At Makoto's gesture, Yu Ishigami tossed the Devil Fruit box to Hayato Hayama on stage, face twisted with open disdain.
The outright disgusted looks from the audience were enough to make Hayato's face heat up. But what was done was done. No point regretting it now.
...
"Hurry up and eat it!" Haruno Yukinoshita urged, barely containing her excitement.
His goddess was showing this much concern for the first time. Hayato decided it was worth it. Beside her, Yukino watched her sister with bewilderment. Growing up, she had never seen Haruno this enthusiastic about Hayato Hayama.
Makoto added, "You can eat it directly."
With Makoto's confirmation, Hayato stopped hesitating. He pulled out the mushroom-shaped Human-Human Fruit and bit into it.
He considered himself lucky. A brand-new world, a chance at new powers, and while he wasn't sure why, the goddess was clearly warming up to him. After all, Makoto had explicitly stated back in the real world that he had no interest in Haruno Yukinoshita.
Back then, Hayato had barely contained his excitement, nearly jumping for joy. If he could gain a powerful ability, maybe he'd actually have a chance.
"Ugh!"
The moment that first bite went down, Hayato's face turned green. He clamped a hand over his mouth, looking ready to hurl, and the bitten Devil Fruit tumbled to the ground.
"Wow, it really must taste awful..." Itsuki Nakano, who had been eyeing the fruit greedily, silently thanked her luck for resisting the temptation.
Looking at the partially eaten fruit on the ground, Sonoko Suzuki turned to Makoto with curiosity. "Hey, Makoto? If everyone shared it, wouldn't we all get abilities?"
Before Makoto could answer, Gloriosa explained from the side. "That's impossible. Only the first person to take a bite gains the ability. The rest becomes useless."
"How do you feel?" Yukino temporarily shelved her thoughts about her sister's motives and asked Hayato.
Truth be told, she also wanted to grow stronger. Since returning from the Naruto world, factoring in their time in the Chainsaw Man world, it had been roughly fourteen years.
Life in the Nishikado Kingdom was safe enough, but that didn't mean she could coast.
The righteous Yukino Yukinoshita still desired power to carry out her ideals. Over time, she had honed the skills she learned in the Naruto world to perfection, but had been stuck at the low chunin level for years.
To break through, she'd need abilities from another world.
Propped against the wall, face plastered with medicinal patches, Miyuki Shirogane glared at Hayato with bitter resentment. If not for that blonde pretty boy, that ability should have been his.
"I... I don't feel any different." Hayato smacked his lips, fighting down the nausea, and took stock of his body.
Makoto asked, "Can you grow larger? Like a seven or eight-meter giant?"
He remembered Chopper could transform, right? Once during the Water 7 arc against a CP9 agent, and again at the Sabaody Archipelago against Sentomaru. Both times, Chopper had lost control. It took two years of training before he fully mastered that power.
Hayato tried channeling his internal energy the way one would manipulate chakra, then scratched his head. "N-no... I don't think so."
Makoto thought harder. Right. He remembered now. Chopper could transform because he had developed something called the Rumble Ball.
Which meant when an ordinary human ate the Human-Human Fruit, aside from becoming unable to swim, there would be no physical changes whatsoever.
Haruno blinked. "What, no changes at all? I thought eating a Devil Fruit always awakened a new power?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka, flipping through the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, offered a theory. "The fruit is called the Human-Human Fruit. So eating it gives you the power to become... human. But our blonde friend here is already a person."
The mood in the room shifted instantly.
The power to become human?
What kind of superpower was that?
Kotonoha Katsura, Ran Mouri, and the others glanced at Pochita, who was lounging beside Makoto's drink table, and figured out the fruit's actual application. If an animal ate it, they would gain the ability to transform into a human.
It was a familiar trope in fiction. The protagonist saves an animal, and that animal transforms into a person to repay the kindness. Both Japanese and Chinese folklore loved that story.
For an animal, the fruit had genuine utility. But for a human? Completely pointless.
Hayato put it together and nearly broke down. He was already human. Why would he need the power to become one?
Now he'd not only lost his chance at a Devil Fruit power, he was also stuck as a water-fearing landlubber.
Miyuki Shirogane, still wedged in his corner, let out a long breath. Christ, that was close. He'd almost eaten that garbage fruit himself.
"Hahahaha!" Nayuta burst out laughing. She'd figured it out the moment she heard the fruit's name. And that blonde's expression had been absolutely priceless.
Makoto ruffled Nayuta's hair. This girl really had a terrible personality.
Then something occurred to him. Nayuta's contracted partner in the real world was an American citizen. If she got injured here in the pirate world, would that damage transfer to the person back home?
