Seeing this, Hundred Beasts Kaido, Alice, Arodan, and the other crew members hungry for Devil Fruits all craned their necks, eager to spot the powers they'd been dreaming of!
Brook eyed the ornate treasure chests, each one decked out with gems even on the Devil Fruit cases, and knew right away they held the real prizes.
He'd saved them for last on purpose—the rarer the item, the more you build up the hype by revealing it at the end!
"Mostly Zoan types here: Weasel-Weasel Fruit, Sickle Weasel Fruit, Cobra-Cobra Fruit, Python-Python Fruit, Persian Cat Fruit, Sparrow-Sparrow Fruit, Warthog-Warthog Fruit, Wildebeest-Wildebeest Fruit, Gray Wolf Fruit, Armadillo Fruit, Butterfly Fruit."
"Paramecia types include: Compress-Compress Fruit, Book-Book Fruit, Power-Power Fruit, Grow-Grow Fruit, Return-Return Fruit, Twinkle-Twinkle Fruit, Butter-Butter Fruit."
"Only one Logia: Cloud-Cloud Fruit."
"And there are nine more that aren't in the encyclopedia—we don't know their abilities yet!"
Tenmoku quickly reported on all the Devil Fruits, except for the five supreme chests Brook had set aside.
"Why hasn't my desired Mythical Zoan shown up yet!"
Kaido the Beast wailed. So far, the only Mythical one was the Tanuki Fruit, but it didn't suit his fighting style at all—he'd rather have the Octopus Kraken Fruit!
"Gurarara~ Don't rush, there are still those five chests at Brook's feet, right?"
Whitebeard Newgate laughed heartily. Just looking at the gem-encrusted boxes, you could tell they held the best stuff!
"Alice, the Grow-Grow Fruit seems perfect for you. And the Power-Power Fruit is for you, Aruyan!"
Brook picked out two Devil Fruits that suited the starry-eyed Lunarian girls.
"Thanks, Captain Brook! We love them!"
Alice and Aruyan excitedly took the Devil Fruits without hesitation. The two five-meter-tall, brown-skinned, white-haired girls scarfed them down right away, eager to test their new powers!
Alice waved her hand, and a vine sprouted from the ground, snaking along. She focused on controlling it—binding, whipping... practicing moves like that.
Aruyan kept it simple. She swung her massive spiked iron hammer with fierce power, creating an impenetrable whirlwind.
"Haha, this feels too light! I need a ten-thousand-pound alloy hammer now!"
Arber and Arodan were also getting familiar with their Devil Fruits. Arber was so impatient that he cut a shadow from a captive and stuffed it into Admiral Aokiba's body, controlling the corpse.
"Brook~, can you hurry up and open the boxes~"
The 11-year-old Kaido the Beast watched everyone else messing around with their new powers, making him even more antsy. He was tempted to grab Brook's hand and force it open!
"Yohohoho! I sense something good! You won't be disappointed!"
Brook opened the first Devil Fruit chest and saw the azure, double-stemmed, dragon-scaled fruit. There it was—the original Kaido's signature Devil Fruit from the canon!
For a split second, Brook considered saving this Mythical Zoan for his own kids. But then he thought about how Kaido had been calling him every day, as his top new recruit under his command, even awakening Conqueror's Haki while serving him.
Kaido had been trained by Brook since he was eight or nine, and he was incredibly loyal. As long as Brook lived, Kaido wouldn't dream of leaving the Hell Pirates!
Besides, the Hell Pirates were stacked with powerhouses now, and they'd snagged the pure gold. Betrayal odds were slim to none—especially with the Seastone Devil Fruit recycler on hand. Who'd dare run?
"Kaido, this is the Zoan-type Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Model: Azure Dragon. It's your destined fruit. Eat it and conquer the seas! From now on, your title changes from Kaido the Beast to Kaido of the Beasts—you're fated to be king of all beasts!"
Brook solemnly handed the Azure Dragon Fruit to Kaido, full of high hopes for this reckless kid. A full-fledged Emperor-level fighter was about to rise!
"Brook, I'll become your strongest warrior! We'll topple the World Government, wipe out the Celestial Dragons—you're the true king of the world!"
Kaido of the Beasts shouted in excitement, grabbing the Azure Dragon Fruit and chomping it down in one bite. But before he could even feel out the power, a bolt of lightning and a rock came smashing down, flipping him flat on his back.
"Strongest? Not in this lifetime!"
Redfield said coolly, arms crossed, sparks of electricity crackling around him.
"Shahaha! Exactly!! Kid, open your eyes! I'm the strongest officer!"
Golden Lion Shiki laughed uproariously. Suddenly, his gaze locked with Redfield's, and crimson lightning flared as their Conqueror's Haki clashed explosively.
"Gurarara~ Cut it out!"
Whitebeard Newgate laughed and stepped between them, breaking up the standoff.
"Don't underestimate a kid just 'cause he's young!!"
Kaido of the Beasts, charred black and bruised all over, still shot back defiantly. Sure, he was down, body limp as a noodle, but his mouth was tough as nails!
I'm a Conqueror's Haki awakener too! I won't back down! I want that top officer spot!
You're just ten or twenty years older? Once I grow up, I'll beat you back! Kaido fumed inwardly!
But he'd forgotten about Redfield's special Observation Haki. Another thunderbolt zapped him, leaving Kaido twitching, eyes rolling back!
The next moment, azure dragon scales sprouted over his body, easing the pain big time. Here it came—his badass Mythical power!
I'll turn the tables and claim the throne! That top officer spot is mine!
"Yohohoho~ Time to keep unboxing these mystery fruits!"
As soon as Brook spoke, the deck went quiet—no more goofing around or Devil Fruit testing. All eyes locked on the chests at Brook's feet!
"Ah, the old man drilled it into me not to eat those 'sorcery fruits.' What a pain!!"
Oden watched Kaido enviously. With a Devil Fruit boost, could he still take on Kaido?
What was the old man's deal with that ancestral rule against eating sorcery fruits? Something about going underwater? Reaching some special island?
Fisher Tiger just zoned out. No Conqueror's Haki for him, and as a fishman, he didn't want a Devil Fruit anyway. Was the boss cutting him off?
Whatever, no more comparing to monsters like Kaido or Oden. Compared to other pirates, hitting this level at 12 was still damn impressive!
Brook popped open the remaining four supreme chests all at once, and it left him slack-jawed. He didn't know the full Devil Fruit encyclopedia by heart, but he'd memorized the mythical Zoans and Logias to avoid missing out if he ever found one!
"Holy crap! Jackpot! Am I dreaming?"
"My heart's pounding—gah!!"
"Damn! Mythical Zoan: Yamata no Orochi Fruit, Phoenix Fruit, Cerberus Fruit, Sky Dragon Fruit!!"
Brook was totally stunned. He realized he absolutely loved those Celestial Dragons—love you forever!
How could there be so many top-tier mythical Devil Fruits? Brook was so thrilled, his eyes nearly popped out!
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Fanfic is finished 955 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg