Adam stood there for a long time just staring at the fruit in his hand.
The small chest remained open on the floor.
The only sound was the faint creaking of the ship rocking against the dock and the distant noise of people in Grove 41.
His red eyes scanned the dark-violet fruit slowly.
"I can't recognize this Devil Fruit at all… not that I know all of them..."
His thumb brushed against its spiraled surface.
"…And I don't know what sort of power this is."
He turned it slightly under the light of the cabin.
"…Is this what that God meant?"
His jaw tightened.
"Is this some sort of test… or something predetermined by him?"
Adam let out a slow breath through his nose.
"If that's it… then this is the power he talked about."
He stared harder.
"But it doesn't sound right to me at all."
His thoughts raced.
"Devil Fruits are part of this world. Natural phenomena. Products of the sea, it is not something foreign to this world."
His grip tightened slightly.
"He mentioned that the power wouldn't be native to this world.."
Then his expression shifted.
"…Wait a second."
His eyes narrowed.
"The reason I can't recognize it…"
His gaze locked onto the strange spirals.
"…Maybe it's because this power doesn't belong in this world."
Silence filled the room as that realization settled.
Adam's throat went dry.
"…Shit."
His fingers twitched slightly.
"Do I need to eat it and gamble?"
His lip curled in frustration.
"It could be a horrible power."
Images flashed through his mind.
Useless abilities.
Strange gimmicks that looked cool but failed in real combat.
"And there are plenty of Devil Fruits like that…"
He exhaled sharply.
"Not to mention so many great abilities with powerful users are still alive, so it won't be one of those.."
His gaze drifted toward the door.
"Meaning I don't have that many options…"
He dragged a hand down his face.
"Ugh… fuck."
He looked back at the fruit.
"Here goes nothing…"
His voice came out quiet.
Almost resigned.
He lifted the fruit to his mouth slowly.
For a second
He hesitated.
His eyes stared at it.
Then, he bit down.
CRUNCH.
The texture was awful.
Immediately, his face twisted in disgust and his eyes widened.
The flavor exploded across his tongue like rotten garbage mixed with burnt rubber and bitter chemicals.
He pulled the fruit away instantly.
"UGH!"
He gagged.
"Ew! What the fuck?!"
He forced himself to take another bite.
Even though he knew.
One bite was enough.
He had to consume it all for some reason.
He bit again.
The taste assaulted him again.
His stomach turned violently.
"Why does it taste like actual poison!"
He swallowed, barely.
His throat burned.
His eyes watered.
He forced himself to chew.
Another bite.
Another wave of disgusting flavor.
He almost threw up right there on the wooden floor.
"God..."
He covered his mouth briefly and he bent forward, coughing hard.
"God... Dammit!"
He forced the remaining pieces into his mouth and swallowed them quickly just to get it over with.
He stood there hunched over for a few seconds.
Breathing heavily.
"Good lord…"
His voice was weak.
"That was horrible…"
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
His stomach felt like it had been invaded.
Then his breath hitched, his eyes widened suddenly.
"…I"
He didn't finish the sentence.
His heart.
It started pounding, unnaturally loud.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
He froze.
"…What the hell is going on?"
He slowly straightened up.
The room around him began to feel strange.
The light completely gone.
The shadows in the corners of the captain's quarters stretched longer than they should.
They moved.
Not because of the light, but because something inside the room shifted.
Adam turned his head slowly.
The darkness deepened around him.
The wooden walls disappeared.
The desk blurred.
The bed faded.
Everything turned black.
Then
Two glowing purple eyes opened in the darkness.
They stared directly at him.
Coldly.
Adam's breath caught in his throat.
"What..."
A massive silhouette formed behind the glowing eyes.
A dark figure, a knight.
Made of pure shadow.
It stood behind him in the void.
Watching.
The purple eyes locked onto him.
Adam stumbled backward instinctively.
"Who are you?!"
His pulse accelerated violently.
The knight didn't move.
It simply observed him.
