A Devil Fruit user who isn't weak to seawater… if someone said that aloud, people would think they'd lost their mind.
And yet, it was undeniably true in Lance's case.
But Lance understood why.
He hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit directly. Instead, it was Kuro and Kuro Ni who devoured the corpse and transferred the power to him. He gained the abilities, but not the curse of the sea!
No seawater weakness. None of the greatest drawbacks of a Devil Fruit user. Lance had become the perfect, flawless fruit user.
If there was any flaw at all, it would simply be that the fruit's ability might not be strong enough.
"Lance-dono!"
Just as Lance was finishing wiping the sweat from his body, the door to the abandoned warehouse opened, and in came a pink silhouette with a bright and obedient smile.
It was Rebecca.
Rebecca had recently turned fourteen. Now, fully grown into a beautiful young woman, she had blossomed in both looks and figure.
"Ahhh!"
Seeing Lance shirtless and wiping off sweat, she shrieked and quickly covered her eyes, her cheeks flushing red.
Lance, having absorbed the physique and combat finesse of countless strong individuals, now had a nearly perfect, chiseled body with sharp cuts and muscles—his figure alone could win beauty pageants.
"Rebecca. What's wrong?" he asked calmly, unfazed by her embarrassed reaction as he continued drying himself off.
"Umm! I brought you lunch. I learned to make it from the old lady next door. I don't know if it's good or not… would you please try it, Lance-dono?"
She handed him a lunch box wrapped in pink cloth, eyes full of anticipation.
"I already ate."
Lance answered coolly.
Rebecca's face dimmed in an instant, disappointment washing over her expression.
"…But I didn't eat enough. I'll take it."
He reached out and accepted the bento box.
Her eyes lit up with joy.
Inside the box was a heart-shaped fried egg. She secretly watched his expression—but his face showed no reaction, leaving her a little dejected.
"It's a nice bento."
Lance said softly.
"Really?! Then please eat all of it, Lance-dono! It's my first time making a lunch box!"
Rebecca beamed with happiness as she watched him eat every last bite. She picked up the empty box, satisfied.
"Lance-dono… can I bring you another one next time?"
"Next time come earlier. I'm too full."
Lance replied flatly—and then, without meaning to, let out a burp. His face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
"Pfft!"
"You're too cute, Lance-dono!"
Rebecca couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle at his awkward reaction.
From that day on, she visited almost daily, bringing Lance bentos two times a day, always on time.
To keep things interesting, she cooked different dishes each day so he wouldn't get bored.
Unnoticed, half a month slipped by in this rhythm.
…
Late at night, Dressrosa lay in deep silence.
On the rooftop of a house, a figure leaned against a chimney under the moonlight, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a soft puff.
"Kuro, Kuro Ni. The rest is up to you. Eliminate everyone—quietly. No noise."
"…Except for one little girl. Just knock her out."
"As for the rest, leave no one alive."
Lance spoke in a cold tone.
The moment he thought of Sugar, the Toy-Toy Fruit user in the House of Toys, Rebecca's face floated into his mind—and he felt a rare trace of mercy.
Two humanoid black shadows emerged at his side.
"Yes… Master…"
Kuro and Kuro Ni responded respectfully before vanishing into the darkness like twin streaks of shadow.
"Doflamingo… tonight, you'll lose another 'family member'."
"You want to kill me? I'll make sure all of your life's efforts are for nothing."
Lance exhaled another smoke ring, letting it dissolve into the night air.
Meanwhile, inside the House of Toys, those who had been transformed into playthings toiled tirelessly.
The one responsible, Sugar, was fast asleep in her cozy room—completely unaware the door had just silently opened and an invisible figure had slipped inside.
Elsewhere, one of the Donquixote Family's top executives—Trebol, the user of the Beta-Beta no Mi—was also snoring in his room.
But as Kuro approached and raised his claws to kill him in one strike, Trebol's eyes suddenly snapped open!
"So I'm the second target, huh?"
"Heh… Don't you dare underestimate me, bastard!"
With a twitch of his finger, a glob of sticky goo shot from his fingertip. With a flick, it struck the invisible Kuro directly!
A gaping hole was blown through Kuro's abdomen.
Black particles floated into the air—but in the blink of an eye, the void reformed, the IBM's core regenerating seamlessly. Unless its head was destroyed, it couldn't be killed!
"Oh? What are you…? Never seen anything like it."
Trebol's emotions surged, allowing him to clearly perceive Kuro's form.
A grotesque figure wrapped in bandages.
Trebol grinned.
"Behhehehe… So this thing killed Diamante? Something so weak? Not worthy of following Doffy!"
"He deserved to die!"
As he spoke, Kuro lunged forward again.
[Beta-Beta Chain]
Trebol fired out strands of thick brown goo from his body, shaping them into a net of sticky, glistening chains.
"Danger… Dangerous…"
Kuro ducked low and narrowly dodged the attack, then kicked off the ground and lunged at Trebol!
RIIIP!
His elongated, razor-sharp claws tore gashes across Trebol's flesh!
"Hah… You think this is enough to beat me?"
Trebol sneered.
In the blink of an eye, the wounds closed completely.
(End of Chapter)
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