5. The Birth of Two Devil Fruit Users

"What's the matter? Have you reached your limit?" Noir asked, jogging effortlessly while the four women following behind him struggled to keep up.

The four of them were clearly exhausted as they tried to match Noir's pace, which hadn't slowed down at all. Their breathing was erratic, and sweat poured down their bodies.

"No, not yet," Chun Yan replied, trying to steady her breath. Out of the four women, she was the one who managed to stay the closest to Noir, maintaining the same distance from him since the beginning. Behind her followed Yuki, Yoruichi, and Fubuki, who was struggling the most at the back.

It had been two days since Noir accepted them as his servants, mostly because he needed sparring partners. However, since they were so weak, Noir had decided to train them, pushing them past their limits multiple times.

Initially, he intended to raise their physical strength to that of average adults first, but the problem was that this would likely take about a week or more, depending on their bodies. However, combat experience was crucial, especially since Noir planned to set sail soon after hearing news about the "moss-haired" individual. Before leaving, he wanted to ensure these four women could protect themselves and, at the very least, provide him with adequate sparring partners while he was still on the island.

Yesterday afternoon, while Noir was busy with physical training alongside the four women, the Marines had arrived on the island in response to a call from the village chief. The chief had summoned them to hand over the pirates that Noir had defeated, hoping to exchange them for the bounty on their captain, which was quite substantial.

The Marines had initially been curious about who had defeated the pirates, especially since their captain was known to be quite strong. However, the village chief had deflected their questions, only asking for the reward money for Gary's head, as the captain was already dead.

When it came to the reward, the chief had intended to give all of it to Noir, but he had refused, only taking less than 50% of the bounty and leaving the rest for the village to repair the damages and purchase supplies, such as seeds or anything else that could help the village's development.

After running for what felt like an eternity, Noir and the others finally reached the front of his house. The four women collapsed onto the ground as soon as they arrived, flipping over onto their backs to catch their breath while lying in the dirt, their clothes soaked in sweat.

"They actually made it," Noir thought to himself, also drenched in sweat. His muscular body glistened under the sun as he stood there shirtless, wearing only a pair of pants and running shoes. Watching his four servants gasping for air, Noir nodded slightly, acknowledging their perseverance in reaching the finish line.

Thanks to Noir's greatly enhanced stamina, he was only mildly fatigued, his breathing returning to normal quickly. He planned to move on to the next physical training session once they had recovered some of their energy.

While waiting for them to rest, Noir took the opportunity to evaluate their potential. All four women showed promising growth, including Fubuki, whose potential was rated at A+. Their progress had been steady, even if it wasn't as rapid as Noir's own. Every day, for their meals, Noir would hunt in the forest, and he was now considering diving into the ocean to catch larger fish.

After about ten minutes of rest, the four women finally managed to sit up, though their thin legs were still trembling slightly. Noir sighed as he observed them before giving his next instruction.

"Now, do push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. Don't worry about counting. Stop only when you truly can't continue. Push yourselves beyond your limits," Noir ordered them as he got down onto the ground himself and assumed the push-up position.

Just like on the first day, the four women's arms began to shake as soon as they hit the 20th push-up, but they kept going. Noir's words were like a command etched into their minds, and they forced themselves to continue, pushing past the pain. Even though it felt like their muscles were tearing apart, they didn't stop until they could no longer lift themselves up.

While they collapsed onto the ground, unable to move, Noir continued his push-ups. He glanced at them, noting their improvement compared to yesterday. Yesterday, they couldn't even manage 30 push-ups, but today they had reached 30, with Chun Yan and Yuki still leading the pack.

"Chun, Yuki, can you still move?" Noir asked after thinking about ways to increase the intensity of his own workout. Both Chun Yan and Yuki struggled to stand, their arms trembling like jelly, and their breathing was still unsteady.

"What is it, Noir-sama?" they asked simultaneously, their voices weak but filled with determination. They now addressed Noir directly by his name, as he had instructed, though it still felt strange to them since they considered it disrespectful not to use a title.

