Although it was fire, the Flames of Regeneration possessed properties different from ordinary flames. They couldn’t burn and spread like normal fire, nor would they incinerate organic matter in the material world.
That said, the Flames of Regeneration could adjust their temperature. They could be as comfortable as body heat, used to suppress viruses and ease injuries, or they could make one feel scorching heat.
Even if you wouldn’t be burned, you would still be affected by high temperatures.
Things like Homies, in particular, would become fuel for the Flames of Regeneration. Prometheus had experienced this firsthand during the battle of Onigashima.
“Most of the time, the choice of a Devil Fruit comes down to fate. Perfect compatibility with nature is ideal, but that mostly depends on luck. Otherwise, you make up for weaknesses or strengthen advantages.
This fruit is enough to solve the problem of reduced defense when Lunarians enter speed mode.
By assimilating the fire on your backs with these flames, enemies won’t be able to tell which mode you’re in.”
It might not be perfect compatibility, but once the Phoenix’s mechanism combined with that of the Lunarians, it would create an entirely new kind of mechanics monster. [TN: It is used primarily in gaming contexts to refer to a boss or enemy that cannot be defeated through brute force or typical combat strategies alone, but rather requires the player to understand and exploit a specific game mechanic, system, or “gimmick” to win. ]
Once enemies realized what kind of ability their opponent possessed, the vast majority would lose any desire to fight someone like that.
“So what’s your choice?”
“I don’t know, but… my intuition seems to be telling me to eat it…”
“Then trust your intuition. Supposedly, there is a special kind of Devil Fruit, which chooses its own user. Even if someone else is holding it, it’ll escape on its own.
This one is also a Mythical Zoan. It might be the same case.”
Devil Fruits choosing their hosts was something only clearly confirmed in the special case of Nika, but in theory, other Devil Fruits might share similar traits.
This was especially true of the Zoan-type category, where the animal consciousness itself was a representative factor.
While browsing through various ancient documents, Nereus had come across some fragments. One of them appeared to be written by a certain ancient scholar, roughly touching upon these very subjects.
“Just take one bite. With Devil Fruits, only the person who eats the first bite gains the ability.
Of course, some people aren’t at ease and choose to eat the whole thing. It doesn’t really make a difference, just depends on how you feel about it.”
For other races, it didn’t matter. More bites or fewer bites, they’d still gain the power. But the Tontatta Tribe had Devil Fruit users too.
Given their size… choosing to eat an entire fruit would be no different from an execution. Eating the world’s worst-tasting thing until you burst. This was probably a form of torture as well.
After all, up to now, aside from Kaido, there didn’t seem to be any Devil Fruit users who could eat a Devil Fruit with a smile.
“It really is… disgusting…”
Having made her decision, Amphitrite took a bite. Although Devil Fruits came in all sorts of shapes, at their core they were the same fruit. Even one shaped like a pineapple lacked the hard rind of a real pineapple.
The moment it entered her mouth, an indescribable taste traveled from her taste buds straight to her brain. These unscientific fruits seemed to draw out the most detested flavor deep in each person’s heart.
When several nauseating tastes mixed together, the sensation was beyond words—only “disgusting” and “unpalatable” could describe it.
“After you eat a Devil Fruit, the most basic ways to use it will appear in your mind. Beyond that, you’ll need to work at it slowly.
Zoan-type Devil Fruits have a special wavelength. Try to sense it, this wavelength influences the characteristics of Zoan transformations.”
“Besides the standard three transformations, as long as you control that wavelength, you can carry out additional enhanced transformations focused on a specific trait.”
Whoosh!
Flames surged up, and the originally pitch-black wings turned into blazing wings of azure fire.
“Like this?”
“Exactly. Your race can already fly, so I don’t need to explain what to watch out for in aerial combat. Take your time getting used to it, this power will come in handy in the future.”
Devil Fruits were still shrouded in many mysteries. Their origin as products of human imagination was merely a hypothesis proposed by Vegapunk.
There had even been claims that there were only five Devil Fruits capable of flight, but these days, more and more Devil Fruit users could fly.
For Zoan-types, mastering their wavelength was the most important thing. Even if one can’t achieve this naturally, it can be managed through drug intervention. In Amphy’s case, however, it seems she had gained a good grasp of it already.
Keeping both arms while leaving the wings on the back was a crucial point.
Hands were an advantage unique to primates. Trading away dexterous hands for something else could sometimes end up being a net loss.
News of CP0’s mission failure was reported back to the World Government, and at the same time, word that Amphitrite was now at Nereus’s side also officially reached them.
Without even filing additional reports, the heads of the Cipher Pol branches unanimously agreed to stop targeting this Lunarian. Even if other Lunarians were discovered, action would only be taken after verification.
More pressing than that were Dressrosa’s complaints about Cipher Pol agents disrupting public order.
Of course, such complaints rarely led to any real outcome. After some mutual bickering and saving face on both sides, the matter would be considered settled.
These minor frictions didn’t affect Nereus’s plans. Soon enough, he arrived on Delta Island.
With help from the local residents, Kuma and Ginny had already settled down there. Until they came of age, the island’s finances would cover their living expenses, helping them grow through a loan-based system.
This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about making a living and could focus on developing themselves, though the expenses would need to be repaid after adulthood.
“Mr. Nereus, the teachers at the school are ready. They can depart at any time.”
“We don’t need that many. Fishman Island already has its own teachers, we just need to reassign personnel for certain subjects.”
Ryugu Kingdom was fundamentally capable of operating on its own, with everything it needed in place. However, when it came to ideological education and knowledge about the surface world, Fishman Island lacked suitable personnel. These are precisely the kind of people Nereus needed.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Nereus. They’re all qualified in those subjects. Having lived on this island all this time, we also want to help however we can. I’ve already stopped quite a few people.”
“Then let’s do it that way. It’ll also let them rotate and get some rest. How are the newcomers we sent earlier?”
“They’re all good kids… but there is one thing. That girl named Ginny wants a batch of special Den Den Mushi. Please take a look at this, Mr. Nereus.”
The man handed over a report. It listed everything from black eavesdropping Den Den Mushi to large Standard Den Den Mushi and white anti-eavesdropping Den Den Mushi.
The reasons were laid out thoroughly. As an intelligence specialist, Ginny believed it was necessary to get a clearer picture of certain World Government intelligence.
“I’ll handle this matter. You arrange for the teachers to pack their luggage, we’ll be setting off soon.”
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