Chapter 4

Eden's heart surged when he learned that the village chief was willing to give him the Devil Fruit. After careful consideration, he finally decided to eat it.

Previously, Eden had planned to refuse Luffy's invitation mainly due to his lack of strength. If he sailed with Luffy, he would only be a burden.

But if Eden ate the Devil Fruit, even if it didn't grant him significant power immediately, it would offer great potential for growth in the future.

After all, the power of a Devil Fruit depends on the user's development of its abilities.

Eden was a determined person. He believed that with the Devil Fruit, he could train diligently and eventually overcome his current limitations. He couldn't accept remaining a weakling forever.

When the village chief brought out the Devil Fruit, Eden saw it for the first time. It was the embodiment of a sea devil.

"Eat it," the hunched village chief said, smiling as he handed the Devil Fruit to Eden.

"What abilities does this Devil Fruit possess?" Eden asked, holding the fruit, which felt strangely weightless and insubstantial.

In the soft moonlight, the pitch-black Devil Fruit reflected a faint white glow.

"I'm not entirely sure," the village chief replied, coughing. "But the person who gave it to me said it's very special."

A very special Devil Fruit?

That made sense. If it were an ordinary fruit, Rayleigh wouldn't have come all the way to the East Blue to handle it.

Eden had learned from the village chief that the person who entrusted the Devil Fruit to the village was likely Rayleigh himself.

Taking a deep breath, Eden bit into the Devil Fruit.

As soon as he tasted the fruit, he found it incredibly disgusting, the worst thing he'd ever eaten, making him want to vomit.

But Eden forced himself to swallow it.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Just as Eden had taken a bite, he heard Luffy's voice.

"Huh? Is that a Devil Fruit? They're really nasty. You didn't need to hide to eat it. I wouldn't have taken it from you," Luffy said, losing interest immediately upon seeing the bitten fruit in Eden's hand.

From Luffy's expression, Eden realized Luffy probably thought he and the village chief were sneaking away to eat something good, which made him come over to check.

"You ate this Devil Fruit?" Luffy asked, taking the fruit from Eden's hand. "Why is it so light? It's different from the one I ate."

"I feel the same. I've eaten it, but nothing seems to have changed," Eden replied, watching Luffy toss the fruit around as if it were a toy.

Luffy threw the fruit into the air with one hand and stretched the other to bat it away.

As Luffy reached to grab the floating fruit again, a strong wind blew it away, and it soon disappeared from sight.

"Sorry!" Luffy said, watching the fruit drift farther away in the night.

Thank goodness I took a bite first, or this Devil Fruit would have been lost thanks to this guy.

Eden felt relieved but also anxious. He had eaten the Devil Fruit, yet nothing had changed. Could it be a fake?

Devil Fruits fall into three categories: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. Normally, after eating one, you would soon know what abilities you gained.

But five minutes after eating the fruit, Eden still felt the same, which worried him.

"Why do you look so troubled? Everyone's enjoying the feast. Come join us," Luffy said, pulling Eden towards the gathering of villagers. The party was in full swing, filled with joy and laughter. The festive atmosphere lifted Eden's spirits a bit.

Not far away, the village chief muttered to himself, "Rayleigh, you probably didn't expect that less than two years after giving me the Devil Fruit, I'd pass it on. It's no longer our time. The days of sailing with Roger feel like just yesterday."

The village chief straightened his hunched back, looking more formidable. His eyes, though small, shone brightly as he watched Eden. "Young man, the Devil Fruit you ate is a Paramecia type, the most special one called the Growth Fruit. How much power it gives you depends on yourself."

After speaking, the village chief returned to his bent, hunched posture and slowly walked back to his house.

The village feast continued until around three in the morning. For Eden, it was the first time he had enjoyed himself so much since arriving in this world.

With Luffy, who loved hosting parties, it was impossible not to have a good time.

After the feast ended, Eden didn't return to his room but slept on the ground with Luffy and others.

Many villagers also slept on the ground, wearing satisfied smiles from the night's fun.

Listening to Luffy's loud snoring beside him, Eden's excitement from the party gradually subsided.

Lying on the ground, Eden sighed, looking at the high-hanging crescent moon. He thought that eating the Devil Fruit would enable him to sail with Luffy, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

Despite eating the fruit, he still didn't know what abilities he had gained.