"Both of you, sit on my back," Noir commanded. He wanted to add more weight to his push-ups. After doing 50 push-ups effortlessly, he found the exercise too easy. With his immense physical strength, he needed to increase the difficulty. There were no large stones nearby, and chopping down a tree would take time, so he decided to use their bodies as added weight.

Chun Yan and Yuki exchanged glances, unsure of what to think. Sitting on their master's back seemed strange to them, but it was an order. Without hesitation, they nodded in unison—an order was an order.

"Y-Yes, Noir-sama," Chun Yan responded, still breathless and trying to steady herself.

Yuki, equally tired, gave a nod as well. Slowly, they approached and positioned themselves on Noir's back, feeling the hard muscles beneath their bodies.

Noir felt the added weight of the two women, but it still wasn't much for him. He resumed his push-ups, the motion steady and powerful. Each push-up reminded him of his early days of training. While the weight seemed light at first, by the time he reached 200 push-ups, the strain was becoming noticeable.

For Chun Yan and Yuki, they were astonished by the sheer power of Noir. They could feel every motion beneath them, as if his body were an unyielding machine. Despite their exhaustion, just sitting on him was enough to make them feel weak, but Noir continued as if it were nothing.

He kept going until he reached 400 push-ups. By then, his arms were burning, but he didn't stop. His body moved with relentless precision until he surpassed 500. Finally, feeling his arms grow weaker, he signaled for Chun Yan and Yuki to get off. They carefully stepped down and returned to Yoruichi and Fubuki's side, while Noir, having finished his push-ups, sat up and caught his breath.

"This is good," Noir thought, examining his trembling hands. It reminded him of his first week of physical training, pushing his body to its limits. "I'll have to find some rocks or chop down a tree for extra weight tomorrow," he mused, glancing out toward the ocean.

After pushing their bodies past their limits multiple times with Saitama-style training and resting for another ten minutes, Noir led them toward a set of trees. Among them was one nearly destroyed—one of the trees Noir had used for punching practice yesterday. His fists had fully healed, and his strength had increased dramatically.

What used to take three punches to bring down a tree now only required one full-powered strike. The recoil had also lessened, leaving only slight abrasions on his fists. Yesterday, he had already destroyed two trees, which he chopped up and sold to the villagers as firewood for extra income.

"As you saw yesterday, I shattered these trees with my bare hands. Now, each of you pick a tree and attack it with everything you've got. Punch it, elbow it, knee it, kick it, until you can't move anymore. Push yourselves to the limit," Noir commanded as he walked deeper into the forest, heading towards a massive boulder, many times larger than the boar he had hunted.

Smashing trees no longer posed a challenge for Noir. In fact, it had become too easy for him. He planned to cut down a few trees tomorrow to use them as weights for his physical training. Today, however, he had something tougher in mind.

After walking for a few minutes, Noir arrived at the enormous boulder, its surface stained with animal blood from this morning's hunt. He took a firm stance and delivered his first punch to the stone. Pain shot through his body, but his high pain resistance allowed him to endure it.

Still, after over 15 strikes, his fists began to bleed. Ignoring the pain, he continued to pummel the boulder until his fists couldn't take it anymore. Then, he switched to using his elbows. The pain intensified, spreading through his entire body.

It reminded him of his early days of martial arts training when using elbows and knees felt just as painful. Yet, with sheer determination, Noir powered through the brutal training. By the time he finished, the boulder had only slightly cracked, showing the immense difficulty of the task.

"Feels like the first day all over again," Noir muttered, staring at his bloodied hands, elbows, knees, and feet. The pain coursing through his body made it feel as though he was starting from scratch, just like when he first began using trees as punching bags.

After completing his own training, Noir headed back to his house to start the final session: sparring. When he returned, he saw his four servants slumped against the bloodstained trees. Their hands, feet, elbows, and knees were all bloodied, but the bleeding had mostly stopped.

