Chapter 358: Distributing Devil Fruits (Part 1)
Charlotte followed the soldiers to a simple room and saw Bartholomew Kuma busily reviewing documents.
Comparing himself to Kuma, who had been up early working while he slept until nearly noon, Charlotte felt a little embarrassed.
"Mr. Charlotte, did you rest well last night?"
Kuma's deep, magnetic voice made Charlotte shiver slightly, getting goosebumps first thing in the morning.
"Pretty good, pretty good! I even slept in! I'm here to say goodbye—
I'm continuing my journey.
Fate willing, we'll meet again!
Here's a little gift for you, just some worthless odds and ends,
to help you better protect your kingdom.
See you!"
Charlotte placed the packet of copied training methods on Kuma's desk, then—
with a flicker of movement, disappeared from the room.
He moved so quickly that Kuma didn't even have the chance to try to persuade him to stay.
"... Mr. Charlotte really is a man of action."
Kuma sighed.
Then he glanced at the papers Charlotte had left behind—
and the moment he read them, his expression changed drastically!
"This...
This is an enormous favor I now owe him..."
Kuma murmured.
Armament Haki training methods, advanced Armament applications.
Observation Haki training methods, advanced Observation applications.
The Rokushiki martial arts techniques, plus extended skills.
Martial arts techniques like the Great Vajra Palm.
Each one of these, if leaked, could cause entire nations to go to war over them.
And now they sat quietly on his desk.
---
Meanwhile, at the port—
Charlotte gathered his crew.
Though none of them knew why the captain had suddenly changed plans and left so quickly,
they obeyed without question.
Following Charlotte's booming order,
the ship set sail once again,
resuming the journey of the Rockefeller Pirates.
---
Seven days passed since leaving Sorbet Kingdom.
During these seven days, Charlotte and his fleet drifted from island to island.
No kingdom was worth staying even a day longer.
Compared to the Sorbet Kingdom, the rest of the South Blue felt lifeless—
cold, poor, and suffocating.
Charlotte felt nothing but indifference toward these dreary lands.
Floating across the ocean, watching the lively children playing on deck,
Charlotte suddenly had an idea.
"Come to think of it…
Klein and the others are five years old now.
It's time to let them eat their Devil Fruits."
At that thought, he immediately summoned the children to the captain's quarters.
---
Inside the captain's room—
The older children, recognizing the rare serious expression on their father's face,
could already guess what was about to happen.
They quickly gathered, excitement brewing.
Standing before Charlotte were Klein, Slude, Skottie, Leonard, Hilda, and Sweefa.
Five years ago, they were still tiny toddlers—
now they were bouncing around energetically.
Time really flew by.
Seeing them, Charlotte nodded to himself, lost in emotion.
Klein, impatient, finally spoke up:
"Dad! Are we finally getting our Devil Fruits?"
Charlotte chuckled, shaking off his sentimentality.
He looked at Klein and nodded.
"You're all five years old now.
It's time.
Klein, you choose first."
He placed his collection of Devil Fruits on the table.
Among them were:
Logia-type: Mercury-Mercury Fruit
Paramecia-types: Slow-Slow Fruit, Door-Door Fruit, Mirror-Mirror Fruit, Temperature-Temperature Fruit, Stone-Stone Fruit, Glass-Glass Fruit, Copy-Copy Fruit, Cube-Cube Fruit, Paper-Paper Fruit, Thorn-Thorn Fruit, Illusion-Illusion Fruit, Repel-Repel Fruit
Ancient Zoan-types: Titan Python Form, Emperor Crocodile Form, True Two-Toothed Pterosaur Form, and Ancestral Bird Form
As for Mythical Zoans,
Charlotte wouldn't hand those out easily.
Only those who truly impressed him could earn one.
These seventeen fruits were the last of his private stock.
---
"Klein, step forward and pick the one you like."
Charlotte smiled.
Klein, already itching with excitement, bounced forward.
He quickly scanned the fruits, skipping over the Zoans and hesitating slightly at the lone Logia fruit.
He hesitated...
then ultimately turned toward the Paramecia fruits.
Finally, he pointed.
"I want this one, Dad!"
He held up the Door-Door Fruit.
"Good choice.
Eat it!"
Charlotte nodded approvingly.
The Door-Door Fruit was a tremendously useful ability.
Hearing that, Klein didn't hesitate.
He took a deep bite.
Instantly—
the familiar, disgusting bitterness assaulted his senses.
Klein almost threw up.
But remembering what his big brother Caesar had once said—
you had to eat the whole fruit to fully awaken the power—
he forced himself to finish it, gagging between bites.
Meanwhile, the older siblings standing around snickered at him.
Charlotte just smiled warmly.
This had become something of a Rockefeller family tradition by now.
After finishing the fruit, Klein was too excited to bother with the milk offered to him.
He raised his hands toward empty air—
Pop!
A translucent door appeared.
Klein immediately opened it and disappeared inside.
A second later,
pop!
A second door opened behind Caesar, and Klein gleefully tumbled out.
"Wahoo!
So cool!"
Klein whooped, fists pumping in the air.
Charlotte chuckled.
"Very good.
Your control is excellent for your first attempt.
But remember—
this fruit's strategic value to the Rockefeller Pirates is enormous.
You'll have to train extra hard!"
At these words, Klein's excitement instantly deflated.
He knew what it meant.
Now that he had a Devil Fruit power,
he would no longer live as freely as before.
Training would dominate his days.
"I understand, Dad…"
Klein mumbled gloomily.
Charlotte ignored him, smiling slightly.
Then he turned to the next child.
"Slude!
Come forward and pick your fruit!"
He said gently to the shy girl.
"O-Okay, Dad!"
Slude timidly stepped forward.
She immediately ruled out the Zoans—
being a girl, she had no interest in transforming into a beast.
She scanned the Logia and Paramecia fruits—
then settled her gaze firmly on one.
"Dad, I want this one!"
She pointed eagerly.
(To be continued...)
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