"What is this? Is it Conqueror's Haki?!"
Bok, the blue-haired boy, was stunned. Carina was equally shocked; she had never expected that the pirate ship she had been reluctantly and helplessly forced to join would have such a figure among its crew. That was Conqueror's Haki—something only the great and fearsome figures who shook the four seas possessed. Just who on earth was this guy? Carina grew increasingly curious.
"Hey there, I'm Summer. Nice to meet you."
"Thanks for saving me. I'm Bok, hehe!"
The two of them struck up a conversation right away. Meanwhile, an impatient Tuantuan had already set up a bonfire, picked out a few dead wild wolves, and skillfully skinned and gutted them to start a barbecue. The aroma filled the air.
Through their chat, Summer learned that the blue-haired youth before him was named Bok, a guy with a fixation on biology. The stranger the creature, the more obsessed he became. The glass bottles scattered all around were potions he had made—a special kind of potion capable of instantly paralyzing a person and causing them to lose consciousness.
Summer also asked Bok if he knew how to brew medical potions. Bok replied that it was simple enough; because he had traveled alone for a long time, he could make all sorts of potions. Moreover, traveling by himself meant he easily got hurt, so he had even specifically studied medicine. Back then, owing to his exceptional talent, an old doctor had almost forcefully kept him on to be a physician. Unfortunately, that wasn't where Bok's ambitions lay, so he had quietly slipped away.
Because of this incident, Bok still felt somewhat guilty over the years, often secretly paying people to deliver things back.
"Bok, come sail with my ship. There are bound to be even more interesting things on the Grand Line, and there are even talking skeletons!"
"Really? I haven't read many books, don't trick me!"
"Of course, absolutely!"
"Alright then, I'm in. Please take care of me from now on, Captain!"
Bok said with a deadpan expression.
A man's friendship was just that simple and straightforward, and thus, the Smiling pirate crew gained yet another crew member.
"Hehe, welcome aboard! Let's throw a banquet together! Aigin, Tuantuan, bring out the booze, drinks, and food from the hold!"
"Oh, yay! It's party time!"
In this world, throwing a banquet was the best social tool for rapidly deepening bonds. A single banquet directly boosted intimacy by 99.
The banquet lasted the entire night. Tuantuan, in particular, seeing a newcomer join, felt it necessary to loudly proclaim its status as the vice-captain. And when Bok saw a talking panda, he became so excited that the way he looked at Tuantuan started to seem a little off.
Unfortunately, finally having someone who would listen to it brag, Tuantuan remained completely oblivious to Bok's fiery gaze.
Only the next day did Tuantuan notice that its fur had become a little sparse.
"Summer, I found a strange fruit. Do you recognize it?"
Early in the morning, Summer was shaken awake by Bok, who thrust a fruit with bizarre patterns right into his face.
"Oh, a Devil Fruit!"
With that, Summer stretched his waist and prepared for his morning workout; even in the midst of a voyage, his training never stopped.
"A Devil Fruit?!"
An exclamation rang out, followed by three pairs of eyes turning toward them simultaneously. Carina looked excited, her eyes turning into dollar signs—after all, a single Devil Fruit was worth at least one hundred million Berries.
Aigin, on the other hand, a hint of yearning flashed across his face. The more he interacted with them, the more Aigin felt the gap between himself and Summer and Tuantuan widening. Even though he trained frantically every day, he still lagged far behind, and a Devil Fruit was a shortcut to rapidly increasing one's strength.
As for Fei Tuan, its small eyes revealed a trace of terror. It would never forget that day when it had been tricked by Boss Summer; this thing tasted worse than poison, definitely not something meant for human consumption.
"Ugh—"
Tuantuan quickly covered its mouth and bolted away as if on wings. Just looking at it again made it feel like it would purl up its breakfast.
"A Devil Fruit? Is that the Devil Fruit known as the treasure of the sea?"
Bok was shocked. He carefully examined the Devil Fruit in his hand, his squinted eyes flashing with a smile, as if he really wanted to slice it open and take a look.
"Mhm, you can choose to eat it or sell it. A Devil Fruit goes for at least one hundred million Berries," Summer said. He had no intention of eating it anyway; their paths were different, and Summer had his own plan for becoming the strongest. Besides, he still had two special Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits in his inventory.
"Oh, then I'll eat it!"
Bok said, taking a small bite. Immediately, his face contorted, his brows furrowed tightly, and he wore the sorrowful expression of someone parting forever with a loved one—it tasted way too awful.
Ten minutes later.
"Do you feel any changes?"
"Mhm, my strength seems to have grown a lot, and also..."
Bok quietly closed his eyes, relaxing his mind, and then his body rapidly expanded, literally bursting out of his clothes. The originally skinny Bok transformed into a hulking brute nearly three meters tall, rippling with muscles and looking immensely intimidating.
"Hmm, looks pretty good, and it's not a weird ability." Summer observed for a moment, then gave Bok some instructions regarding the development of his Devil Fruit powers. He handed over the Nine-Ring Golden-Back Broadsword he had won from the lucky draw, and then went off to practice Tai Chi.
Over on his side, Bok was extremely excited. He decided to use himself as a research subject to run experiments and test the special properties of the Devil Fruit.
First step: draw a vial of his own blood...
Bok had eaten the Devil Fruit, and everyone had witnessed his newfound ability, after all, a long road still lay ahead of them.
...
Fully fed and rested, Summer and his crew continued on their adventurous journey. The Smiling sailed along and soon reached the next island.
Along the way, this was Bok's first time seeing such an intelligent and interesting sailing vessel. He looked here, touched there, full of a sense of novelty, and didn't stop marveling the entire trip.
Bok decided that his choice had indeed been correct; Summer was truly worthy of being the man he had set his sights on.
"Captain, I see an island, but it seems a bit too quiet. I don't see a single person."
Aigin observed through the telescope for a while and reported to Summer. The island ahead had plenty of houses, but not a single living soul was in sight—very strange.
"Bok, do you know what this island is called?"
"No idea. This is my first time going far from home; before this, I just wandered around a few islands near my hometown and never heard of this one."
"Forget it, let's land! Maybe there's a Devil Fruit on this island too," Summer shook his head and laughed. This island clearly hadn't appeared in his memories.
The Smiling quickly docked at the shore. Summer leaped off, landing in the interior of the island. He swept his gaze around and saw no one, but through the perception of his Observation Haki, he detected an ambush—and a large number of people at that.
"Watch out, it's an ambush!"
Summer shouted sharply. Instantly, Armament Haki coated his arms, and he snatched a flying arrow out of the air. His gaze turned as sharp as lightning, and his body shot forward like a cannonball, heading straight for the attackers.
"Lads, wipe them all out!"
The ambush having failed, the ambushers no longer bothered to hide. Nearly a hundred men emerged from the rooftops, tree branches, and bushes all around them, every single one wearing a sinister grin.