There were records about it in the ancient texts.
The Sacred Sakura Tree.
Its origin was unknown.
Yet it possessed the power to purify filth and corruption.
However, when the old woman had traveled the world years ago, the Grand Narukami Shrine had not allowed her to conduct in-depth research. As a result, the information Mona could obtain was limited to what she currently had.
Under the guidance of a shrine maiden,
she passed through one red building after another and eventually arrived at the courtyard where the Sacred Sakura Tree stood.
The shrine maiden stopped at the entrance and said apologetically,
"Honored guest, the area beyond this point is not somewhere we are permitted to enter, so you'll have to go in by yourself."
"Oh, thank you. Thank you very much."
Mona quickly came to her senses and repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
The young shrine maiden smiled and replied,
"This is simply our duty. If you need anything, please ring the bell at the entrance. Even if I'm not here, another shrine maiden will assist you."
Following the shrine maiden's gaze, Mona looked toward the left side of the gate.
A red rope hung down from above, with a bell attached to its end.
It looked quite cute.
"Alright, I understand."
"Then please make yourself comfortable, honored guest."
The shrine maiden bowed politely before turning and leaving.
Watching her departing figure, Mona sighed inwardly.
"I really couldn't tell. They're quite polite here. As expected of a place where Inazuma's divine attendants reside. The quality of the people here is really high!"
During her time in Liyue,
thanks to Su Han's status, she had been able to visit many places.
Yet even the offices at Yujing Terrace didn't have such strict etiquette and manners.
Walking deeper inside,
a massive Sacred Sakura Tree came into view.
Mona had originally thought the tree would possess some profound mystery.
But when she reached the base of the tree and noticed that its shape resembled a fox's head, her eyelids immediately twitched.
She would bet anything that the Sacred Sakura Tree had definitely not looked like this in the beginning.
"Oh? You got here pretty quickly."
Suddenly, Su Han's voice came from the side.
Mona turned around, her eyes widening.
"Boss... this shrine... Are you really grilling barbecue here? Is that appropriate?"
This was such a sacred place.
Yet he had set up a barbecue grill here, loaded not only with kidneys but also all kinds of oysters.
Wasn't he afraid the shrine maidens would lose their tempers?
Seeing Mona's exhausted appearance, Su Han immediately handed her a skewer and asked,
"Want a bite?"
Gulp.
The rich aroma of grilled meat filled the air.
Mona couldn't help swallowing repeatedly.
A few minutes later.
"It smells so good! Boss, how did you make this?"
"It's simple. Marinate it first, then grill it. Tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"
"It's amazing!"
Mona gave him a thumbs-up, her mouth covered in oil.
She had eaten plenty of barbecue before.
But whether it was because she was especially tired today or because Su Han's cooking was excellent, Mona simply felt it tasted unbelievably good.
"Then have some more."
Su Han handed her a freshly grilled flatbread.
As for the kidneys and similar things, it was probably best to forget about them.
Otherwise, Mona might end up traumatized.
The two of them continued eating.
Soon afterward, Kitsune Saiguu and Hu Tao arrived one after another.
The moment they saw Su Han working the grill, both immediately joined the feast.
One thing worth mentioning was that after the complete destruction of the Kujou Clan, a large number of soldiers' remains needed to be relocated.
As a result, the temporarily closed Wangsheng Funeral Parlor reopened for business.
Even Yoimiya had returned to work under Hu Tao once again.
Watching the Funeral Parlor Director eating and drinking enthusiastically, Su Han smiled and asked,
"Slow down. We've got plenty of food. By the way, how's business going today?"
Hu Tao swallowed a skewer of grilled potatoes.
The rich chili sauce made her want another twenty skewers immediately.
Hearing his question, she smiled and replied,
"Not bad. We've already sent back a huge number of remains. We're even planning to recruit Sayu as a substitute. The pay is extremely high, so at most five more days and the issues on Yashiori Island will be completely resolved."
"That's pretty fast."
Su Han continued fanning the charcoal.
The burning coals radiated intense heat, quickly cooking the fresh ingredients.
"Yeah. After all, they were buried in remote mountains and wilderness. Thinking about it is pretty sad."
