emanating from it.
"It's a Devil Fruit," Dave explained. "Whoever eats it will gain special powers, but they also lose the ability to swim. It's a double-edged sword."
Rhodes' eyes lit up at this, his excitement clear. "Then give it to me! I'm the only one without any special powers," he said eagerly, with Tony chiming in, supporting the idea.
"Let me see what kind it is first," Dave replied as he activated his system's appraisal ability to identify the fruit.
[Gōra Gōra no Mi (Armor-Armor Fruit) – Grants the ability to create different kinds of armor on the user's body. It's a Superhuman-type fruit, meaning its development is based on the user's imagination.]
'Hmm, this is basically like becoming a walking Gundam,' Dave thought as he examined the fruit carefully.
"I'm keeping it," Dave announced, which made Rhodes frown in disappointment.
"Oh, come on, man. You should give it to him. He's the only one without powers," Tony interjected, trying to help out Rhodes.
"I could give it to him," Dave responded, "but the moment he touches the sea, he'll drown and be weaker than a baby. Do you still want it?"
Rhodes hesitated at the mention of such a crippling weakness.
"That's why I'm planning to research it instead of letting anyone eat it," Dave explained. "Devil Fruits come with great power, but also significant disadvantages. Especially in this world, where the sea plays such a big role."
"There's really such a weakness?" Rhodes asked, concerned, and Dave nodded.
"Yes. The sea will be your enemy if you eat one of these. But," Dave added, "there's a way to overcome it, at least partially."
"What way?" Rhodes inquired, intrigued.
"It's called Haki," Dave revealed. "I don't know much about it myself, but we'll need to find someone who can teach us or a place where we can learn."
"not to mention its not that great fruit, I mean the power it grants is not that powerful, and there are hell lot of more powerful ones, so lets wait for one or we can also steal one" Dave said as Rhodes nodded.
"Okay, either I'll learn Haki and eat that fruit, or I'll just wait for a better one," Rhodes replied, to which Dave nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Dave's thoughts wandered. 'By the way, Sei, can I take the Devil Fruits from those I kill?' There were many powerful fruits currently in the hands of others that Dave had his eyes on.
[Yes, after Host kills someone, Host can take the Devil Fruit for himself using his demon energy.]
[All Host has to do is encase the area in demon energy, and then kill the current Devil Fruit user. After their death, the Devil Fruit's power won't be able to escape the demon cage and will find a suitable host inside the cage.]
Sei's reply made Dave grin.
"Great," he muttered, glancing ahead at the vast ocean.
"Also, can I eat multiple fruits?" Dave asked, thinking of the immense power that could come from having several abilities at once.
[Yes, Host's body is shaped by the system to bear multiple templates, which means multiple powers, energies, and abilities can coexist without adverse effects. So Host can indeed consume multiple fruits.] Sei responded, confirming Dave's suspicions.
A wave of excitement washed over Dave. 'Hmm, I can already imagine combining the Soul Fruit, the Shadow Fruit, and the Logia-type Darkness Fruit. It'll be insane,' Dave thought, fantasizing about the possibilities.
"Hey! There's someone there!" Pepper suddenly shouted, keeping watch on the surroundings. Her eyes were fixed on the horizon, pointing toward the distant shapes approaching them.
Dave and the others quickly looked in the direction she indicated and spotted marine ships heading their way.
"Oh! It seems, Rhodes, your ride is here," Dave said casually, glancing at the familiar sight of Marine vessels. Rhodes nodded, showing some interest in how the Marines operated in this world.
Onboard the marine ship, one of the sailors approached Captain Nezumi, a corrupt officer of the Marine 16th Branch.
"Captain Nezumi, there's a pirate ship ahead!" the sailor reported. Nezumi, lounging lazily, stood up, intrigued by the news of an unknown pirate ship nearby.
"Huh? What's the pirate symbol?" Nezumi asked, stretching his neck as he walked toward the deck. One of the sailors checked their records and, after some time, informed the captain.
"Captain, there's no bounty on them. It seems they're newbies," the sailor explained.
A grin spread across Nezumi's face. "Ahahaha, perfect! Capture them. We might get some fresh slaves to sell," he ordered without hesitation. The rest of the crew nodded, following their captain's commands.
Under Nezumi's leadership, the sense of justice that once guided the Marines had long disappeared, replaced by greed and corruption.
As the marine ships began sailing toward Dave's vessel, one of the sailors added, "Captain, there are also three beautiful women aboard the pirate ship." His voice carried a hint of excitement, while Nezumi grabbed his binoculars to see for himself.
Upon seeing the women through the lenses, a twisted grin crept across Nezumi's face. "Hehehe, it seems the gods have blessed us today," he chuckled darkly, already imagining how much those women would fetch on the slave market.
Unaware of the danger they were about to walk into, Nezumi and his crew continued closing in on Dave's ship, certain they would have an easy capture. Little did they know, they were dealing with Devil himself.
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