Relying on the [Limitless Technique] to shroud his body with space, thereby creating a Stealth effect, Eiji moved freely in Mary Geoise without anyone noticing.
Even so, he remained cautious in his actions. As much as possible, he avoided the Tenryuubito, or more precisely, he avoided CP-0.
CP-0, short for Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, is the strongest Cipher Pol division, directly under the orders of the Tenryuubito.
Their main task is to guard all secrets of the World Government. They eliminate anyone or anything deemed a threat to the Tenryuubito.
Eiji didn't know if Kenbunshoku Haki could detect him in Stealth mode, but he didn't want to experiment now.
Better safe than sorry.
'If it were Satoru Nii-san, he wouldn't sneak around like this and would prefer to act openly.'
Leaving the building he had searched, Eiji was sure his cousin would have taken a different approach.
If it were Gojo Satoru, with his flamboyant and arrogant personality, he would have turned Mary Geoise upside down to find the Devil Fruit. For him, he feared no one in heaven or earth and had no need to keep a low profile.
'So disgusting.'
As Eiji roamed Mary Geoise, every Tenryuubito he encountered had slaves of various genders and races. Mary Geoise, being the center of the World Government, actually normalized slavery.
The longer he explored Mary Geoise, the more dark sides he saw here.
Fortunately, he wasn't a hot-blooded youth; on the contrary, he had little emotion. If a shonen anime protagonist saw these inhumane scenes, they wouldn't be able to stay silent and would surely cause trouble.
Eiji was different; though he felt slightly uncomfortable, that was all. He never saw himself as a savior and had more important priorities than saving strangers.
'Found it!'
In a room filled with expensive furniture, Eiji picked up a melon-sized fruit from the floor.
The fruit was shaped like a liquor gourd with cork-like leaves.
'If the outside world knew the Tenryuubito treated Devil Fruits like trash, who knows how they'd feel.'
The appearance of the Devil Fruit was unique, and its odd shape described the power contained within. Thanks to this uniqueness, Eiji had no difficulty distinguishing Devil Fruits from ordinary fruits.
'The World Government is really rich; the Gorosei gave the Tenryuubito Devil Fruits to use as they pleased.'
In fact, this was the sixth Devil Fruit he had found after several hours of searching the houses in Mary Geoise.
In the four seas, Devil Fruits were more valuable than gold and jewels. Finding a Devil Fruit in nature was a matter of luck. Of course, not everyone was interested in eating Devil Fruits; some sold them on the black market for very high prices.
In a short time, Eiji had obtained six Devil Fruits in Mary Geoise. From this phenomenon, the abundance of the World Government's resources could be seen.
'Too bad I haven't found a Devil Fruit encyclopedia anywhere. It seems the Tenryuubito's interest in reading is very low; so far, I haven't even found a single book or even a newspaper.'
Storing the newly obtained Devil Fruit in the Storage Ring he made in the world of Zero no Tsukaima, Eiji sighed at not finding any books in that room.
'Let's continue the search.'
Then, he moved to another building.
Maybe luck ran out, but after raiding dozens of houses, he only found one additional Devil Fruit. Thus, there were seven Devil Fruits in his Storage Ring.
Not only that, but the Goddess of Fortune seemed to have left him. Eiji encountered one of the strong individuals in Mary Geoise who sensed his presence in Stealth mode.
"Who's there?!"
The sturdy old man had advanced Kenbunshoku Haki, and while strolling leisurely in the afternoon, he was surprised to detect an invisible presence nearby.
From his wrist enveloped in a black substance, which was the manifestation of Busoshoku Haki, he then punched in the direction he sensed the anomaly.
BAM
WHOOSH
The punch not only generated a strong wind but also caused the room to fluctuate slightly. As a result, he managed to make the other party reveal his figure.
"Amazing. Just a normal attack blessed with advanced Busoshoku Haki caused space fluctuation. What if it were infused with Haoshoku Haki? The combination of these two Haki could truly damage space itself."
"Deserving to be a world influenced by strong experts."
Not only was he unafraid of being exposed, but Eiji also evaluated the attack launched by the other party.
After seeing this, he desired even more to learn Haki.
"Who are you? Do you know this is Mary Geoise? Not everyone can come here."
Seeing the calm white-haired youth in front of him, the sturdy old man didn't rush to attack, wanting to know how the other party had snuck into Mary Geoise first.
If there were an unknown secret route, it would be very dangerous for the Tenryuubito, who had no fighting power.
'This youth is not weak. Why don't I know about him?'
Observing the other party's handsome face, the sturdy old man frowned in contemplation.
Even though he had retired from the Marines, as a former Fleet Admiral, he still kept up with the world's situation.
He knew every strong pirate with a bounty over 100 million belly.
"Who I am is not important. Do you believe I ended up here by accident, Fleet Admiral Kong?"
The Six Eyes gave the bearer very fast computational thinking abilities. In Eiji's mind, a minute had passed, but in reality, it was only a few seconds.
Within that minute, he examined Lin Fan's memories and found the identity of the sturdy old man in front of him.
Fleet Admiral Kong!
Kong was a very muscular old man with a broad chest, tan skin, and strong shoulders, with neatly arranged white hair and beard, and a bit of fuzz on both sides of his face, resembling a lizard's spine. He also had a stitched scar under his left eye.
Not much was known about him, but after retirement, he spent his old age in Mary Geoise while maintaining the safety of the Tenryuubito.
"Kid, do you think I'll believe that stupid reason? If you want to fool others, think of a better excuse."
Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Kong felt the other party underestimated his intelligence.
"Sigh... It's true, people prefer sweet lies over bitter truths."
Eiji sighed, not at all surprised by the other party's reaction.
"Mary Geoise is sacred land; you are caught entering without permission. Don't resist if you don't want to get hurt." Kong said firmly.
"Sorry, I refuse." Eiji replied indifferently.
Instantly, the atmosphere between them grew tense, and conflict could erupt at any moment.