Chapter 122: Rumi’s Ability

Upon consuming the Castle Fruit, Rumi experienced an immediate transfer of the Devil Fruit's power into her body, subtly influencing her in various ways.

The most noticeable change occurred as the hood on her head gradually transformed into a Gothic-style pointed wizard's hat, its wide brim still concealing most of her face. Rumi, however, seemed delighted with her new accessory, exclaiming, "Oh yeah! It's so pretty!"

Adrian inquired, "Rumi, do you feel any differences?"

Setting aside her fascination with the hat, Rumi nodded. She held the partially bitten Castle Fruit in her hands and activated her newfound Devil Fruit ability with a light exclamation: "Oh yeah!"

The Castle Fruit, initially half the size of Rumi's body, began to shrink under the influence of a mysterious and profound spatial force. Gradually, it transformed into a sesame seed-sized black dot, which then floated into her body.

"I can feel the presence of the Devil Fruit within me," Rumi murmured, patting her stomach. "It's such a strange sensation, oh yeah!"

Adrian's curiosity persisted. "Rumi, can you sense the size of the castle space now residing within you? Can it fit a ship?"

Rumi tilted her head. "I don't know, but I want to find out!"

Adrian said, "Go ahead."

With Adrian's approval, Rumi soared toward Oro Jackson. As a semi-phantom spirit, she naturally possessed ethereal qualities.

Hovering before the ship's beautiful mermaid figurehead, Rumi extended her hand, gently caressing the mottled and faded golden hair. Memories of shared adventures with the Roger Pirates flooded her consciousness.

After a while, Rumi finally activated her ability.

"Oh my!"

Rumi's translucent hands rested upon the figurehead. The Castle Fruit's power, continuously acting upon the battered Pirate King's vessel, caused it to visibly shrink under her newfound prowess.

As the ship shrank to its original one-third size, its momentum abruptly stopped.

"Oh no, Adrian!" Rumi's voice rang out, urgent and breathless. "My powers are about to run out! I still need the energy you used to wake me earlier!"

Adrian swiftly flew to Rumi's side, raising his hand and releasing his ghostly energy, connecting it to Rumi's body just as before.

"That's it! Oh yeah!"

With the strong support of the ghostly energy, Rumi regained her strength. After a considerable effort, she finally succeeded in containing the entire Oro Jackson within her own being.

"It's done…"

Although she had improved a lot with the help of ghost energy, she had been weakened for too long, and this time she had expended a great deal of energy to store the Oro Jackson inside her body. The consumption was simply too great.

"Adrian," she murmured, "I need to rest for a while."

With those words, Rumi transformed into a beam of light, diving into the lead-gray pocket watch adorned with a Gothic castle on Adrian's clothing.

Adrian took out his pocket watch, a luxurious and intricately designed timepiece he had purchased over a year ago at the Donquixote Auction House. Unexpectedly, it had now become the new house for the ship's spirit.

"Now," Adrian pondered, "Should I still call Rumi a ship spirit?" A thought flitted through his mind. "Perhaps she's more like a Castle Ghost?"

Even before consuming the Castle Fruit, Adrian had secretly examined Rumi's status panel.

Originally, he thought that a ship's spirit wouldn't be recognized by the status panel. However, to his surprise, Rumi's panel had indeed appeared, though mostly filled with question marks.

[Rumi] (Green name)

[Level: 79]

[Attributes: Strength?, Agility?, Stamina?, Intelligence 840, Charm?, Luck?]

[Abilities: [Navigator of the Storm] - Specialty: Can freely command any entity recognized as a ship with unique abilities.

[Guardian of the Sea] - Specialty: Silently protects those sailing on the ship.

?]

[Danger Level: None]

The level is 79, and Adrian doesn't know how to evaluate this.

Although Rumi can also be considered a member of Roger's Pirate Crew, being a ship spirit makes it difficult to predict strength directly. However, her remarkably high intelligence attribute of 840 certainly caught attention.

Among the most interesting aspects were the two specialties as a ship spirit, "Navigator of the Storm" and "Guardian of the Sea."

The former for sailing, while the latter focused on protection—a harmonious combination

Upon consuming the Castle Fruit, Rumi acquired several new abilities, all displayed on her status panel:

Castle Form: This allowed Rumi to transform into a massive castle with exceptionally high defense.

Localized Transformation: She could assimilate specific parts of herself into lifeless objects within the castle.

Fortress Space: Rumi gained control over the castle's internal structure, enabling her to store external items within her body.

What she did just now; shrinking and storing the Oro Jackson relied on her ultimate ability, the "Fortress Space."

Of course, it wouldn't be complete without the almost customary "Sea Curse," typical of Devil Fruit users!

Adrian mused, "A ship spirit cursed by the sea—now that's interesting."

He also felt a sense of déjà vu.

A sense of déjà vu washed over him. It reminded him of the time before information about the Fish-Fish Fruit was widely known. People speculated, "I ate the Fish-Fish Fruit, so I can't breathe on land and will drown if I go into the sea."

Curiosity tugged at Adrian. What would happen if Rumi truly touched the sea? He could personally vouch that the half-phantom ghosts created by the Ghost Fruit were unafraid of seawater.

Logically, Rumi, as a ship spirit, should share similar characteristics. Yet, she was also a Devil Fruit user—a delightful complexity.

Setting aside these sudden musings, Adrian composed himself and retraced his steps. Through the hole in the wall, past the cluttered warehouse, he arrived in Tom's workshop's living room.

"White Ghost! You've emerged!" Mr. Tom greeted him excitedly. "Where is the ship spirit?"

The other workshop occupants gathered, eyes wide with curiosity. They, too, wondered what the legendary ship spirit looked like.

Adrian surveyed the room and sighed, "I apologize, everyone. The ship spirit is injured and currently sleeping and recovering."

Mr. Tom was a little disappointed, but he could understand. After all, he knew how badly the Oro Jackson had been damaged before. It was already lucky enough that the ship spirit could be awakened again!