After returning to his palace, Ross dialed Saint Saturn's number.
There were some things that didn't need to be hidden from the other person.
For at least a long time, he and Saint Saturn would not have any conflict; the other party would still be his protector.
Bru…Bru…!
The Den Den Mushi connected, and the face that appeared was that of Saint Saturn.
"What is it?"
Upon hearing Saint Saturn's solemn voice, Ross knew that this wasn't the time to speak.
Saint Saturn would only make such a show of himself when the Five Elders were gathered.
Because Ohara had handled the situation quite well, Saint Saturn's tone toward him had improved considerably in private.
"I'm at the family's ancestral home. I just went to the ancestral hall to pay respects to our ancestors. Grandpa, I noticed that your name isn't engraved on the altar. Should we have our names engraved on it?"
Ross didn't mention the fruit, but he knew that Saint Saturn would understand what he meant.
Apart from the fruit, there was nothing at the sacrificial site that he could covet.
"My achievements are not enough to warrant having my name engraved here. If you wish to have your name engraved, then prove it to me," Saint Saturn said calmly.
Ross's lips curled slightly after hearing this.
They were both riddle tellers, but he still understood.
Saint Saturn's meaning was simple: Saint Saturn could not bear the power of that fruit, but eating that fruit did not mean certain death. As long as one had the strength, one could bear the power of that fruit.
Furthermore, if he could eat that fruit, he would undoubtedly become the next head of the Jaygarcia family, and would most likely inherit the position of one of the Five Elders in the future.
"Don't blame me for not warning you," Saint Saturn suddenly added, "Even if you have your name carved in the temple now, if you are not qualified, it will soon be restored to its original state."
"Then I'll have to prove it to Grandpa."
Ross finished speaking with a laugh and hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Saint Saturn's last hint was crucial to him, as it confirmed his earlier suspicions.
Whenever the user of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Watatsumi died, the Fruit would reappear on the altar.
This was what they meant when they said that once you lost your qualification, everything would go back to normal.
How captivating must the effects of such a unique fruit be?
The next day.
Ross, impatient, summoned Zephyr, who was left behind on the ship, and took Stella with him. He also captured three labor slaves from the previous group and brought them to the sacrificial site.
"You want them to eat that fruit?"
Zephyr looked at the blue Devil Fruit on the stage, his gaze toward Ross filled with a strange expression.
A Devil Fruit that could appear in the shrine of a Celestial Dragon family was anything but simple.
Was he just going to feed this to slaves? Wasn't that a terrible waste?
If this fruit was really that powerful, he could eat it himself.
"Let's conduct a small experiment."
Ross smiled slightly, nonchalantly took the blue Devil Fruit, and tossed it to the burly slave standing at the front.
These slaves were all brought from the Holy Land to help him push the ship. They were all D-rank or even C-rank powerhouses who had not eaten Devil Fruits, so it could be said that they were making the best use of them.
"Eat it, and if you survive, I will grant you a great destiny," Ross said calmly.
Upon hearing this, the burly slave's face lit up with joy. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the Devil Fruit and took a bite.
Since he was already a slave anyway, and he still had the chance to eat a Devil Fruit, why wouldn't he want to?
In just a few bites, he swallowed the fruit, which was incredibly unpalatable, yet he actually found it enjoyable.
"Feel the power," Ross said calmly.
"Master, don't worry, I've seen others eat the fruit, I'm sure I can handle it." The burly slave said excitedly.
Ross remained noncommittal; after eating the fruit, the person before him would be dead.
Whether or not they could hold out was not up to the other party.
Buzz!
A slight noise broke the surrounding silence.
Immediately afterwards, a strange power began to spread through the burly slave man's body.
Ross saw a large amount of water suddenly gushing out from the slave man's body, like a fountain, instantly enveloping him completely and forming a water sphere.
At the same time, the slave man's body began to change. His feet gradually left the ground, and his body slowly floated in mid-air, as if supported by an invisible force.
The originally short black hair instantly turned white and began to grow wildly, the silvery-white strands cascading down like a waterfall, quickly reaching his waist. His eyes, too, were gradually covered in silvery-white light, shimmering with an eerie glow.
During the transition, the burly slave man continuously exuded an aura of power and pressure.
Even if an ordinary person was just standing in front of you, they would have the urge to crawl on their knees.
Stella was still being held back by Zephyr, otherwise she probably would have already...
Wuw!
Aah!!!
The burly slave's face showed pain.
The water flow continuously converged around him, and the mountainside began to tremble.
The Den Den Mushi rang at that very moment, and after Ross answered it, Zane's voice came through:
"Your Highness, the water level outside Jaygarcia Island has risen to about 10 meters."
"Understood. Reassure the public that this is a test of technology to protect the island. Report back to me immediately if anything happens."
Ross hung up the phone after speaking, his eyes showing a hint of disappointment as he looked at the burly slave.
He hadn't expected that causing the water to rise was actually a passive consequence of eating the fruit.
But the water only rose 10 meters. Was the slave too weak, or was there a problem with the deployment method?
Proving this was actually quite simple.
To obtain the truth, one had to conduct numerous experiments and dedicate oneself to science.
"save..."
Taking a moment to catch his breath, the burly slave looked pleadingly at Ross, but before he could finish speaking, he choked on water, which worsened his condition.
"Zephyr, what's his condition right now?" Ross asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The current situation of the slave strongman was very abnormal. Given his strength, he shouldn't have been trapped in the water even without the Devil Fruit.
"I've seen this scenario countless times before: a typical ability user being countered by seawater. There's no mistake. This sudden flow of water must be seawater," Zephyr said.
Zephyr gazed thoughtfully at the burly man enveloped by the seawater.
He began to understand why Ross had made the slaves eat the fruit; this was the first time he had ever seen a Devil Fruit accompanied by seawater.
Seawater could render Devil Fruit users powerless, and in severe cases, they might drown.
Only a few extremely powerful individuals could alleviate this feeling of powerlessness.
However, no matter how strong one was, one could not use the Devil Fruit's power in this powerless state.
Those Devil Fruit users who fell into the sea and wanted to save themselves either prepared before falling into the water by releasing their Devil Fruit abilities in advance to protect themselves, or relied forcibly on physical skills or their teammates to save themselves.
"So it really is seawater..."
Ross narrowed his eyes slightly. He had never seen such a bizarre combination before: the Devil Fruit contained seawater.
Without much thought, Ross's leg muscles contracted rapidly, and he kicked out quickly toward the burly man.
Buzz!
The supersonic kick compressed the air, creating a sharp slashing wave—this was the Rankyaku from the Marines' Rokushiki.
The slashing wave wasn't particularly strong, but it still easily broke through the seawater, sending the burly man flying.
"Was he rescued?"
Ross stared at the burly man who had landed, squinting as he awaited the outcome.
He had a feeling that saving people wouldn't be that simple.
Otherwise, this fruit would never have been kept hidden away by the family.
...
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