Given the girl's original fate of being turned into sushi, Makoto decided he'd capture a few pirates later to serve as blood bags for Nayuta.
Miyuki Shirogane, who had been ready to murder Hayato moments ago, suddenly felt a flicker of gratitude toward the man.
"It's fine, Hayato. There's more than one way to get stronger in this world," Haruno consoled him.
After spending the past few days with the Kuja Pirates, everyone had learned that Devil Fruits weren't the only path to power. This world had another mainstream combat system called Haki.
Close-combat fighters like Ran Mouri and Yotsuba Nakano had already started asking the Kuja for lessons.
Hearing his goddess's comfort, Hayato's mood improved, if only slightly.
"Alright, alright. Show's over. Back to bed." Makoto waved everyone off.
Aside from Hayato, everyone had enjoyed a relatively pleasant day. Even Miyuki Shirogane, battered and bruised, felt like he'd come out ahead.
"Sister, why did you egg him into eating that fruit?"
On the walk back to the inn, Yukino finally connected the dots.
Makoto must have known from the start that the fruit was garbage. Why else would he offer it as a prize instead of giving it to one of his women?
But what puzzled Yukino more was why Haruno had pushed Hayato to eat it. She'd never admit it aloud, but Yukino knew her sister was smarter than her. If Yukino could see through it, surely Haruno could too.
So why feed it to Hayato?
"Yukino, our leader doesn't like me." Haruno sighed.
Yukino frowned. Did she really need to be reminded of that?
"This world is called One Piece, right? The name alone tells you it's not safe. We've seen what those Warlord pirates do. Burning, killing, pillaging. You saw that one called Queen today." Haruno glanced at her sister. "Yukino, do you think you could beat him?"
Yukino fell silent, then shook her head.
If this were a debate in the Service Club about whether people with different talents could be friends, she could twist the logic however she wanted. But strength was physical. You either could or you couldn't.
Haruno sighed. "I asked around with the Kuja Pirates. A hundred-and-seventy-million bounty isn't low, but it's nowhere near the top tier. Right now I'm living safely under the leader's protection, but if I accidentally do something that displeases him, he could toss me aside at any time."
"So..." Yukino had already pieced together her sister's reasoning.
Haruno nodded. "I had Hayama test the fruit for us. You can only eat one Devil Fruit in your lifetime, right? Can't waste it blindly. Having someone run the experiment isn't a bad idea."
What a piece of work. When she was egging him on, it was 'Hayato.' Now it was just 'Hayama.'
Yukino stared. Fine, her sister's logic was sound. But that was thoroughly dehumanizing. One move like this and Hayato had permanently lost his chance to gain power through a Devil Fruit.
Haruno read her expression and waved dismissively. "Yukino, sometimes you have to drop the moral baggage. We can barely protect ourselves. How are we supposed to worry about anyone else? Besides, Hayato didn't blame me, did he?"
Yukino was stunned all over again. She knew her sister ruthlessly exploited people she had no interest in, but Hayato had been simping for over a decade. Did she really have to be that cold?
...
...
"Haha. That's pretty devious."
Makoto's voice came from behind them. Haruno's expression changed instantly, and she bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle. "L-leader!"
She immediately started shooting frantic looks at her sister. A beat behind, Yukino bowed as well, though with considerably less zeal.
"Relax, I'm not scolding you." Makoto looked at Haruno. "Though I think you're overcomplicating things. Just tell Hayato the truth. That simp would probably agree anyway."
Haruno managed an awkward smile and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "L-leader, out this late... is something the matter?"
"Buying condoms."
Two words, and Makoto walked past the sisters without another glance.
He wasn't comfortable entrusting that kind of personal business to subordinates. Might as well get some fresh air and walk Pochita at the same time.
Normally Makoto just went without. But after trying the ribbed and textured varieties Ran had picked up, he had to admit the experience was surprisingly novel. He'd indulge every now and then.
Though he could also use Pochita's ability to grow a little chainsaw appendage, complete with barbs, only fellow weapon-hybrids like Reze and Kotonoha could handle that. The other girls couldn't take it.
The Yukinoshita sisters both flushed crimson at those two words. Between their thirteen years in the Chainsaw Man world and the current timeline, they were pushing thirty and still virgins.
Watching Makoto's retreating figure, Yukino felt a familiar surge of humiliation. She thought back to before they entered the Chainsaw Man world, when she had offered herself in her mother's place. The look Makoto had given her then.
What was that about? Am I, Yukino Yukinoshita, not attractive enough?
Every time she remembered, the sting returned. It wasn't that she harbored romantic feelings for Makoto. But as someone who had drawn male attention since childhood, she had confidence in her own appeal. The way every protagonist in every crossover fanfic immediately declared "I'm so cute" the moment they arrived spoke volumes.
