After listening to Jesus' explanation, Leo gained a new understanding of the Devil Fruits—but the more he understood, the more questions arose. Although he had already signed the pact, he didn't want things to spiral out of control.
"Jesus, if you created the other Devil Fruits, why did they leave? Can't you control their power?"
"Of course I can. I just don't want to destroy them. After all, they are my siblings."
Leo narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt Jesus wasn't being entirely honest; he had noticed a flaw in his words. "If you can freely control their life and death, why do you need me?"
Jesus: "..."
"Heh, you really are a clever child. That's right—I can only control them within this world. That's why I need you to help me bring them back."
"That doesn't make sense. Since you're out of the game, why not do it yourself? You can't defeat your siblings?"
"Heh… it's not like that. Most of them fall asleep after entering a host's body, but if they sense my presence, they immediately wake up. My siblings fear me, so as long as they're awake, they avoid me."
"How could they possibly escape from you?"
"Originally, it was impossible—but with hosts, it becomes possible. For example, you are my host, and another sibling's host is a Marine Admiral. Do you think we could defeat them?"
I see… that means I'm the weak one.
"Even if they can't beat us, they can escape. My siblings can awaken each other. If too many awaken, I wouldn't be their match. Do you understand?"
"But I heard that consuming two Devil Fruits simultaneously causes the demons to rebel in a person's heart, which can kill the host."
"That's right. My siblings were misled by Xiao Hei. If they meet, the only outcome is mutual devouring. Consuming two fruits can kill a host, as the human body cannot withstand the violent fluctuations caused by the siblings' struggle. But if they intend to challenge me, they suppress the devouring instinct and work together to strike first."
I see. Devil Fruits can devour each other—no wonder they have such strong territorial instincts. That explains the rewards Jesus mentioned. But who is Xiao Hei? The more I hear, the more questions I have.
"Jesus, who is Xiao Hei?"
"Xiao Hei is Xiao Hei, my tenth sibling. That is his dwelling. He lured the other siblings away from their mother." The light orb transformed into an arrow, pointing to the tenth circular hole at the tree's roots.
"Is Hei really that powerful? He can even control other Devil Fruits?"
The orb flickered rapidly, briefly turning red. Jesus' emotions were clearly unstable, but eventually, the light returned to its usual white.
"Xiao Hei's power is devouring. He used it to help two siblings escape from their mother's body. It is because of his power that I temporarily lost control over the others."
Hmm? That name sounds familiar… Leo thought carefully, suddenly realizing Xiao Hei was the Dark Fruit. So all this chaos stems from him.
Leo jokingly said, "Jesus, didn't you gain the ability to suppress Devil Fruit powers because of Xiao Hei? Why did you give him that power in the first place? Isn't that asking for trouble?"
Jesus' orb turned red again. He hesitated before speaking: "Dama Le! Ulusei! # %…#@…*&"
Listening to the orb speak in a childlike voice, Leo couldn't help but smile. He didn't expect Jesus to have a tsundere-like personality. Seeing Jesus grow more excited, Leo decided to change the topic.
"Why did Hei lure the other Devil Fruit users away?"
"Hmph, why else? He was jealous of me. He once asked why I was always above, while he was at the bottom, forced to look up at everyone. Since then, he has been encouraging the other siblings behind my back."
The orb suddenly dimmed, as if Jesus' mood had sunk: "Thinking about it… my mother's exhaustion is also because of this. It's all my fault. If I had discovered Xiao Hei's actions earlier…"
"How many siblings did you create? There are only ten rings on the tree. Did you create just ten?"
"No. These ten rings are the first siblings I created. They help me manage the others. More siblings exist in the mother's roots, but their powers are weaker than the original ten."
Leo became curious about the other eight original Devil Fruits. "Besides you and Hei, what are the powers of the other eight?"
This question seemed to delight Jesus, as if a child were showing off to others: "Then I will tell you in detail, so you can be confident that when you encounter them, you will be able to defeat them."
