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The Ice-Ice Fruit could freeze anything, letting the user turn their own body into solid ice and generate killing cold at will.
The Magma-Magma Fruit transformed one's body into molten lava, able to spew magma and burn through anything in its way.
And the Glint-Glint Fruit turned its eater into living light, granting the velocity of light itself and lasers strong enough to blow through mountains.
The three Logias laid out in front of Kyle were without question monstrously powerful.
Just one bite of any of them would remake his body and give him natural elementalization. From that moment on, no physical attack or sneak assault would ever truly touch him again.
In a sense, a Logia user's body stopped being flesh and became the element of the fruit they'd eaten.
"Which one do I pick?"
A flicker of hesitation passed through Kyle's eyes.
But only for a moment. He cleared his mind almost immediately.
Logias were insanely strong, especially for wide-area destruction. But the elementalization everyone else craved? For him, it was a fatal flaw.
An attack strong enough to kill him once but turn into zero damage afterward would cripple his system's point gain.
In other words, the Logias' signature perk would actually weaken him.
Off to the side, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr watched him with interest.
"Which one's the kid gonna choose?"
"The Navy went through hell to acquire these three Logias. Whichever one he takes, paired with his talent, he's guaranteed an admiral-level future."
"Heh. Devil Fruits only mess with a strong man's mindset. They slow down real growth."
"Sure, they have benefits. But in the long run, fruit users lose more than they gain."
The three old veterans muttered among themselves.
"People only have so much energy. Once you choose one path, the other disappears."
"So, boy… which road do you take?"
Garp narrowed his eyes slightly.
As a teacher, he cared deeply about his disciple's growth.
For someone with heaven-defying talent, Devil Fruits barely helped. But someone with average talent? A fruit could be life-changing.
From plenty of angles, Devil Fruits were double-edged swords.
And at that moment, standing before the three Logias, the hesitation in Kyle's eyes vanished. Determination settled in its place.
"Akainu and his magma fruit… got smashed by old, half-dead Whitebeard."
"Kizaru with the Light Fruit… had Shanks' sword at his nose and surrendered on the spot."
"Aokiji with the Ice Fruit… got dropped into the sea by old man Garp with one move."
"It's not the fruit that's strong. It's the person!"
A smirk tugged at Kyle's lips. He lifted his head toward Kong.
"I don't want any of the three."
He glanced at his stat panel again. His path was becoming clearer.
He was still far from hitting maxed attributes across the board. Even if he ate a powerful fruit, would its ability still remain after he died and revived? No clue.
And more importantly, Logias simply weren't the best fit for him.
"Do you have any Paramecias or Mythical Zoans?"
He wet his lips, asking calmly.
Kong chuckled. The Navy commander looked at this young marine like he was still a kid.
"Boy, what do you think this is?"
"You think we're handing out fruit like snacks you can grab at the market?"
He waved, and the box snapped shut as the fruits were taken away.
"Powerful Paramecias and Mythical Zoans are extremely rare."
"Even with the World Government behind us, they're hard to obtain."
Kong smiled.
"If you're not satisfied with these Logias, then if Headquarters finds something suited to you later, we'll inform you."
"Or, you go find one yourself. Take it with your own strength."
Kyle blinked, then nodded with a laugh.
After a moment's thought, he spoke again.
"Then… could you help me forge a weapon?"
Kong raised a brow, suddenly interested. "A weapon? Tell me what you need."
"Gauntlets. Or knuckle dusters. Made of seastone."
Kyle grinned.
He'd inevitably fight Devil Fruit users, and he still didn't have Armament Haki. Seastone would cover that gap nicely.
And honestly, seastone restrained ability users even better than Haki. One touch and they were powerless. It was the ultimate counter.
"This kid's sharp."
"Fruit users are strong, but the counters are plenty. Seawater, seastone, opposing elements…"
"As long as you yourself are strong enough, nothing can stop you."
Zephyr's eyes softened with approval.
To the older generation, Devil Fruit users were easy to handle. Some even thought relying on a fruit was a shortcut for the untalented.
"Of course he's smart. Look whose student he is!"
Garp laughed loudly.
Sengoku just shook his head. He was the only one among them with a fruit ability, and it helped him a lot… mostly because he wasn't as talented physically and relied more on brains.
For him, the fruit was a much-needed complement.
"You use pure martial arts like Garp, right?"
Kong asked.
Kyle nodded.
"Understood. I'll arrange it. The craftsmen will forge something that suits you."
Kong nodded back.
Kyle bowed to Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku, then turned and left briskly.
Inside the room, none of them were too hung up on the Logia selection.
What weighed on their minds was something far heavier.
"The Celestial Dragon bloodshed…"
"Who would dare do something that insane?"
"The World Government's gone mad over this. As far as they're concerned, this is the worst kind of incident."
"But the traces at the scene make it almost impossible to pin down who did it."
"What a pain."
"Hahahaha! You guys deal with those scumbags. None of that has anything to do with me."
Garp sipped his hot tea, looking far too satisfied with everyone else's grim expressions.
Kyle walked out of HQ and headed straight toward the Naval Academy.
He'd already been notified that classes would start today.
Rejecting the Logias didn't leave any waves in his heart. For him, immortality and stat points were his real trump cards.
But his growing strength meant points were becoming harder and harder to earn.
"Logias are strong."
"But if I ever take one, it'd have to be the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. And only after I hit my absolute limits."
The Rumble Fruit—supposedly the strongest offensive Logia, nearly perfect in every category, lightning included.
"Of course, the best fit for me is still a Paramecia or a Mythical Zoan."
"Logia users almost always end up on the receiving end of a beating."
They boosted his strength without ruining his ability to die often.
A moment later, Kyle stepped into the Naval Academy.
His rear-admiral insignia glittered on his shoulder, and the second he entered the sunny, energetic campus, he became the center of attention.
Every student turned to look at him.
"..."
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