"We'll rest for 15-20 minutes before we start the one-on-one sparring," Noir announced, lighting a cigarette. The four women nodded silently, too exhausted to speak as they tried to manage the pain from striking the trees.

"We'll start now," Noir said calmly, his voice cold and nearly monotone. The women nodded again, knowing Noir wouldn't go easy on them. They didn't expect mercy either.

Chun Yan was the first to stand. She was always the quickest to recover, both physically and mentally. Though her body was still far from perfect, her muscles had developed faster than the others'. Even so, she knew she wasn't strong enough to handle Noir's full power.

"I'm ready, Noir-sama," she said hoarsely, locking eyes with him. Her hands and feet still trembled, but she forced herself to suppress the pain. Chun Yan was known for her stubbornness. Without another word, she stepped into the sparring circle.

Noir dropped his cigarette to the ground and crushed it underfoot. He knew they weren't fully prepared. Their bodies were still weak, their muscles far from being strong enough. But that was the point of today's session—to show them how far they still needed to go.

Chun Yan began her attack immediately, throwing a powerful punch aimed at Noir's chest. However, Noir simply raised his left hand and deflected it with ease. The punch, despite its force, felt like nothing more than a small tap against Noir's solid body.

"Harder," Noir murmured, almost as if he were challenging her.

Chun Yan didn't give up. She followed with a barrage of punches, trying to break through Noir's defenses. Yet, every strike either hit thin air or was blocked effortlessly by Noir. He didn't budge an inch, nor did he dodge. He took her punches head-on, some blocked, others landing directly. But to Noir, her blows felt like an insect trying to sting steel.

"Focus, Chun Yan," Noir said quietly, his sharp gaze fixed on her. Chun Yan growled in frustration, pouring more power into each punch, but it was futile. With one swift motion, Noir delivered a clean punch to her face, sending her crashing to the ground. Normally, that would have knocked her out cold, but Noir held back his strength.

"That's not enough," Chun Yan rasped, pushing herself back to her feet. She adjusted her strategy, this time launching more calculated attacks. But the result was the same. Noir blocked every hit with ease, his body remaining as unmovable as ever. Her once powerful strikes began to lose steam.

In a last-ditch effort, Chun Yan spun around and aimed a high kick at Noir's head. Her leg sliced through the air, but Noir caught it effortlessly. "That's enough," he said before pulling her leg and slamming her to the ground with a swift throw. Chun Yan hit the dirt hard, but she quickly scrambled to her feet again, wincing from the pain.

"It's not over yet!" she yelled, charging forward with renewed determination. This time, she mixed her punches with kicks, but it was all for naught. Noir's defenses remained impenetrable. It only took one counterpunch from Noir—a powerful blow to her stomach—to end the fight. Chun Yan coughed up a mouthful of blood before collapsing to her knees, struggling to breathe. Her vision blurred, and within seconds, she passed out.

"Next," Noir ordered, his voice flat. Yuki stepped forward, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She knew she had to approach this differently.

Yuki fought with more precision than Chun Yan. Her attacks were deliberate and measured, aiming for Noir's weak points. But like Chun Yan, her strength wasn't enough. Every punch and kick Yuki threw was either absorbed by Noir's body or blocked. Noir didn't dodge once. He allowed her to hit him, testing her limits. Yet every time Yuki tried to increase the intensity of her strikes, Noir was already a step ahead, stopping her in her tracks.

Yuki shifted her strategy, launching a sidekick at Noir's torso. He effortlessly caught her ankle and slammed her into the ground with the same brutal efficiency. Her body crashed into the dirt, her head bleeding, but she forced herself back up. Despite her physical weakness, her spirit remained unbroken.

Minutes passed, and Yuki's stamina began to wane. Her strikes grew slower, her power diminishing. Noir, sensing the moment, moved in for the finish. With one swift punch to her face, Yuki was knocked out cold. Blood trickled from her nose and mouth as she lay unconscious on the ground.

