This wasn't the right time to test the combat abilities of his six automatons. Azlan held back his great curiosity, then shifted his attention to the golden Devil Fruit still in his left palm.
"Its shape and appearance are very strange. It doesn't reflect ordinary fruit at all. No wonder it's called a Devil Fruit."
His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he observed the fruit. After observing for a moment, Akane looked at him.
"Azlan-kun, what exactly is a Devil Fruit?"
Not intending to hide anything from her, Azlan frankly stated the basic information he received from the Light Orb.
"Devil Fruits are mysterious fruits that can give their consumer strange and unique powers, depending on the type of fruit."
"Devil Fruits are classified into three types. Zoan allows the user to transform into animals or hybrid forms. Logia gives an elemental body of nature and the power to control it. While Paramecia provides extraordinary physical abilities or more varied super abilities."
Listening carefully, Akane couldn't contain her amazement.
"Incredible... Ordinary fruits that can give extraordinary powers just by eating them. Other worlds are truly full of wonders."
"Really, each world has its own unique products, whether it's magic, Sacred Gear, Automaton, Devil Fruits, and other things beyond imagination."
"Compared to all that, my original world... is ordinary. No super powers, magic, or anything supernatural. Just science and monotonous daily life."
Akane sounded a bit melancholic.
Hearing all that, Azlan disagreed with her perspective.
"I disagree. A world with advanced scientific and technological development isn't necessarily inferior to a mystical world. Humanity's ability to understand the universe, create life-changing technology, build civilization from thought and logic... all of that is real power. Supernatural power isn't the only measure of greatness."
"Science can achieve things that might be considered impossible by the magical world, and vice versa. Power isn't just about destructive force."
Akane smiled slightly, but seemed unwilling to continue the debate.
"Let's stop debating which world is superior. That's just wasting time."
She shifted her gaze back to the golden fruit in Azlan's hand.
"Instead of that, what type is the Devil Fruit Azlan-kun is holding? Paramecia, Logia, or Zoan?"
"Paramecia Type Devil Fruit." Azlan answered, looking at the strange fruit. "Its name... Heal-Heal Fruit (Chiyu Chiyu no Mi)."
"From its name..." Akane's eyes sparkled with hope. "...This Devil Fruit has healing abilities, right?"
"Mm."
Azlan nodded, confirming her guess.
An ability that, in their current situation—after a fierce battle and with his body still full of wounds—felt like a timely blessing.
"Then, quickly eat that fruit, Azlan-kun!" Akane urged, her eyes full of hope. "So your wounds heal quickly. With healing abilities, you won't have to suffer like this anymore."
However, Azlan shook his head.
"No. I won't eat it."
"Why?! Isn't this a very rare Paramecia Type Fruit that can heal you?" Akane asked, her tone turning anxious.
"Multiplying abilities that I may not be able to master well will actually hinder my growth." Azlan answered logically. "Just look. I haven't even fully mastered the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear. Now I also have six automatons that I must learn and control. Senjutsu training must also be routine every day. Not to mention there's another magic ability I got from the third Light Orb, which I still can't use due to lack of energy and medium devices."
Azlan looked at the Devil Fruit in his hand without desire.
"Rather than accumulating various abilities that I might rarely use or that actually divert my focus, it's better for the Heal-Heal Fruit to be for you, Akane."
"For me?!" Akane was shocked, then quickly shook her head. "No, I can't! That's too valuable! A Devil Fruit that can give healing power... that's very rare and important! It should be for you, Azlan-kun, who always fights on the front lines!"
"Precisely because you don't fight on the front lines, you need it. If I'm seriously injured on the battlefield, who will help me? With you having healing abilities, we have a much better chance of survival. That's a better strategy for our team."
"..."
Akane fell silent, considering his logic. She looked at the wounds on his body, remembering how powerless she was when Azlan almost died from the cold. As 'support', healing abilities would indeed be very useful. Slowly, her rejection weakened.
"Alright. I accept." Akane finally agreed, her tone now full of determination. "I promise, Azlan-kun, I'll be your healer. I'll make sure you're always in the best condition."
Before the girl took the Heal-Heal Fruit, Azlan reminded her.
"Wait. There's one more thing you should know. All Devil Fruits are manifestations of the Sea Devil. If you eat it, you'll gain special powers, but there's a side effect: you'll be cursed by the sea. You won't be able to swim anymore."
