chapter 76

"Are you sure it's okay to leave like this?" Kozue asked, her hands on the hilt of her sword as she kept her eyes on the collapsed Don Chinjao.

"The old coot wasn't fighting with the intent to kill, and it's not like we're leaving empty-handed," I replied with a shrug. "So there's no point in staying here any longer," I added with a smile, turning around and walking towards the exit.

"Wait, brat," I had to halt my steps and turn around as I heard the old pirate's voice.

"What do you want, old man? You're already half-dead, so come look for me later if you still wish to fight," I remarked as I turned around, watching Chinjao push away his two grandsons and stand up with a grunt.

"That deal of yours, I'll accept it. What do you want in return?" The old pirate said with a grave expression as Boo went to call a doctor.

"Someone's quick to change their minds, eh? But, unfortunately, I already have what I wanted from you," I said, raising my fist and coating it in Haki.

"You've still yet to learn the Observation, and you Haven't mastered Conquerors Haki yet either, brat," Chinjao said, trying to bargain.

"I know somewhere where I can learn Observation without having to deal with a stubborn, old coot like you," I said with a smirk while waving my hand dismissively. "And I'm sure I can master Conquerors on my own sooner or later," I added while shrugging my shoulders.

"The only one being stubborn here is you, punk," Don Chinjao replied with a scowl. "So be it, you brat. I'll give you something to sweeten the deal. Sai, go and get the thing I brought back with me," He ordered calmly, causing Sai to look hesitant, but a firm glare from his grandfather was all it took for him to move with haste.

"It can't hurt to take a look at you have, at least," I said with a smile, watching as two doctors burst into the room with Boo, promptly rushing towards the old pirate.

It didn't take Sai long to return, a small wooden chest in his hands, which he handed to me after his grandfather gestured him to do so.

I took the box with a frown, opening it promptly and causing my frown to become more pronounced at the sight of a devil fruit. It looked like a pineapple, except it was black with a red stem on top of it, and it had red swirls intertwining its pumps.

"This is?" I asked as I raised my head, looking at Don Chinjao, who was being tended to by the doctors Boo had brought.

"This a devil fruit that wasn't registered in the devil fruit encyclopedia. I've found it during my expedition," the old pirate explained, unflinching as the doctors began sewing the gash on his torso.

"Unregistered, you say?" I asked in confusion, as I'm sure I've seen a devil fruit that looked identical to this one in my devil fruit encyclopedia.

"That is correct. I've checked the encyclopedia myself and found nothing like it," Don Chinjao replied in a clear tone, making it clear that there is no mistake about the devil fruit registration status.

"I had intended to auction it off along with several other items I've procured during my expedition at first," the old pirate explained. "But then a greedy brat like you had to come and make me an offer I couldn't pass on," he concluded while glaring at me.

"Well, I'll take the fruit and swing by tomorrow to iron out the details, since you look like you're about to die at any second. You should really take better care of your body, old man," I replied with a shameless smile, as if it wasn't me who just slashed his chest.

"It's too one hundred years early for you to worry about my health, brat," the old pirate said with a scowl, snorting in disdain as he did. "Now, hurry up and get out of here. You're an eyesore," he added while waving his hands dismissively, turning around and walking away, causing the doctors to run after him in a panic.

I just shook my head with a smile without saying anything as I closed the lid of the devil fruit's box, turning around and leaving as well, with my companions following behind me.

-0-

"So, captain, what type of devil fruit is it?" Elly asked with an eager tone while standing beside me as I was leaning on the black pearl's railing, browsing through the pages of the devil fruit encyclopedia.

"Here it is," I said as I stopped flipping the pages, having found a devil fruit that looked identical to the one sitting in a box on a barrel near me, causing everyone to stop whatever they were doing and make their way towards me.

'It looks like this devil fruit encyclopedia of mine is a little special. That old coot said that it's an unregistered fruit, but I'm looking at it, and I don't think he would have given it away if he knew what it was,' I think to myself while reading the page about this devil fruit.