"God said, 'Let there be light,' and so my eldest brother shone…"
"Where did you hear that? Speak clearly."
"This world was too barren, so I tried to create the sun. I created three experiments: Sun, Light, and Flame. After a series of battles, the Sun defeated the other two and drove them away, occupying the second ring alone."
Leo was astonished. What Jesus said matched the experiences of Nika, Shanshan, and Shaoshao perfectly. The Sun had indeed driven away the other two, becoming the representative of light.
"And the others?"
"He also had the ability to give souls to objects, traverse time and space, create memories, and make objects float. He used these abilities to help my siblings escape this world."
Damn! They all match. As expected, with Jesus' plan, I alone cannot contend with those monsters. If we are discovered, the Devil Fruit powers could backfire, killing the host.
"Hey, I don't understand why those bastards are so lucky to receive all the strongest fruits."
Leo had only complained casually, but Jesus unexpectedly gave a cryptic reply: "It's all fate. Fate guides my siblings to the right hosts."
Leo frowned. "Don't talk nonsense. You're too superstitious. If you hadn't let those two siblings escape, none of this would have happened. You nearly killed your mother."
Hearing Leo's words, Jesus' orb dimmed again: "I didn't want that either."
"Then why did you create that pair of siblings?"
"Ah… I was too lonely. From here I can see every corner of the world clearly, but the more I see, the more I long for company. I never expected them to leave me… sob…"
Jesus' crying made Leo uneasy. He quickly comforted him: "Don't worry, you have me. Since I have become a human-form Devil Fruit, I can be your brother. I promise I will find everyone."
"Really?"
"Really? Then I'll help you beat up Xiao Hei."
"Leo, you're so good…"
Leo: "…"
This child is too easy to appease, so I might… use this opportunity to request a favor: "Jesus, you know my mission is tough, and I'm weak. Can you help me become stronger?"
"Sob… hic… hey, how do you plan to strengthen it?"
"I don't ask for much, just to enhance my control over the ocean, so I can help you find your brothers faster."
Leo looked at the orb expectantly. Jesus didn't speak, but the orb grew brighter until it hurt his eyes. Suddenly, warmth flowed through his entire body.
The light lasted only a few seconds before Jesus returned to normal: "Alright, I can only help you this much. I must save my mother's life, so I need to conserve energy."
Hearing the faintly tired voice, Leo felt guilty. He hadn't expected that a few words of his could help Jesus regain strength. If it affected Jesus' main task, Leo would feel deeply responsible.
"Huh? Are you alright? Or can you take back the power you just gave?"
"No. You just need to help me find my siblings quickly. The more we find, the stronger my power becomes."
"No problem, no problem. We'll do it as soon as we leave." Perfect! There's someone with special abilities on the ship—I'll extract her power as soon as we depart.
"Any other questions? If not, I'll take you back."
"Can I come here again?"
"Heh, not this time. You don't belong to this world."
Seeing Leo's reluctance, Jesus quickly added: "Once I regain my strength, I can bring your consciousness back. Heh, heh… hearing you say that reassures me."
Consciousness restored? Nice. Leo finally smiled. Jesus had explained everything. He decided to send them back. The orb glowed brighter than ever, illuminating the entire world.
Oh…
Sunlight shone brilliantly over the calm sea, the waves still as if frozen. In the middle floated a small boat.
Leo frowned slightly, regaining full awareness. He propped himself up and looked around in confusion. "Are we… back?"
He first checked on Will. The little fatty was drooling in his sleep, looking adorable. Then he checked on Fanny, who remained unconscious. Leo decided to kill her immediately. Placing his hand on her head, he activated his power.
A translucent orb erupted from Fanny's head, with an especially bright core. Leo sensed the soul's vibrations within the core. Suppressing his curiosity, he tried to separate the orb from the core—and to his surprise, it was remarkably easy.
Then, Leo attempted to absorb the translucent orb into his body. Warmth flooded him again. He knew his power had increased. Without another word, he cast the glowing orb into the sea.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "One Piece: Shadows of the Throne" is 30 chapters ahead there