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Hearing their captain's words, the CP agents grew even angrier. As the elite team of Cipher Pol, they were accustomed to commanding respect and exuding arrogance wherever they went.
They were always the ones setting the rules and looking down on others. Yet now, they were being overpowered and humiliated by just two individuals.
The tall, thin agent stood still, taking a deep breath. His fury was palpable, but what could he do at this moment?
Everyone understood that neither the World Government nor the Marines could afford to deploy large-scale forces against the Tru Empire. Even if some of them were to die here, it wouldn't prompt immediate retaliation.
For now, they could only endure the humiliation and wait for an opportunity to strike back.
With calm smiles, the two combatants vanished from the sight of the enraged CP agents. In the blink of an eye, they reappeared inside the palace of the Tru Empire.
Anos was already prepared for their arrival. The confrontation had been perilous, and no one had expected CP to be so formidable.
Compared to the lower-level Cipher Pol agents, these operatives were on an entirely different tier.
When the pair materialized in the throne room, they weren't surprised; in fact, it would've been more surprising if they had returned by foot.
"Your Majesty, we need help now! This guy on my shoulder is barely alive!"
Abona, one of the pair, quickly laid the injured figure on the ground before standing upright and calling out to Anos, who was seated on the throne.
"No need to rush," Anos said calmly, his tone steady and unhurried. At that moment, Suzu entered the room, carrying a tray of fruit in her hands.
After setting the tray on the table, Suzu glanced at Anos before quietly leaving the room, understanding the gravity of the situation.
The injured man lying on the ground was still bleeding heavily and critically injured. Though he wasn't dead yet, it was clear he wouldn't last much longer without immediate action.
"I'm curious, Your Majesty," said Fujitora, the blind Marine admiral who had defected to the Tru Empire. "Why are you so concerned about this man? Do you have plans for him even in this condition?"
Anos chuckled softly. "Perhaps, General Fujitora, you'll understand soon."
With a flick of his right hand, a blue light began to glow around Anos' fingers. A transparent, shimmering barrier enveloped the room, isolating it from the outside world.
Curiosity lit up both Abona's and Fujitora's faces as they watched Anos step toward the injured man. Without hesitation, Anos reached down, brushing his fingers over the masked figure.
The blue light at his fingertips condensed into a sharp, ethereal arrow, which he directed at the dying man.
In a single moment, the arrow struck. The man, who had been breathing faintly, stilled completely as life left his body.
What happened next was even more shocking. One of the fruits on the tray, the grape in the centre, began to glow with an iridescent light.
Its colour shifted, and soon the entire tray of fruit transformed into something entirely unrecognizable.
Abona's face was frozen in disbelief. Fujitora, though unable to see, sensed the monumental change in the fruit's nature through his observation of haki.
"Your Majesty... You can extract Devil Fruits?!" Fujitora exclaimed, his usual calm demeanour giving way to sheer astonishment.
Abona, standing nearby, was equally stunned. His jaw practically dropped as he struggled to process what he had just witnessed.
Anos leaned back into his throne, his expression as composed as ever. "I see you're both surprised. Sit down; I'll explain the nature of Devil Fruits to you."
He gestured for them to take seats, and as the space barrier dissipated, Anos picked up one of the untransformed apples from the tray and casually bit into it.
Abona and Fujitora sat opposite him, their shock still evident. Though both were knowledgeable about Devil Fruits, the ability to extract and transfer them was something they had never seen before.
"Your Majesty," Fujitora began cautiously, "does anyone else know about this ability of yours?"
"Besides the two of you, only Daiki and a select few trusted individuals are aware," Anos replied. "You see, the nature of Devil Fruits is poorly understood, even by the World Government. But if you understand their essence, replicating this process is not impossible."
"When a Devil Fruit user dies, their fruit's power will almost always transfer to the nearest compatible fruit. The type of fruit varies, apples, bananas, or grapes, but each Devil Fruit seems to have a unique preference."
"This transference only occurs within a specific spatial range. That's why it's necessary to create a controlled environment, like this barrier, to capture the fruit's power."
Fujitora, stroking the hilt of his sword, nodded in understanding. The explanation filled in gaps in his knowledge, though the revelation still unsettled him.
Abona, meanwhile, finally broke his silence. "No wonder there are so many Devil Fruit users in the Tru Empire…"
It all made sense now. Despite being a relatively small nation in the South Blue, the Tru Empire boasted an unusually high number of Devil Fruit users nearly a hundred by his estimation. Such a concentration was unheard of, even in the New World.
Fujitora sat in quiet contemplation, processing the implications of what he had learned. Finally, he broke the silence.
"Your Majesty, I still have some questions. May I seek your guidance?"
Anos smiled faintly. "Ask away, General. I will answer what I can."
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