Whenever she thought about those troublesome matters,
Hu Tao couldn't help sighing.
Before she had arrived, members of the Kujou Clan, unable to arrange proper funerals, had heartlessly dumped some bodies on deserted islands and beaches.
Some could still be found.
Others were much harder to recover.
However, in order to return every set of remains to its homeland,
Hu Tao had issued a strict order and hired aquatic yokai at high wages to carry out intensive recovery operations.
After the people of Inazuma learned of this effort, many voluntarily joined in to help.
As for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor,
its name had now become known throughout all of Inazuma.
Hearing this, Kitsune Saiguu raised her wine cup toward Hu Tao and said solemnly,
"It's all thanks to Director Hu's hard work. On behalf of Ei, and all of Inazuma's soldiers, thank you."
Allowing the dead to rest in peace.
It sounded like something very ordinary.
In reality, however, it was an enormous undertaking.
Seeing this, Hu Tao quickly put down her skewer and waved her hands repeatedly.
"No, no, no. Aren't we all friends?"
"Besides, you're Su Han's lover. If you think about it, we're basically family."
"Hehe, let's just sit down and have a drink."
"As for Su Han, forget it. He can't drink at all."
Looking at the enthusiastic young girl, Kitsune Saiguu laughed.
What an adorable child.
The two smiled at one another.
Then they raised their cups and drank together.
After several rounds of drinks,
everyone chatted about many topics.
When the conversation turned to manga,
Hu Tao's eyes lit up as she asked Su Han,
"Hey, hey, tell me. How exactly do you use that Awakening ability?"
"It looks unbelievably cool."
"If I awaken my fruit, would I be able to create a gigantic ghost world?"
Earlier that day,
she had already read the latest manga chapter.
Doflamingo's Awakening ability had excited her to no end.
Of course, Luffy's Fourth Gear was also incredibly cool.
But as a Devil Fruit user,
what Hu Tao cared about most was her own fruit's Awakening.
After all, she was a Devil Fruit user herself.
"Awakening ability? What's that...?"
Mona looked completely confused.
She had never heard the term before.
Hu Tao eagerly explained,
"You definitely haven't read today's manga. In the latest volume, Su Han introduced Devil Fruit Awakening. It's even stronger than Logia-type Devil Fruits. It's the complete liberation of a fruit's power."
"So that's what it is! Then what exactly is Awakening?"
The moment Mona heard that, her interest was immediately piqued.
After all, she would soon become a Devil Fruit user herself.
Pointing at the ground, Hu Tao explained,
"Look here. This is land, right? If someone controls the power of strings, they can turn the entire land into strings!"
"Of course, if your power involved blades, maybe the whole ground would become blades."
"As for Zoan types... um... I don't really understand those. You'll have to ask Su Han."
After hearing Hu Tao's explanation, Mona was shocked.
Was this really something humans could do?
It completely distorted reality itself.
"Wait. If what you're saying is true, does every Devil Fruit have an Awakening?"
After recovering from her surprise, Mona immediately thought of a serious question.
Following this logic,
wouldn't every Devil Fruit become incredibly powerful?
She turned toward Su Han.
"Basically, yes. Every fruit can awaken. But it depends on the user. There are no useless fruits in the world, only useless users."
Facing Mona's questioning gaze,
Su Han answered calmly.
If the String-String Fruit had fallen into someone else's hands, they probably would have only used it to control people's movements. They would never have created abilities like the Birdcage or Awakening.
The same was true for the Op-Op Fruit.
What mattered was the user, not the Devil Fruit itself.
"Then how exactly do you awaken it?"
No matter how much Hu Tao thought about it, she couldn't figure out how Devil Fruit powers awakened, so she finally took the opportunity to ask.
Mona was equally curious and looked at Su Han as well.
"Well, it's actually very simple. To perfectly control a Devil Fruit's power, you first need to understand the fruit's nature."
"Every Devil Fruit contains a certain rule and power."
"If you completely comprehend the concept hidden within it and fully develop its potential, then you'll achieve Awakening."
In reality, signs of Luffy's Awakening had appeared long ago.
It wasn't something Kaido had triggered.
