Vane spotted a strangely shaped fruit.
Because of Devil Fruits, Vane was extremely sensitive to oddly shaped or unusually colored fruits.
In the pirate world, some fruits naturally look strange—but among a cluster of identical fruits, one that stands out is especially eye-catching.
On what appeared to be a mango tree hung a green fruit with black spiral patterns. Amid a sea of golden-yellow mangoes, it was strikingly conspicuous.
"I wonder if this Devil Fruit grew after the Golden Lion dropped it, or if it was already there before he threw it down."
If it had been there before being dropped, then the Golden Lion really had terrible luck.
Vane stepped closer to the Devil Fruit. The moment he plucked it into his hand, a brand-new Articuno feather appeared—his eighth feather.
"I wonder if there'll ever be a day when the feathers get plucked clean."
The appearance of an Articuno feather meant this was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
A Paramecia-type… and with these patterns… Vane remembered seeing it in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia. He just needed to compare carefully to confirm.
Carrying the fruit, Vane searched Green Hell Island again, hoping his luck would be good enough to uncover a second reborn Devil Fruit.
But clearly, his luck wasn't that outrageous—finding two reborn Devil Fruits on the same island was too much to ask.
Back aboard the Thunder Fortress, Vane quickly opened the Devil Fruit encyclopedia and flipped straight to the one he remembered.
"As expected—it's this one."
The Paramecia-type Grow-Grow Fruit.
Judging from its attributes, it resembled a lower-tier version of the Wood-Wood Fruit… or perhaps even a tier below that.
The Grow-Grow Fruit's ability allowed the user to dance their body, causing vines and similar plants to rapidly sprout around them. These plants could bind and lash enemies like whips, and also serve defensive purposes.
It appeared in Zephyr's movie, belonging to one of his two prized students at the end—Binz.
"Right now Zephyr is an Admiral. If the monsters of Green Hell Island threaten the Twin Kingdom and they ask the Marines for help, there's a good chance this Devil Fruit would be discovered and fed to his future student, Binz."
In Zephyr's film, his two students—Binz and Ain—must be quite young at this point.
Ain's Devil Fruit ability was even more outrageous—the Return-Return Fruit. A single touch could revert someone's age by twelve years. It looked like a downgraded version of the Age-Age Fruit, but in some ways it was even more overbearing.
"So… who should get the Grow-Grow Fruit?"
It wasn't particularly strong, but it wasn't weak either. Since it didn't enhance physical strength, it definitely wouldn't go to Dice.
"Everyone, come over. Let's have a meeting."
It happened to be mealtime, and before they ate, Vane called everyone over.
"What's up, Captain?"
"Is that a Devil Fruit in the Captain's hand?"
"It sure looks like it. Wonder what kind it is."
Holding up the fruit, Vane said, "Take a look—this is a Devil Fruit I just found on the island. A Paramecia-type Grow-Grow Fruit…"
He briefly explained the ability. Whether it was amazing or not didn't matter—what mattered was that it could be eaten.
"I know everyone's eager… but this Devil Fruit has one particular requirement. To make full use of its power, you have to know how to dance."
Some of those who had been itching to volunteer instantly froze.
Ask them to fight tigers or bears with weapons? No problem. Ask them to dance? The image was too horrifying to imagine.
"Who on our ship knows how to dance?"
Baccarat immediately raised her hand.
"You've already eaten a Devil Fruit. Put your hand down."
Vane then looked at Monet, with her green hair. This fruit matched her hair color perfectly—kind of fitting.
Monet waved her hands frantically. "No way, I can't dance."
"Martha can dance—and she's actually very good at it."
In the end, it was Lena who pointed out the only dancer on their ship—Martha.
Among a bunch of stiff-limbed fighters, there was actually a dance master hidden away… Though, a princess knowing how to dance wasn't strange at all.
"You should've raised your hand, Martha."
"I—I can't fight. A Devil Fruit is too important. It's not suitable for me. I'll just stay as the ship's doctor."
Vane had once said he would find her a suitable Devil Fruit. She didn't know if this counted. Since he'd mentioned the condition beforehand, she assumed it wasn't ideal for her.
"Even a ship's doctor needs the ability to protect herself. You don't want to become a burden to the crew, do you, Miss Martha?"
In Vane's mind, the fruits best suited for Martha were the Op-Op Fruit or the Shroom-Shroom Fruit.
But considering how overwhelmingly powerful the Op-Op Fruit was, someone with Martha's gentle and non-combative nature probably wouldn't be able to develop it fully. Besides, Vane would be reluctant to give it to her even if he had it.
As for the Shroom-Shroom Fruit… its current user was Wapol's older brother. Given his age, he had likely already eaten it.
The Grow-Grow Fruit wasn't particularly useful for medical purposes—though from another angle, it could potentially be used to cultivate medicinal plants.
"You eat it. No one else on the ship can dance."
Vane directly placed the Devil Fruit into Martha's hands.
At that point, she couldn't refuse. She took a big bite out of it.
She frowned slightly but didn't twist in agony. As a doctor, perhaps she had remarkable endurance.
"Hurry and try out your ability."
Martha immediately began dancing in place. Soon, two vines sprouted from the ground, swaying in rhythm with her movements.
As if guided by her thoughts, her dance shifted, and the two vines lashed through the air, striking the sea and sending up a splash.
"With some development, that power definitely won't be weaker than the octopus whipping people last night."
"Congratulations, Martha. From now on, you're half a combatant too."
Martha becoming an ability user was worth celebrating. The team's overall strength had improved, and everyone else trained even harder.
At the same time, Vane ordered the Fish-Man and the Gyarados submarine to patrol the surrounding seas. If they spotted any sign of the Marines, they were to report back immediately.
Since the Grow-Grow Fruit had appeared here, Zephyr might not be far behind. Vane was still far from being Zephyr's match. He had to proceed carefully.
...
The Rocket Team grunts' "hardship" days on Green Hell Island began.
The island's wild beasts were left to Bonez and the others, while Vane himself mostly trained under the crushing pressure of the deep sea.
Outside of combat, the high-pressure underwater environment allowed him to absorb energy faster while tempering his body.
Of course, aside from training, he would often "stroll" over, searching for traces of other Devil Fruits.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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