Who would have thought that the condition to activate his cheat was direct contact with a Devil Fruit?
After the initial rush of excitement faded, Ash quickly forced himself to calm down. He returned to the tavern and slipped into a cramped storage room filled with abandoned crates, broken furniture, and useless clutter. Curling up in the corner, he focused his mind inward and finally addressed the long awaited cheat that had appeared in his consciousness.
"Devil Fruit editor? So you are basically a system, right? But seriously, you did not even make a 'ding' sound. That is extremely unprofessional."
[...]
[Ding. Devil Fruit Editor is now open.]
Ash nodded in satisfaction. "That is more like it. Since you are already here, where is my beginner reward? No welcome gift? No lottery draw?"
[...]
"You absorbed one of my Devil Fruits the moment you showed up," Ash thought sharply. "Whether I could eat it or not does not matter. I possessed it, and you absorbed it. That counts."
[Ding. Initial rewards unlocked.]
[One. Flesh Body]
[Two. Iron Body]
[Three. Diamond Body]
[Four. Elemental Body]
[Five. Giant Body]
Ash studied the five options carefully. When he attempted to select them mentally, only confirmation prompts appeared. No explanations. No descriptions. Nothing.
"So it is pure gambling," he muttered.
"Flesh Body… I have already had that twice across two lives. If this is some kind of eldritch or Void-type flesh form, I might end up looking like a nightmare. Absolutely not. Too risky."
"Iron Body is interesting. If it is something on the level of invulnerability, I would instantly rise to the top. But if it turns me into something stiff and impractical, like certain metal-bodied mutants, that would be a disaster."
"Diamond Body reminds me of Jozu. Strong, but brittle under the wrong circumstances. Not ideal."
"Elemental Body would normally be tempting, but this is the One Piece world. Armament Haki exists, and Logia powers are everywhere. This option loses most of its value here."
"That leaves Giant Body… and that is even worse. Giants in this world vary wildly in strength. If I roll low, I would just become a massive target. No control, no precision."
Ash exhaled slowly, eyes sharp with decision.
"Fine. Iron Body it is. Let us hope this is not a joke."
[Confirming selection. Iron Body.]
[Iron Body loading.]
[Brief discomfort may occur during the process.]
Ash felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Brief discomfort?" he echoed. "That wording is never a good sign."
The pain hit instantly.
It felt as though every bone in his body was being reforged, crushed, and reshaped at the same time. His muscles screamed, his nerves burned, and his vision went white.
"So… painful…"
His consciousness snapped like a thread.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
---
"Kid, you are finally awake."
Ash groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was an annoyingly familiar face.
Pini.
"I fainted?" Ash asked hoarsely. "Where are we?"
"You have been unconscious for almost a full day," Pini replied. "We are back in Diwen Village on Diwen Island."
Ash blinked. "Back already? What happened to the pirates?"
Pini's expression darkened slightly, though his voice remained steady.
"The Marines could not handle the Wolf-Guzzling Pirate Group. Luckily, Big Brother Sali stepped in. We helped too."
"The pirates were driven off, and Captain Kamberna was seriously injured. Lieutenant Commander Nanger died in battle. Master Sergeant Lais lost an arm and passed out from blood loss."
"Marine Base 175 is currently run by a lieutenant and an ensign. Both were previously captured by pirates and do not recognize us. The only reason there was no conflict was because we helped them earlier."
"The Marines are overwhelmed and could not exchange bounties with us. They let us take a pirate ship instead. Once a new officer arrives, we can exchange the ship for Berries."
Pini snorted. "As for you, you are lucky. Big Brother Sali noticed you were missing after we boarded the ship. I went looking and found you unconscious in the tavern storage room."
Ash kept his face calm, but his mind was racing.
Those villagers were far stronger than he had assumed. Kamberna was still a Devil Fruit user, yet Sali and the others forced him into retreat. Even the Marines lost their strongest officer in the process.
"We did not lose anyone… did we?" Ash asked carefully, instinctively including himself with them.
Pini smiled faintly. "No deaths. Big Brother Sali was exhausted but recovered after resting. Youki took a punch from Kamberna's transformed form and lost a few teeth. He is quieter now."
"Kenny ruined his Bone-Scraping Knife and cut his finger while looking for a replacement. The Daly brothers fought the vice captain. One dislocated his arm, another broke ribs, and the youngest lost half an earlobe to a stray arrow."
Pini laughed. "As for me, I stayed far away and kept shooting. Completely unharmed. Which is why I was assigned to watch over you."
Ash gave a polite smile. "Sounds like hard work."
Pini stood and stretched. "Rest for now. I will call you when dinner is ready."