Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Kaito looked at the three boxes in front of him, thinking these must be the Devil Fruits the HQ was offering as a reward.
Sengoku didn't bother with any theatrics and got straight to introducing the contents.
"These three boxes each contain a Devil Fruit. As the top performer in the assessment, you can pick one as your reward."
Once that was confirmed, Kaito nodded. What came next would be the details of the fruits. According to previous information, all of the first-place rewards were Devil Fruits recorded in the official compendium—meant to avoid any situation where a useless fruit would ruin someone's future.
Sengoku saw Kaito's calm expression and figured he might be concerned about the quality, so he continued,
"Don't worry. These are all abilities officially documented, and I personally helped select them. You won't be disappointed."
Hearing that, Kaito glanced at Sengoku in surprise. The Fleet Admiral personally helped filter the choices? Was he worried the backdoor he opened for him wasn't wide enough, and now he was just directly leading him in?
Well, regardless of how it came to be, Kaito accepted the gesture. Sengoku had helped him plenty, as had Zephyr.
Sure, a large part of their support was because of his talent and strength, but a favor was still a favor. A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions—right?
Kaito figured it was time to give something back. It didn't sit right to keep accepting favors endlessly. He wondered how Corazon was doing now.
He knew Sengoku had deep feelings for Corazon. In the anime, when Sengoku received news of Corazon's death, he broke down in tears. It was clear how much that loss hurt him. If Kaito ever got the chance, he would step in to protect Corazon.
Of course, Sengoku didn't know what Kaito was thinking. He continued introducing the Devil Fruits.
"The one on the far right is the Paramecia-type Scythe-Scythe Fruit. Its ability allows you to generate blade-like slashes from the air—its attack power isn't bad."
"The one in the middle is the Zoan-type Cat-Cat Fruit, Ancient Model: Saber-Toothed Tiger.It offers a more balanced physical enhancement, but it might have a minor effect on your personality."
When he got to the last one, Sengoku deliberately looked up at Kaito. Seeing no reaction to the first two fruits, he silently thought: Just as I suspected—this kid's standards are sky-high. These two fruits would have people fighting over them anywhere else, and he barely blinked.
But no matter how high your standards, there's no way you'll stay indifferent to this last one. This fruit is one of the Marines' top treasures. Compared to it, the other two are just warm-ups.
Though that's what he was thinking, Sengoku kept his tone neutral as he introduced the final fruit.
"This last one is also a Zoan-type—but it's far rarer: a Mythical Zoan. Its name is the Cat-Cat Fruit: Bakeneko Form!"
Kaito's expression finally changed—not just because it was a rare Mythical Zoan, but because of the fruit's name.
Isn't that... a Tailed Beast from his previous life?
He was momentarily thrown off, but quickly reminded himself: In Japanese mythology, the "bakeneko" really did exist. It was probably an entirely different entity.
Seeing Kaito's expression finally shift, Sengoku smugly thought: Gotcha, huh? Impressed by my move? Do you understand the weight of a Fleet Admiral's backing now? I personally fetched that fruit, you know. Glad you have an eye for quality.
"I'll take the Bakeneko Fruit."
No need to hesitate—Kaito made his decision right away.
Sengoku saw that Kaito had indeed chosen the Bakeneko Fruit and was quite pleased. Stroking his little tuft of beard, he pushed the box containing the fruit toward Kaito and asked,
"You planning to eat it now, or do some prep first?"
"Now."
Kaito didn't want to waste time. The moment the box was pushed in front of him, he felt a heat surge in his eyes and an uncontrollable desire rise in his heart. Ever since absorbing the Door Fruit, Devil Fruits had become increasingly tempting to him.
Sengoku saw how eager he was and thought, Typical young man—so impatient. But understandable. Eating a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit… as long as your body can handle it, you're basically guaranteed a place on the seas.
Still, Devil Fruits tasted awful.
Sengoku had eaten one himself and could never forget that flavor. People said they tasted worse than literal crap—not that he'd ever eaten crap, but he was confident that wasn't an exaggeration.
So when Kaito said he was going to eat it right now, Sengoku's eyes locked on him, ready to watch him make that infamous "just-ate-shit" face.
But what happened next completely disappointed him.
Kaito opened the box, revealing a black fruit shaped like an apple. Then he slapped his hand down on it. In mere moments, the fruit transformed into a normal red apple.
To Kaito, a complete Devil Fruit was just a special energy mass. He didn't even need to use the Human Path—just the Preta Path was enough to extract the power. Clean, simple, and efficient.
After finishing the absorption, Kaito clapped his hands, pushed the now-empty box back toward Sengoku, and signaled he was done.
Sengoku's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He looked at the red apple on the table, then up at Kaito, and asked,
"That's it?"
"That's it."
That's it!?
What about the horrible-taste face?! And what kind of method was that!? It looked nothing like what he went through! Sengoku was on the verge of breaking down.
Meanwhile, Kaito reached up and touched his right eye. In his Rinnegan, a new tomoe had appeared—though the sensation was strange. He felt like the tomoe wasn't behaving... like it had a life of its own.
He tried activating the fruit's power. The next moment, his hands, exposed to the air, burst into black flames—but there was no burning sensation. On the contrary, the flames felt cold and sinister. Black fur sprouted on his skin, and his fingernails sharpened like claws.
This was partial beastification, a trait of Zoan-type fruits—and one of Kaito's favorite combat forms. In this state, attack power, regeneration, and physical prowess all received major boosts. Especially speed—feline traits enhanced that the most.
Still, even with the ability active, the new tomoe in his right eye kept twitching as if it wanted to escape. The odd sensation left him uncomfortable, and not knowing how to resolve it, he simply shut his right eye for now.
Sengoku tensed when he saw Kaito close his eye, worried something had gone wrong with that method of Devil Fruit absorption. And if something had happened to his eye—that was unacceptable. Kaito's eye was far more valuable to the Marines than any Mythical Zoan.
"Something wrong? Is your eye bothering you? Want me to call a doctor?"
Kaito waved his hand, signaling he was fine.
But Sengoku still wasn't reassured. He pressed further,
"Did something go wrong with that absorption method of yours? Can you explain how it works?"
Honestly, he hadn't planned to ask. Everyone had their own secrets—especially when it came to power. But Sengoku was genuinely concerned. Aside from Corazon, Uchiha Kaito was the junior he cared about most.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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