Considering the vastness of the One Piece world...
And the rarity of Logia-type Devil Fruits...
The odds of encountering two Logias at the same time are lower than some average guy being confessed to by both Dilraba and Nazha.
And yet, Smoker had just hit the jackpot.
Staring dumbfounded as the two fruits floated farther apart, he suddenly froze.
Was this fate forcing him to pick just one?
White moonlight, or black stockings, how was he supposed to choose?!
In the original storyline, Smoker chose the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit] because he liked the color white.
The other, less eye-catching fruit, simply drifted back into the sea, never to be seen again.
But this time... things were different.
Smoker knew exactly what the [Dark-Dark Fruit] was capable of.
A fruit powerful enough to wrestle with the Admirals themselves—completely in a league of its own compared to the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit].
He didn't hesitate for long.
"Sorry, Smoke-Smoke Fruit," he whispered. "We've had a long-distance relationship for years now... but you deserve better."
Taking a deep breath, Smoker dove into the water, paddling furiously toward the [Dark-Dark Fruit], and snatched it into his hands.
He glanced back at the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit]. It was still within reach. Maybe, just maybe, he could claim both...
But just as he prepared to act, the sky darkened without warning.
A violent gust howled across the sea, and the water erupted into chaos.
[What the hell? Where did this storm come from?!]
The seas around Suikin Island were always calm, it had been years since a storm of this magnitude had hit.
Smoker was tossed around like a leaf in a hurricane, battered and spun by the surging waves. The [Dark-Dark Fruit] nearly slipped from his grasp.
He tried again and again to swim toward the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit], but no matter how hard he struggled, the waves overwhelmed him.
Exhausted, he was forced to retreat to shore.
By the time he looked back, the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit] was barely visible.
Panic surged in his chest.
That was a Logia-type Fruit!
If he missed this chance, he might never get another in his lifetime!
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He lowered his gaze to the fruit in his hand.
[There's only one way left. If this doesn't work, then I'll have to let it go...]
Without another word, Smoker took a bite of the [Dark-Dark Fruit].
Instantly, a taste more vile than sewer sludge exploded in his mouth.
"BLEGH!"
He nearly vomited on the spot.
But he grit his teeth and forced himself to focus. Fighting the gag reflex, he stretched his right hand toward the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit].
"Dark Vortex!"
Darkness was gravity, an endless, all-consuming pull.
A strange black mist burst from Smoker's body. It looked like thick smoke and black fire combined.
His right hand began to elementally transform, his palm turning into a swirling void, a black hole that radiated a staggering gravitational force.
The sea churned in response. The waves twisted into a spiraling vortex, surging into Smoker's palm like a whirlpool.
Even though Devil Fruit users lose their powers upon falling into seawater, they can still activate their abilities against the sea itself.
Just like Oven could boil seawater, or Aokiji could freeze the ocean solid.
Now, Smoker's dark vortex began pulling in seawater by the ton, altering the coastal currents themselves.
But even then, the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit] was still too far.
It continued to drift, agonizingly slow toward the open ocean.
"Damn it, get over here!!"
As if sensing his frustration, the gravitational pull suddenly spiked, extending farther and farther outward...
Finally, the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit] gave a faint tremble.
Its course began to shift, slowly turning toward the shore.
The closer it got, the stronger the gravity grew.
Then with a sudden "whoosh," the fruit shot through the air and landed squarely in Smoker's outstretched hand.
"Zehahahaha! pff, AHAHAHAHA!!"
Smoker threw his head back and laughed wildly.
Years of anxious waiting had finally paid off.
Fate? Destiny?
Screw all that.
My life is mine to shape, not heaven's to decide!
He raised his elemental right hand high into the air.
Power, future, fate, it all felt like it was in his grasp.
The [Dark-Dark Fruit], the most fearsome ability in history.
It made its debut by grabbing the real body of Logia users and forcibly nullifying their powers.
Sure, it came with a side effect of magnified pain... but its potential was still terrifying.
That said, as the story progressed, the fruit began to feel... underwhelming.
Especially with Blackbeard using both Armament and Observation Haki. All those decades of hiding his strength started to feel like a joke.
With his raw foundation, if he had just trained properly from the start, he could've hit Emperor-level long ago.
Honestly, Smoker always thought the [Dark-Dark Fruit] was kinda weird.
It had the title of "most evil," sure, but it didn't seem more terrifying than magma, lightning, light, or ice.
Blackbeard could drag Ace in with the [Flame-Flame Fruit] and beat him up.
But if it were Akainu or Magellan instead, wouldn't he just end up getting a faceful of boiling lava or poison?
It made no sense, until Smoker had a sudden realization.
All existing Logia Fruits represented specific elements:
Smoke-Smoke → Smoke
Flame-Flame → Fire
Sand-Sand → Sand
Rumble-Rumble → Lightning
Ice-Ice → Ice
Glint-Glint → Light
Magma-Magma → Magma
Swamp-Swamp → Swamp
Gas-Gas → Gas
Snow-Snow → Snow
Forest-Forest → Plants
Coal-Coal → Coal
Water-Water...? Never existed.
But what did the [Dark-Dark Fruit] represent?
A black hole? Not quite.
It wasn't about the black hole itself, but the gravitational pull behind it.
In a sense, it was more similar to the [Paw-Paw Fruit].
One controlled gravity.The other controlled repulsion.
But the [Dark-Dark Fruit] could elementally transform—making it far more versatile.
(In the manga, Blackbeard still took damage while in elemental form—it wasn't that he couldn't transform.)
If that was the case, then Blackbeard's development of the [Dark-Dark Fruit] was downright pitiful.
Two years in, and all he had were a few "nullify powers" and "universal pull" tricks?
There were so many more ways to evolve this ability...
For instance:
The [Paw-Paw Fruit] could eject pain and fatigue from others.
Why couldn't the [Dark-Dark Fruit] absorb it?
Was gravity so different from repulsion?
Or take this.
Blackbeard's gravity pulled in one direction.
Why couldn't he manipulate it like Fujitora and twist it in space?
No matter what, one thing was certain:
Now that the [Dark-Dark Fruit] was his...
Smoker would make it live up to its title as the most evil power.
At this moment, he grinned like a twisted Uchiha with the Mangekyō activated.
But pride comes before the fall, he couldn't afford to get cocky!
After all, even after eating the [Dark-Dark Fruit], Blackbeard still got beat up and left crying "Daddy!"
And besides...
Smoker glanced down at the half-eaten fruit.
In his panic earlier, he'd only taken one bite, there was still plenty left.
Picking it up, he gritted his teeth and took another chomp.
"Urghh"
That flavor really was hellish.
Still, he forced it down, suppressing the nausea and swallowing the rest of the [Dark-Dark Fruit].
Not because he enjoyed eating filth, but because he had a theory.
In One Piece, many Devil Fruit users had awakened their powers.
But someone like CP9's Kaku had awakened within just two years?! That was ridiculous.
If he had anything special about him...
It might've been that, just like Luffy, he'd eaten the entire Devil Fruit.
So Smoker had a wild guess:
What if eating every last bite of a Devil Fruit made awakening easier?
No proof. No logic. Just pure instinct.
But hey, it didn't cost anything to try, right?
So what if it tasted like pure death?
Only by devouring the worst of the worst... can you rise above the rest!
In the end, he scarfed down the whole thing, several pounds of bitter, heavy fruit.
"From this day forward... bleugh!"
"I, Smoker... urgh... will reach the top!"
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter