I can't understand whether you like this book or not, please throw a power stone and I can decide.
Water suddenly splashed onto Kael's face, and he began coughing violently. His face quickly turned abnormally red so much so that it looked like the blood in his veins was burning. Steam was visibly rising from his skin, and the heat radiating off his body could almost be seen with the naked eye. Clearly, this wasn't ordinary water; it was a special liquid "activated" by magic.
Ivan and the others behind him rushed forward upon seeing this. Ivan supported Kael and said urgently:
"Kael, are you alright? Your body…"
After calming down a bit, Kael unbuttoned his shirt. Deep, crisscrossing stitch marks could be seen over his heart wounds that looked horrifying. The skin on his body was evaporating, and the area around his heart was so red it resembled a sunburn, as if scorched by a blazing sun.
Kael's appearance resembled Luffy's Second Gear form, but only on the surface.
When Luffy entered Second Gear, it felt like he was under the effect of a stimulant, overflowing with energy. Kael, on the other hand, seemed to lose his strength the moment he entered this state.
This reaction usually occurred when someone was emotionally overwhelmed or after experiencing intense physical activity.
Clearly, this was a flaw rooted in the original body itself. Judging by the scar tissue and the clothes that were clearly different from those of other slaves, the original body must have experienced something unusual.
However, since Kael hadn't yet regained the original person's memories, he had no idea what caused this condition.
"Damn it, if I don't have a cheat, then fine but why am I getting nerfed!?"
Kael cursed inwardly and endured the discomfort as he slowly sat down. Berro quickly moved to help, letting Kael lean against him.
Ginny held a small cup of water in her tiny hands and carefully offered it to Kael, helping him drink.
The worry etched on the faces of the three was beyond words, and it deeply warmed the heart of the depressed Kael.
Meeting these three had been a blessing amidst all his misfortunes. Without them, he likely wouldn't have survived until now let alone dream of escaping from God Valley.
Kael's only advantage was that he had read the manga and possessed some critical knowledge. However, the problem was that six Devil Fruits had been placed in God's Valley by the Celestial Dragons, and their exact locations were not specified in the comics.
But according to the mysterious phrase "the fruits choose their owners," if one followed the bear, there was a high chance of finding the Dumpling Fruit.
Out of the six Devil Fruits, the Dumpling Fruit and the Green Dragon Fruit could be confirmed.
These two alone were arguably the best among the Paramecia and Zoan types worthy of being chosen as rewards by the Celestial Dragons.
However, as far as Kael knew, one of the remaining four Devil Fruit boxes possibly contained Red-Haired Shanks. To be precise, there should only be five Devil Fruits on the island.
Kael speculated that among them were a phoenix and a giant Buddha. He wasn't sure about the last one and didn't know if Whitebeard had eaten his fruit yet.
In any case, eating any of these five Devil Fruits unless it was useless or overly salty would instantly elevate someone to the top, offering limitless potential.
"There's no such thing as a useless Devil Fruit, only useless Devil Fruit users." Anyone with a brain knows that phrase is nonsense.
Just look at Luffy's transformation from rubber to Nika. He can't even use his ballooning technique anymore, can he?
Can an ordinary bird Zoan compare to a mythical phoenix-type?
Or what if someone ate the Blue Dragon or Giant Buddha fruit? That boost would far exceed the Leopard Fruit.
Since this is the One Piece world, we must eat a Devil Fruit. For Kael, without a cheat of his own, consuming a powerful Devil Fruit would significantly increase his chances of survival.
With that thought, Kael lifted his head and looked seriously at Ginny.
Ginny locked eyes with him, subconsciously sitting up straighter, and asked softly:
"W-What is it, Kael?"
"Ginny, are you absolutely sure the best Devil Fruit is here?"
As he asked, Ginny's dirty little face immediately lit up with a confident grin. She thumped her chest and said:
"Don't worry, Kael! This is my area of expertise. I'm sure the news has already spread to everyone who can pick up the signal in the world!"
After receiving her assurance, Kael finally exhaled in relief. His biggest fear was that his presence would trigger a butterfly effect one that would prevent the Rocks Pirates and the Marines from arriving at God's Valley.
If those two forces didn't show up, God's Valley would remain a hunting ground, and they would just be prey waiting to be slaughtered.
Besides Berro, the rest of them were basically weaklings now barely able to handle a regular adult.
If they wanted to obtain a Devil Fruit, they would need to trigger chaos in God's Valley only then would they have a chance.
Since the day Ginny spread the news, Rocks should have already arrived, as the number of slaves on the island had significantly decreased.
Perhaps the great battle would begin tomorrow.
Thinking this, Kael narrowed his eyes and reviewed the plan in his mind once more.
The Dumpling Fruit was the centerpiece of this plan. Its power was the key to Kael, Berro, and the others escaping safely.
It was essentially a divine-level Paramecia Fruit. If Kael could find it, he would eat it without hesitation. He had been pondering how to best utilize it for several days now.
Of course, the Green Dragon Fruit was also excellent, but Kael still believed that compared to the concept-level Dumpling Fruit, the Green Dragon Fruit was of slightly lower quality.
And while the Blue Dragon Fruit granted flight, it wouldn't be enough to survive in the war zone that was now God's Valley especially considering how many strong individuals were currently present.
Plus, with Kael's current physical condition, his flight speed wouldn't be high enough.
He could easily be killed by a Haki-infused aerial attack.
More importantly, he would have to abandon the three people with him. Although they hadn't known each other long, people often form stronger bonds in desperate situations.
And Kael knew these three well enough to trust their character that mattered more than anything.
While escaping alone after eating the Dumpling Fruit might be the most efficient option, Kael glanced at the arrow still lodged in Berro's back and slowly shook his head.
Humans can be selfish, but they shouldn't be heartless monsters.