Chapter 278: Cockatrice

Ben, HQ, Raki, Alvida and Zala arrived on the deck of the Miss Love. There they saw Mikita, Honey, Nojiko, Marianne, Robin, and Conis on the deck. They looked like they were doing well. 

"Ben," Honey and Marianne exclaimed in unison. They rushed forward, to hug Ben in a warm embrace. A smile spread across Ben's face.

"I was only away for a short while," Ben remarked, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Any time away is too long," Honey responded, tightening her hug as if to make up for lost time.

"Too long," Marianne echoed, as she also hugged back. Ben patted Marianne`s head. Her smile grew wider. Ben used his other hand to hug. 

"Good to have you back in one piece, Captain," Robin remarked.

"He's unbreakable," Mikita chimed in, her tone full of confidence.

"Have we beaten Enel?" Conis inquired.

"Without a doubt," Alvida responded. She had a wide smile on her face. 

The girls shared a collective smile. "Was there ever any doubt?" Nojiko giggled. 

"We did beat him, jointly with Luffy," Ben replied. 

"He is a good ally," Honey replied. 

"He helped take down Crocodile," Mikita added. 

"Luffy is a good friend to have," Ben added. He looked around. "Where are Kaya, Vivi and Saphir?" Ben asked. 

"They are in the medical Medical Room," Mikita replied. 

"They had minor scratches," Nojiko added. 

"That is good, I should go and check with them," Ben said. At that moment, Kaya, Vivi and Saphir came running out. 

"We are fine," Saphir said as she ran out. 

"Saphir, you should rest," Kaya remarked. 

The girls laughed. "Captain, would have come down," Zala said.

"Vivi also came up," Nojiko teased.

"I was stopping Saphir," Vivi replied. 

"So you did not want to see my love?" Alvida teased. 

"No, I mean yes," Vivi stammered, her words tangling in her haste. Ben let out a soft chuckle, his arms wrapping around Saphir and Vivi in a comforting hug.

"I'm just relieved you're both safe," Ben said, sincerity warming his voice.

"Pervert," Kaya replied. 

The girls chuckled. "That is our Kaya," Nojiko remarked. 

"I am glad you are safe as well Kaya, my lovely nurse," Ben said. 

Kaya blushed. Kaya thought why was she still blushing over his compliments. It felt good to hear, her heart skipped a beat. 

Ben let go. "Now that we are all here," Ben announced. He added, "I would like to introduce Raki as our official crew member." 

"That is great," Vivi replied.

"Captain, get another one," Robin teased. 

"You will fit right in," Saphir said.

"Captain is nice," Marianne added. 

"We already had the talk," Mikita said.

"It was only a matter of time, I knew my love will win her over," Alvida remarked. 

"I joined the crew only," Raki stated. She blushed.

Kaya sighed. Nojiko and Robin giggled. 

Raki and Conis looked at each other. "Guess we are both newcomers," Raki said.

Conis nodded. "They are very nice," Conis replied. 

Raki noted the flame on her back. "That flame it's not natural," Raki commented.

"No, Ben gave it," Conis replied. She looked down. 

"It was a devil fruit called the Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Solar Phoenix," Ben explained. "It gave her flame ability," he added.

"That seems like a powerful devil fruit that you gave to someone new," Raki questioned.

"It is a risk," Robin said. She added, "Crews betray each other." The girls were silent.

"I trust you all, my crew with my life, and I want only the best for each of you. Offering you a devil fruit is one of the best ways to ensure your safety," Ben declared. "I love you all and I want to give you the finest of things for you," he added. His words carried the weight. 

All the girls smiled. They felt their hearts skip a beat. "Raki I want to give you a devil fruit, if you wish to have one," Ben offered. 

"You will lose your ability to swim," Ben warned. 

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice to gain something," Alvida remarked. 

"I know," Raki replied. She thought for a second. 

"There is no pressure for you to take one," Ben further added. 

"Me and Saphir don't have devil fruits, Ben respects us," Marianne commented. 

"He does," Saphir confirmed. 

"I will take the devil fruit," Raki stated. 

Ben nodded and put his hand out. (Sweetie Redeem Tori Tori no Mi no Mi: Cockatrice)

[Redeemed] 

A bright light appeared in his hands. Suddenly a devil fruit appeared. "This is the Tori Tori no Mi no Mi: Cockatrice," Ben informed. 

"A Mythical Zoan," Robin observed, her voice tinged with a hint of awe.

