Takumi took out three Devil Fruits: the Clear-Clear Fruit, the Silent-Silent Fruit, and the Bounce-Bounce Fruit.
Although, according to the original storyline, Kaku was supposed to eat the Giraffe Model of the Ox-Ox Fruit, Takumi believed that the three fruits he had chosen would be more suitable for Kaku.
He didn't plan on telling Kaku the abilities of these three fruits right away. Instead, he decided to let Kaku pick one at random and leave the rest to luck.
As Enel continued to complain, Takumi completely ignored him.
Kaku, however, tried to comfort Enel, "The captain said earlier that he doesn't allow weaklings on the ship. This means he acknowledges your strength, so he didn't give you anything unnecessary."
Enel: "..."
"Is that true?" Enel turned to Takumi.
Although Takumi didn't really want to engage with him, he thought for a moment and then nodded.
Only then did Enel's expression soften.
Kaku scratched the back of his head with a smile. "Captain, what abilities do these three Devil Fruits have?"
Takumi remained calm, "Pick one first."
"Blind choice, huh?" Kaku rubbed his hands together, smiling mischievously. "Well then, let's leave it to luck. I'll choose the one in the middle!"
"Good luck," Takumi said as he tossed the selected fruit to Kaku. "That's the Silent-Silent Fruit."
As he spoke, he put the other two Devil Fruits back into the system storage.
Kaku caught the fruit, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "What ability does the Silent-Silent Fruit have?"
Enel, picking his ear, scoffed, "Doesn't sound very powerful."
Takumi replied simply, "It's a counter to Observation Haki."
"A counter to... Observation Haki?" Kaku was stunned.
Enel was equally shocked. "You've gotta be kidding... How can anything counter Observation Haki?"
"If that's true, this Silent-Silent Fruit suits me perfectly," Kaku said, grinning. "Enel, maybe your lightning attacks won't hit me anymore."
"Ridiculous!" Enel retorted. "Even if you can dodge my Observation Haki predictions, there's no way you're faster than lightning. Don't get ahead of yourself, Long Nose."
"Hahaha!" Kaku laughed. "Once I finish developing my lightning-proof device and pair it with the Silent-Silent Fruit's ability, I won't fear your lightning anymore."
Enel: "..."
"Then I won't be polite—thank you, Captain, for the gift." Kaku immediately peeled the Silent-Silent Fruit and took a big bite.
The moment the fruit entered his mouth, his face twisted in disgust. Struggling against the urge to vomit, Kaku forced himself to swallow the bite. Afterward, he clutched his chest and began coughing violently.
"It tastes awful..." Kaku said, his face pale.
Seeing that more than half of the fruit was still left, Kaku was filled with dread.
Enel, noticing his misery, grinned mischievously, "Don't waste such a good thing. Hurry up and finish it all."
"Do I really have to eat the whole thing? Just one bite and I already feel like I'm dying..." Kaku groaned.
Since he was still injured, the disgusting taste had amplified his physical pain several times over. Eating more might be lethal...
"If you don't finish it, you won't gain the power," Enel said with a smirk. "To gain strength, you must pay a price. If you can't even handle this pain, you don't deserve the Devil Fruit's power. Stop dreaming."
In truth, eating just one bite of a Devil Fruit was enough to acquire its ability. The rest of the fruit was just tasteless, useless waste.
Both Enel and Takumi knew this.
Kaku, however, had no idea...
He actually believed Enel's words.
Staring at the remaining half of the Silent-Silent Fruit, Kaku gulped nervously and took a deep breath, bracing himself to take another bite.
But before he could, Takumi casually smacked the rest of the fruit out of his hand.
With a splash, the discarded fruit plunged into the sea, sinking out of sight.
Kaku was left dumbfounded.
Enel: "..."
Takumi calmly stated, "One bite is enough."
Enel protested, "Come on! I was having fun messing with Long Nose. Couldn't you just let me have this one?"
"If he passes out, are you going to cook?" Takumi asked.
Enel went silent.
Kaku sighed, exasperated, "So you were just messing with me..."
"Tch." Enel scoffed, "Fine. I'll be generous and let it slide this time, Long Nose. But don't forget you promised to make apple pie. I want meat too, boiled is fine. And don't skimp on the desserts. Oh, and we're out of juice in the fridge, so squeeze some fresh when we eat."
Kaku: "..."
After a moment of silence, Kaku sighed softly, "You really don't treat me like an injured man... Fine. It's still a while until mealtime, so I'll go patch myself up first. You'll have to help me out later."
Enel grumbled, "I'm not helping."
Kaku chuckled, "That won't do. I can't manage it all on my own. If you don't help, no desserts."
"You dare threaten me, Long Nose?"
"I wouldn't dare," Kaku replied innocently. After a pause, he asked, "By the way, how do I use this Devil Fruit ability?"
"Hahaha! So clueless," Enel laughed. "You just ate it, so not feeling anything right away is normal. Give it a bit, and you'll start to sense it. Then you just figure it out."
"Oh, okay. I'll go now. You focus on steering the ship," Kaku said, making his way to the cabin.
"That Long Nose is getting bolder and bolder!" Enel muttered, turning toward Takumi, who was walking to the ship's bow. "Captain, aren't you going to do something about him?"
Takumi replied while walking, "He's still not as bold as you."
Enel: "..."
"I'm bold because I've earned the right to be," Enel boasted. "Long Nose is weak. Acting tough will only get him beaten up."
Takumi chuckled, "And yet you get beaten up all the time."
Enel twitched, "That's different! You're the captain, and you're stronger than me. It's normal for me to get hit..."
Takumi: "..."
Seriously, does this guy ever reflect on why he's always getting beaten?
Takumi sighed, "You get hit because you run your mouth."
"Huh?" Enel blinked, watching Takumi prepare his fishing gear. In a flash of lightning, Enel appeared beside him. "Wait a second. You're talking more than usual today. And you, who never gives anything, actually gave a Devil Fruit as a gift. Something's not right, Takumi. You haven't come down with a fever, have you?"
Takumi turned to look at Enel, a chilling smile on his face. His tone was deceptively calm as he asked, "What did you just say?"
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