"Master!""Your breakfast and bath water are ready.""Would you like to eat first, or take a shower first?"
The moment Elric stepped out of the room, the 2 collage girl hurried over, their voices respectful and attentive.
Over the past few days, the two of them had completely adapted to their roles as maids.
Laundry, cooking, cleaning, massages, organizing supplies—anything that needed doing, they handled it without complaint. They knew very well what kind of world it was outside now. Compared to starving, being hunted, or violated, being able to live safely, eat well, and sleep in peace was already a luxury.
How could they possibly feel wronged?
Elric nodded lightly.
"Mm."
He had noticed their performance as well and was generally satisfied.
"Call everyone out."
Elric sat down at the dining table and spoke calmly.
"Yes!"The two responded at once.
One immediately went to knock on doors and wake the women, while the other moved behind Elric, gently massaging his shoulders with her small hands.
"Hey—what are you doing?""Why are we getting up so early…"
Soon, under Wang Rong's calls, all ten women slowly got up.
Because there weren't enough rooms, Oli—who had been sleeping on the floor—was the first to wake. Jenna and Natasha, who had only just fallen asleep not long ago, were the last to come out. They were a little dissatisfied at being woken so early, but the moment they saw Elric already seated at the dining table, they quickly restrained themselves and sat down obediently.
"Is there something you want to announce?" someone finally asked.
Seeing that Elric hadn't spoken yet, none of the women dared to say much. Only Elizabeth, holding a scientific research book, looked at him with slightly resentful eyes—as if silently accusing him of interrupting her reading.
Elric finally spoke.
"Today, I'm going to give you power."
"Power… like mine."
"What?!"
"Ability?!"
"You mean your ability?"
The instant those words left his mouth, all twelve women froze—then erupted with excitement.
Elizabeth's book slipped from her hands as she stared at Elric in disbelief.
Jenna and Lily, still young and inexperienced, jumped up directly, clenching their fists in excitement, their faces full of anticipation.
Rachel, Natasha, Grace, and Elsa all felt their hearts pound violently, light flashing in their eyes.
"The same power as yours?""You mean… that terrifying strength?""Aren't abilities obtained by eating ability fruits?""Did you find fruits with the same power?"
"It can be called a supernatural ability," Elric said calmly, "or you could say it isn't."
"In short—by eating these fruits, you'll gain a part of my power."
As he spoke, Elric raised his hand.
Seven strangely shaped fruits, each radiating a faint yet mysterious glow, appeared on the table one by one.
"These aren't supernatural fruits!"
"What are they?"
The women's excitement only intensified.
Elizabeth, in particular, was trembling.
She had studied ability fruits extensively. At a glance, she could tell these were not conventional supernatural fruits—yet their appearance and aura made it clear they were anything but ordinary.
And these fruits… were the source of Elric's terrifying power?
Her thirst for knowledge exploded. She almost instinctively reached out, wanting to take one and study it.
Elric's voice cut in sharply.
"What these fruits are—you don't need to know."
"You only need to know one thing."
"They grant power."
Then his gaze turned cold as it locked onto Elizabeth.
"And Elizabeth, listen carefully."
"I don't care what you research."
"But you are not allowed to take any of these fruits for experimentation."
"If you disobey—"
"I will kill you on the spot, without hesitation."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.
Elizabeth stiffened.
She looked into Elric's eyes and realized, with clarity, that he wasn't joking.
These fruits were his bottom line.
Even if there was a 99.999% chance she couldn't research anything meaningful, Elric would never take that risk. His strength, his dominance, his survival—all came from these fruits.
After a long pause, Elizabeth finally nodded.
"…Okay."
Her voice was quiet as she abandoned the thought of research.
"Good."Elric withdrew his gaze.
"Now, back to business."
"We'll start distributing the fruits."
He picked up the heart-shaped fruit from the table.
"The first one—the Surgical Fruit."
Elric lifted the distinctive heart-shaped fruit in his hand and slowly swept his calculating gaze across every woman assembled in the room. His voice remained calm and measured, but it carried an undeniable weight that made everyone unconsciously straighten.
"This fruit grants the ability to manipulate space itself within a defined area. You can cut anything, rearrange physical bodies, transplant organs or limbs, and completely ignore conventional distance limitations."
He paused deliberately, letting that sink in.
"So... who wants this Operation Fruit?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room completely exploded.
