Ravel quickly composed herself, but the grand gesture made by August left a lasting impression on her.
This large health potion, while not comparable to her family's Phoenix Tears, was impressive due to the sheer quantity. To produce two hundred and fifty bottles in one go implied that August had many more in reserve.
As a member of the Phoenix family, who sold Phoenix Tears, she understood the value of this potion. If August possessed the method to produce it, he could create a unique and highly lucrative industry, the value of which was immeasurable.
August was unaware of what Ravel was thinking at the moment, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. Wealth had ceased to matter to him ever since he obtained all the treasures from the Gate of Babylon. His resources were now inexhaustible, and he no longer needed to worry about money.
"August, you just mentioned that these two Devil Fruits are the Snapping Turtle Fruit and the Python Fruit, right?"
"Yes, why?"
"Can you give them to me?"
"Sure, but who are you planning to give them to?"
August handed the two Devil Fruits to Sona without hesitation. After all, she was his woman, and giving her two Devil Fruits was no big deal.
Ravel took note of this gesture. August was generous and magnanimous towards his people.
"These fruits are perfect for Tsubasa and Tomoe."
"Tsubasa and Tomoe, huh?"
Tomoe was a swordswoman, and Hebi Hebi no Mi would significantly enhance her abilities. Similarly, Tsubasa, a battlefield warrior equipped with the Twinkle Aegis, was already a tank and would benefit greatly from Kame Kame no Mi.
"Why don't you want the Moa Moa no Mi?"
"I'm saving the Moa Moa no Mi for Rias. We already have three fruits here."
"You all have such a strong bond."
"If I hadn't eaten this fruit, I definitely wouldn't let go of such a valuable Devil Fruit."
"I think it's quite nice."
As August's gaze lingered on Sona's upper body, he couldn't help but feel attracted. Despite her petite frame, she had developed into an extraordinary figure, making her the most alluring to him at the moment.
Though Sona pretended to be displeased by August's stare, she was secretly pleased. All of August's previous women had been more endowed than her, but now she was catching up. She had a hunch that this wasn't her limit and that she had room to grow further. One day, she hoped to surpass Rias, just as Rias had once outshone her.
Never underestimate a woman's concern for her figure, especially one with status and power.
"Alright, we won't disturb you any longer. Tsubaki, let's go."
With that, she picked up the two Devil Fruits and left with Tsubaki.
August was left puzzled, watching Sona suddenly decide to leave. He had planned to discuss some life philosophies with her after Ravel departed, but now she was gone?
Next, August's gaze fell on Ravel. Being stared at so intensely by a man for the first time made Ravel's cheeks flush red.
"Um, I should be going too. I need to report back to my father."
With that, she hurriedly left, leaving August speechless. When did he become so unapproachable? Everyone left, not a single one stayed behind.
After everyone had left, August opened his hand, revealing four black curses floating in his palm. These were the curses of the Sea Devil, and anyone cursed would be hated by the sea. These four curses were troublesome indeed. If something went wrong, it would cause huge problems.
With a wave of his hand, four fruits appeared on the table. August then infused the four curses into these fruits. Having a vessel for the curses was better to avoid potential trouble.
Once infused with the curses, the fruits were covered with black patterns, resembling Devil Fruits. However, these fruits were not Devil Fruits; consuming them would only result in being cursed without gaining any abilities.
To be safe, August threw these four cursed fruits into his treasury. In the future, if he found suitable candidates, he could have them consume one. The curse of the sea would surely be interesting.
With that taken care of, August let out a breath of relief. This time, his gacha draw yielded some results, though nothing that significantly enhanced his power. One particularly mysterious seed had taken root and started to sprout in his inner world, but it would take some time to fully grow.
Finally, August retrieved the system item he had obtained from the gacha draw, a fusion card. This item allowed the fusion of two objects, though it couldn't be used on living beings.
August summoned the Teigu, Murasame. This killing sword had been acquired from a previous draw, but he had never used it. Today, he had an idea. He had just extracted curses from the Devil Fruits; what if he fused one of those curses with Murasame? Would it produce some sort of mutation?
Without wasting time, he picked up Murasame and one of the cursed fruits. The fusion card could only merge objects, and curse power was a form of energy, not an object. So, this was his only option.
He placed the two items on the table and then picked up the fusion card. As a bright light enveloped them, Murasame and the cursed fruit merged into the fusion card.
Out of the white light, a brand-new Murasame emerged. Its overall appearance hadn't changed much, but the aura it exuded was entirely different to August.
[Cursed Sword Murasame: Attributes: Instant Kill, Curse Absorption, Sea Rejection. The blade is imbued with curse poison, guaranteeing an instant kill. It can absorb curses to enhance the curse poison, and anyone tainted by the curse poison will be rejected by the sea.]
The Cursed Sword Murasame had evolved beyond the realm of Teigu by integrating the sea curse. When August grasped the sword, a wave of malice and resentment surged towards him. This was a natural characteristic of Murasame. Furthermore, anyone slain by Murasame would have their curses and grudges absorbed by the sword.
These powers could be channeled by the wielder, significantly boosting their strength for a short time by bearing the brunt of the curse poison.
With the added effect of the sea curse, Murasame now had not only an instant kill ability but also the curse of the sea. This dual attribute seemed somewhat redundant... after all, an instant kill meant the curse's effect of being rejected by the sea was moot if the victim was already dead.
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