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...
Noir cradled the freshly obtained Ryu Ryu no Mi fruit in his hands, feeling quite pleased with himself.
Spandam had likely come searching for this fruit to pass it on to Lucci. Given that Lucci's original Devil Fruit was the Neko Neko no Mi, this wasn't really stepping on his toes, was it?
The group had waited at the station for a while, and once the Sea Train arrived, they finally boarded it, heading back to Water 7.
Noir handed the Ryu Ryu no Mi to Wyper, saying, "It's yours."
Wyper looked surprised. "For me?"
"The Ryu Ryu no Mi's fighting style suits you perfectly. You should try eating it," Noir advised, his tone earnest.
Noir had considered eating the fruit himself, gaining two abilities, and then swapping out the side effect of being hated by the sea. But he wasn't sure about the difference between gaining an ability by eating the fruit and copying an ability with his system. What if eating the fruit made the abilities permanent? That would be a problem.
Besides, with a Zoan-type fruit, Noir preferred to find two Mythical Zoan Fruits to copy and merge, given their unique abilities.
Wyper hesitated but eventually took the Ryu Ryu no Mi. "What about you?"
"I've already eaten a Devil Fruit," Noir lied smoothly, "Plus, I can copy your ability, so don't worry about it."
Wyper thought it over for a moment and finally nodded. He had chosen to follow Noir, and to protect him, he needed to become stronger.
Before everyone's eyes, Wyper bit into the fruit.
Noir couldn't help but smile as he watched Wyper's face contort in disgust.
That familiar twisted expression...
Watching someone eat a Devil Fruit was oddly satisfying!
Enel, smirking, looked on. As a fellow Devil Fruit user, he knew exactly how awful the experience was. When he ate the Goro Goro no Mi, the taste had been so bad he nearly choked.
Wyper struggled to swallow the fruit, grimacing. "That was absolutely disgusting!"
"It tastes like a rotten hog exploded in my mouth!"
Franky stood there, wide-eyed at Wyper's colorful description. "Man, that's some vivid imagery!"
Noir looked at Wyper, intrigued. "How do you feel?"
Wyper flexed his muscles and was pleasantly surprised. "My body feels hot... I feel stronger... I think I could flip this Sea Train over right now!"
As he experimented with his newfound power, Wyper's skin began to harden, taking on a brownish hue. Noir quickly stopped him.
"Not here! Wait until we're ashore."
Wyper nodded and managed to suppress the urge until they disembarked.
The moment they were off the train, Wyper rushed out and immediately activated his transformation ability, turning into a Pteranodon.
Wyper's body began to expand, his arms slowly transforming into massive wings. His darkened skin hardened, and even his mouth elongated.
The massive wingspan and sheer size, this was the Pteranodon in all its terrifying glory.
If only he had a camera, Noir would have loved to capture this moment.
Mom! I saw a living dinosaur!
Enel gazed at the enormous Pteranodon, which cast a vast shadow, and couldn't help but admire it. "Impressive. It's almost worthy of being my mount."
Wyper turned his draconic head towards Enel, glaring at him with intense determination.
Enel, narrowing his eyes, taunted, "So, now that you've got this power, you want to fight me?"
"Go ahead, if you think you're up to it!"
The massive Pteranodon and Enel, crackling with electricity, squared off, ready to clash.
Noir quickly intervened, saying to Wyper, "Not now. Focus on mastering Haki first."
"Then, you can fight all you want."
"Yes!" Wyper obediently nodded, though he shot Enel one last glare.
Oh? Enel looked like he was about to provoke Wyper further, but Noir pulled him aside, scolding, "If you don't start training, Wyper's going to surpass you."
Enel lifted his chin defiantly. "Impossible!"
Seeing his disbelief, Noir could only sigh. The truth was, Wyper already had the strength to challenge Enel.
In the original timeline, Wyper had nearly taken down Enel without even having a Devil Fruit. Now, with one, it was only a matter of time before Wyper would defeat him. Enel... This arrogant god complex of his wouldn't go away until he took a serious beating. Maybe Noir should arrange for someone to humble him.
"Supa!" Franky exclaimed, striking a pose with his arms crossed. "It's great knowing you, Noir! You're gonna make waves out there on the Grand Line!"
Noir grinned confidently. "That's a promise!"
After bidding farewell to Franky, Noir, along with Enel and Wyper, returned to Dock One with their 'cargo', Blueno. The Ark Maxim had already been brought there by Iceburg.
At the entrance, Nico Robin and Conis were waiting. When they saw the group return, Robin curiously asked, "Where did you go?"
Noir chuckled, shaking his head. "Had a little fight, and gave Wyper an Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit to eat."
"An Ancient Zoan?" Robin's eyes widened as she looked at Wyper. "That's quite rare."
Noir, noticing her tense expression, asked, "What's wrong?"
Robin sighed, pulling out a piece of paper. "We discovered something while we were out shopping, your new bounty poster."
Noir's eyes lit up as he took the poster, with Enel and Wyper eagerly peering over his shoulder.
The picture was of Noir, holding the sword Devil Blade, looking intense. The background seemed to be a Marine ship, likely snapped during his encounter with Aokiji in the Calm Belt.
Noir nodded in satisfaction. Not bad, definitely captured his handsome, dashing looks.
Then his eyes caught the bounty amount: 90 million berries?!
Noir was both thrilled and disappointed. On the one hand, getting a 90 million bounty right off the bat was impressive. On the other, the ever-ambitious Noir couldn't help but feel a bit shortchanged. How could it not even break the 100 million mark?
Robin crossed her arms and shared what she knew. "Noir, known as the 'Devil's Shadow,' challenged a Shichibukai, killed Wapol, and dishonored the World Government. A bounty of 90 million berries, dead or alive."
Noir's face darkened. 'Devil's Shadow'? What kind of lame title was that? Couldn't the Marine and the Government come up with something better? No creativity at all!
Seeing his frustration, Robin explained, "They called you that because of your ability to replicate Devil Fruit powers. The government thinks you can copy any Devil Fruit, hence the nickname 'Devil's Shadow.'"
Noir looked dejectedly at his bounty poster. That title was terrible.
Those Marine guys had zero artistic sense!
Fine, if they won't come up with something cool, Noir would just have to do something big to make them change it!
...
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