"Vivi,"
Nami asked eagerly, "What kind of Devil Fruit is this exactly?"
Vivi smiled and gestured for Merry to explain herself.
Merry lifted her head from Luffy's chest. Her face was aggrieved.
Tears still clung to her small face, but now that she had accepted the news of this Devil Fruit, her eyes had brightened.
She had been clinging to Luffy's leg just a moment ago, but now she suddenly jumped up and hung around Luffy's neck like a koala.
"Luffy! I have a new form!"
Merry's voice carried excitement as she spoke.
"A new form?"
Luffy held her steady, curious.
Merry closed her eyes, as if feeling the power within her.
The next moment, under everyone's astonished gaze, Merry's weight in Luffy's arms suddenly increased. Her height also began to change.
A halo of rainbow-colored light swirled around her, as if the glazed brilliance were flashing.
In the blink of an eye, the cute little girl disappeared. In her place stood a graceful young woman!
She appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen. Her features were cold and bewitching. Her skin was fair and translucent, as if carved from glazed jade. Her long black hair seemed to shimmer with flowing light. An aura of cool elegance and nobility radiated from her.
"Is that Merry?!"
Usopp's eyes widened.
Chopper's mouth fell open. "S-So beautiful!"
In her girlish form, Merry opened her eyes. Those eyes were as brilliant as rainbow-colored gems.
She still seemed a bit uncomfortable with this form. Her voice had also changed into a clear and sweet girlish voice: "This is the Zoan, Hito Hito no Mi, Mythical Zoan: Ruri Form."
Everyone erupted in exclamations.
Mythical Zoan!
It really was a Mythical Zoan!
However, after her initial shock, Nami watched the now-curvaceous young woman Merry hanging tightly onto Luffy. Her brow furrowed slightly.
"Merry, get down from Luffy first."
Merry blinked her beautiful eyes. Instead of getting down, she clung even tighter. A sly yet innocent smile appeared on her face. "I don't have any strength left, you know. I just transformed—it used up so much energy."
As she spoke, she practically went limp in Luffy's arms.
A vein bulged on Nami's forehead. She tried to pull Merry off. "If you don't have any strength, then change back right now, or I'll support you!"
"Nooo~ Luffy is more comfortable." Merry clung tightly to Luffy's neck, refusing to let go.
Nami was so angry she almost laughed.
Didn't you say you had no strength?
No matter how hard I pull, I can't move you—you're as stubborn as an ox.
Luffy didn't really mind. He just noticed that Merry had gotten quite a bit heavier. He laughed and said, "I've always said Zoan are the most interesting."
"Tch. Great. Another Devil Fruit user on our ship. We're almost all ability users now." Zoro couldn't help commenting.
"Super! Even little Merry has become this womanly. But this form is really beautiful!"
After they had messed around for a while, Merry finally got down from Luffy and began demonstrating her abilities to everyone.
Because she was a ship spirit—her true form being the ship itself—the power of her Devil Fruit didn't just affect her human form; it also manifested on the ship!
She concentrated. Everyone watched as the edges of the Thousand Sunny and the Going Merry beside her—their railings, even parts of their decks—began to be covered in a translucent, colorful glass substance that shimmered with rainbow colors.
This glazed layer looked beautiful, but it also radiated an aura of indestructibility.
"Is this also an ability?!"
Everyone exclaimed again in amazement.
Merry explained, "This is one of my abilities: Ruri Coating. It lets me cover the ship with a glazed layer, greatly enhancing its defense! From now on, ordinary cannonballs won't be able to penetrate our ship!"
"That's amazing!"
Nami was the first to cheer. As a navigator, nothing made her feel more secure than a sturdy ship.
Usopp and Franky couldn't help but touch the glass surface, studying its hardness and properties.
If even a random box contained a Devil Fruit, and there was still so much treasure, might there be other goodies?
Everyone's treasure-hunting enthusiasm was instantly ignited.
The deck was piled high with all kinds of treasure.
Gems, gold bars, and various curios sparkled seductively under the sunlight, filling one corner of the Thousand Sunny's deck.
To thank them for saving their lives, Lola's crew had moved almost every movable treasure from Thriller Bark onto their ship. Now these spoils of war awaited inspection by their new owners.
Everyone gathered around the treasure. The atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.
Chopper and Usopp were excitedly identifying some strangely shaped shells and ores. It turned out that Moria's treasure contained quite a few Dials—proof that they weren't the only ones who had been to Skypiea.
Sanji, on the other hand, was more interested in the fine tableware inlay with gems.
Those pirates and nobles were way too rich—their tableware were inlaid with gems, some even gold and diamonds.
Nami stood with her hands on her hips, her face glowing with a happy red light. Her eyes practically shot out Berry symbols. She had already started flying fast
calculating the value of this vast wealth in her mind.
"Hey, Luffy, isn't this that giant sword you used before?" Zoro's voice carried a hint of surprise.
He then pulled out an exaggerated, length-stunning giant sword from a pile of gold coins. It was the very sword Luffy had used in his fights against Oars and Moria, swinging it using his rubber abilities and shadow amplification.
Luffy looked over. "Oh, it really is. I didn't expect Lola and the others to bring this up too."
He walked over, reached out, and touched the cold blade. Slightly surprised, he said, "I used that technique, Gomu Gomu Rasen: Kenbu, and it didn't get damaged at all. I didn't have time to turn it into a Black Blade with Busoshoku Haki back then."
"It doesn't look like an ordinary sword." Zoro weighed the giant sword in his hand, his brow furrowed slightly. He was a swordsman. Good swords had a strange attraction for swordsmen.
This sword was heavy in hand. Its material was neither gold nor iron. It radiated an ancient, mysterious aura.
What surprised him even more was that when he gripped the hilt, he could vaguely feel something like life pulsing inside the blade. An indescribable attraction made his heart itch.
"Luffy,"
Zoro couldn't help but speak up, his gaze still locked on the sword. "Your swordsmanship is already quite good now. Especially the techniques that combine your Gomu Gomu no Mi abilities with swordsmanship—their power is amazing. Having such a fine sword would be like adding wings to a tiger. Aren't you considering using it?"
"But Zoro, this sword is way too big, isn't it? It doesn't really match my style. I'm more comfortable fighting barehanded or using my stretchy body."
Luffy looked at the blade, which was much longer than his own height. He couldn't stay in his shadow form all the time.
If he turned into his Rubber Giant form, his body would be too big. Although he could use his Gomu Gomu no Mi to maintain a slightly expanded size, that didn't fit his fighting style either. There was no need to use a sword just for the sake of using one.
Just as Luffy finished speaking—a mutation occurred!
The giant sword in Zoro's hand seemed to have understood Luffy's words. Its blade suddenly emitted a barely detectable dim light. Then, under everyone's astonished gaze, it began to visibly shrink and deform.
In a few breaths, the giant sword that had required two hands to wield had transformed into a moderate length, simple shape katana, radiating a sharp, cold gleam.
"Eh?" Usopp exclaimed in surprise.
"The sword can transform?!" Chopper's eyes widened to saucers. "Is this Franchy?!"
"What kind of joke is that? I'm right here." Franky also came over, striking his classic pose. "A sword that can shrink? That's super Super!"
Nami also temporarily snapped out of her intoxication over the treasure.
"I've never heard of a sword that can change form like that." Nami said curiously.
"This is a fine blade. And it's also a type of Black Blade."
Zoro's eyes gleamed with excitement. As a three-sword style swordsman, his desire for named blades was engraved in his bones.
He examined the sword, which had now repeatedly shrunk, and tried swinging it a few times. The feel was excellent—as if the blade's weight had perfectly adjusted along with its morphological changes.
He couldn't help but say, "Shorter?"
The sword didn't change.
He thought for a moment, then tossed the sword to Luffy. "Luffy, you try."
"Oh, interesting. Then make it shorter."
Luffy looked at the sword in his hand. Sure enough, as he thought it, the black blade shortened again, becoming a short blade better suited for thrusting.
"That's amazing!"
Zoro praised, but his eyes were full of confusion. "But I've never heard of this kind of sword either."
It was practically unheard of.
Everyone looked at each other, finally turning their gazes to the two most knowledgeable members of the crew.
Vivi and Robin.
Robin shook her head, indicating that she hadn't studied swords much.
Vivi furrowed her delicate brows slightly, carefully. She stepped forward slowly, carefully watching the black blade still buzzing slightly in Luffy's hand.
After a moment of consideration, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"I remember now. I think I saw a record about the Meitō genealogy in my father's library."
Her words caught everyone's attention.
"What's a Meitō?" Chopper asked.
"Oh, these are the three swords I have." Zoro grinned and took out his three named blades one by one.
The Skillful Grade blade, the cursed sword Sandai Kitetsu.
The Great Grade blade, the Black Blade Shusui.
The Great Grade blade, Wado Ichimonji.
Vivi cleared her throat and first explained to everyone what Meitō were.
"As everyone knows, the famous blades of the world are roughly divided into several grades: the highest tier is the Saijō Ō Wazamono Jūnigō (12 Supreme Grade Blades), followed by the Ō Wazamono Nijūichi Kō (21 Great Grade Blades), and then the Ryō Wazamono Gojū Kō (50 Skillful Grade Blades).
For example, Zoro's Sandai Kitetsu is a cursed blade ranked among the 50 Skillful Grade Blades. Its origin blade, the Shodai Kitetsu, is one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades."
Everyone nodded.
"But,"
Vivi's tone shifted. "In the Meitō genealogy, besides the well-known cursed blade Kitetsu series, there is actually another, even more mysterious series."
***
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