Chapter 52 – Filthy Rich
"What's this? Something to eat?"
Spotting the fruit in Dante Voss's hand, Luffy—the crew's bottomless pit—eyes lit up even though he'd just finished a meal. He reached out to snatch the Devil Fruit.
Dante Voss raised his arm out of reach and released a surge of black energy, pinning Luffy to the deck and holding him fast.
"Let go of me, Dante Voss! I want food!" Luffy yelled.
No one paid him any mind. On this ship, bullying the Captain had become routine.
"What is it? Some weird kind of fruit?"
Nami leaned in for a closer look, curious.
"This fruit looks familiar… I feel like I've seen it somewhere," Chopper muttered as he trotted over.
As a doctor, he knew many medicinal plants, and this fruit struck him as oddly recognizable.
"So bizarre… could it be poisonous?"
Usopp eyed the sinister swirl patterns and shivered.
Sanji and Zoro wandered over, equally intrigued by the Devil Fruit Dante Voss had produced.
"It's a Devil Fruit—the cheapest ones still fetch a hundred million Berries. Whoever eats it gains an amazing Ability."
Robin, once a top officer of Baroque Works, knew Devil Fruits inside out.
After all, she'd been the one handing them out to most of the organization's senior cadres.
"A hundred million!"
At the sum, Nami's eyes sparkled like twin beacons.
Back in Cocoyashi Village, she'd bargained with Arlong to buy her village's freedom for that exact amount.
It had taken years of risky thieving—and near-death scrapes—to scrape together those millions.
And here was a single fruit worth the same fortune; its value was staggering.
"Could it be the Invisibility Fruit?"
Sanji's knees trembled. If it really were the Invisibility Fruit… His legs went weak and little red hearts danced in his eyes.
"So this is a Devil Fruit? Looks gross."
Zoro remained calm. He walked the path of the blade; he had no wish for extra powers.
Only by pursuing a single, pure path could one reach the pinnacle.
"Yep, it's a Devil Fruit!"
Chopper finally recognized it; he'd eaten a similar fruit as a child, gaining human form.
"Ugh, a Devil Fruit? Those taste awful!"
Pinned to the deck, Luffy grimaced the moment he heard what it was.
For someone who'd eat anything, it was the one food he despised.
Disgusting!
Seeing Luffy behave, Dante Voss withdrew his Devil Power and addressed the curious crew: "Right, it's a Devil Fruit. I picked it up in Mary Geoise. So—who wants to eat it?"
He smiled faintly, watching them.
During his earlier jailbreak he'd snagged four Devil Fruits; three had gone to freed Slaves, leaving only this one.
With the abilities his system granted, he had zero interest in eating a fruit himself.
Especially now that he possessed Devil Power; the fruit was beneath his notice.
Rather than leave it sitting in his backpack, he might as well let the Straw Hats have it.
He was curious anyway—what Ability would this particular fruit bestow?
"You're giving it to us?"
The whole crew stared wide-eyed.
None of them had expected Dante Voss to hand over a treasure worth a fortune; his generosity astounded them.
"Dante Voss, you're amazing!" Usopp bawled, tears streaming as he lunged for a hug—only to be pinned to the floor by a tendril of Dante Voss's Devil Power.
"That stuff tastes horrible; I'm not touching it," Luffy said, picking his nose, utterly unmoved.
"A person can eat only one Devil Fruit; more than that and your body explodes," Robin reminded them.
"It'll make you explode?!" Chopper yelped, scuttling away to keep well clear of the fruit.
He was terrified he might accidentally touch it and die.
"I'm a swordsman; I don't need it," Zoro declared, hand on his hilt. Only the sword gave him purpose.
His dream was to become the World's Greatest Swordsman; he'd never eat a fruit.
"What kind of fruit is it? Could it be the Invisibility Fruit?" Sanji pressed, desperate for the answer he wanted most.
Dante Voss shook his head. "No idea. I don't know what type this is."
He'd never studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia; the fruit was a mystery to him.
"I see…" Sanji's hope dimmed and his excitement subsided.
"If it's not the Invisibility Fruit, forget it. I'll wait for that one."
With two of them out, only Nami and Usopp remained. Dante Voss asked, "Which of you wants it?"
Nami hesitated. "Do we really have to eat it? Can't we sell it instead?"
Cash in hand sounded far better to her than some unknown power; they'd already beaten plenty of Ability users on their journey.
A Devil Fruit alone held little allure.
"A mere hundred million? I can't be bothered to sell it," Dante Voss replied, shaking his head.
Nami's vision was too limited.
In this world, strength trumped wealth; piles of Berries were meaningless without power.
Look at her deal with Arlong—what good had a hundred million done when he could simply renege?
In the end, might was everything!
No—every world was ruled by strength!
"A mere hundred million…" Nami's lip twitched.
"That's a fortune! With that kind of money I could live like royalty for the rest of my life!"
She glared at Dante Voss, cheeks puffed in indignation.
Watching her, Dante Voss smirked. "Then how about I give you a hundred million and you become my woman?"
Nami's face flushed scarlet as memories of the bathhouse teasing flooded back.
Words failed her.
Sanji, panicking, burst out, "Absolutely not! The beautiful, noble Nami-swan would never sell herself for a paltry hundred million!"
Regaining her composure, Nami shot Dante Voss a heated glare. "Right—one hundred million isn't enough. Make it a billion."
"Nami-swan!" Sanji's heart bled.
To him she was priceless; how could she agree to marry for a mere billion?!
Damn it—he didn't have a billion!
Yet Dante Voss didn't bat an eyelid. "Fine. A billion it is."
He opened his backpack and pulled out ten briefcases, setting them on the deck.
Black tendrils of Devil Power sprouted from his body, forming ten arms that flipped the cases open.
Bundles of green Berries filled everyone's vision, leaving the crew speechless.
Nami stood stunned, unable to utter a word.