Bullet rushed onto the deck as fast as he could. But when he got there, the fight was already over.
Seeing this, he clicked his tongue and said, "Hey, hey, are you guys not giving a newcomer any chance to gain experience? We finally have a battle, and you finish it before I even set foot on the ship?"
"Blame them for being too weak," Valthior said with a grin.
Bullet felt speechless, but didn't waste time. He quickly joined everyone in searching the ship.
Soon, he found a small chest under the mast. Inside was a Devil Fruit. He walked over, crushed the iron lock with one hand, opened the chest, and said in surprise, "Oh? A Devil Fruit!?"
"A Devil Fruit?" Roger walked out of the cabin holding a box of treasure. "If the Whitebeard Pirates were carrying it, it should be something good. Let's see what power it has."
After a short pause, he added, "There are two more boxes of treasure inside. Probably worth around one or two hundred million Berries. Not much, but still something."
Compared to the poor Whitebeard Pirates, the Roger Pirates were all rich. They didn't even care about one or two hundred million Berries.
If that kind of money fell on the ground, Valthior wouldn't even bother picking it up.
So he didn't go into the cabin. Instead, he walked over to Bullet and said, "Let me see what fruit this is."
The Phoenix Devil Fruit was very easy to recognize. Valthior didn't even need to check the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. He just took one look and shouted, "Holy crap, we hit the jackpot! This is the Mythical Zoan: Phoenix!"
"Mythical Zoan? Another Mythical Zoan!?" Rayleigh said in surprise. "Are you sure?"
Even though it seems like there are many ability users in the sea, Devil Fruits are actually very rare. Since Valthior joined the crew almost five years ago, aside from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, they had only found one more in Wano Country. That shows how rare they are.
But somehow, the Roger Pirates kept getting Mythical Zoans one after another, like they had some kind of fate with them.
"I'm sure. Very sure. If you don't believe me, check the Encyclopedia yourself!" Valthior said firmly.
Even though he hadn't confirmed it before, just from its look, he was almost certain. Marco got the Phoenix power when he was young. The timing matched. And the appearance was too obvious.
Valthior was one hundred percent sure this was the Phoenix!
Because of his presence, things had changed. The Roger Pirates had taken the Phoenix Fruit that should have gone to Marco!
"So is this Mythical Zoan strong?" Bullet asked. "Phoenix sounds nice. What does it do?"
"Well," Valthior said, "this power gives you something like an immortal body. As long as the blue flames are there, you won't die. It's very strong. It also has healing power…"
He explained the ability based on what he knew.
The more Bullet listened, the more excited he became. He swallowed and said, "It boosts your strength and body like normal Zoans… and it can revive you and heal fast? I like this power!"
Bullet didn't really want a Devil Fruit before. He could wait until he found one he liked. He wasn't in a hurry.
But Zoan types already suited him. And this Phoenix, with its regeneration and revival, was exactly what he wanted!
As always, most members of the Roger Pirates didn't care about Devil Fruits. That's why things like the Yamata no Orochi Fruit and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit were still unused.
Even though the Phoenix was powerful, those who didn't want it still didn't care.
So when Bullet said he liked it, everyone agreed.
"This one is yours."
Valthior patted his shoulder and said, "If you want it, don't hesitate. Just eat it now. Better safe than sorry."
Take Gram, for instance—if he had just eaten the fruit earlier, would Bullet be the one enjoying it now?
"Don't we need to check the Encyclopedia to be sure?" Gaban reminded from the side.
Bullet waved his hand. "If the young master says so, then it must be right!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't hesitate. He stuffed the Phoenix fruit into his mouth, endured the strange taste, and swallowed it whole.
Everyone watched him with curiosity.
A moment later, Bullet's eyes lit up. "It's coming!"
Blue flames burst out from his body and quickly spread across the deck. The others were shocked and stepped back.
But something strange happened. The blue flames didn't burn things. The deck was covered in fire, but it didn't get destroyed. When the flames touched some injured Whitebeard Pirates, their wounds actually started to heal.
"Oh? It really has healing power?" Rayleigh said in surprise. "Then Bullet doesn't need to be an apprentice anymore. Just become the ship doctor!"
It was well known that the Roger Pirates didn't have a ship doctor. After a fight, they relied entirely on experience to treat wounds; they were all paragons of "learning through injury," and any one of them would be considered a surgical expert out in the world.
"I want to be a main fighter! How can I be a doctor!?" Bullet said right away.
Rayleigh shot back, "You can't even make it in time for a fight, and you want to be a fighter? A ship doctor is very important. Don't look down on it!"
"Very important? Then why don't you have one after all these years!?" Bullet said, speechless.
"Forget that," Spencer said. "Try it. Let's see if you really can't die. I'm curious!"
Bullet didn't hesitate. He pulled out the military dagger from his leg and stabbed it straight into his chest.
Everyone was shocked by how direct he was.
"Quick! Doctor! Find a doctor… oh wait, the doctor just stabbed himself!" Rayleigh shouted.
"You're really crazy!" Roger said, staring at Bullet.
If he didn't have that power, he would be dead right now.
But he wasn't. Bullet felt pain, but he didn't feel like he was dying. Instead, blue flames came out from the wound and covered the dagger. Soon, even the pain disappeared.
He yanked the dagger out. Not a single drop of blood was seen. Before the others could get a clear look, the wound had completely healed—not even a scar remained!
"Holy cow, the Phoenix is truly incredible!" Roger said in shock.
"It's decided. When we finally run into Harald, you're taking the lead!" Gaban said right away.
Thinking about Harald's strength, Bullet's mouth twitched. "I'm the ship doctor, and I'm taking the lead!?"
"You little…" Rayleigh shook his head, half laughing.
After spending so much time together, Bullet, who used to be quiet, had fully joined the fun and crazy vibe of the Roger Pirates.
"Enough talking. Hurry up and take everything valuable. Zunesha is moving again!" Roger said as he noticed the giant elephant had started walking again.
Not long after, the Roger Pirates had finished looting Gram's ship. Ignoring the crew left behind, they quickly steered the Oro Jackson to resume their chase of Zunesha.
Only after they had moved a significant distance away did the pirate subordinates jump into the sea to salvage and rescue their frozen commander.
After a series of maneuvers, they managed to thaw Gram out using warm water. By then, the Oro Jackson and Zunesha were almost vanishing over the horizon.
Gram looked at the receding silhouette of the ship, gritting his teeth in frustration, yet helpless to do anything.
"Contact the Moby Dick. Report what happened…" Gram sighed and chose not to chase them.
After all, being spared once was already giving face to Newgate. If he chased again, he would just be throwing his life away.
...
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