"Wait—Elric, you mean this is the exact same ability you use?" Lily blurted out with wide eyes, her usual composure cracking. "The teleporting, the cutting through space, all of that?"
Elric nodded once, confirming her suspicion.
Every single woman present had either personally witnessed or directly experienced this terrifying ability in action.
They'd seen him swap positions instantaneously across impossible distances. Watched him slice through enemies like they were made of paper. Observed him manipulate space itself as casually as someone reshaping clay.
To them, this wasn't just an ability—it was the ability. Authority made manifest. Control personified. Absolute power given form.
And now... it was being offered to one of them.
"I want it!"
"Me too!"
"Dear, please—this fruit suits me perfectly!"
"I'll do literally anything, just give it to me!"
The room instantly descended into complete chaos.
Except for the 3—who all understood very clearly that this was not something they could realistically compete for—literally every other woman stood up almost simultaneously.
Jenna completely dropped all pretense of dignity. She slid straight down to the floor beside Elric, clinging desperately to his leg, pressing her cheek against him like an affection-starved cat, her voice turning soft and coaxing.
"Please... please give it to me. I'll be so good, I promise..."
Lily rushed to his other side immediately, grabbing his hand and shaking it slightly with both of hers, her eyes shining with pure anticipation and hope.
Even the usually composed, mature women—Natasha, Grace, Elsa, Sarah, Elizabeth—were no longer maintaining their calm facades. They all spoke up one after another, each expressing their sincere desire without any reservation whatsoever.
Among all of them, Rachel's voice cut through the noise with pure resolute determination.
"I want it," she stated without any hesitation, her cop voice brooking no argument. "I quite literally owe my life and both my legs to this exact power. If anyone here truly understands its real value—it's me."
Her statement was direct, serious, and carried absolutely no embellishment or emotional manipulation.
Just pure, honest conviction.
Elric raised one eyebrow slightly, genuinely surprised by the intensity.
"So many people want it?"
He honestly hadn't expected this level of fierce competition.
Originally, Elric's principles for distributing Devil Fruits had been straightforward and simple:
First criterion: Emotional value above 85 points. Only those who'd already demonstrated loyalty, emotional dependence, and trustworthiness were even eligible for consideration.
Second criterion: Voluntariness. He would never force someone to consume a fruit they didn't actually want.
From that basic standpoint, technically every woman currently present qualified for consideration.
Even Oli and Nina—who had once wavered in their loyalty—had definitively crossed that emotional threshold after everything that had happened recently.
Elizabeth and Rachel, despite their naturally cool and reserved exteriors, had also steadily climbed past the 85-point requirement through consistent interaction.
So logically speaking, the Operation Fruit could reasonably go to basically any of them.
But Elric hadn't anticipated this level of desperate competition.
Then again... thinking about it more carefully, it made perfect sense.
Seven Devil Fruits total.
Twelve women in the household.
Simple math meant that at least five people would inevitably walk away completely empty-handed today.
And absolutely no one here was naive or stupid enough to miss that calculation.
They all understood perfectly well that in this brutal new world, supernatural power meant security, and security directly translated to social status within the group.
Even women who usually appeared gentle, playful, or non-threatening—like sweet Lily or spoiled Jenna—were fully aware of what it meant to permanently fall behind in the power hierarchy.
Because where there were people, there were inevitable factions and social dynamics.
And where there were many women living together? Those factions multiplied exponentially faster.
Elric had once heard a cynical saying: "In a four-person girls' dormitory, there are somehow five different cliques."
He honestly hadn't believed it before the apocalypse.
Now? He absolutely did.
The situation in this household proved it perfectly:
Natasha had always carefully maintained the position of unofficial "head wife" through sheer seniority and gentle diplomacy. Her words were proper, her attitude consistently kind, and she rarely made obvious mistakes. This made some of the more ambitious women deeply dissatisfied behind her back, but no one could openly find fault with her behavior.
Jenna had proven herself completely unsuited for any leadership role whatsoever. She was arrogant, impulsive, and spoke without thinking. Her temper consistently outweighed her common sense.
Grace stood firmly in Natasha's camp like a loyal junior ally, following her lead consistently.
Elsa harbored clear personal ambitions and naturally resented Natasha's long-standing "main wife" mentality, but she'd developed good rapport with Elizabeth, making those two the most compatible pairing currently.