Then
It tilted its head slightly.
As if acknowledging him.
The pressure in the darkness intensified.
Adam felt it.
A presence connected to him. It wasn't hostile.
But he felt it bonded.
His breathing became shallow.
"Stay back.."
And then
Everything snapped, the darkness vanished.
The glowing eyes disappeared and the shadow knight dissolved into nothing.
The captain's quarters returned.
The Light, the desk and bed, all of it.
Normal.
Adam stumbled slightly and caught himself against the wall.
His heart was still racing.
He blinked rapidly as he found himself staring at a mirror mounted on the wall near the desk.
"…What the hell was that?"
His reflection stared back.
Red hair slightly messy.
Red eyes wide.
Breathing heavy.
But
Behind him in the reflection
For a split second
There had been a faint shadowy outline.
Like a knight standing directly behind him.
It was gone now.
But he saw it.
Adam stepped closer to the mirror.
He stared at his reflection carefully.
"…Why do I feel like…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…That knight was familiar?"
His hand slowly lifted.
He touched his chest, his heartbeat was still strong.
He stared at himself again.
"…So that's it."
His voice dropped into realization.
"This fruit…"
His eyes flickered slightly with purple light for the briefest moment.
"…Is clearly not normal."
He straightened slowly.
"And neither is whatever just appeared."
He turned away from the mirror.
The gamble was real, something inside him had already changed.
Adam stepped out of the captain's quarters, the door creaked softly behind him.
He closed it without looking back.
His expression was calm, too calm for what just happened.
The strange pulse he had felt earlier still lingered faintly inside his chest, like something sleeping beneath his skin but he forced his face to remain neutral.
Anna was standing near the railing outside.
She had clearly been waiting.
Her arms were crossed.
Her gray eyes immediately locked onto him the second he appeared.
She scanned his face first.
Then his hands.
Then his posture.
"…Are you done?" she asked.
Her gaze drifted behind him.
"What did you find? Because honestly… this ship doesn't look that interesting."
Adam stepped down onto the deck slowly.
His boots landed softly against the bubble.
He didn't answer immediately.
"Nothing," he said after a brief pause.
Anna blinked.
He continued casually.
"Turns out this treasure was nothing at all."
She stared at him for a moment.
"…What?"
Her eyebrows slowly lowered.
"I mean… I don't know what I expected to be honest…"
She glanced toward the captain's quarters door behind him.
"Still… pirates don't usually want to sell 'nothing'."
Adam didn't stop walking.
He moved toward the center of the deck as if inspecting the surroundings.
Anna watched him carefully.
Something felt off.
She could tell.
After working with him for some time, she had learned how to read his body language.
And right now? he wasn't relaxed.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're not hiding anything, are you?"
The question came out sharper than she intended.
Adam stopped walking.
For a brief second, almost unnoticeable his fingers tightened slightly.
Then he turned his head slowly to look at her.
His expression was serious.
Unfazed.
"You are free to check me and the ship before we leave."
His words were calm.
Anna's eyes widened slightly.
"W-What? No! that's not what I meant!"
Her face flushed faintly.
She quickly raised both hands in front of her like she was defending herself.
"Of course there's no need for me to do that! It's not that I don't trust you... I just..."
She looked away awkwardly.
"Also… why would I eve.. ugh."
She sighed and rubbed her forehead.
Then her eyes returned to him.
"…Are you okay Adam?"
That question was softer.
More genuine.
Adam looked at her for a long moment.
He considered answering with a joke.
Or brushing it off.
But the memory of the shadow knight flashing inside the darkness of the cabin was still fresh.
He could still feel the power moving quietly inside him.
He exhaled slowly.
"I'm fine."
"We should return to base."
Anna watched him carefully.
She wasn't fully convinced.
But she didn't push further.
Adam continued walking toward the edge of the ship.
"The captain might be expecting us."
His lips twitched faintly.
"…Besides, I'm probably getting punished or praised."
"Maybe both."
/-\
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