vncnus 8: Devil Fruit
8: Devil Fruit
The sound of waves crashing against the shore was layered upon layered, mingled with the cries of seagulls.
Oro woke up groggily from a huge wooden bed.
"How embarrassing~ That hammer blow was actually pretty cool."
Oro rubbed his head; his scalp still throbbed slightly.
After taking down that CP9 member with a single blow, he got a little too carried away and didn't even notice the house had collapsed.
"Speaking of which, that roof beam is too thick, it's even wider than Lingling. It's a good thing she was there, otherwise she would have been buried alive."
Oro got up from the bed, opened the equally huge cabin door, and went up to the deck.
He wasn't surprised to be on the ship. Giants wouldn't be stingy with their kindness towards children. After Carmel was smashed to pieces by Linlin, the giants certainly wouldn't just leave a large group of children stranded in the wilderness.
As for how to handle them after they're taken back... that's a matter for the two giant elders, "Mountain Beard" and "Waterfall Beard," to worry about.
"Aurora! You're awake!"
On the vast deck, Gails, who was wiping the ship's hull, was delighted to see Oro emerge from the cabin.
Oro glanced around, picked up a rag draped over the bucket, and went over to wipe the gunwale with Gals:
"Gails is still so energetic. By the way, where are Lingling and the children?"
"Lingling volunteered to go down to the cabin to help the uncles clean up, saying it was to apologize for burning down the village houses during the festival, and the uncles all accepted it. Later, the children also insisted on going down with them, so they all went down."
"I see. Lingling is indeed more sensible than before."
Oro smiled. This is a good thing.
As Gails looked at Oro's smiling face, her own complexion flushed slightly, and she unconsciously stopped what she was doing.
"What's wrong, Gals? Is there something on my face?"
Oro touched his face. Could it be that he had been hit and bled earlier? There was still blood on his face.
"N-nothing!"
Gails suddenly realized what was happening, and even her words became somewhat stammering. She quickly changed the subject:
"Oro! Lingling secretly gave me two things after she boarded the ship, saying she was afraid of losing them because she slept with the children..."
She crept closer to Oro like a thief, lowering her voice: "There are two 'fruits'..."
Oro understood: "I understand. I'll leave it with you for now and we'll talk about it after we get off the ship."
"Okay, oh, and when we arrived, Lingling was already holding you and waiting for us with the children in front of the ruins of 'Lamb House'."
"But she wouldn't say anything, she just cried and begged the older men to save you, and she only stopped after she made sure you were alright. Lingling really cares about you!"
"Yes, I know." Auro nodded gently.
......
As the ship cut through the waves, the familiar outline of the giant pillars of Elbaf gradually became clear.
The large ship docked, and Oro set foot on the land of Elbaf again after more than a month. The children were properly settled, while Oro, Lingling, and Gails were called to the shore by the two elders.
After Oro selectively described the cause and effect of the incident, "Mountain Beard" Aruru and "Waterfall Beard" Yoruru did not criticize them at all. Instead, they praised Oro and Linlin for protecting the other children in the crisis.
"Auro, your wisdom and strength have surpassed your age. This is not a question, but an affirmation."
Yoruru's voice was as deep and resonant as his waterfall beard: "Elbaf acknowledges your achievement. But the disappearance of Carmel and that World Government official means the trouble is far from over; they will find you sooner or later."
"I understand, Grandpa Yoru."
Oro said calmly, "I will bear all the consequences."
Yaru's copper bell-like eyes stared at Oro, and after a long while, he said in a muffled voice:
"Take on? Reckless! With your current strength, you are completely inadequate to face the shadow of the World Government. The people of Elbaf are not afraid of challenges, but we also do not want to see young lives made in vain."
"Until you truly possess the power to navigate this vast ocean, Elbaf will be your safe haven."
This was the giants' most subtle yet sincere promise, and Oro thanked them solemnly.
Finally, after Oro and Gails assured Lingling that she would not go berserk again, the two giant elders had no further questions.
Leaving the dock, the three headed straight for the house that Oro's adoptive father, Taror, had left for him in the second layer of the Sun World in Elbaf.
After locking the door, Gails carefully took out a cloth bag from her bosom. Inside were two Devil Fruits covered with spiral patterns—the Soul-Soul Fruit and the Eat-Eat Fruit.
Lingling's eyes lit up immediately, and she almost drooled: "Are we going to eat it? I've been wanting to try it for a while now!"
Oro quickly picked up the Soul Fruit with the skull pattern, afraid that the girl would just stuff it into her mouth.
"You can't just eat this, Lingling. Trust me, this thing and its similar-looking counterparts are all extremely unpalatable!"
"Oh, then I don't want to eat it."
Upon hearing that it tasted bad, Lingling immediately shook her head like a rattle drum.
"Listen up, Linlin, Gals, this is called a 'Devil Fruit'."
Oro's expression was serious, and he spoke earnestly, picking up a Devil Fruit in each hand.
The name "Devil Fruit" is exactly what it sounds like: "a fruit that possesses demonic power."
"Every Devil Fruit in this world is unique, and just a small bite can grant you its demonic power."
"Auror, did you get your magic by eating this?"
Gails listened attentively, while Lingling asked with some curiosity.
"That's true, but Lingling, power comes at a price."
First of all, this stuff is really hard to eat!
"Back then, my parents and I were shipwrecked when I couldn't even open my eyes. My mother did everything she could to get me to the rocks in Elbaf."
"I was stuck in a crevice in the reef and exposed to the sea breeze for a day and a night before old Taror found me. If it weren't for the Devil Fruit my father put in my swaddling clothes, I would have starved to death long ago."
"So I really know how awful this stuff is."
"Waaaaah..." x2
"Hmm? It's really so bad it'll make you cry, but you don't have to actually cry."
Auro was puzzled when he saw Lingling and Gails shedding tears.
"It's not because of the fruit... Oro... when you were little... your parents..."
Gail kept wiping away her tears, her voice broken and incoherent, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Lingling immediately burst into tears: "Auro! You're so pitiful! Waaaaah..."
"Alright, alright, what's past is past. Precisely because we can't go back to the past, we should cherish the present even more, right? So don't cry."
Seeing the two nod and try to quiet down, Oro smiled gently and said, "Then let's continue..."
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
P.S. That concludes the introduction to Devil Fruits. This part of the story mainly serves to echo the synopsis and explain the protagonist's background. Even if you think this is just filler in the free chapter, feel free to criticize!