At that moment, Yemu found himself caught in one of the most famous philosophical questions of all time. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
The question seemed simple, but to Yemu, it involved two completely different worldviews: evolution and creationism.
If the chicken came first, then that pointed to evolution.
Species kept evolving until the first chicken capable of laying eggs was born.
If the egg came first, then that pointed to creationism.
That would mean a god created the first egg capable of producing a chicken, and only then did chickens appear in the world.
Of course, that explanation was not entirely precise. You could reverse it and still make a similar argument, but the basic idea was there.
And in this world, that same question might lead to another one. What exactly are Devil Fruits?
Take this Gomu Gomu no Mi, for example.
If the Gomu Gomu no Mi was created for the purpose of producing rubber, then that would mean Devil Fruits were very likely man-made, deliberately created for some specific goal.
But if the Gomu Gomu no Mi was not originally meant to produce rubber, then there were two possibilities.
First, Devil Fruits might still be man-made, but the ability it grants was never actually rubber. It was just given the wrong name later because its effects resembled rubber.
And that raised another question. What was the Gomu Gomu no Mi's original ability?
Second, Devil Fruits were not man-made at all, but naturally occurring, like demons or spirits. Later generations simply named it "rubber" because of some trait it displayed.
If that was the case, then the secret behind it was even bigger, so big that Yemu had no clue where to even begin.
Was that really possible?
So he asked what he felt was the most crucial question of all.
"Are Devil Fruit abilities fixed and unchanging?"
If the answer was yes, if Devil Fruit abilities never changed, then Devil Fruits were probably artificial. But if they could change, then things got much more interesting.
The moment Yemu asked, surprise flashed across Lillilu's eyes, and she said with open admiration,
"Young Master, you really are clever. It took me a long time to think of that question myself. But I can't answer it."
"Why?"
"It's simple. How does Young Master define change?"
That question immediately stopped Yemu cold again.
"Does a Devil Fruit user developing their ability count as change? Does awakening count as change? Is there a limit to a Devil Fruit's innate power? We don't know any of that, so naturally, we can't define what change really means."
"For example, the user of the Doa Doa no Mi you sent to rescue me. Opening a door on an ordinary wall is his ability. Opening a door in the air is also his ability. But sensing space itself and opening a door through it. Was that also part of his ability from the very beginning?"
"Young Master is a Mera Mera no Mi user, right? The essence of the Mera Mera no Mi is flame, and in our understanding, the essence of flame is combustion. But my flames can freeze things and burn the soul. The flames of the Mythical Zoan Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix, which is the same type as mine, can heal and restore. Even Kaidou's flame clouds are, in a sense, also fire. So does that mean Young Master could also possess those kinds of abilities?"
"Master once said that what makes this world so wonderful is that it is full of things that seem unreasonable, yet somehow they all exist in a perfectly reasonable way. And the reason for that is the power of Devil Fruits."
"The power of Devil Fruits..."
At that moment, Yemu sank into thought as well.
Lillilu's words had completely blown open the window that had been confining his thinking, letting him glimpse an entirely different world.
"Then what exactly is the power of a Devil Fruit?"
"That, I don't know either. But I once heard Master say that the power of a Devil Fruit is deeply connected to the user's will."
"Will?"
The moment he heard that answer, Yemu seemed to think of something and immediately asked another question.
"Then let me ask you this. Can a Devil Fruit have a will of its own?"
Lillilu froze for a moment. Then an expression of disbelief suddenly appeared on her face.
"Young Master, are you saying that the Devil Fruit inside your body has awakened its own will?"
Even Yemu was stunned by that.
Lillilu's question was too direct, as though she had already guessed why he was asking.
"It seems you really do know quite a lot."
Yemu did not say it outright, but his tone was as good as an admission.
At that moment, Lillilu could no longer keep up her cold, proud front. She stammered,
"Could it be... Master really succeeded?"
"Succeeded? Succeeded at what?"
Yemu felt like he had gotten one step closer to the truth, but this time, Lillilu refused to say more.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you, Young Master. I do know some things, but I promised Master that anything I was not supposed to know, I would never tell anyone else. If Young Master wants the answer, then ask Linlin. She will tell you everything."
But at that moment, Yemu seemed to have guessed something.
"Is it related to Charlotte Linlin's Devil Fruit?"
Lillilu's expression changed drastically, but she still said nothing.
That was enough.
Giving a Devil Fruit a will of its own did indeed sound somewhat similar to the power of Charlotte Linlin's Soru Soru no Mi.
"Looks like tomorrow is definitely going to be lively."
As he spoke, Yemu drew Tengoku from his waist and slowly wiped the blade clean.
Against a monster like Charlotte Linlin, who had mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion, Yemu knew that relying on his own strength alone would never be enough if he wanted to fight her head-on. The power of the Atsu Atsu no Mi would become his key, not necessarily to victory, but at least to avoiding defeat.
As the blade of Tengoku was wiped clean, a dazzling light began to shine from its surface.
Lillilu stared at it in shock.
"This is..."
Then she suddenly seemed to realize something, and her expression turned grave.
"Young Master, this sword actually has a Devil Fruit ability?"
"Mm."
Yemu nodded casually.
"It has the power of the Paramecia-type Atsu Atsu no Mi. Since it matches my Mera Mera no Mi extremely well, I took it and attached it to Tengoku."
Lillilu did not dwell on the fact that Yemu possessed the ability to attach a Devil Fruit to an object. Instead, she asked another extremely important question.
"Young Master, I want to ask something. Has the Atsu Atsu no Mi inside this sword also awakened its own will?"
Yemu nodded.
In an instant, Lillilu was even more shocked. After thinking it over, she suddenly asked a very strange question.
"Young Master, there are so many powerful Devil Fruits in the world. Do you know why Master insisted that I eat this particular Mythical Zoan?"
Yemu was taken aback, and then he heard the joy in Lillilu's voice as she said,
"He was preparing for this very moment. When a Devil Fruit awakens a will of its own, it means it has already broken through the shackles of its Lineage Factor. And in this world, any lifeform that gains self-awareness gains a soul of its own. My Realm of Death is the realm of souls."
Yemu instantly understood.
"So, Young Master, would you like to try?"
"To become the first dual Devil Fruit user in this world?"