The following weeks were spent by Laffitte as he began to study and practice his newly acquired Devil Fruit powers.
During this period, he devoted a large portion of his time to understanding the limits and possibilities of his abilities.
He created his own routine of training, mixing both experimentation and sparring, and sometimes invited the others to participate so that he could test his powers in different ways.
The rest of the crew found his abilities interesting, though some of them were slightly unsettled by the nature of his fruit.
One of the main abilities that Laffitte discovered was his power to transform himself into a swarm of bats.
When he changed into this form, each bat acted as a part of his body, sharing one single consciousness that Laffitte could control freely. He could also choose to take the form of only one bat, while the others moved independently as scouts.
Through this connection, Laffitte could see what the bats saw, hear what they heard, and sense whatever they sensed, giving him an incredible advantage in both exploration and surveillance.
However, the core power of his Devil Fruit lay in something far more unusual. Laffitte learned that he could absorb the life force of another person simply by biting them.
This energy could be used to heal himself, extend his lifespan, and even restore his youth, essentially granting him a form of immortality as long as there were living beings from whom he could draw energy.
When Laffitte tested this power on Aramaki for the first time, the result shocked everyone.
As soon as he bit him, Aramaki's youthful appearance faded rapidly, and his body seemed to age until he looked like a man in his forties.
Laffitte immediately felt a surge of vitality flowing into his body, almost overwhelming in its intensity. The energy filled him completely, as if his body had been strengthened from within.
Not wanting to harm his crewmate, Laffitte quickly returned the energy he had taken, and Aramaki reverted to his usual youthful form of sixteen.
Encouraged by this discovery, Laffitte continued experimenting. He realized that he could not only take life force but also transfer it to others, making them younger and restoring their physical condition.
This revelation caused quite a stir among the crew, as it meant that, theoretically, Laffitte could keep everyone aboard the Wicked Wench in their prime.
Alongside this remarkable gift, he also received the usual benefits of a Mythical Zoan user — increased strength, speed, durability, and faster regeneration.
His overall physical ability improved dramatically, making him an even more dangerous fighter.
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After another week of sailing, the crew came across a new island. Unlike the previous ones, they did not get the chance to rest right away.
From a distance, they noticed that the island was under attack by pirates. Smoke rose from burning homes, and the sound of gunfire and screaming echoed through the air.
Jack and the others immediately prepared to step in and help the villagers, but before they could move, Laffitte stepped forward.
"Allow me to test my Devil Fruit in a real fight," Laffitte said calmly. His tone carried confidence, and Jack, after a brief pause, simply nodded and gestured for him to proceed.
Laffitte transformed instantly into a large swarm of bats and surged forward toward the island. The cloud of bats descended upon the pirates with frightening precision.
Each bat targeted the pirates' necks, biting down and draining their life force. The pirates' skin turned pale and dry, and their movements became sluggish before they collapsed one after another.
Within minutes, the attacking forces were overwhelmed, their vitality stolen by the swarming bats.
While Laffitte continued his assault, Jack and the others focused on helping the villagers who were still hiding or injured.
The scene was chaotic, and many of the people were trembling not only from the fear of the pirates but also from the carnage that Laffitte's ability had created.
"Don't worry," Jack said as he knelt beside a frightened mother who was shielding her child. "We may be ruthless toward our enemies, but we don't harm innocent lives." His calm voice reassured the woman slightly. Beside her, a man was lying on the ground, bleeding heavily from his stomach.
"B, can you help him?" Jack asked.
Killer B nodded and stepped forward. His hands transformed into flexible tentacles, one of which he cut off and pressed gently onto the wounded man's body.
The tentacle merged with the open wound, regenerating the missing tissues and organs piece by piece.
The bleeding stopped, and the man's breathing slowly steadied. Though his heartbeat was still racing, his condition gradually stabilized.
The woman, seeing her husband's color returning, began to cry softly as she hugged her child and leaned toward him.
"He's going to be fine," Jack said reassuringly. "Would you like us to carry you somewhere cleaner and safer than this place?"
The woman shook her head weakly. "No… we'll manage here. Thank you. If you hadn't arrived, I don't know what would've happened to us."
Jack smiled faintly at her words. For a brief moment, he remembered the face of his own mother, smiling at him in the distant past. The memory was faint, but it warmed him.
"Aramaki," Jack said after a pause, "summon a tree here and give it plenty of fruit. Make sure it provides enough shade and food for this family."
Aramaki understood immediately and complied without a word, planting a large tree that grew rapidly and produced clusters of fruit.
"Take care," Jack said quietly before turning away. He followed the trail of destruction that Laffitte had left behind — a grim path of fallen pirates leading toward the center of the island. The closer he got, the more bodies he saw scattered across the ground.
Eventually, Jack and the others found Laffitte engaged in a duel against a man dressed in a traditional kimono. The man moved with precision and skill, clearly a samurai.
"Laffitte," Jack called out, drawing his attention for a brief second. That single moment of distraction was enough for the samurai to break through Laffitte's guard, his blade cutting the air dangerously close to Laffitte's chest.
But instead of finishing the strike, the samurai stopped midway and stepped back, lowering his sword slightly.
His posture shifted from aggression to composure, as if he intended to wait for the conversation to finish.
"What an honorable man," Laffitte muttered, clearly impressed.
Jack took a step forward. "I believe there's been a misunderstanding," he said evenly. "We're not the ones attacking this village. We came here to stop those who were."
The samurai's eyes widened in realization. His stern expression changed completely. Without another word, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply, pressing his head against the ground so hard that it began to bleed.
"Forgive me for my foolishness!" he cried out. "I attacked the saviors of Shimotsuki Village without thinking! I am unworthy of being called a warrior! Allow me to atone for my sin by taking my own life!"
The samurai raised his katana and positioned it toward his abdomen, but before he could strike, Jack moved quickly and grabbed his wrist, halting the motion with a grip that did not waver in the slightest.
"There's no need to resort to that kind of violence," Jack said firmly, his calm voice carrying authority. The samurai looked up in astonishment, realizing how effortlessly Jack had stopped him.
The rest of the crew watched with puzzled expressions. To them, the man's reaction seemed far too extreme for such a small mistake. Issho, sensing their confusion, decided to clarify.
"In samurai tradition," Issho began, "attacking one's own savior is considered a grave shame. It's an unforgivable act, just like killing one's own kin. From his appearance, I'd say he's either a true samurai by birth or someone who deeply follows their code."
The others nodded, now understanding the weight behind the samurai's actions, even if they still found the severity of it difficult to grasp.