In other words, even if he wanted to train and enhance his Devil Fruit powers, he couldn't.

He didn't even have a clear goal for his efforts, making it impossible to strengthen his abilities.

While Eden was lost in thought, Luffy turned in his sleep, placing a large foot on Eden's stomach.

Damn, his sleeping habits are terrible.

Just as Eden had this thought, he felt himself being tightly squeezed and couldn't move.

Luffy had wrapped his arms around Eden, drooling and talking in his sleep, "Meat, don't run away."

Eden was utterly exasperated.

Damn it, you've eaten so much meat tonight, and now you're dreaming about it? Your stomach must have amazing elasticity because of the rubber.

Feeling helpless, Eden estimated that Luffy had eaten over a hundred kilograms of meat during the feast. Yet, this glutton was still dreaming about eating more.

Moreover, stop hugging me so tightly and stretching your arms. People might think we're up to something!

Eden felt extremely unlucky. His first close physical contact in this world wasn't with a beautiful woman but with the glutton Luffy.

And so, Eden and Luffy slept "embraced."

As dawn approached, the sky lightened. Eden hadn't slept all night, torn between joining Luffy's adventures and worrying about being a burden.

These conflicting thoughts kept him awake.

As a man, he knew he should make a decisive choice. Either go for it or let it go. But this decision could drastically change his future and was a significant turning point in his life.

Facing such a situation, it wasn't surprising that Eden was hesitant.

This moment reminded Eden of filling out college applications back on Earth after exams. Should he choose it or not? How to choose? The indecision was maddening.

Damn it!

Watching the sky brighten and the sun rise, Eden made up his mind. He had always led an ordinary life, but did he really want to continue that mundane existence in the world of One Piece?

No, he wanted to make a change!

Having met Luffy and received his invitation, was he a coward who didn't even have the courage to set sail?

He had eaten the Devil Fruit, so he was no longer the same as before. Even though he didn't know his abilities yet, he would figure it out eventually.

Even if his current strength was lacking, he could train hard, just like he did with fishing. He started with nothing and became an excellent fisherman.

He could do it!

If he didn't set sail, would he stay in this village and become the village chief? That wasn't what he wanted!

Eden's desire to sail with Luffy grew stronger. His hesitant expression turned determined, and his previously dim eyes shone with a newfound resolve.

As the fat man passed by, he saw Eden's frighteningly bright eyes and was so startled he nearly wet himself.

Damn, he's getting all excited being hugged by that straw hat guy. Good thing I decided to sleep separately from him; otherwise, who knows what would have happened.

The fat man hurried away from Eden.

Half an hour later, Luffy woke up, and other villagers gradually opened their eyes.

"The sun is up. Are you coming with me?" Luffy asked, stretching and putting on his straw hat.

Eden smiled and nodded slightly. Seeing this, Luffy laughed heartily, "I knew you wouldn't refuse."

"You're awake. I prepared a new boat for you. You can leave now," the village chief said, leaning on his cane.

"Thank you so much for the feast and the boat," Luffy said excitedly.

The village chief waved and led them to the harbor.

On the way, Eden said goodbye to the villagers. Some urged him to stay, but he politely declined.

When the fat man learned that Eden was going to sea with the seemingly crazy man who claimed to be the future Pirate King, he thought Eden had lost his mind.

Seeing the fat man crying, Eden initially wanted to hug him goodbye. After all, they had become good friends over the past six months, and he felt reluctant to leave.

But the fat man dodged, looking at Eden strangely, "No need to hug. Be careful out there. It's not as peaceful as here. One slip and you'll lose your life. I don't want to hear about your death so soon."

Eden didn't know the fat man thought he was gay. Seeing the fat man's genuine concern, Eden felt his efforts to save him were worth it.

After bidding farewell to the fat man and others, Eden saw Luffy already on the small fishing boat. As he was about to run over, a long arm stretched out and grabbed him.

Eden felt a bad premonition, and before he could say anything, Luffy's long arm had pulled him onto the boat.

Eden's body slammed into the mast when Luffy pulled him up, nearly knocking him unconscious from the pain.

"Brothers, let's set sail!"

Half-lying on the fishing boat, Eden saw Luffy standing at the bow, raising his arms energetically.

Eden thought: Damn it, one day I'll teach you a lesson. It's a miracle my back isn't broken!