The Paramecia-type Munch-Munch Fruit.
Once someone ate it, they would become a Munch Human, able to eat absolutely anything.
Whatever was consumed could become part of their body, be fused into entirely new materials, or even be used to consume and reshape their own body.
Of course...
What Ares truly valued was the Munch-Munch Fruit's ability to turn scrap metal into brand-new alloys that did not naturally exist.
Memory alloys, for example, were special metals with shape-memory properties. In certain situations, they could deform, yet eventually return to their original form.
They had broad applications across countless fields.
In the original story, Wapol used this very power to create Wapometal and stage a comeback from ruin.
He founded a manufacturing company called Wapol Factory, built the Wapol Zaibatsu, successfully married the beautiful World Miss, established the Evil Black Drum Kingdom, and even rejoined the World Government as an allied nation.
Ares was inwardly thrilled.
"With this, all of Wano's scrap metal can be turned into treasure. And on top of that, Wano also has special materials like sake iron ore..."
"With the Munch-Munch Fruit, it will definitely be possible to produce even stronger alloys!"
At that point, those special metals could be used to create weapons, armor, and even allow Wano's master craftsmen to forge famous blades.
And more than that...
This power could also bring him endless wealth and fuel Wano's growth.
It could be said that this Munch-Munch Fruit was immensely valuable.
It would absolutely allow Wano to develop at an even faster pace.
Ares was practically elated inside.
It felt even better than winning the grand prize in a lottery.
That feeling of walking outside and stumbling across a treasure was simply too good.
"If Vegapunk were the one to develop these special metals, they might display even greater value," Ares thought, his mood soaring.
He carefully put the Devil Fruit away and continued trailing the reindeer, but he never found the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Human.
Still, finding the Munch-Munch Fruit was already more than enough for him.
As for the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Ordinary Citizen, perhaps he simply was not fated to obtain it. Maybe only Chopper, or rather Chopperbeard, was meant to have it.
...
At the castle atop Drum Mountain, Crocus' thoughts were still circling around the secret of immortality Ares had mentioned.
Curious, he asked Dr. Kureha, "Hey, do you think there really is something in this world that can make a person immortal?"
"I have no idea," Dr. Kureha replied. "But he sounded so certain that it didn't seem like a lie. Maybe he really does know such a secret. After all, that man is a great pirate with a 3.5 billion berry bounty..."
She was also deeply unsettled by what Ares had said. She could not calm her mind.
It was the sort of temptation no one could resist.
At her age, she naturally understood very clearly that Ares was after her.
Not her body, of course.
He wanted the remarkable medical skill she possessed.
That was what had left her so conflicted.
At that moment, Olvia, still receiving treatment, suddenly said something startling.
"Hey, do you think Ares might actually be some monster that has already lived for ages?"
"..."
No one believed Olvia's wild guess.
Crocus said, "If he really had lived that long, his name wouldn't only have spread across the seas in the past few years."
"I think your fever has made you delirious."
Olvia gave an awkward laugh.
"That makes sense. Someone like Ares would stand out no matter where he went. If he had really lived that long, there would've been news and rumors about him all across the seas long ago."
Outside the castle, Ares' mouth twitched.
Looking at Hiriluk at the entrance, a thought suddenly came to him, and he called into the castle, "Crocus, come out for a second."
"Ares, you're back."
Crocus came out through the door and immediately noticed the Devil Fruit in Ares' hand.
His eyes widened at once.
"Hey, what exactly did you go out and do? How did you come back carrying a Devil Fruit?!"
Hiriluk was also startled and hurriedly looked at the fruit in Ares' hand.
"Where did you find that?!"
Ares did not answer. Instead, he looked at Crocus and said, "Crocus, go find a box to store this fruit in. Also, take out the money you brought."
"Money?" Crocus blinked. "What do you need money for?"
Ares explained, "Drum Kingdom is a medical kingdom. There must be a lot of books here related to medicine. I want you to buy as many as possible so I can bring them back with me."
He knew that in the future, when Wapol took over the country and became king, he would drive the island's doctors away.
That led to the once world-famous medical kingdom being left with only twenty doctors.
That idiot's brain really had been kicked by a mule.
How stupid could one man be?
Doctors were highly skilled professionals. No country would ever think it had too many of them.
But Wapol, that fool, drove them away and caused Drum Kingdom's decline.
The moment he heard Ares' plan, Crocus' eyes lit up.
"That's a good idea. I'll go get the money right away."
He hurried off excitedly to fetch it, while Ares turned to Hiriluk.
"I'll have to trouble you to act as Crocus' guide for now. We'll pay you."
The moment he heard the word pay, Hiriluk agreed without hesitation.
"No problem."
Then Ares flew the two of them down near the town, leaving Hiriluk astonished.
"Ares' ability really is convenient. No wonder he could get to the top of Drum Mountain so easily."
"I'll come pick you up in a few hours. Buy as many medical books as you can."
Ares only regretted not bringing more money with him before leaving.
Had he known, he would have prepared more.
Then he could not help but think, "Once we reach Skypiea, money won't be a problem. There's plenty of gold up there."
Afterward, Ares returned to the castle and called inside from the doorway, "Dr. Kureha, have you made your decision? With your medical skill, you can slow your aging, but your face will still continue to grow older, and more wrinkles will keep appearing..."
The words drifting in from outside made Dr. Kureha instinctively touch her face.
There were indeed wrinkles there.
Even if she might still live for a long time, those wrinkles would only continue to deepen as time passed.
Dr. Kureha wavered.
At her side, Olvia added helpfully, "Dr. Kureha, Ares is actually a very decent person. He isn't a brutal monster like most other pirates."
Though he is a little rough, she added silently to herself, recalling how Ares had knocked her out and abducted her.
Seeing Dr. Kureha still hesitate, Olvia continued, "Besides, as a doctor, isn't the whole point of studying medicine to treat patients?"
"Otherwise, what's the point of learning it at all?"
"Gulp."
Dr. Kureha lifted her bottle and took a deep drink.
"Girl, since you've put it that way, I'll agree to join you. But let's make one thing clear, my medical fees are absolutely non-negotiable!"
Outside the castle, Ares smiled to himself.
He had not expected Olvia to speak up for him like that.
It was not a waste, then, that he had treated her sincerely.
His team...
had gained another highly skilled witch doctor.
Later, he would definitely have to establish a proper hospital system and treatment network in Wano.
Medical development had to become a priority.
Still, it seemed he would have to get Pure Gold sooner rather than later.
Otherwise, he would not be able to make good on his promise.
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