Back during Fourth Gear,
flame clouds had already begun appearing around Luffy.
As for why he hadn't awakened while fighting Big Mom,
it was because his strength hadn't yet reached the level required for Awakening.
To fully awaken the Nika Fruit,
one had to master Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
Otherwise, no matter how well the ability was developed, it would never reach the standard of true Awakening.
Hearing this, Hu Tao fell into deep thought.
"Rules and power...?"
Her Fruit allowed her to create ghosts and transform into one.
Its fundamental concept was the soul.
While it couldn't steal souls,
it could influence emotions.
That meant the core attributes of her Devil Fruit were soul and emotion.
Creating souls.
Altering emotions.
The more Hu Tao thought about it, the more fascinating it became.
Gradually, her thinking expanded.
Excitedly, she said to Su Han,
"I think I've already found my path. Its power..."
"Shh."
Su Han raised a finger and gently interrupted her.
Hu Tao looked confused.
She had no idea what he meant.
At that moment, a skewer was handed to her.
"You..."
"Eat first, then talk."
Hu Tao felt slightly annoyed but still accepted the skewer and took a bite.
The moment she did, an overwhelming wave of spiciness exploded in her mouth.
It was almost unbearable.
"Hiss! It's so spicy! How much chili did you put in this?"
"Are you trying to kill me?"
The girl frantically waved her hands, trying to cool herself down.
Meanwhile, Su Han smiled and casually ate the same kind of skewer in large bites without showing any reaction to the spice.
The sight left Hu Tao completely stunned.
Watching Hu Tao's adorable reaction, Kitsune Saiguu covered her mouth and laughed.
"Still don't understand?"
"Su Han means that Awakening is like drinking water. Only the drinker knows whether it's hot or cold."
"So, little Hu Tao, your Awakening ability depends on your heart and your convictions."
"After all, the Awakening of a Devil Fruit depends on what you wish to accomplish with that power."
Hu Tao suddenly understood.
So that was what he meant.
"Awakening..."
"Looks like I'll have to study it carefully."
Hu Tao stopped eating and lowered her head, sinking into thought.
Meanwhile, Mona was wondering what the Awakening of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit would be.
Its abilities involved traveling through space.
Creating a mirror world.
And producing mirror duplicates.
When she thought about it, the powers of mirrors were surprisingly broad.
But the fruit's true liberated power should probably be the creation of an entire mirror world.
Mona had a deep understanding of mirrors.
She also had some knowledge of spatial principles.
Understanding this concept was actually much easier for her.
After everyone had eaten their fill,
Su Han wiped his mouth and took out the Mirror-Mirror Fruit.
"What is that?"
Seeing the fruit's skin resemble a mirror surface, Kitsune Saiguu immediately thought of a Devil Fruit.
But what was its ability?
Su Han tossed it to Mona and smiled.
"The Mirror-Mirror Fruit, also known as the Mirror Fruit. It'll appear in future story arcs. Its ability is quite unique. It can travel between mirrors and accomplish spatial movement."
After hearing the explanation,
Kitsune Saiguu was astonished.
How was this a Mirror Fruit?
It was practically a Space Fruit.
Holding the unusual fruit, Mona hesitated for no time at all.
She peeled away the skin and bit into it.
The next instant,
her eyes rolled upward.
Her stomach churned violently.
It felt as though she was about to vomit up everything she had just eaten.
Yet even when she reached her limit,
Mona relied on sheer willpower and forced herself to swallow it.
Gulp.
The fruit entered her stomach.
Its power began to manifest.
A strange sensation appeared deep within her heart.
"So this is the power of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit?"
"It's truly amazing."
Mona stared at her hands.
At that moment, it felt as though she had gained something entirely new.
Then Su Han pulled out countless mirrors from his storage space.
"Come on. Infuse them with your power."
"Then I'll send them all across Inazuma and even farther away."
For the sake of this fruit,
he had made extensive preparations.
The mirrors were only one part of it.
There was something else Su Han had been wanting to test for a very long time.
Mona accepted one of the mirrors.
With a simple touch,
she immediately sensed a unique connection with it.
Then she reached her hand into the mirror.
To everyone's astonishment,
her entire body slipped inside.
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