Yet Makoto's disinterest wasn't an act. It was genuine, bone-deep apathy.
Humiliating. Truly humiliating.
"Yukino, I think that's the first time the leader has ever initiated a conversation with me!" Haruno exclaimed, looking like she'd discovered a new continent.
"What?" Yukino hadn't followed her sister's train of thought.
But thinking back... it actually was.
"Maybe my display of wisdom caught the leader's attention? Should I throw Hayato under the bus a few more times? Maybe the leader will appreciate me even more!"
Yukino: "..."
Have some basic human decency.
...
...
With such a large group, Makoto's party had booked four inns.
The first and finest was reserved for Makoto and his companions.
The second housed the Nakano quintuplets, the Yukinoshita sisters, Shizuka Hiratsuka, and the other women who didn't have that kind of relationship with Makoto, along with what amounted to a wives' club: Mrs. Yukinoshita, Mrs. Yuigahama, Yukiko, and the like.
The third belonged to the Kuja Pirates.
The fourth accommodated the male players: Yu Ishigami, the Fab Four, Miyuki Shirogane, Fuutarou Uesugi, and the rest.
Incidentally, that last inn was separated from the other three by an entire street. Yu Ishigami had proposed the arrangement himself. No disturbing the adults.
In the finest room of the first inn, Reze bit into the wrapper of a newly purchased ribbed condom, pulled it free, and rolled it on in one fluid motion.
Flawless execution.
Megumi Kato, Kotonoha Katsura, and the other onlookers stared in disbelief. Wait, you can do it like that?!
No wonder Reze had been the first woman Makoto brought back from another world. Compared to the other girls in the group, she had one massive advantage: she was completely uninhibited.
It probably helped that Makoto had a type. Experienced women didn't play coy like younger girls. The relationship was already transgressive, so why pretend to be innocent?
Reze fell squarely into that category. In the Chainsaw Man world, she'd been forcibly converted into a weapon-human hybrid and lived a life worse than death. Now that she was finally living well with her man, why would she put on an act?
Reze charged in.
Battle!
Battle!
Battle!
Reze went down.
A good attitude was one thing. The gap in ability was another entirely. You couldn't expect the national football team to beat Brazil just because they played with heart.
Fortunately, the bench was deep.
The commotion from Makoto's room was loud enough to make the Kuja women restless. Through the windows, some of them sneaked peeks at the proceedings, and a few couldn't resist touching themselves as they watched.
From the Kuja inn, a slender figure slipped out.
"That girl... Tritoma, right?" Nino Nakano recognized her.
She was a new recruit in the Kuja Pirates, said to be the most talented of the younger generation on the island. She had a decent personality too, and had spent the afternoon explaining Haki to the group.
The women watched as Tritoma swallowed hard and sneaked into Makoto's private inn.
Half an hour later, if you listened carefully, you could faintly hear Tritoma's cries.
The Nakano quintuplets: ...
The Yukinoshita sisters: ...
Shizuka Hiratsuka: ...
The Fujiwara sisters: ...
Wait, no, she's just going in? Like that?
Actually, it wasn't just the women outside. Inside the room, Utaha Kasumigaoka and Ran Mouri had been equally stunned when Tritoma blurted out, "Excuse me, Sir Makoto, would you have some fun with me?"
It came down to cultural differences. The Kuja women's attitude toward sex was essentially the gender-flipped version of men.
Without exaggeration, sometimes during raids, if they spotted a good-looking man, they'd drag him aboard and have their way with him. How else did people think the crew members kept getting pregnant after returning home?
For Tritoma, who was high-school-aged and had encountered nothing but rough, uncouth men since going to sea, Makoto was an entirely new specimen. Someone that strong and that attractive? Not sampling him would be a tragedy.
Well, if she's offering, might as well show her who's in charge.
Makoto wasn't one to overthink these things.
That said, when he felt that initial resistance upon entry, he paused.
Feeling his hesitation, Tritoma wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Don't worry about it. Giving it to you is no loss."
Just as few men obsessed over male virginity, most Kuja women didn't place much stock in their first time either. When they did choose to lose it, they picked someone who appealed to them. Someone like the one Tritoma had chosen right now.
Makoto had to give credit to this minor character from the original series who barely had a few lines of dialogue.
"L-leader, do you... want to learn Haki? If you apply it to... that, it enhances the technique's power. And if you develop your Armament Haki to a higher level, you can..."
Tritoma explained the principles of Haki between ragged breaths.
Makoto gave it a try.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Tritoma's scream shook the heavens.
Watching that black Rayquaza piston in and out, the already-spent Reze and Yui Yuigahama stared, eyes wide.
Haki was great. Haki had to be learned.