Rachel remained cold and taciturn, rarely speaking unnecessarily, but her identity as both a superpowered individual and a former law enforcement officer gave her natural authority that commanded respect.
Lily rarely expressed strong opinions about anything, maintaining low presence while quietly observing.
Elizabeth seemed to genuinely care about no one at all except her scientific research obsessions.
Sarah was overly friendly toward beautiful women to an almost uncomfortable degree, while openly looking down on those she considered beneath her standards.
Nina had that foul mouth that alienated nearly everyone.
And Oli... because her facial scars hadn't healed yet, she frequently suffered subtle ridicule and contempt, especially from women like Jenna and Sarah. She said nothing outwardly, but whether deep resentment had taken root in her heart—no one really knew.
The fruits sitting on that table represented real, tangible power.
Once someone consumed one, they would immediately gain a massive advantage over everyone else.
And absolutely no one wanted to be permanently suppressed by someone they personally disliked.
That was why this scene had erupted into such desperate chaos.
"Enough."
"Sit down. All of you. Right now."
The commotion stopped instantly, like someone had flipped a switch.
Once everyone had reluctantly returned to their seats—some pouting, some barely containing frustration—Elric calmly scanned the assembled women before him.
Then, without any hesitation or ceremony, he placed the Operation Fruit directly into Rachel's waiting hands.
Yes.
He had chosen Rachel.
Since everyone's emotional value met his minimum standard and they were all genuinely willing, Elric naturally had to consider other practical factors for optimization.
First: The Operation Fruit was genuinely complex and difficult to master effectively. It required sharp combat awareness, split-second judgment, and disciplined tactical thinking. Among all the women present, Rachel—professionally trained as a police officer—possessed by far the highest combat IQ and operational discipline. She could use this power efficiently, responsibly, and strategically.
Second: What she'd said earlier had impressed him.
"I'm willing to do anything."
That kind of absolute, unconditional commitment? Elric was very satisfied with that answer.
"Wait—why Rachel?" Jenna immediately blurted out without thinking, her voice carrying obvious indignation. "Dear, I also said I would—"
Elric's gaze shifted to her.
Jenna's mouth snapped shut mid-sentence like she'd been physically struck.
The room fell into uncomfortable silence.
Rachel herself seemed genuinely stunned by his choice.
She'd fought vocally for the fruit, yes—advocated for herself strongly and honestly. But she genuinely hadn't expected Elric to actually give it to her over all the other candidates.
She wasn't the most conventionally beautiful woman here.
She hadn't been following him the longest.
She had no real seniority advantage whatsoever.
And yet—
He chose her.
Am I... actually different from the others to him?
Is this not just a simple transactional relationship?
Does he... does he actually genuinely value me as a person?
For the first time since joining this strange household, Rachel felt flustered and emotionally unbalanced.
On her usually cold, stoic, heroic face, a faint but unmistakable blush appeared across her cheeks.
"Thank you... Elric," Rachel said quietly, her voice carrying warmth for the first time.
She'd deliberately changed how she addressed him in that moment, dropping the more formal "Elric" entirely.
Without any further hesitation, Rachel opened her mouth and took a decisive bite of the Operation Fruit.
Her face immediately contorted.
"...It tastes absolutely awful."
She frowned deeply, chewed twice with visible difficulty, and forcibly swallowed the disgusting mouthful.
Then, under the intensely focused gaze of every single woman in the room, she slowly closed her eyes to concentrate.
Part 6: First Activation
A faint, barely visible transparent spherical film began spreading outward from Rachel's body, expanding to fill the immediate area around her.
Her fingers twitched experimentally.
—Whoosh.
Her entire figure completely vanished from her seated position.
In the next instant, Rachel had instantaneously exchanged places with a decorative potted plant sitting on the balcony fifteen feet away.
The room went completely, utterly silent.
Every woman stared with expressions ranging from pure awe to barely concealed jealousy.
Rachel stood there on the balcony, looking down at her own hands with wonder, flexing her fingers as she felt the new power coursing through her body.
The Operation Fruit's abilities settled into her consciousness like instinctive knowledge—spatial awareness, cutting techniques, object manipulation, all of it suddenly just there and available.
She looked back at Elric, and for the first time since they'd met, she smiled.
"I won't waste this gift," she said quietly but firmly. "I swear it."
Elric simply nodded with satisfaction.
One down.
Six fruits remaining.
There is 60 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439