"Eh? It looks like that old coot suffered quite the loss when he gave this thing to me," I remarked with a grin while watching my crewmate's expressions that were urging me to elaborate.

"This is a Zoan devil fruit, but it's not an ordinary one!" I stated, deliberately dragging my words, enjoying my companions' eager expressions.

"The Tori-Tori (Bird-Bird) fruit, model: Yata-Garasu (Eight-Span-crow)," I stated, causing my crewmates to grow even more curious. "It's different from the average Zoan fruits in that it grants the eater the ability to turn into a mythical creature, the Eigh-Span-Crow, in this case," I explained with a clear tone.

"Mythical Zoan devil fruits also come with additional powers. This one, for example, grants the ability to control flames along with other abilities that whoever wrote this encyclopedia didn't bother to explain," I concluded with a shrug while pointing at the box containing the fruit.

"What are you going to do with it, captain?" Laffite asked from the side with a curious tone, seemingly interested in the fruit.

"I'm not really interested in eating it, if that's what you're asking," I replied with a careless smile. "It would also be a waste to sell it off as it's quite powerful, so you guys can have it," I added as I walked towards the devil fruit's box, taking the fruit out and holding it in my hand.

"You guys can decide who can eat the fruit yourselves," I concluded with a smile as I threw the fruit to Laffite, who caught it with a smile.

"As you wish, captain," Laffite said with a smile as he caught the devil fruit. "Who is interested in eating this devil fruit? I'm also interested in it, by the way," he remarked, while looking at the rest of the crew.

"I already ate one, and I'm not interested in exploding," Wilson said with a shrug while taking a sip from a bottle of alcohol.

"I prefer to rely on my rife, and I don't think this devil fruit is suitable to my fighting style," Elly stated with a shrug, showing no interest in the fruit.

"I'll pass," Bob said while twirling his mustache, not even bothering to elaborate on his words.

"I'm interested in it," Byron said in a sheepish tone of voice while rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm not interested in eating any devil fruits," Kozue while shaking her head as she sat on a barrel, taking out a book and reading it, seemingly uninterested.

"It looks like it's just you and me, Byron," Laffite remarked with a smile as he turned to look at the blonde musician. "We can't determine who gets the fruit by fighting, as that would be unfair to you," he added jokingly with a smile, causing Byron to become even more sheepish as he chuckled.

"How about we rely on luck then?" Laffite asked after a second's thought, causing Byron to nod firmly. "A coin toss it is then!" Laffite exclaimed, taking out a coin from his pocket, throwing it into the air, catching it as it began falling with one hand and covering it with the other.

"Heads or tails?" Laffite asked in his usual Jovial tone.

-0-

Third person's point of view:

Inside the pagoda where Johnny fought against Don Chinjao, the old pirate sat cross-legged on a cushion, drinking alcohol for a large red plate while looking at his two grandsons, who sat in front of him, inside a room decorated with all manner of Chinese-themed furniture.

"Why did you have to give them the devil fruit, grandfather?" Sai asked with a frown. "We could have sold it for at least one hundred million Berries, even if it wasn't registered in the devil fruit encyclopedia," he added, his tone filled with bitterness at the loss of money.

"How large do you think the fortune I've hidden inside the Crystal Ice Sheet?" The old pirate asked with a sigh. "A mere one hundred million berry is nothing in comparison!" he stated while shaking his head.

"But we don't know if he's lying or telling the truth about being able to fix your head, grandfather!" Boo protested, seemingly unable to accept this situation.

"If he was telling the truth, then we have everything to gain. If he was lying, then we only lose a mere hundred million," Don Chinjao said with a smile. "Besides, I don't think the brat was lying," he concluded, causing his two grandsons to sigh, obviously still unconvinced, but they decided to trust in the old pirate's judgment nonetheless.