As for what exactly existed inside that "extra-dimensional pocket," Leno didn't bother to dwell on it.
If he had time, he'd just send his "second brother" to dig deeper into it.
Right now, the Devil Fruit in front of him was more important.
The flesh of the fruit was a peculiar pink color, covered with spiral patterns.
The moment Leno saw its appearance, his eyebrows raised slightly.
He immediately thought of the artificial Devil Fruit that Caesar Clown had stolen.
Combined with the fact that Monet had been stationed at Punk Hazard's research base—
Before Leno could even ask, Monet's explanation confirmed his guess.
"Lord Leno, this fruit… should be one of Caesar's treasures. He often took it out to study it. He seemed to value it highly."
"But I don't know exactly what kind of fruit it is…"
As she spoke, her face carried a trace of unease and anxiety.
She knew very well that the information Sugar had brought was extremely valuable.
But the fruit she was offering—
Might not catch Leno's interest at all. It might even be completely useless.
Who knew what ability this fruit had?
If it turned out to be worthless…
She didn't even dare imagine the consequences.
She had heard rumors across the seas that he was extremely… indulgent.
Perhaps becoming someone untouchable wasn't such a bad thing after all.
She didn't know what this fruit was—
But Leno did.
The artificial Azure Dragon fruit.
He immediately recognized it.
Even though the color was pink—different from Kaido's—
The ability itself was exactly the same!
If cultivated properly, it could at least reach commander-level strength.
Even if it didn't reach Kaido's level, it would still be extremely powerful.
A playful smile appeared on Leno's face.
"This fruit…" Leno looked at Monet. "Is very strong."
Monet raised her head, a hint of expectation in her eyes.
"You don't know—but I do," Leno continued. "This is one of Vegapunk's experimental products. Though he considered it a failure."
Hearing this, Monet's expression immediately fell.
Her eyes dimmed with disappointment.
Artificial Devil Fruits weren't anything impressive to begin with…
And this was even labeled a failure.
But then Leno changed tone.
"However, Vegapunk's definition of 'failure' isn't the same as yours."
Monet's curiosity was instantly rekindled.
Leno looked at her and said slowly:
"This fruit is only different in color from the original. Its ability… is exactly the same."
"What fruit is it?" Monet couldn't help but ask.
"Zoan-type · Fish-Fish Fruit · Mythical Zoan…"
Leno spoke each word clearly:
"Azure Dragon form."
"Nani?!"
Monet's pupils shrank as her face filled with shock and disbelief.
As a former member of the Donquixote Family, how could she not understand what this fruit represented?!
This was the ability of the man her Young Master—
No, Doflamingo—
Feared the most: Kaido!
"The Azure Dragon… it's actually this fruit!"
Her heart trembled, but she felt no greed.
She had already eaten the Snow-Snow Fruit, and Sugar had the Hobby-Hobby Fruit.
Keeping it for herself was meaningless.
Better to offer it up and gain favor.
Leno looked at her shocked expression and suddenly asked:
"Do you want to eat this fruit?"
Monet froze—
Then her face instantly turned deathly pale.
With a thud, she dropped to her knees—smooth and immediate.
Her voice trembled with fear.
"L-Lord Leno! I don't want to die! Please spare me!"
Everyone knew that eating two Devil Fruits would cause your body to explode.
She was terrified—she didn't even know what she had done wrong.
Leno paused, then facepalmed.
Right. Forgot about that.
"Get up," he said, slightly speechless. "I'm not asking you to eat two."
Monet looked up, uncertain.
"What I mean is…" Leno explained, "I can help you replace your Devil Fruit ability."
"Do you want to switch? Your Snow-Snow Fruit is basically just a downgraded version of the Ice-Ice Fruit. It's pretty average."
He tossed the pink Azure Dragon fruit lightly in his hand.
"Since you brought this fruit, it's fine to let you eat it."
Hearing this, Monet's heart began pounding wildly, her face filling with overwhelming joy.
She could hardly believe her ears!
"Replace a Devil Fruit ability?! H-how is that possible?!"
But there was no reason for Leno to lie to her.
Still, she couldn't understand—
Why would he give such a powerful Mythical Zoan to her?
Just a few hours ago, she had still been loyal to Doflamingo.
But for Leno—
A controlled Monet posed no threat.
Even if she gained power, her life was still in his hands.
So what was there to worry about?
If there were a loyalty system, Monet's loyalty would be skyrocketing right now.
"I'm willing! Lord Leno!" Monet's voice trembled with excitement.
Anyone with a brain knew how to choose.
The power of the Azure Dragon—
Was universally known.
"Mm." Leno nodded and reached out—
Grabbing hold of her… heart.
Then he activated his ability.
It wasn't intentional—this was simply the closest point.
Even Leno had no choice here.
A strange force enveloped Monet as she felt something within her body being slowly extracted.
A nearby fruit on the table began to form spiral patterns—
Which Leno casually stored away.
"Eat it," Leno handed her the pink Azure Dragon fruit.
Monet, suppressing the weakness from the extraction, took it with trembling hands.
Without hesitation, she bit into it.
"Ugh—!"
Even though it was her second time, the indescribable disgusting taste nearly made her vomit.
But for the sake of power, she forced herself to swallow it.
"Take your time adapting."
Leno looked at Monet, whose face was flushed unnaturally from weakness and excitement, and smiled meaningfully.
"Tsk… when that guy Ming sees his former subordinate…"
"…using the Devil Fruit of the man he fears most…"
"I wonder what kind of expression he'll have."
The Fallen One continued sailing toward Totto Land.
Meanwhile, in the sky—
Kaido and Blackbeard were searching for Leno's ship.
At the same time, they were also looking for Doflamingo.
"Teach, found him yet?!" Kaido roared impatiently.
Observation Haki—used.
Eyes—used.
Still no sign of Leno's ship.
"Nothing here, Brother Kaido!" Blackbeard frowned.
"Did Leno's ship really move that fast? Or did that bastard Doflamingo give us the wrong location?"
With no results, they changed targets.
If they couldn't find Leno—
They'd find Doflamingo first.
That was much easier.
Soon, they spotted Doflamingo's ship.
Without any courtesy, the two descended directly onto the deck.
Not their ship—no need to be gentle.
The entire vessel shook violently, and the deck cracked open with a large hole.
Doflamingo and his subordinates were startled by the sudden impact.
Something fell from the sky?
No—
It was Kaido and Blackbeard.
Kaido returned to human form, his expression dark.
Blackbeard grinned maliciously.
"Joker!"
Kaido demanded directly:
"Where's that brat Leno?! The location you gave us doesn't lead to him at all!"
Blackbeard narrowed his eyes, staring at Doflamingo.
"…Joker. You're not playing us, are you?"
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