After studying the Goro Goro no Mi for a while, Ortoren placed it back into the box and closed the lid.
He wasn't planning to eat it right away. For one thing, he still had a lot to consider—like whether he even wanted to become a Devil Fruit user.
If he chose to eat the Goro Goro no Mi, his strength would skyrocket, no doubt about that. But he'd also become a landlubber, which was a serious drawback on the open sea. According to rumors, most Devil Fruit users died in shipwrecks... Though the truth of that was unclear, the climate in the New World really was frightening. It wasn't unheard of for an iceberg to drop out of the sky while you were just sailing along. How was that not terrifying?
Beyond the swimming issue, there was also the matter of which type of Devil Fruit to choose.
Everyone knew that, at first, Logia-type Devil Fruits were considered the ultimate power. Their elemental abilities made them nearly untouchable—unless you had a specific counter, there was no way to land a hit.
But then Haki came into play, wiping out that key advantage of Logia users.
Later, Whitebeard appeared wielding the Gura Gura no Mi, shaking the world with his power and earning the title of the strongest man alive. People began to think that Paramecia-types were the new meta. After all, both the strongest man and the Straw Hat protagonist were Paramecia users!
Following the strongest might not always be right—but surely following the protagonist couldn't go wrong, right?
Then Kaidou, the strongest creature across sea, land, and air, entered the scene and single-handedly raised the status of Mythical Zoans to a whole new level.
Even the long-time Paramecia-type protagonist got a power-up and became a Mythical Zoan too!
Looking at it now, the current meta clearly favors the Mythical Zoan type. Logia, once the hot pick, seems to have fallen behind by two whole versions!
Of course, Ortoren knew most of that was just banter. In his eyes, while there were certainly differences in strength among the major categories of Devil Fruits, the Goro Goro no Mi stood at the peak of Logia abilities. No matter the meta, its power was undeniable.
The Goro Goro no Mi was an incredibly well-rounded Devil Fruit. Its powers included devastating lightning-based attacks, major boosts to Observation Haki, lightning-speed movement that could mimic teleportation, and a massive effective range—without the need for reflection tricks like Borsalino's Pika Pika no Mi. On top of that, it could even be used for self-electrotherapy, potentially enabling things like "heart resuscitation" or "internet addiction detox"...
Ortoren even believed that this self-adjustment aspect might be the Goro Goro no Mi's most terrifying potential. It could very well allow him to evolve his body further, possibly reaching the fabled level of "lightning-style" movement.
Power, speed, explosive strength, attack range, precision—this fruit elevated it all.
That kind of versatility put it far beyond ordinary Logia Fruits. No wonder it was widely hailed as one of the "invincible" Devil Fruits of the sea!
So it was no surprise Ortoren remained deeply fond of the Goro Goro no Mi. If he ever decided to become a Devil Fruit user, he knew there was little chance he'd turn down its power.
But aside from that, the real reason he hadn't eaten the Goro Goro no Mi yet was the approaching full moon. Eating a Devil Fruit now would only add to Charlotte Linlin's workload, stir up trouble on Whole Cake Island, and create more headaches for himself.
Given Charlotte Linlin's overwhelming power, she could definitely handle this extra strength. But if she started going berserk with the Goro Goro no Mi's abilities, Whole Cake Island would be in real chaos.
She'd invited him here and showered him with gifts—Ortoren still had a fairly positive impression of her. For now, he was willing to cut her some slack.
"I'll wait until after the full moon… If I'm going to become a devil fruit user, I'll eat the Goro Goro no Mi then. These next couple of days, I can really think it through. This is something that'll affect the rest of my life, after all." Ortoren smacked his lips and murmured to himself.
Shifting his thoughts away from the Goro Goro no Mi, he began reflecting on what Charlotte Linlin had said earlier.
Whether violence could be a cure for his "madness," that remained to be seen. He'd wait and see how this beating played out before jumping to conclusions.
As for joining or returning to the Big Mom Pirates and the Charlotte Family, that was something he needed to weigh carefully.
Before coming here, Ortoren hadn't been too interested in the idea. Even though he knew full well that under Charlotte Linlin's leadership, the Big Mom Pirates were bound to rise, eventually becoming one of the New World's four great pirate forces—a Yonkō.
They would stand at the summit, the dominant force since the era of Pirate King Roger.
It was incredibly tempting. If he agreed, Charlotte Linlin would surely offer him top-tier training resources and nurturing, greatly boosting his power beyond expectations.
The benefits were undeniable.
But as with all seemingly free things, they came at a high price. Like that line from The Queen with the Severed Head—"She was too young then to know that all gifts from fate are secretly marked with a price."
Ortoren was young too. But having lived two lives, he understood a few things.
If he accepted Charlotte Linlin's invitation and enjoyed the perks offered by the Charlotte Family and the Big Mom Pirates, then from that moment on, he'd be bound to her.
He would have to serve her ambitions and goals, become one of her vanguard commanders, fight across the seas in her name, spread the fame of the Charlotte name, and help place her throne in the heavens!
"Is that really what I want?" Ortoren asked himself softly.
He had a habit of doing this—calming down, repeatedly questioning himself whenever facing major decisions, interrogating his heart to avoid being swayed by sweet-talking temptations.
"No… this isn't what I want. At least not right now…" Ortoren quickly came to the same conclusion as before.
Forget joining Charlotte Linlin's crew—he hadn't even decided if he wanted to become a pirate at all.
This world was so vast, and the sea so magnificent. In this stormy world, not all ships flew the pirate flag!
Becoming an outstanding adventurer sounded good. Even being a pirate hunter walking the edge of danger was appealing. Ortoren had even fantasized about joining the Marines, becoming an Admiral—or even the Fleet Admiral!
The only issue was his background… would he even pass a political review if the Navy had one?
Come to think of it, if he could really become a Marine, maybe… it'd be an incredibly exciting choice. He'd be a big shot with a foot in both worlds.
If he became an Admiral or Fleet Admiral, and Charlotte Linlin conquered the seas and became a Pirate Overlord—or even the Pirate King…
Who on this ocean would dare challenge them?
If he got in a bad mood and felt fed up with the World Government, he could just slap his thigh and go sit on the so-called Empty Throne!
At that thought, Ortoren's eyes lit up. Huh? That actually sounds… pretty fun!?
"I wonder if my cheap mom would be interested if I brought this up? If she is… would she be able to help me get through the Marines' political screening? Do the Marines even have a process like that?" Ortoren mused, intrigued.
Could this be... "I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a good guy"?