"The captain has already appeared on that ship."
Van Augur habitually tapped his gun against his shoulder and said expressionlessly, "But that ship seems to have a life of its own. It's resisting the captain."
"It's shaking violently, like a mermaid thrashing, trying to throw the captain off."
Hearing his words, everyone looked ahead. Though the distance had closed somewhat, they still couldn't see the situation clearly.
Faintly, they could only make out a black shadow—nothing else.
"Damn it, I'm gonna get myself a telescope one of these days!" Burgess, the most impatient, cursed angrily.
Kuro adjusted his glasses, his eyes flashing with intelligence as he analyzed, "It behaves like it's alive. It must have eaten a Devil Fruit."
Laffitte twirled his cane and smiled gently. "No need to guess. We'll know the answer soon enough."
On the Whale Ship
Faced with the bizarre ship's wild thrashing, Chris stood calmly, as if rooted to the deck. No matter how violently it shook, he remained unmoved.
"Submit to me!"
Chris's eyes sharpened as he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. A ripple of energy spread outward.
Boom!
The ship's hull cracked, leaving scars all over.
The whale stopped thrashing, utterly terrified.
A huge drop of cold sweat rolled down its head as if it had encountered something horrifying.
Suddenly, the ship began bobbing up and down—like it was nodding—choosing to submit.
Chris wasn't surprised by this outcome. He remained standing with his arms crossed, waiting for the others to arrive.
Seeing this, Van Augur nodded slightly, a faint smile breaking through his usually stern expression.
"When the captain takes action, it has no choice."
"This is fate~"
This time, no one asked him anything, as the distance had closed enough for them to see clearly.
Makino blinked her bright, beautiful eyes, her fair face filled with curiosity as she murmured, "So this is the mysterious ship? Why does it look like a whale?"
Kaya nodded with a smile, her pretty face full of interest. "What a strange ship. It's so mysterious!"
Nojiko stroked her delicate chin and said gracefully, "It must be a whale. If I had to guess, it ate a Devil Fruit and turned into a ship."
Nami's eyes sparkled with mischief as she grinned. "What kind of Devil Fruit could be so amazing?"
Perona floated next to Bakara, her small face brimming with curiosity as she eagerly asked, "Bakara-nee, do you know what kind of Devil Fruit it is?"
Sweetheart Queen also looked at Bakara, her elegant brows furrowed. "Big Sis Bakara has read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. She must know."
Bakara tucked her deep red hair behind her ear and smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, it's the Paramecia-type: Ship-Ship Fruit."
Carmen frowned, her pretty face full of confusion as she asked, "But there's one problem—Devil Fruit users are supposed to fear seawater, right?"
"They're cursed by the sea and can't appear on the ocean. That's common knowledge."
"So how can this whale—er, this ship—sail on the sea? It's really strange!"
Nojiko nodded and smiled. "I was wondering the same thing. It doesn't make sense."
Nami grinned playfully. "What's so strange about it? It's totally normal!"
"Regular Devil Fruit users can't appear on the sea. They'd lose all strength and be unable to move."
"But this is the Ship-Ship Fruit. The user becomes a ship. And if a ship can't sail on the sea, can it even be called a ship?"
Bellemere brushed her light golden hair and chuckled. "Nami's right. That makes perfect sense."
Hearing their conversation, Burgess suddenly laughed loudly.
"If there's a Ship-Ship Fruit that lets you sail the seas without fearing seawater..."
"Then is there an Ocean Fruit? If so, you could control the entire ocean, summoning the sea's power at will!"
Burgess raised his arms high and laughed. "Most importantly, if someone ate the Ocean Fruit, all Devil Fruit users would be screwed! Wahahaha!"
Doc Q's weathered face broke into a mysterious smile. "A fruit like that can't possibly exist. Stop dreaming."
Kuro adjusted his glasses, his eyes gleaming with intelligence as he said coolly, "Logia-type Devil Fruits should, in theory, exist."
"But this particular fruit contradicts the sea itself. Personally, I don't think it could exist in this world."
Law gripped his cursed sword Kikoku and said coldly, "Logia Fruits like light and magma have all appeared before."
"But in history, there's never been any record of an Ocean Fruit. It definitely doesn't exist."
Laffitte turned to Bakara and twirled his cane politely. "You've read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Does it mention the Ocean Fruit?"
Bakara tucked her deep red hair behind her ear and shook her head gently. "No, the encyclopedia never mentions such a Devil Fruit."
Betty took a drag from her cigarette and said calmly, "A Devil Fruit that's never appeared wouldn't be in the encyclopedia."
"But didn't Big Sis Bakara say before? The Ocean Fruit does exist. That's her intuition."
Sweetheart Queen glanced at the black-clad man in the distance and sighed. "Isn't the Ocean Fruit the one the captain has been searching for?"
"But this fruit is too mysterious. Even Big Sis Bakara can't sense its presence."
Nojiko blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled warmly. "We'll find it one day. I believe in Bakara's abilities."
Burgess burst into laughter. "So the Ocean Fruit is real? That's insane!"
Hawkins stared at Law, his expression deadpan as he said in a low voice, "If the Ocean Fruit really exists, that's terrifying."
"I look forward to that day... when the captain finally obtains it."
Van Augur tapped his gun against his shoulder and said seriously, "I believe whatever the captain sets out to do, he'll accomplish. There's no doubt about that."
Kuro frowned and shook his head. "A Devil Fruit that's never appeared in history won't be easy to find."
"My guess is it's probably deep in the ocean. That would explain why no one's ever obtained it."
Laffitte adjusted his top hat and smiled. "You might be right."
"If it's in the depths of the sea, no one would ever find it. That's why no one's ever gotten it."
"But don't worry. The captain will find it."
By now, the Chris had pulled up alongside the whale ship.
"Boss!"
With that, Patty leaped onto the whale ship and bounded excitedly toward Chris.
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T/N:
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