3 None the Wiser

Before Alba could react the seven long branches came flying in his direction. With a startled caw he flapped his wings and shot upwards but to no avail. With a sicking thunk, three of the branches made contact.

A pitiful scream rang out as Alba was sent plummeting into the forest below. Several angry squawks resounded as the rest of the crows finally reacted. Ten of the bigger crows separated off from the group and shot towards Humil.

"Protect the Prince!" The largest of the group called out, before making a nose dive towards the nearest branch.

The remaining crows dived towards the forest where Abla had landed. Some of them formed a protective cover, while the others landed next to him to make sure he was still breathing.

Up in the sky, the bulker crows swerved around, dancing between the branches. The leader's beak started to glow purple as he jammed it into one of the vines. The vine recoiled from the blow before discharging a bolt of lightning from its surface.

"Captain!"

"Stay in formation! We can't let him further harm the prince!" The leader hollered, as he was hit in the chest by the bolt.

Smoke rose from his chest feathers as he fell limply towards the ground. Just before he dropped below the tree line he managed to right himself. With shaky movements, he turned and stared at the old tree. Taking a deep breath he steeled his resolve and flew forward again, smoke still coming from his feathers.

"It's such a shame, you're an excellent guard," The old tree Humil sighed as he watched everything. With a snap of his fingers, the branches that were previously just entertaining the other crows switched to the offensive.

Six loud smacks rang out one after another as six of the large crows were directly smashed into meat paste. From the remains, the branches pulled out six shining gems before coiling around them and returning to the tree's canopy. The one remaining branch swayed mockingly in the air as if encouraging the other crows to attack.

Seeing the utter destruction of his comrades the eyes of the leader turned red. Though he knew it was a fruitless effort he charged forwards. Just as he got in range of the branch a pitiful cry came from behind him, halting his advance. Turing his head he saw the Crow Prince, Alba, being lifted into the air by a group of his followers.

"Retreat, Captain!" Alba cried while looking hatefully at the large tree.

'I must inform my father about the difference in information,' Alba thought to himself as he clicked his beak. 'This puts a twist in our plans… But I must have my vengeance for this embarrassment!'

Hearing the order from his prince, the captain shot once last glare at the old tree before retreating.

"Did I allow you to leave?" From the tree, a slow voice drawled, "If I just let you all come and go as you please, others might get the wrong idea. After all, I am a carnivorous plant."

The branch remaining in the air shot forwards at a speed unseeable to the naked eye. Then, to the prince's horror, the guard captain disintegrated into nothingness, his glowing core vanishing along with the last branch. With a fearful caw, the Crow Prince and the rest fled as fast as possible.

Not bothering with the rest of the crows, the old man turned his attention elsewhere. The seven blackened branched appeared before him, extending from the void. Wrapped up in each of them was a faintly glowing gem.

They were the magic cores taken from the remains of the crows. The majority of them were of the fourth rank, but the one from the leader was actually a sixth rank core. Humil smiled at his good luck as he juggled the cores in his hand. As a Seventh Heaven Cleared Demon Emperor, he was beyond the level of these small things doing him any good, but he still had a use for them.

With a thought, seven fruits detached from the tree and floated before him. With gentle movements, he stuffed one core into a fruit, then repeated the process. Then as a final touch, he covered them with a layer of juice from an eighth fruit, to make sure the sent of the core was good and covered.

Once the seven fruits where stuffed and coated, he let them float in the air again and admired his handy work. With a flick of his wrist one of the fruits, the one with the smallest core inside, separated from the others and drifted towards the ground. It landed with a soft thump not too far from where Jasper was still napping, completely unaware of everything that had just transpired.

Just as the sun was sinking below the horizon, Jasper began to stir. Yawning he stretched his body and slowly opened his eyes. Smacking his lips he squinted, the nap had left him completely refreshed, if not a little peckish.

Looking back at his body he was surprised to discover that the bludging from earlier was completely gone. He was completely thin again, and if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him he was a tad longer too.

'What in the world?' He thought as he wiggled his tail back and forth. 'Just how long did I sleep?'

Wagging his tail a few more times he put that thought to the back of his mind. Now wasn't the time to be worrying about it, instead, he needed to find something to eat again. Because even though he had just managed to digest a fruit bigger than himself, his stomach was already begging for more.

Distraught by his body's ability to power through the food he sighed. Looking at his surrounding he nearly had a heart attack when he noticed that another purple fruit had fallen close by. Glaring at the evil intruder he gave a warning hiss, he was not in the mood to suffocate again.

However, as he looked at the fruit, a nearly blinding glow erupted from it. Quickly closing his eyes he cursed, this one was a lot brighter than the last, and sadly for him, it appeared to smell a lot stronger too. He could already feel his conscious fading from the appetizing aroma.

With everything he had, he fought against his instincts for control. But as his nose bumped against the fruit he unwilling scooched nearer too, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. With a defeated sigh he gave in and opened his mouth. Not even bothering to sink his teeth in and savor the flavor, he went straight to trying to swallow the thing.

His eyes watered in pain as the oversized fruit wedged its way into his mouth. Getting it in as far as he could with just his mouth and throat muscles, he was pleased to feel that he managed to get it in further this time. Yet it still wasn't enough, so begrudgingly he gathered his strength and repeated his earlier head slamming trick.

As stars filled his vision the fruit slid the rest of the way down. Flopping to the ground he gave a defeated grunt, this isn't how he wanted to live his new life. Wake up, find a devil fruit, unwillingly eat it, see stars, pass out, and then repeat. If this was going to continue to happen, he might just let the fruit do him in next time.