"This one's for you," Ben offered, extending his hand with the fruit.

"Is it similar to Enel's fruit?" Raki inquired.

"Mythical Zoan are even rarer and more powerful than some logias. They have the durability of a zoan however they also have a unique ability sometimes similar to a logia or greater," Ben replied. 

"It is unheard of for a crew to have this many devil fruits, let alone this many mythical zoans," Robin added.

"She is right there," Zala added. 

"Only the best for you girls," Ben affirmed with a gentle certainty.

"Are you certain of this?" Raki questioned, seeking reassurance.

"Absolutely," Ben responded.

Raki nodded and took the devil fruit. She looked at it and then ate it rapidly down. "You only needed a bite," Ben said.

Raki swallowed it all down. She made a disgusted look. It tasted awful. However she composed herself. "It was from my Captain, I did not want to waste it," Raki replied.

"I have heard that before," Nojiko said. Ben smiled. 

Raki looked at her body. She saw that her hands looked the same. She checked her back and there was no fire or anything different. 

"They usually take some time before you notice it or can use it," Ben remarked. 

"I can feel something," Raki said. She suddenly started to change her body. Her body grew feathers, her hands changed into large wings. She grew taller. Her feet became like a crow. She had a long tail. Her head changed into a rooster. Raki had turned into a two-legged dragon, with a rooster's head. Raki's body was long, slender. Her serpentine body was covered in dark, mottled scales. Her head had spikes. She had large bat-like wings which extended from her back, with visible veins and bone structure. The mouth was open, revealing an array of sharp teeth. Her feet were clawed feet. The color of her body was a grey.

"Wow," Honey exclaimed. 

"That is incredible," Nojiko said. 

"You transformed within seconds," Conis added.

"She did," Vivi said sadly. 

"Don't be down, everyone is different and Ben will not treat us differently," Zala stated. 

"Impressive for sure Raki, you are amazing," Ben complimented. He looked at Vivi and Conis. "Zala is right, everyone is different, I still can't use my full beast form, Raki has a natural ability with her devil fruit," Ben explained. 

Raki looked around. She spread her wings and started to flap them. She took off from the deck of the Miss Love Duck.

"Wow," Marianne said.She was amazed by the sight. 

"Another one you can fly," Mikita noted. 

Raki took to the sky and flew around. Raki felt the wind around her as she moved around the Miss Love Duck before landing and turned back into her regular self.

"That felt amazing," Raki commented as she hugged Ben. Ben hugged back. 

"I am glad you are happy," Ben replied. 

"My love works fast," Alvida remarked.

"Pervert," Kaya commented. 

Raki realised she was hugging him and let go. She took a step back and blushed. "I only hugged you because I am happy Captain," Raki said. Ben nodded. 

"Ben, did we complete the quest?" Mikita asked. 

"No, and Sweetie said we should before leaving," Ben replied. 

The girls smiled at each other. Then they looked at Ben hungirly. Ben saw this and swallowed his spit. 

"So who is left on the quest?" Zala asked. They girls looked eager. 

"Well, Alvida, Zala and Mikita , Vivi and finally Saphir," Ben replied. There were faces of happiness and disappointments. 

"But I love you all and will make it for you," Ben added.

"We know Captain, you will," Nojiko said.

"We will do our part to help you in other ways," Honey added. They all nodded.

"Master, I will retrieve the sample," HQ said. 

Ben nodded, as HQ ran down to inside the Miss Love Duck. 

"She was eager," Zala remarked.

"Does she want to use that devil fruit?" Vivi asked. 

"Maybe, we can ask her when she is back," Ben replied. 

"We should complete the quest my love first," Alvida suggested. 

"We should, there is a hidden lab as a reward," Ben remarked. 

"The labs all so far have proven to be incredibly powerful and useful," Nojiko said. 

They all nodded. "So who is first?" Saphir asked. 

They looked at Ben. Their eyes all focused on him. Ben thought this was the question. "Alvida," Ben replied.

Alvida smiled. "My love, thank you," she replied. She looked at everyone. "My love will have his work cut out today and tomorrow. We will all need to work together," Alvida added. 

They all groaned but nodded. "We should rest up and be ready," Mikita said. 

"I will sail the Miss Love Duck down further," Nojiko said. 

"I will help you," Vivi added.

"No you will not, you are getting some rest," Kaya said. They all gigged. The girls started either to head to their room, the Medical Room or the Bridge. 

Ben and Alvida looked at each other and smiled. They held hands and headed downstairs.