The other women looked at Domino and little Ailiche with varying degrees of envy in their eyes.
These were two top-tier Devil Fruits!
Fortunately—
There was no jealousy.
Leno placed the two uniquely shaped fruits on the table.
One was the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The other had a strange shape, vaguely resembling some kind of animal. Its body was ocean-blue and it emitted a mysterious aura.
"You two choose," Leno said to Domino and Ailiche.
Domino looked at the two fruits, her emotions complicated.
But mostly—
She felt touched.
Following Leno… the man she loved… had truly been the right choice.
Such precious things, and he let them choose first…
After all—
Although Leno already had Devil Fruit abilities, he suffered no side effects.
In theory, he could eat another one himself.
Little Ailiche adjusted her glasses, equally moved. She knew very well how expensive Devil Fruits were.
Even the most ordinary one cost over a hundred million Berries.
Let alone powerful ones.
Still—
Looking at the two fruits that didn't look appetizing in the slightest, she spoke softly.
"Captain… if I eat this, I'll become a landlubber, right? I'll drown if I fall into the sea? Maybe… I shouldn't eat it. I'm the shipwright—I don't need to fight…"
"And if all of us are users and fall into the water… there'll be no one to save us…"
A total wipeout!
Leno smiled at her worried expression and gently rubbed her head.
"It's fine. Don't worry. I'm not afraid of seawater—I can rescue you. And maybe I'll even find a way to make you immune too."
"If you eat it, your strength will grow much faster."
Hearing that, Ailiche nodded.
If the captain said so—
Then it was fine.
Leno turned to Domino.
"What about you? Which one?"
Domino's gaze moved back and forth between the two fruits.
Finally, she took a deep breath and pointed at the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Captain… I want the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
Leno casually asked, "Why choose that one? The other might be even stronger."
Domino's cheeks instantly flushed red.
She lowered her head slightly, fingers twisting together nervously.
Seeing her like that, Leno was speechless.
You're just picking a fruit—why are you blushing like you're proposing?!
Before he could press further, Domino spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito.
"Because… because the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's ability… looks a little like the Chop-Chop Fruit…"
"I… I want… to be a little closer to you, Leno…"
The room fell silent.
Robin's lips curved into a knowing smile.
Kalifa's mouth twitched.
Perona dramatically covered her mouth.
Bonney raised an eyebrow.
Little Ailiche blinked with blatant disdain.
But internally, they were all screaming:
Are you in elementary school?! That's so childish!
Leno was stunned into silence.
Was this what a love-struck brain looked like?
Or was this… just love?
"You're choosing a Devil Fruit and still manage to make it about me?"
He didn't understand.
And he was deeply shaken.
Of course—
For some inexplicable reason—
It felt pretty good.
Who wouldn't want to be the object of someone's love-brain devotion?
It was ridiculously satisfying.
"Ahem…" Leno cleared his throat, masking his awkwardness. "Alright. Since you've chosen the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
He picked up the ocean-blue unknown fruit and handed it to Ailiche.
"Then this one is yours."
Ailiche didn't complain.
Domino had been Leno's earliest companion. It made sense she chose first.
Besides, the other fruit wasn't necessarily weaker.
She didn't have overwhelming ambition anyway.
It was more than enough.
With their choices made, the two each held their fruit.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power was well-known.
So everyone's curiosity shifted to the ocean-blue fruit in Ailiche's hands.
Curiosity was human nature.
Even Domino wasn't exempt.
Just as Ailiche was about to take a bite—
Domino stopped her.
"Wait, Ailiche," she said. "Let me eat mine first. Then I'll take a careful look at what yours does."
With that—
She didn't hesitate anymore.
She closed her eyes and bit into the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
And then—
The universally acknowledged horror struck.
"Ugh—!"
Domino gagged.
Her beautiful face twisted into an expression of pure agony.
Eating this thing—
What was the difference between this and eating… that?!
Not that she'd ever tried.
But she was certain nothing could taste worse.
"S-so disgusting!!!" Her tongue felt numb.
"Is this even meant for human consumption?!"
Her pupils trembled violently.
She knew Devil Fruits tasted bad—
She didn't know they were this bad!
Her reaction completely frightened Ailiche, who was still holding her own fruit.
Ailiche looked at her beautiful blue fruit—
Then at Domino, who looked like she was ascending to another plane from sheer suffering.
Her little face scrunched up.
"Is… is it really that bad? I… I'm kind of scared now…"
Just how disgusting did it have to be—
For steady Domino to look like this?
At first, Leno had entertained a mischievous thought.
He almost wanted to use the old trick:
"You must eat the entire fruit to gain its full power."
But seeing Domino's suffering—
He decided against it.
Too cruel.
He wouldn't play that trick—
But someone else would.
Just as Domino, fighting nausea, prepared to toss away the remaining half—
Robin suddenly stopped her.
"Domino, you can't just take one bite and throw it away."
Her expression was solemn.
Domino blinked in confusion.
"Why?"
Robin shook her head gravely.
"You misunderstand."
"You must eat the entire Devil Fruit to obtain the most complete and powerful version of its ability."
"If you only eat one bite, the power will be flawed. Future development will become extremely difficult."
After saying that, Robin glanced meaningfully at the other Devil Fruit users.
Kalifa, Perona, and Bonney froze for half a second—
Then immediately caught on.
Suppressing the laughter bubbling inside—
They straightened their faces and nodded seriously.
"That's basic knowledge," Kalifa adjusted her glasses with perfect composure.
"Mm-hmm! I forced myself to finish mine completely!" Perona hugged Kumacy and nodded vigorously.
"Yeah. No matter how bad it tastes, you have to finish it," Bonney added solemnly.
Standing nearby, Leno's mouth twitched.
As expected of you, dark-hearted little Robin…
Already scheming.
He didn't expose them.
Watching the show was far more entertaining.
Domino blinked her wide, slightly too-clear-and-innocent eyes.
No wonder she usually wore sunglasses.
Otherwise, it was obvious she'd be easy to fool.
"Really? I don't believe it…"
"How could anyone finish something that tastes like this…"
Seeing her waver—
Robin pressed on firmly.
"It's true! We all endured it. For complete power, no matter how awful it tastes—you must persevere."
"Exactly!" Perona and the others chimed in again, their expressions impossibly "sincere."
And just like that—
All eyes returned to Domino.
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