What Devil Fruits truly are, where they come from—those questions were never clearly explained in the manga.
But one thing was certain:
this thing was no ordinary object.
Although it was called a "fruit," it couldn't be treated like a normal one.
Rather, it was a kind of edible, mystical item.
Of course, what Devil Fruits really were didn't matter to Alex, nor did he plan to investigate.
What mattered was this—
They could make him stronger.
That alone was enough.
Although a single Devil Fruit was only worth 300 Origin Points, how many Devil Fruits existed in the One Piece world?
Little by little, it all added up.
This trip to the One Piece world was absolutely worth it!
To be honest, when Alex first came here, he was mostly just trying his luck and fulfilling a promise to a little girl.
He hadn't really expected to find any major opportunities for himself.
After all, at his current level, things like learning Haki or eating Devil Fruits held zero appeal.
But who would have thought—
Devil Fruits were extractable energy sources?
Not bad. Very not bad.
Alex's mood instantly improved.
His gaze swept across the surroundings, and he quickly found the auction catalog, confirming that the Devil Fruit in his hand was a Zoan-type.
Without hesitation, Alex activated the system and absorbed it completely.
Since Kamala hadn't specified what kind of Devil Fruit she wanted, Alex had no intention of fobbing her off with an ordinary Zoan—especially not one that wasn't a Mythical Zoan.
He couldn't even bring himself to give it away.
So he digested it on the spot.
"I need to get more Devil Fruits."
At that moment, Alex's goal became crystal clear.
That was—
Loot Devil Fruits.
So the question was:
how could he collect the most Devil Fruits in the fastest and most efficient way?
After a brief moment of thought, Alex had his answer.
"There!"
"That's him—the one who killed the Celestial Dragons!"
"Catch him! Hurry, catch him!"
Bang!
With a loud crash, the door was blown open, and a group of heavily armed Marines rushed in.
Each of them carried old-fashioned rifles, shouting as they charged toward Alex.
Alex didn't even spare them a glance.
He simply waved his hand lightly.
The world instantly became quiet again.
After that, Alex calmly walked out of the auction house as if nothing had happened.
Outside, the place was already surrounded by a massive number of Marines—unsurprising, really—but they were dealt with just as effortlessly.
"It's him! He's the one who killed the Celestial Dragons!"
"Daring to kill Celestial Dragons and openly defy the Marines—what a madman!"
"But it's over for him now!"
The onlookers in the distance immediately cast sympathetic looks at Alex.
He was strong, no doubt—strong enough to casually wipe out so many Marines.
But the problem was this:
The Marines stationed at Sabaody were just for show.
What truly terrified people… was an Admiral.
Did anyone really think it was the local Marines who kept all pirates on Sabaody in check?
Of course not.
"An Admiral is here!"
"Oh no—an Admiral!"
Shouts of alarm erupted from the crowd.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several cannonballs suddenly tore through the air, flying straight toward Alex.
Alex turned toward the source and saw a man in a yellow-striped suit, wearing sunglasses, casually riding atop a cannonball as he flew in.
Flashy.
Ridiculously flashy.
Looking closer, the man's lewd, lazy expression made him look like the embodiment of sleaze.
There was no mistaking him—
One of the Navy's Three Admirals: Admiral Kizaru.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannonballs slammed into the ground and exploded as Kizaru landed lightly.
But instead of immediately arresting the man who killed the Celestial Dragons, he leisurely took out a Den Den Mushi and started chatting.
"Moshi moshi, Sentomaru? I've arrived."
He was calling his subordinate, Sentomaru.
"Old man, I'll handle the other areas. The one who killed the Celestial Dragons—I'll leave him to you."
Sentomaru's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"What a pain…"
"Of all things, he just had to mess with the Celestial Dragons."
"Doesn't he know people need time to slack off?"
Kizaru complained a bit, then put the Den Den Mushi away.
"Well then, let's wrap this up quickly. I haven't finished reading the newspaper yet. Hey!"
As he spoke, Kizaru looked toward the onlookers.
"Whoever killed the Celestial Dragons, just step forward and surrender. Let's make this easy for everyone."
Swish.
At once, every gaze in the crowd instinctively turned toward Alex.
The culprit was obvious.
"So it was you who killed the Celestial Dragons?"
"You're really good at causing trouble."
Kizaru muttered casually as he slowly raised his right leg toward Alex.
Brilliant golden light began to gather on it.
Then—
Whoosh!
With a casual kick, a blinding beam of golden light shot straight at Alex.
It struck him squarely.
But—
Something unbelievable happened.
The scene everyone expected—Alex being blasted away by Kizaru's kick—never occurred.
The man who had killed the Celestial Dragons took Kizaru's attack head-on…
and nothing happened.
He stood there perfectly fine.
No injury.
No reaction.
Not even a flicker of his eyebrows.
As if Kizaru's attack had been nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"Ooh, how scary~"
Kizaru adjusted his glasses, genuine surprise flashing across his face.
He often said those words as a habitual catchphrase—but this time, he meant it.
Anyone who could tank his attack without a scratch was truly terrifying.
Boom!
Suddenly, a sonic boom rang out.
Before Kizaru could even react, a massive force slammed into his body.
He was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing violently into the ground and carving out a huge crater.
The sight was utterly miserable.
"What?!"
"He knocked down Admiral Kizaru?!"
"That's insane! That's Admiral Kizaru!"
Shouts of disbelief erupted everywhere.
That was an Admiral.
And he'd just been beaten like that?
"Truly a terrifying guy…"
Kizaru climbed out of the crater, dusting himself off as he spoke.
This time, there was no trace of exaggeration in his tone.
He was genuinely shocked.
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