"Yoruichi," Noir called.

Yoruichi stepped forward, her movements faster than Chun Yan or Yuki's. She knew she couldn't match their strength, but her speed was her greatest asset. Darting around Noir, she launched rapid strikes from all angles. Her feet were quick, her kicks nearly invisible. But once again, speed alone wasn't enough.

Noir remained in place, using only minimal movements to block Yoruichi's attacks. He shifted his body left and right with little effort, letting Yoruichi's strikes cut through the air. After a few minutes, Yoruichi began to tire, her speed slowing. Noir had been waiting for this moment. When Yoruichi made a small mistake, Noir caught her arm and slammed her hard into the ground.

Yoruichi hit the ground with a loud thud. Though she tried to stand again, her body was too exhausted. She collapsed onto the ground, finally succumbing to fatigue and pain, eventually passing out.

Finally, Fubuki stepped forward. Her body was the thinnest and weakest among them. Even though she knew there was no chance of victory, she still moved forward with the same determination.

Her attacks were slow, unfocused, and Noir could see that she was already near her limit. Despite this, Noir respected Fubuki's resolve. After a few minutes, Fubuki began to lose strength, and Noir decided to end the fight quickly. With a single punch, like he had done to Yuki, Noir struck Fubuki in the face, knocking her into the ground where she promptly passed out.

The sparring session was over. All four of them lay unconscious on the ground, but Noir knew they had given everything they had. "Good work," he muttered, even though they couldn't hear him.

*****************

"They're really serious about this," said the old man, sitting in front of the library, reading a newspaper. Across from him was Noir, smoking a cigarette while reading a book.

After their intense physical training, martial arts practice, and sparring until they literally couldn't stand anymore, Noir had brought the four to the village. He noticed their intelligence stat was far too low, so he ordered them to study, which led to their visit to the library.

"It's good that they're serious. After all, if their minds remain underdeveloped, they won't be able to solve the more complex problems we'll face," replied Noir as he exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes scanning the scene in front of him, where villagers were interacting with one another—some bargaining, while children ran around, laughing.

Though Noir preferred fighting and solving problems with his fists, he understood that violence wasn't the solution to everything. Intelligence was just as important, and some issues required a sharp mind to solve the real head-splitting problems.

After taking the four of them in as his servants, Noir now fully understood the impact of low intelligence stats. Up until now, they had been used purely as sex slaves. Besides chores like cleaning the house and doing laundry, they could do nothing else. Even basic questions that anyone could answer left them clueless.

Noir vividly remembered that first night. After accepting them into his service, they had eaten dinner, cleaned up everything, and prepared his futon while Noir enjoyed sake, gazing out at the sea. Their habits, which were nearly impossible to break, led them to immediately start serving him in other ways. When Noir entered the bathroom, the four of them bathed him, offering him a blow job as they did so, which, to his surprise, wasn't bad.

After exiting the bath, the sex continued until all four of them passed out after an hour of intense activity. The next morning, they woke up earlier than him, giving him another blow job before he went out hunting. Before he left, they apologized for passing out the night before, blaming it on the size of his cock, which they said was too large for their frail bodies. Continuous sex with Noir had left them unconscious until morning.

"But their appearances have improved quite a bit since then," said the old man, glancing over his newspaper.

"Yeah, at least their health is slowly recovering," Noir replied, peeking through the slightly open door at the four of them.

Thanks to the grueling physical training, the nutrient-rich meat they were eating, and the sheer amount of food they were consuming, their health had improved much faster than expected. Their faces, which had once looked gaunt, were now starting to look somewhat normal again.

"But why are they so badly injured?" asked the old man, causing Noir to freeze for a moment. He took another drag from his cigarette and returned to his book, choosing not to answer. He wasn't in the mood to hear the old man's scolding.

***************

"What is this, Noir-sama?" Fubuki asked, holding a small, deep green fruit that resembled a brain, with intricate swirls etched across its surface. She held it carefully in both hands.

