"Oh!?"
"Didn't expect Whitebeard's people to be this considerate, huh?!"
Zoro leaned in curiously, took the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia from Sanji's hands, and read aloud for everyone with interest:
"Paramecia-Type · Storage Fruit."
"Effect: Transforms the user's body into a massive storage center, allowing any object or living being to be shrunk and stored inside the body. The user can freely divide their body into different storage zones, storing different items or creatures under different environmental conditions."
"Doesn't really sound like a powerful Devil Fruit~"
Clearly unimpressed, Zoro turned around and compared the description in the encyclopedia with the small house-shaped Devil Fruit in his hand, giving it a rather lukewarm evaluation.
At that moment, however, Usopp—who normally showed little interest in Devil Fruits—suddenly snatched the encyclopedia from his hands.
"Wait! Let me see that!"
Once the book was in his hands, Usopp immediately began reading it seriously.
As an encyclopedia only top-tier forces were qualified to possess, it naturally didn't contain just such brief descriptions.
On the back of the page was a detailed record of abilities demonstrated by past users of the fruit throughout history.
And the Storage Fruit was described in exceptional detail, because it happened to include a thorough research report on one former user.
"Storage Fruit… could it be…?"
At that moment, Red seemed to realize something as well. He raised a hand to signal the others to give Usopp some time.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips as he waited quietly.
About two minutes later, Usopp suddenly shoved the encyclopedia aside, then swept an excited gaze across the Straw Hat crew.
"Everyone—can I eat this Devil Fruit?!"
"What!? Usopp, you're going to eat a Devil Fruit too?!"
As if he'd just heard something amusing, Luffy bounced over instantly, clearly eager to watch the excitement.
Usopp nodded hard. "That's right! I think this Devil Fruit's ability suits me perfectly!"
"So—does anyone else want this power?!"
"You've got to be kidding!"
Seeing Usopp's expectant gaze, Nami and the others—who also hadn't eaten Devil Fruits—immediately showed looks of disgust.
Nami shook her head outright. "No way. Turning my body into a warehouse sounds way too gross."
Zoro immediately chimed in as well:
"I'm not interested in any Devil Fruit that doesn't help in combat."
"And besides… are you really not going to think this through a bit more?"
Clearly, Zoro didn't think much of the so-called Storage Fruit.
Even though he had more or less guessed what Usopp saw in it.
Sanji, cigarette in his mouth, didn't voice an opinion—but the frown on his face and the half-step backward he took showed just how unenthusiastic he was about it.
In the end, Usopp lifted the Storage Fruit in both hands and turned his gaze toward Red, only to be met with Red's teasing laughter.
"Why are you looking at me!?"
"Don't tell me you think I'm short on Devil Fruits!?"
Red flicked his hand, and a blinding arc of lightning flashed through the air.
Then he turned serious and advised Usopp:
"But Usopp—have you really decided to eat this Devil Fruit?"
"You're probably interested in its ability to store ammunition and insects, right?"
"Sure, that fits your current fighting style perfectly. But people change, and our exploration of the Pokémon world has only just begun…"
"No one knows what the future holds."
"Besides, ammunition and insects are ultimately external tools."
"In truth, there are many other Devil Fruits in this world that would suit you—like the Momo Fruit, which can enlarge and accelerate any object."
"And if you just want to store things inside your body, there's also the far stronger Castle Fruit."
Although Red hadn't read the detailed report on the back of the encyclopedia, even from those few lines he could vaguely tell—
This Storage Fruit was very likely an inferior version of Capone's Castle Fruit.
One turned the body into an indestructible, multifunctional battle fortress; the other merely into a large warehouse.
Which was stronger was obvious at a glance.
As for other Devil Fruits, Red already knew who their users were. Whether by using Vegapunk's Devil Fruit replication technology, or by killing the users and letting the abilities reincarnate into new fruits…
For the current Straw Hat Pirates, none of that would be particularly difficult.
Yet in the face of Red's renewed advice, Usopp simply shook his head lightly, his eyes shining with confidence.
"Thank you, Red."
"But I've studied the Storage Fruit's ability in detail, and I'm absolutely certain—it's the power that suits me best!"
"Is that so?"
Red nodded and said nothing more.
He chose to trust Usopp's decision.
"Then…"
"Since you've made up your mind, walk forward bravely!"
Red smiled encouragingly and gently patted Usopp on the shoulder.
"Yeah!"
Usopp took the Devil Fruit and nodded firmly. Staring at the strange Devil patterns on its surface, even with his resolve set, his throat still tightened.
But thinking of the power described in the encyclopedia, he gritted his teeth and took a big bite.
In an instant, his face twisted in agony as he cried out the truest feeling shared by all Devil Fruit users:
"This tastes absolutely awful!!!"
With a contorted expression, Usopp chewed a few times before swallowing it down in one go.
His assessment immediately earned sympathetic looks from the other Devil Fruit users among the Straw Hats.
To avoid leaving any residual power in the remaining flesh, Usopp—despite knowing a single bite was enough—forced himself to endure the nausea and swallowed the entire Devil Fruit.
The next moment, before everyone's eyes, Usopp's body suddenly expanded.
The yellow checkered headscarf on his head spread out, forming a flat roof-like shape, and his body became square and boxy.
In the blink of an eye, Usopp transformed into a strange, blocky figure—like a massive warehouse with arms and legs—standing before them.
His eyes turned into transparent windows, his mouth into a large storage gate.
