Chapter 89: Alabasta: The Oblivious Fruit Vendor

Devil Fruits are classified into three main types: Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan.

Among them, Logia Fruits are generally considered the most powerful. Their main feature is that they allow the user to transform their body into a specific element, making physical attacks pass right through them.

The Flame-Flame Fruit is one such Logia Fruit.

While it may seem difficult to deal with a Logia user who can become intangible, there are several ways to counter them. One of these methods is using Armament Haki, which lets you hit a Logia user as if they were solid.

Hosu hadn't turned his upper body into flames, and he was overly confident in his abilities.

This made it easier for Takumi to grab his throat and take control of the situation.

It also seemed that Hosu didn't know Armament Haki could make contact with a Logia user's real body. Or maybe he didn't even know what Armament Haki was.

"This can't be happening!" Hosu's eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to turn his body into flames and escape. But no matter what he did, the part of his neck that Takumi was gripping wouldn't transform.

Staring into Takumi's calm, cold eyes, Hosu desperately turned his hands and feet into flames, attacking Takumi to force him to let go. If he could just make Takumi release him, he might have a chance to escape. He had only recently eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit, so he wasn't fully in control of its powers. And after seeing Takumi's earlier display of strength, Hosu knew he couldn't win a direct fight.

But just as Hosu launched his attack, Takumi tightened his grip on Hosu's throat, his hand reinforced by Armament Haki.

A loud crack echoed as Hosu's bones shattered.

Hosu didn't even have time to scream. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out, the flames on his body gradually extinguishing.

Takumi had been careful not to use too much force, avoiding snapping Hosu's neck completely to keep blood from splattering on his hand. Instead, he crushed his windpipe.

As Takumi released his grip, Hosu's limp body fell from the sky.

Pell and Igaram stood frozen in shock, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

It wasn't until Hosu's body hit the ground that Pell snapped out of it. The thought that he had considered teaming up with Takumi to fight this guy now seemed ridiculous.

Igaram, slower to react, rushed over to Hosu and checked for a pulse. For a moment, he felt a weak heartbeat, but then it stopped entirely. "What? He's dead…"

Takumi landed softly on the sand.

He planned to head further into the desert to continue training and maybe bring back some edible sand beasts to sell in Alabasta. The money he had earned in Loguetown was running low.

Seeing Takumi heading deeper into the desert, away from Alabasta, Igaram called out, "Takumi, where are you going? Are you coming back to Alabasta?"

Takumi ignored him and kept walking.

"Ugh, this kid…" Igaram muttered, frustrated. "Still as distant as ever."

Pell walked over to Igaram and patted him on the shoulder. "Let him go. At least now we know Takumi wasn't involved with the killer. Let's take the murderer's body back."

Igaram nodded in agreement.

Around noon, Takumi returned to Alabasta, dragging the carcass of a giant lizard.

It was the same kind of giant lizard he had encountered when he first arrived in Alabasta—the type that usually traveled in pairs.

These lizards were massive, with sharp teeth and claws, and were notoriously aggressive. They held a high place on the food chain in the Alabasta desert, feared by most of the locals.

So, when Takumi returned to Alabasta dragging half of a giant lizard's body, it naturally drew a lot of attention.

"Is that a Sandora Giant Lizard?"

"Whoa! Even though it's only half of one, it's still huge… Who is that kid? How can he drag such a big lizard?"

"Look at that clean cut. What kind of massive sword could slice through something like that?"

"Could the kid have done it?"

"No way. How could a kid take down a Sandora Giant Lizard? Someone else must have killed it, and the kid just took the leftovers."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Still, this kid got lucky. He could probably sell that half of the lizard for a good price."

Takumi ignored the chatter around him and dragged the lizard's body to a large meat trading center in Alabasta, where he sold it for 100,000 Beli.

After leaving the center, he planned to find a place to eat lunch. As he passed by a fruit shop, the shopkeeper's startled voice caught his attention: "Huh? What's this? I don't remember stocking any weird-looking fruits like this…"

Takumi glanced inside the shop and saw the shopkeeper holding a large, orange fruit with a spiral pattern on its surface.

Wait… is that the Flame-Flame Fruit?

Takumi was sure of it—the fruit in the shopkeeper's hand was definitely the Flame-Flame Fruit!

When a Devil Fruit user dies, their fruit usually reincarnates nearby, taking the form of the closest fruit.

It seemed Hosu was truly dead…

"This thing looks so strange. Could it be poisonous?" the shopkeeper mused, unaware of the fruit's value.

Noticing Takumi's gaze, the shopkeeper looked up, and their eyes met.

It was lunchtime, and not many people were buying fruit, so the shop was empty except for the shopkeeper.

Seeing Takumi eyeing the fruit in his hand, the shopkeeper set it aside and smiled. "Hey there, kid. Are you here to buy some fruit? I just got a fresh batch of apples—only 10 Beli per kilo. They're really cheap. Want to try some?"

Takumi didn't respond.

Noticing Takumi's silence, the shopkeeper looked back at the Flame-Flame Fruit, scratching his head. "This is really weird. I checked this crate of apples earlier, and they were fine. But when I opened it again, there was this strange fruit in there. I don't know if it's poisonous. Hey, kid, you're not interested in this weird fruit, are you? If you want it, I'll sell it to you for 10 Beli. But I can't guarantee it's safe to eat, so don't go eating it without thinking."

Takumi was speechless.

10 Beli?

This Flame-Flame Fruit, which was auctioned by Akainu for 3 billion Beli, was being sold for 10 Beli?

If the shopkeeper knew the true value of this fruit, he'd probably faint from shock.

Without a second thought, Takumi handed over 10 Beli and tossed it to the shopkeeper.

Since the shopkeeper had already set the price at 10 Beli, there was no need for Takumi to spend more. Better to save the extra money to buy more alcohol.

While Takumi had no intention of eating a Devil Fruit, he knew they were valuable. He could keep it as a reserve fund if needed.

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