Hearing that, Akane only smiled slightly. "In this world, just surviving is difficult. When would I have time to swim?"
Without further hesitation, she took the Heal-Heal Fruit from Azlan's hand.
She looked at the golden fruit with beautiful heart patterns, then bit into it.
*KREEK!*
Her beautiful expression changed instantly. Her face grimaced, her eyes widened, and her entire body tensed.
The disgusting taste, a mixture of sour rot, piercing bitterness, and indescribable fishiness flooded her tongue. It felt like it was clumping and stuck in her throat.
A gag reflex immediately appeared, but Akane closed her mouth tightly with both hands, struggling desperately to swallow.
"Ugh... BLECH!"
After struggling for a few seconds that felt like forever, she finally managed to swallow it. She coughed, tears dripping at the corners of her eyes.
"Haah... haah... That... that was horrible!"
"What kind of taste is that?! Is this fruit or poison?! It tastes like feces fermented for a hundred years then mixed with mosquito coil smoke! How could anyone finish it?!"
Akane kept complaining about how terrible the Devil Fruit tasted, while looking at the remaining golden fruit in her hand with a disgusted face.
(I have to finish all this? This is many times worse than stinky tofu!)
The trauma from the first bite was already deep enough. Reluctantly, she gritted her teeth, preparing to bite again, hoping to swallow it whole without chewing.
However, just before the second bite touched her lips, an extraordinary transformation occurred inside her body.
An intuitive knowledge, a deep 'understanding' of how to use the power she had just gained, suddenly flowed into every cell of her body. She understood the basic mechanism of the Heal-Heal Fruit as naturally as understanding how to breathe or blink.
"So that's how it is... Thank goodness, one bite is enough."
Akane patted her chest, sighing in relief.
The Devil Fruit in her hand had lost its properties—all Devil Fruits become ordinary fruits after being bitten.
With a feeling of relief and wanting to vent her trauma, she threw the remaining Devil Fruit out the broken window, into the night darkness.
"How is it? Have you obtained the Heal-Heal Fruit's ability?"
Not questioning Akane's decision to throw away the Devil Fruit, Azlan walked closer to her.
Akane turned to face him, and a mysterious smile, slightly mischievous, appeared on her lips. Her cheeks were still slightly pale from the experience of eating the Devil Fruit earlier.
"To know the answer, why doesn't Azlan-kun experience it himself?"
Before Azlan could process the meaning of those words, Akane had already moved. Although she was two years older, her height was slightly shorter than Azlan's. She stood slightly on her tiptoes, brought her face closer, and pressed her lips to Azlan's lips.
"...?!"
Azlan was truly shocked, his eyes widening. Before he could react—push her away, step back, or even understand what was happening—Akane had already gone further. Her warm and soft tongue slipped into his mouth that was open from surprise, giving a 'transfer' he didn't expect: saliva.
After a few seconds, Azlan gently pushed her shoulders to distance Akane.
"Akane?! What are you doing?!"
His voice sounded higher than usual, his face reddening with a mix of embarrassment and confusion.
Akane just tapped her own lips with her fingertip, the same thin smile still spreading.
"Hm? Of course I'm healing Azlan-kun. No other intentions~"
Her voice sounded innocent, but her eyes sparkled with mischievous light.
"Wha-What?"
Azlan still didn't understand.
And only then did he feel it. A different warmth, gentle yet strong, began spreading from inside his body—centered from that intimate contact point. That warmth flowed to every nerve ending, every muscle, every blood vessel. He looked down at his own body.
With his own eyes, he witnessed the cutting wounds left by the Winter Shogun on his arms, chest, and face gradually fading. Torn skin reunited perfectly, without leaving scars. The pain he had been enduring suddenly disappeared, replaced by a fresh and recovered sensation. Even the extreme fatigue and tension in his muscles after using Balance Breaker seemed to be swept away.
In less than ten seconds, all physical signs from that day's fierce battle had vanished. His skin was smooth again, his body felt light and full of energy, as if he had just woken from a perfect sound sleep.
(The Heal-Heal Fruit's power... works through saliva? And through... a kiss?)
Azlan stood there, silent, trying to process what had just happened.
Meanwhile, Akane just smiled with satisfaction, happy to see Azlan healthy again, and pleased with the 'treatment' method she had just used.