After storing the Devil Fruit, Ryuuto called the restaurant owner back in and asked him to prepare a vehicle to transport all the Monkey Sake. Ryuuto and the others, meanwhile, headed toward the coast.
On the way...
Ryuuto held out two Devil Fruits toward Vivi. "Vivi, I have two Devil Fruits here. One is a Paramecia, the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. It lets the user change their weight anywhere between one and ten thousand kilograms."
"The other seems to be related to alcohol, but I can't tell if it's a Logia or a Paramecia. It could even be a Zoan." With that, Ryuuto presented a fruit in each hand, giving Vivi the choice.
As the fifth member of the Soaring Dragon Pirates, Vivi's current strength was simply too low. Ryuuto had long intended to help her get stronger, especially now that even Mohmoo had improved so much. He was sure Vivi had noticed and was feeling anxious about it.
"Ah... for me?" Vivi cried out in surprise. She was overjoyed. She had only just joined the Soaring Dragon Pirates, and now her captain was offering her a priceless Devil Fruit. Vivi had never experienced such consideration before.
"That's right. Go on, pick one," Ryuuto said. Seeing her hesitation, he simply tossed both fruits to her to decide for herself.
Vivi fumbled for a moment as the two Devil Fruits flew toward her, but she managed to catch them securely.
"The Kilo-Kilo Fruit? Or one related to alcohol?" Vivi held a fruit in each hand, struggling to make a choice.
Seeing Vivi's dilemma, Nami immediately went over to help.
"This Kilo-Kilo Fruit... I remember it belonged to a member of Baroque Works. Its ability seems a bit lackluster," Nami said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "As for this other one? It's a total unknown."
"Let me see!" Ace craned his neck, staring at the two Devil Fruits for a long time. "I've never seen it before, either!" he finally said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
After Ace, Crocus leaned in for a look. Two seconds later, he also shook his head. Clearly, no one had any clue about the newly acquired Devil Fruit.
"But I think this red one has a stronger connection with you! It might be fate!" Ace declared suddenly, thumping his chest.
"This guy..." Nami shot a helpless look at the ever-unreliable Ace before tugging on Ryuuto's sleeve. "Captain, which one do you think Vivi should eat?"
"The Kilo-Kilo Fruit might be a bit weak in the early stages, but it's hard to say what it could do after an Awakening. As for this alcohol-related fruit, if it's a Logia, you'll have immense power right from the start," Ryuuto explained to Vivi.
"Then I'll take the red one!" After a moment of deliberation, Vivi chose the alcohol-related Devil Fruit. She felt her most urgent need was to increase her strength as quickly as possible. Besides, a small part of her believed in Ace's talk of fate. Who could say for sure? If it weren't for Ryuuto, what state would the Alabasta Kingdom be in right now? Wasn't that a kind of fate in itself?
After a whirlwind of thoughts, Vivi managed to convince herself, and her decision was made. With that, she handed the Kilo-Kilo Fruit back to Ryuuto.
He took it, placed it in a small box, and tucked it into the satchel slung over Crocus's shoulder.
Vivi then prepared to eat the red, lychee-shaped fruit.
"Vivi, you should brace yourself. It's going to taste horrible," Nami warned from the side.
"Is that so? Then... can I just eat a tiny piece?" Vivi paused, her hand halfway to her mouth, before slowly lowering it again.
"Gahahahaha! Of course, you can," Ace answered with a booming laugh. Watching Vivi, he was reminded of when he'd eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit. He had practically inhaled it without a second thought. What a mistake that was.
Hearing Ace confirm it, Vivi carefully took a small bite of the Devil Fruit. An indescribable flavor instantly flooded her mouth, and she forced herself to swallow.
'Thank goodness I only ate a little!' she thought.
As the piece of fruit vanished, Vivi felt a strange new power begin to grow within her. She closed her eyes to focus on the sensation.
"Vivi, what kind of Devil Fruit is it?" Nami asked, her curiosity piqued.
Vivi's eyes snapped open. With a flick of her hand, a sake fruit from a nearby tree flew directly into her palm. "I think it's called the Sake-Sake Fruit! I can't turn my body into alcohol, so it must be a Paramecia." As she spoke, she crushed the sake fruit in her right hand.
The liquor inside didn't spill but instead hovered above her palm, moving with the gestures of her fingers.
"The Sake-Sake Fruit? That's a great one!" Ace said, drawn in by the intoxicating aroma.
"A Paramecia, the Sake-Sake Fruit?" Ryuuto murmured to himself, looking intently at Vivi. Nami noticed his expression and, holding back her own questions, turned her gaze to him as well.
"So what abilities do you have now?" Ryuuto asked, meeting Nami's glance before looking back at Vivi.
"Right now? I'm not entirely sure, but it seems I can control any liquid that contains alcohol," Vivi replied uncertainly, playing with the sphere of liquor in her hand.
"Alright. Try to see if you can break that blob of liquor apart and disperse it into the air," Ryuuto suggested, wanting to test the limits of her new power.
"Okay, Captain, I'll try!"
Vivi clenched her fist, and the sphere of liquor burst into countless tiny droplets.
"More!" Vivi grunted, continuing to focus her control on the droplets, trying to atomize them into a fine mist. But perhaps due to her lack of mental strength or willpower, she couldn't manage it, no matter how hard she tried.
From her efforts, however, Ryuuto, Ace, and Crocus all understood. It wasn't that the ability was impossible; Vivi's own power just wasn't at that level yet.
"That's enough, Vivi," Ryuuto said, stopping her. In just that short time, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, dampening the blue bangs of her hair and lending her a certain charm.
"I can't do it," Vivi said, her voice filled with disappointment.
"It's alright! You'll be able to do it once you get some training in," Ryuuto reassured her.
"He's right! I wasn't very good at using my Devil Fruit ability at first, either! It gets better with practice!" Nami added, patting Vivi's shoulder comfortingly.