"Uh—"
Not long after, Lillian took a bite of the fruit in her hand, her face turning a sickly shade of green as she gagged. "So disgusting!"
"That's how Devil Fruits are," commented Sally, the Shapeshifter Witch standing beside El. Crossing her arms with a knowing grin, she said, "But when you gain such powerful abilities, the taste is a small price to pay."
"Exactly! We're all a bit envious, you know," chimed in Nef, smiling. "And you don't have to eat the whole thing—a single bite is enough."
"No, better to be thorough," Lillian replied, still holding the rest of the fruit. After a moment's hesitation, she swallowed it all. It was a treasure worth millions of berries, after all—wasting it would be a shame, especially if not eating it all might somehow compromise the power.
"Lillian, can you read my mind yet?" asked the giantess Lily with a mix of curiosity and excitement.
"You're wondering if I can really read your mind and tell what you're thinking…" Lillian answered, rolling her eyes.
"Eh?" Lily's eyes widened in shock. "You really can!"
"Did you guess right?" Linlin asked, equally amazed. "Lillian, what am I thinking about?"
"You're thinking the same as she was," Lillian replied dryly.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Linlin's eyes sparkled in wonder.
"Oh, please! You two practically wear your thoughts on your faces!" Lillian said, laughing as she shook her head.
Linlin and Lily exchanged glances, and the whole group burst out laughing.
"Alright…"
But suddenly, Lillian's third eye started to shine with an unusual light as though she'd glimpsed a vision. She stared at El, who was just about to speak, and blurted, "The Devil Fruit's powers should take effect soon, so be patient, Lillian!"
"Were you about to say that, El?"
"Hmm?"
"Lillian, what are you talking about?" Everyone looked at her, confused, but El, locking his gaze on Lillian, seemed surprised. "Did your eye… just glimpse the future?"
Given her natural talent for reading others' thoughts, El was sure she hadn't simply been reading his mind.
"What?"
"Seeing the future?"
"I thought it was just mind-reading?" The others stared at Lillian, shocked and confused. Could the Glare-Glare Fruit actually give the ability to foresee events?
"I don't know… it felt instinctive," she replied, scratching her head. "Just now, my third eye showed me a strange image, and I couldn't help but blurt it out."
"Is it really foresight?" Tsuru muttered in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I heard that foreseeing the future is the pinnacle of Observation Haki, something only a handful on the entire sea can achieve! The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia doesn't say the Glare-Glare Fruit lets you foresee the future, just that it allows mind-reading."
"Then it's definitely foresight," El said, eyebrows raised. His flames blazing behind him, he looked at the Three-Eye girl and firmly called out, "Secret Art: Life Return!"
In the next instant, under the astonished eyes of Tsuru, Lillian, and the newcomers, his massive, nine-meter-tall body began to shrink. His muscles contracted, flexing powerfully, and even his great wings trembled as his form compressed down to a height of just three meters.
"What!?"
"He's… shrinking?"
"El… he can do that?" Lillian and the others stared in amazement, stunned by El's unexpected transformation.
"This is... how could it be possible?"
Tsuru, a former Navy officer well-versed in the Six Powers, was stunned as she looked at El's now much smaller, approximately three-meter-tall figure, a stark contrast to his prior massive form. "He's actually mastered Life Return to this extent!"
Even most seasoned experts who had Life Return training could only manage minor control, like moving their hair or slightly altering their size. But for El to compress his physique to such a degree was almost unbelievable.
"With enough dedication, nothing is impossible!" El turned back to Tsuru with a warm smile.
Tsuru: "..."
Dedication? That's absurd! Many Navy soldiers and CP agents had pushed themselves to their limits training the Six Powers until they were utterly exhausted—and it wasn't a lack of dedication. Talent like his, she thought, was on a whole other level. What a monster.
"Do you think El oniichan is like anyone else?" Linlin said proudly as she saw Tsuru's disbelief. "Just because others can't do it doesn't mean he can't!"
In her eyes, El was capable of anything, and she was confident he would one day reach the pinnacle of the seas as the true King of the Ocean—and she, Charlotte Linlin, would be the woman standing by his side.
"Wow…"
Staring up at the now three-meter-tall El, the elegant Sally, who was at least two and a half meters tall herself, stepped forward with a gleam in her eye. She took his arm, smiling playfully. "Every time I see El in this form, I can't help but feel a certain... familiarity."
"It's truly impressive!" Nef said, her eyes wide with admiration as she gazed at El, her heart racing. Though less bold than Sally, she also couldn't help but stare at his striking form. But she knew that both Linlin and Gerd were here, closely guarding their "Eastern" and "Western" territory, so she held back.
"Hey, Sally... don't push your luck!"
Linlin and Gerd narrowed their eyes, sending icy glares at Sally, the Shapeshifting enchantress, exuding a dangerous aura. This woman, they knew, was always looking for opportunities, flaunting her stunning looks and figure as she flirted with El oniichan at every chance.
Especially Linlin, who clenched her fists in frustration as she looked at Sally's stunning figure and then down at herself, seeing her long boots in clear view. Envy and determination surged within her. "Ugh, I wish I could grow up faster!"
"Oh, don't take it so seriously," Sally said, laughing with a playful glance at Linlin and Gerd's envious expressions. She leaned closer to El and winked. "I don't mind taking a smaller place in the lineup..."
She, Nef, and several other women from the Dream House were long captivated by El's unmatched strength, stunning looks, and unique charisma, unable to resist his pull.
"That's not happening!" Linlin said, fuming.
"You're amazing, El!" Lillian, eyes sparkling, dashed over and marveled at El's new height. Though he was still taller than her, he was now much more approachable.
"All right, don't get too excited… Sally, enough playing around." Ignoring the territorial tension between Linlin and Gerd, El gently pulled his hand away from Sally and patted Lillian's head, focusing on her.
Looking at the sapphire-like third eye on her forehead, he smiled, "Try to tune into yourself and see if there are any other changes in your body—or specifically in your eye. And test your abilities; were you perhaps using Observation Haki just now?"
This was truly an unexpected surprise. It seemed Lillian was a hidden gem. He suspected that the Glare-Glare Fruit's abilities, combined with her natural, powerful Observation Haki and the latent powers unique to the Three-Eye Tribe, had fused into something extraordinary—giving her the potential to glimpse the future.
"I'll try… I think I did activate my Observation Haki instinctively!" Lillian nodded in sudden realization, then, focusing her Haki, activated her third eye, which briefly flashed red.
And in that instant, she glimpsed another peculiar vision…
~~~
I'm sleep, once I'm awake I'm gonna update the Bonus Chapters, Thank you for the support!
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