Michael's generous display immediately made all the stall owners beam with eagerness.
One after another, they pulled out their best goods and placed them at the very front of their stalls.
And of course, Michael was thoroughly enjoying himself...
The exchange rate difference really made him look like a big spender.
"Everyone, spread out and start purchasing," Michael waved his hand with a smile. "Buy up all the Belly... and also bring back anything you judge to be useful."
With that order, only Enel and Hancock's three sisters were left by Michael's side.
Compared to shopping for all those strange trinkets, Hancock much preferred sticking close to Michael.
So, she tugged at the Navy dress specially tailored for them, then ran a few quick steps to catch up with him.
"Why? You girls don't want to buy something?"
"Uh, I'm really not interested at all," Sandersonia said, twirling her green hair with her finger.
"Compared to that… I'm way more interested in Rokushiki."
"I'm fine with it either way," Marigold said with a sweet smile. "As long as I can stay here, I'm satisfied."
Hancock's mouth twitched as she glared at Sandersonia and Marigold, who had shamelessly claimed Michael's left and right sides.
"At least leave me one spot! Don't hog Michael all to yourselves, you brats!"
Hearing little Hancock's indignant protest, Michael's lips twitched as well.
Good news: after spending this much time together, the three little ones now saw him close relative.
Bad news: they seemed a bit like siscon little sisters...
And they were only twelve at most!
Michael almost wanted to arrest himself on the spot!
Still, since these three hadn't gone through the life of slavery, they also hadn't wasted their most precious period for growth.
Early physical training and proper nutrition were crucial.
As slaves, neither of those could ever be guaranteed.
Which meant, in the original timeline, Hancock had reached the top tier among female characters despite not even laying solid foundations.
That kind of talent... was downright terrifying.
Even Sandersonia and Marigold, who were relatively weaker, at the very least had the potential to reach the level of division commanders within the Whitebeard Pirates.
Amazon Lily's genetics spoke for themselves.
Just after starting Rokushiki training, it was as if a growth switch had been flipped—their strength, speed, and stamina skyrocketed.
Their appetites grew immensely, yet they still remained slim little girls...
That alone showed just how efficiently their bodies absorbed nutrients and how hard they trained.
Especially Hancock—compared to Luffy of the same age in the original story, her appetite was nearly on par.
And as everyone knew, in the world of One Piece...
The ability to eat was the greatest gift of all!
So Michael didn't let Hancock eat the Love-Love Fruit immediately. Instead, he wanted her to polish her body's strength and develop her mastery of Haki first.
At the very least, she had to fully master Seimei Kikan, then become proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki before he would give her the fruit.
Gaining a Devil Fruit too early wasn't always a good thing.
Not everyone was a natural-born monster like Michael.
"Seems like you're the type kids really like," Enel said, his eyes still completely calm as he looked at Michael.
"Can't help it, that's what they call affinity." Michael grinned and tapped his face. "And this face is my affinity generator."
"Shamelessness counts as affinity now?"
"That's just jealousy talking!"
Michael rolled his eyes and scanned over the shop counters around them.
By now, they had reached the very center of Cute Street—the busiest spot. The little stalls had given way to actual shops.
Honestly, just looking at this section reminded him a bit of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"By the way, Enel, doesn't your 'Mantra' let you see a lot of things?" Michael suddenly turned to him curiously.
Michael's own Observation Haki was the standard type—basic range, nothing special.
But Enel's Mantra combined with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit could project actual images.
"That's right... what are you planning?"
"Nothing really. It's just, with so many shops here, checking one by one would be too much trouble... Could you help me see if any of them have something similar to that fruit you once ate?"
"You mean that disgusting, foul-tasting fruit that gave me power?"
"Exactly. But down in the Blue Sea, we call them 'Devil Fruits'..."
"Devil Fruits?" Enel froze. "So my power... really does come from demons?"
"Don't be ridiculous, it's just a name," Michael said, spreading his angelic wings—drawing gasps of awe from those around.
"What kind of demon could give someone angelic powers?"
Marigold tugged on Michael's sleeve and whispered:
"You should keep a lower profile... Otherwise people will start asking where you got those custom-made wings!"
Michael glanced around and, sure enough, received countless envious stares.
Shivering slightly, he turned back to Enel.
"Come on, stop stalling. Help me check."
Enel hesitated briefly, then nodded.
Closing his eyes, within an instant he stretched out his hand, pointing to several shops in succession.
"Here, here... and here! These six shops each have at least one."
Michael nodded, a little surprised.
He hadn't expected the stockpile here to be that big.
After all, he figured that on Skypiea, very few people understood Devil Fruits. Most were probably tucked away as worthless oddities.
Which meant...
He was very likely about to pick up some serious bargains!
With that in mind, Michael walked into the first shop Enel had pointed to.
After explaining his purpose, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up. Seeing someone actually here to buy that item, he quickly brought it out with a wide smile.
One glance, and Michael was already a little disappointed.
It was just a regular Zoan Fruit.
From the looks of it, probably the Bug-Bug Fruit, Mantis model. Among Zoans, it wasn't bad, but hardly exceptional.
But the moment the shopkeeper quoted the price, Michael's eyes instantly lit up.
"You're saying... this thing costs ten billion Extol?"
"That's right, ten billion!" the shopkeeper declared with exaggerated confidence, though his eyes betrayed a hint of guilt. "This is an incomparably rare treasure!"
Based on the exchange rate, ten billion Extol = one million Belly.
When a Devil Fruit only cost one million Belly...
No matter what kind of fruit it was, the value-for-money was absolutely insane!
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