The old man put down the palm fan in his hand and stood up. His tone carried an excitement and seriousness he could not suppress.
"You might not believe me when I say this, but I've lived my whole life, and this is the first time I've seen something so strange."
"After I finished picking tomatoes, one of them changed right in front of my eyes. It grew bigger, patterns appeared on it, and it turned into a fruit I had never seen before."
After saying that, he seemed afraid they would not believe him and added solemnly, "Don't worry. I absolutely did not make this up. I saw it with my own eyes."
Roger's gaze remained on the fruit for a long time. Then he raised his head, his tone calm. "Old man, are you selling it?"
The old man's smile faded slightly, as if Roger had asked a question he had already considered.
He shook his head. "Not selling. I have a feeling this is a lucky fruit given to me by God. I plan to take it home and keep it as a family heirloom."
Rayleigh stood to the side. His gaze slowly moved away from the fruit's patterns and landed on that weather-worn face. He spoke unhurriedly. "With such a bizarre sight, what if it's an ill omen? What if this strangely shaped fruit brings disaster upon your entire family?"
Of course, this was not entirely intimidation. There really was a chance something like that could happen. After all, if a Devil Fruit appeared in the hands of an unarmed old man, anyone who recognized it would surely snatch it.
The old man was visibly shaken by Rayleigh's words. If it was truly a lucky fruit, that was fine. But if it was an evil fruit that would bring disaster, then the loss would not be worth it.
After hesitating for quite a while, the old man said, "You... how much are you willing to pay?"
Roger showed an embarrassed smile. "Hehe. We don't have money. Can we owe you first?"
Indeed, not long ago, all the Roger Pirates' treasure had been cleaned out by the Rocks Pirates. They only had a tiny bit of money left.
Buying a Devil Fruit was naturally completely beyond them.
After hearing this, the old man's face darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He froze for a second, then abruptly grabbed the carrying pole at his side and swung it at Roger with a whoosh. "Get out! Have you no shame?! You have hands and feet, yet you spend all day wandering with broken swords on your back. Can't you earn money honestly?!"
Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban all jumped back at the same time. They did not fight back and did not explain. They simply ran while laughing.
"Thank you!" Roger shouted back, his voice carrying a sincere gratitude and promise. "Next time we meet, I will definitely repay you!"
"Get lost!"
The old man's voice chased them from the mouth of the alley, and the carrying pole swung through the air twice more.
Only after the three figures completely disappeared did he curse under his breath and turn back.
Then he froze.
The strange fruit was gone.
In the place where the fruit had been, there were a few scattered coins and several crumpled bills.
Not much. Probably only a few thousand Berries.
The old man stood in front of the stall, carrying pole in hand, looking down at the money in silence for a long time.
Then he softly cursed something. His voice was much lower than before, and much gentler.
He bent over, picked up the money coin by coin, stacked it neatly, and placed it in the pocket close to his body.
Finally, the old man sat back on the small stool, picked up his palm fan, and slowly fanned himself a few times, as if nothing had happened.
On the Oro Jackson, in the ship's hall, Rayleigh sat at the long table with a yellowed Devil Fruit encyclopedia in hand. He compared line after line with the deep-purple fruit on the table.
"All the features match. This Devil Fruit is called the Gum-Gum Fruit. It is a Paramecia. The eater gains rubber abilities and can stretch and rebound any part of the body, including internal organs, skin, and teeth, according to their will." Rayleigh's fingertips hovered over the fruit's patterns as he spoke.
Gaban, seated on the sofa, leaned back with his hands behind his head. His gaze rested on the fruit for a moment, then moved away. His tone carried undisguised disappointment. "I thought it would be some amazing fruit."
Roger did not answer. He sat across the table, both hands on his knees, leaning slightly forward. His eyes were fixed on the deep-purple fruit, and a faint smile hung on his lips.
"No. I don't believe an ordinary Paramecia fruit would follow us as if it had a will."
Rayleigh turned to Roger. "You mean... the Devil Fruit encyclopedia we obtained from the World Government contains mistakes?"
"My instinct tells me it isn't that simple. But I can't rule out the possibility that my instinct is wrong," Roger said seriously.
Rayleigh closed the book. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Most of our Devil Fruit encyclopedia came from the World Government. It is possible they deliberately tampered with something to hide the truth."
"Will you eat it, Rayleigh? Gaban?" Roger suddenly asked.
Gaban was the first to wave his hand, without the slightest hesitation. "Me? Forget it. Eating this gives rubber abilities, but it also makes you a hammer in the water forever. Comparing the two, I prefer my own strength."
Rayleigh chuckled and placed the book on the table. "I think the same as Gaban. I don't want to become unable to swim in the future."
Roger did not respond immediately.
He reached out and picked up the deep-purple Gum-Gum Fruit from the table, weighed it in his hand, then lightly tossed it into the air.
The fruit flipped twice, drew an arc in midair, and landed on the tabletop with a tap. It bounced twice, slowly rolled toward the table's edge, fell to the floor, rolled several times, and stopped by Roger's foot.
Roger bent down, picked it up, and tossed it into the air again.
This time, the angle was clearly aimed more toward Gaban, but after landing, the fruit still rolled twice and returned to Roger's feet.
Tap.
The third time.
This time, Roger did not deliberately control the direction. He simply loosened his hand and let the fruit slip from his palm.
It bounced twice on the floor, then, as if possessing its own consciousness, once again rolled beside the tip of his boot.
The ship's hall fell silent for a moment.
Rayleigh lowered his voice, his tone grave. "It... seems to have chosen you, Roger."
Gaban immediately followed, "If that's the case, it appeared twice in just a few days because it was following you."
Roger slowly bent down and picked up the Gum-Gum Fruit. This time, he did not throw it away again. Instead, he carefully studied the fine spiral patterns across its surface.
"So you acknowledge me?"