And his iconic long nose was especially eye-catching, like a flagpole rising from the building—just without a flag.
"U-Usopp!? Are you okay?!"
Chopper cried out in shock, eyes wide.
But in his transformed state, Usopp extended two bizarre wooden arms from either side of the "warehouse" and let out a deep, booming laugh.
"Hehehe~ I've never felt this good before!"
"Oh, right~!"
He suddenly squatted down, slowly opening his mouth and speaking indistinctly to everyone:
"Want to come inside my body and take a look around?!"
"No thanks!!!"
The crew waved their hands in perfect unison, all stepping back at once.
"What a buzzkill~"
Usopp sighed helplessly, then his body shrank and returned to normal human form.
"So…" Robin asked on behalf of everyone, curiosity evident in her voice. "Usopp, is there some special reason you chose this fruit?"
Judging from that bulky transformation just now, it clearly wasn't a Devil Fruit suited for combat.
Everyone immediately turned their gaze to Usopp, eyes wide with curiosity.
Feeling all eyes on him—and empowered by his new ability—Usopp grew excited.
But instead of explaining, he grinned at Red and said:
"I can't really show my power here. Red, take us to Laboon's inner world!"
"Alright~"
Also curious about the fruit Usopp had chosen, Red waved his hand, summoning a massive Hyperspace Hole in front of the Going Merry.
In an instant, the ship sailing across the sea vanished, as if it had never existed at all.
…
…
Half an hour later—
Inside Laboon's inner world.
The Straw Hat crew stared in disbelief as countless insects of all sizes filled the sky, continuously flying toward the deck of the Going Merry—only to vanish one after another!
"T-This Devil Fruit ability… isn't it way too terrifying!?"
Zoro clicked his tongue in shock, the earlier disdain for the Storage Fruit completely gone, replaced by sheer amazement.
And the reason was simple—this scene had already been playing out before them for over twenty minutes!
At this moment, light flickered in Red's eyes as he looked at the Storage Fruit encyclopedia in his hands and nodded in approval.
"No wonder Usopp chose this fruit."
"I guessed the word 'storage' might relate to spatial abilities…"
"But this level of storage capacity—even if it isn't infinite space, the scale is still terrifying!"
Since the pirate world already had Devil Fruits with inherent infinite space—like the Swamp Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit—Usopp's Storage Fruit didn't shock Red too much.
Still…
"At this point, which one ranks higher between it and the Castle Fruit is really hard to say."
Time passed slowly.
After another half hour, the once-noisy inner world finally fell silent.
As Usopp swallowed the last insect queen—whose body was as large as the Going Merry itself—not a single insect remained alive inside Laboon.
"This is… absolutely terrifying."
Standing on the deck, the crew once again marveled at the power Usopp had displayed.
Usopp reverted to his normal form and proudly explained to everyone:
"The Storage Fruit turns my body into a massive warehouse with near-infinite space!"
"Any item or living being stored inside me is preserved in its optimal storage state."
"I can also divide my internal space into different zones, freely setting the temperature, humidity, air pressure, and other environmental factors for each one."
"That means my body becomes the perfect breeding ground for insects and plants!"
"With this power, I can cultivate powerful insects and plants with far greater specialization."
"And when I need to fight…"
Before he could finish, Usopp's eyes flashed. He waved his arm toward the front of the Going Merry.
In an instant!
The pores on his arm transformed into hatch-like doors and flew open!
Countless dense black dots poured out from his arm. After flying just a few inches away, they rapidly expanded—becoming an entire army of insects in the blink of an eye!
Buzzing thunderously, they hovered in the air before the Going Merry, an awe-inspiring and frightening sight!
Witnessing this, Usopp's lips curled upward in pride as he said—half to himself, half to his companions:
"That's why I said… this is the Devil Fruit that suits me best!"
At that moment, the timid, self-doubting Usopp seemed to gain boundless courage and confidence. His very presence began to change—to rise.
"Usopp… has gotten stronger."
That thought passed through every Straw Hat's mind at the same time.
Red smiled faintly, then raised the Storage Fruit encyclopedia in his hand and ignited it with a bolt of lightning.
The contents of that encyclopedia had lost their meaning.
From this day forward, the Devil Fruit known as the Storage Fruit would be redefined by Usopp's existence.
Perhaps someday, someone would even rename this Devil Fruit—giving it a title more resounding…
More worthy of the word "legend."
…
…
Of course, a Devil Fruit with such power wasn't without limits.
The reason this fruit had remained obscure throughout history was due to three major restrictions.
First, just as the Straw Hats had seen earlier—
The Storage Fruit's collection ability wasn't instantaneous teleportation. Objects had to approach Usopp, be shrunk by the fruit's power, and enter his body through the "warehouse gate."
That process took time.
Though subtle, it meant there was always a risk of interception before the object fully entered his body.
The second restriction was that living beings stored inside had to be either willing or incapable of resisting.
In other words, even if an enemy touched Usopp in battle, they would not be affected by his ability and dragged into his storage space.
The final restriction—the true reason this fruit never achieved fame—
Was that when storing objects, the user could only store things they were physically capable of lifting, and the judgment was extremely strict regarding the object's integrity.
Even if an object was tied by a thin thread, with the other end attached to something the user couldn't lift…
They still wouldn't be able to store it unless the thread was cut first.
Fortunately…
None of these limitations mattered to Usopp.
In his hands, the Storage Fruit was no longer just a convenient storage ability.
It was a perfect biological cultivation base—
A true stronghold for a warrior.
(End of Chapter)