"A secret treasure of the sea? Devil Fruit? Does such a thing really exist?" Nami asked skeptically.
Of course she had heard of Devil Fruits, but she had always dismissed them as mere legends.
"It absolutely exists," Ikki confirmed, casually tossing the fruit in his hand. "This Devil Fruit came into my possession by chance on a remote island."
'Just happened to find it? How lucky can one person be?' Nami thought privately, while outwardly exclaiming, "Mr. Ikki, you're amazing! Finding such a valuable treasure purely by chance!"
Her eyes never left the Devil Fruit as she asked, "What kind of abilities does this particular fruit grant?"
"Judging by its shape, it should be the Slip-Slip Fruit," Ikki explained. "When consumed, it makes the user's body incredibly smooth. Even bullets simply glide across the skin without causing harm."
He paused dramatically before adding, "It also has a rather special function. Even an overweight woman would instantly transform into a slim, attractive beauty after consuming it. At auction, beauty-obsessed women would likely drive the bidding price even higher."
Nami's eyes sparkled with intensified greed. 'I absolutely must get my hands on this fruit,' she resolved.
Whether or not Ikki's claims about the Devil Fruit were true, the fact that he kept it in such an ornate treasure chest convinced the money-hungry navigator of its value.
Ikki caught Nami's calculating expression and could easily guess her thoughts. 'Unfortunately, I need this Devil Fruit to unlock a Zanpakutō's Shikai. Otherwise, I might have used it to create a stunning beauty,' he mused.
After returning the Slip-Slip Fruit to its treasure chest, Ikki continued toward his cabin. Since receiving the Zanpakutō from the system, he had carefully studied the specific conditions required for liberation.
Unlike Zangetsu, which only required its wielder's strength to reach appropriate conditions to perform Shikai or even Bankai, Gonryōmaru and potentially other future Zanpakutō required an additional element. The sword needed to consume a Devil Fruit, provided the master's strength was sufficient.
This revelation had added a new dimension to Ikki's mission—collecting Devil Fruits alongside famous swords.
'Fortunately, once a Zanpakutō wielder's strength reaches certain thresholds, they can use it to absorb the abilities of stunned or defeated Devil Fruit users. That will simplify the collection process considerably,' Ikki reflected as he entered his bedroom and secured the Slip-Slip Fruit in a lockbox on the counter.
Beside him, Nami strained to see the lockbox's mechanism, but Ikki deliberately blocked her view. Before she could devise another approach, her attention was captured by several wanted posters adorning the wall in the corner.
One poster in particular made her blood run cold.
'Arlong!' Nami's teeth clenched involuntarily, her fists tightening at her sides.
"Everything's in order," Ikki announced, noticing Nami's fixation on the fishman's poster. "Nami, I need you to handle the Explorer's navigation. I have some training to do." He raised an eyebrow. "Are you interested in those pirate bounties?"
"You misunderstand, Mr. Ikki," Nami replied hastily, forcing a smile. "Why would a weak woman like me have any interest in pirates? I'm just curious why you have these wanted posters displayed."
"I'm simply a bounty hunter making a living," Ikki explained. "The ones crossed out are pirates I've already eliminated. It's unfortunate the pirates on that ship earlier had no bounties—I could have earned more."
He patted Nami's shoulder. "Now, it's time for my training."
"Training?" Nami's eyes brightened with opportunity. "Will you be training outside?"
She hoped he would leave so she could examine the lockbox's password, but Ikki disappointed her.
"No, I train in my own special facilities."
With a curious glance at Nami, he raised his hand and summoned two glowing white lights that landed on the nearby wall, transforming into two pristine white doors. Above them were inscribed the words "Gym" and "Sword Enlightenment Room," respectively.
"These are... doors? How did you do that, Mr. Ikki? Can they actually be opened?" Nami blinked in astonishment.
"Of course they can," Ikki confirmed, approaching the wall and opening the Gym door.
Beyond the threshold lay an immense space, rivaling the size of a stadium. Various fitness equipment filled the room, with what appeared to be bathing facilities adjacent to the training area.
"It's enormous!" Nami gasped. "How can such a large space exist behind that door? Your entire ship isn't even this big! Is it an illusion? Am I hallucinating?"
"It's entirely real," Ikki assured her, though he too had been surprised by the system's extradimensional "Gym" space. He maintained his composure, however, not wanting to reveal his own amazement to Nami.
"Would you care to see for yourself, Nami?" Without waiting for her answer, Ikki took her hand and led her through the doorway.
"It actually is real!" Nami exclaimed as they passed through without resistance. Her expression transformed from disbelief to revelation. "Mr. Ikki, do you possess some kind of Devil Fruit ability yourself?"
In that moment, Nami began to truly believe that Devil Fruits existed in the world.