When Ryuuto reappeared, he was already standing before Vivi and the others.
Bang!
"This is your god?"
Ryuuto casually tossed Enel, still in his grasp, onto the ground in front of them and chuckled.
"Ah... Lord Enel!" Pagaya collapsed to the ground, letting out a cry of despair, his spirit completely broken.
"How is this possible?" Conis gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
"So this is the 'God' of Skypiea?" Vivi nudged the unconscious Enel with her foot, looking at Conis with curiosity.
Conis didn't speak, only nodding numbly before her gaze shifted to Ryuuto.
Is this what a pirate with a billion-belly bounty is like? Conis's mind was reeling with shock.
However, Ryuuto had no time to concern himself with the thoughts of Conis and Pagaya. He turned to Crocus with a faint smile. "Old man, you have an apple on you, right?"
"Hahahaha, I just so happen to have one!" Crocus immediately understood Ryuuto's meaning and calmly took a fresh apple from his coat.
"In that case..."
Ryuuto smiled in satisfaction. His right hand moved, unsheathing Dragon's Fang. A flash of silver light arced through the air, followed by a spray of blood as a head flew into the sky. Enel's life ended then and there.
Ryuuto then turned his gaze to the apple in Crocus's hand.
"Ah!" Witnessing Enel's execution, Conis's eyes widened in terror, and she crumpled to the ground.
Before the eyes of Ryuuto, Vivi, Crocus, and Jean Bart, the red apple began to change. First, its skin slowly turned a brilliant gold. Then, lightning-bolt-shaped thorns sprouted all over its surface. Even the stem grew longer, twisting into the shape of a green lightning bolt.
It was the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"Just as I thought," Ryuuto mused. Now that the previous owner of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was dead, who else in this world was more suited to wield the power of lightning?
It was a well-known theory that Devil Fruits possessed a will of their own—that the fruit chose its user.
The fruit choosing him... it was practically a foregone conclusion.
Seeing the Devil Fruit reappear filled Ryuuto with immense satisfaction.
"Captain, what's happening?" This was the first time Vivi had witnessed such a miraculous event, and she turned to Ryuuto in astonishment.
"This is the mystery of the Devil Fruits... the devil has chosen you," Crocus explained in a low, serious voice.
Ryuuto nodded with a smile and proceeded to explain the principle to Vivi in more detail.
"So that's the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!" Vivi finally wore a look of understanding.
"Old man, put it away for now. We won't be using it for the time being," Ryuuto said to Crocus.
Crocus opened a small case he carried with him and placed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit inside. There were already two other Devil Fruits in the box: the Paramecia-type Sickness-Sickness Fruit and the Paramecia-type Frenzy-Blood Fruit. It was starting to get crowded.
"Jean Bart, you've just joined the Ryuuto Pirates, and I haven't given you a welcome gift yet. This Frenzy-Blood Fruit is for you."
After some thought, Ryuuto decided to give this particular Devil Fruit to the defensively-oriented Jean Bart.
"What? Is it really for me?" Jean Bart was stunned for a moment, but the joy was evident on his usually stoic face.
Crocus took the red, heart-shaped fruit and placed it in Jean Bart's hands.
Jean Bart stared at the Devil Fruit in disbelief. This was something worth hundreds of millions of bellies, and it was just being given to him?
"What are you waiting for, big guy?" Vivi saw Jean Bart just standing there and gave his leg a light kick with her small, fair-skinned foot.
"Hahahahaha..." Crocus roared with laughter at the scene. He had to admit, Vivi's nickname was a perfect fit.
Ryuuto simply smiled at Jean Bart, giving him an encouraging nod.
That's more like it. Everyone in the Ryuuto Pirates has to have a Devil Fruit ability! Ryuuto thought to himself. And this one is a perfect match for Jean Bart.
Jean Bart met Ryuuto's gaze, his eyes filled with gratitude, before he carefully lifted the fruit. In his massive hand, the Devil Fruit looked incredibly small.
Then... he tilted his head back and swallowed it whole.
"Ugh..." Seeing this, Vivi was suddenly reminded of the indescribably awful taste of Devil Fruits. Her throat tightened, and she felt a wave of nausea.
Meanwhile, Conis and Pagaya, still on the ground, stared blankly at the four of them, unsure whether they should be terrified or... something else entirely.
As the Frenzy-Blood Fruit settled in his stomach, Jean Bart's brow furrowed. The taste had clearly affected him as well.
A few moments later, clouds of steam began to rise from his body, and an expression of extreme excitement crossed his face.
"Excellent, you're already getting a handle on it!" Ryuuto said, looking at Jean Bart with satisfaction. "Go on, try out your new power!"
"Right!" Jean Bart nodded his massive head emphatically. Steam erupted from his body as he stomped the ground and vanished from his spot.
"So fast!" Vivi heard a sonic boom crackle past her ear, but she couldn't even see Jean Bart's shadow.
"His speed has increased by more than double..." Ryuuto noted, comparing it to Jean Bart's previous speed.
"Captain!" Another sonic boom echoed as Jean Bart leaped down from above, snapping a large tree in half as he landed heavily on the ground. He looked at Ryuuto with excitement. "My speed and my strength... they've both gotten stronger!"
"That's just the basic enhancement. There's more to come..." Ryuuto then began to describe several of the techniques used by the bounty hunter who previously owned the fruit, a man named Rekton.
Jean Bart listened, nodding thoughtfully.
Ryuuto was confident that it wouldn't take Jean Bart long to master these abilities. After all, when someone is already powerful, their rate of developing a Devil Fruit's potential increases exponentially.
Vivi watched with a hint of envy. It seemed she was the only one who had been so weak when she first gained her Devil Fruit powers.
"Next... let's go collect Enel's inheritance!" Ryuuto's gaze drifted up toward the top of the giant beanstalk.
A massive golden bell rested there.
If they rang that bell, its resounding chime would echo throughout the entire Grand Line!
"Crocus, Vivi, Jean Bart, let's go!" Ryuuto called out to his crew.