"For some reason, this reminds me of that strange fruit Hancock and her sisters ate," said Yoruichi, examining a different fruit from the one Fubuki held. The fruit in her hands was round, purplish-black with spiraling wave-like patterns, and its stem resembled a lightning bolt.

"That's a Devil Fruit. Originally, I planned to keep them and maybe sell them, but since you all arrived, I've decided to give them to you," Noir replied, sitting under a tree, gazing at the bright moon above.

"Chun Yan and Yuki refused to eat the Devil Fruits because of certain reasons, so I'm offering them to you two," he continued, looking at Yoruichi. "Yours is the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Raijin. Your destructive power doesn't match theirs, but you excel in speed, so this fruit should be a good fit for you," he said to Yoruichi before turning to Fubuki.

"And for you, that's the Saiko Saiko no Mi. You're physically balanced in most aspects, but still fall behind the others, so this Devil Fruit might be perfect for you," Noir added, taking a sip of sake.

"You haven't eaten them yet?" Chun Yan asked, walking over to Noir and sitting beside him, offering him a cigarette with a polite gesture before lighting it for him. Noir took a slow drag, exhaling smoke gently.

"Maybe they're hesitating because they saw Hancock and her sisters nearly throw up after eating theirs," Yuki commented, sitting beside Noir while massaging his left shoulder. Chun Yan began massaging his right.

"Noir-sama has already given them to us, so of course we have to eat them," Fubuki said, and with that, both she and Yoruichi took a bite of their respective fruits. Instantly, their faces turned green, as if they were about to vomit. They forced themselves to swallow despite the overwhelming nausea, struggling through the awful taste until they finished the fruits entirely. Meanwhile, Noir watched them like they were fools.

"You know, just one bite is enough to get the powers of a Devil Fruit," Noir commented, making Yoruichi and Fubuki look at him in embarrassment, fighting hard to keep themselves from vomiting. Moments later, their Devil Fruit powers began to manifest.

A faint green aura suddenly surrounded Fubuki, and pieces of wood, boar bones, and small stones around him started to float in mid-air. Everyone, except Noir, stared in shock, mouths agape. Next, Yoruichi's body was enveloped in yellow lightning before her form shifted into a small, black cat with the same piercing eyes. Though it was the size of a regular cat, small sparks of electricity crackled across its body.

"Control your breathing" Noir instructed the two new Devil Fruit users. They closed their eyes, focusing on reigning in their newfound powers, trying not to lose control.

After a few minutes, they managed to suppress their abilities, though it was clear from their faces that they were exhausted, their bodies drenched in sweat.

"Wow, this is seriously draining," Fubuki muttered, her stamina depleted. Yoruichi wasn't much better off, panting heavily as she tried to steady his breathing.

"Starting tomorrow, the training will get even tougher. Judging from your current condition, your stamina and willpower need serious improvement, along with mastering your Devil Fruit abilities," Noir said as he stood up, heading toward the house. Right now, he just wanted a bath and a peaceful night of sleep.

"So, how does it feel?" Yuki asked, walking over to the two newly-minted Devil Fruit users.

"Terrible," Yoruichi replied, gagging slightly as she recalled the taste of the fruit she had eaten.

"Don't remind me. It was absolutely disgusting," Fubuki added, covering her mouth, doing her best to forget the wretched taste of the Devil Fruit, which had been like rotten food.

"Hahaha, well, at least you've gained new powers," Chun Yan laughed, standing beside Yuki. She had already cleaned up most of the tableware, and the bones that had floated earlier due to Fubuki's power had fallen into the sea, so their work was done.

"Well, I'm heading inside. I'm going to satisfy Noir-sama first," Chun Yan said with a smile, running toward the house. The others followed her with laughter.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"I should be first!"

"I'm the youngest, so it's my turn first!"

For the first time in what felt like forever, they could laugh and smile again, just like they did when they were children.