Chapter 7: The Third Slot, Slice Clones
The light screen that appeared before Loy at this moment silently stated a fact.
Yes—the young man easily captured by the G-51 Marine Branch in front of him, whose true name was Aran, was surprisingly a Devil Fruit user.
And what's more...
"This Devil Fruit Ability..."
Loy realized it the moment he saw the introduction to the Devil Fruit Ability.
Aran's ability was extremely special, even among Devil Fruits.
"Its potential varies greatly."
"If eaten by an ordinary person, its power would be even weaker than a typical Zoan Type Devil Fruit."
"But if this ability were acquired by some powerful Haki users, the effect would be unimaginably strong!"
Just imagine, if Marine Hero Garp or the world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, ate this Devil Fruit.
Then each of their Slice Clones would almost be equivalent to possessing their full strength.
"Seven Garps attacking one person... How fierce would that be? The Marines might as well change their name to the Garp Marines."
And the upgrade cost of this Devil Fruit clearly justified its power.
Its upgrade cost was also the highest among all the Devil Fruits Loy had seen so far.
"Would you like something to eat?"
So at this moment, Loy watched the Analysis Progress on the light screen while smiling faintly at the young man imprisoned before him: "My treat!"
"I... I won't eat your stuff!"
Aran obviously didn't understand the myriad thoughts racing through Loy's mind just now—he just found this mysterious Marine in front of him a bit scary.
And it was at this very moment that the sand in the hourglass finally ran out.
"Oh, well."
Then, Loy casually stood up: "I'll be taking my leave then."
He picked up the hourglass, put it in his pocket, then turned and left.
However, just as he reached the door of the ship's cabin, his footsteps suddenly halted.
"Oh, right, kid—you should know that even though most of the Marines from the branch have gone to attend the banquet, it would be very difficult for you to save someone, almost impossible, wouldn't it?"
He tilted his head slightly, asking softly.
"...I told you, I don't understand what you're saying!"
This time, Aran roared in anger.
But it was hard to tell whether his roar was filled more with indignation or terror.
But one thing was certain.
Although his words might contain terror or indignation, there was no wavering whatsoever.
So, Loy smiled.
The brave are always admirable.
"Captain?"
And after Loy walked out of the cabin where the temporary prison was located, the Marine Soldier on deck, guarding the night watch, also showed a puzzled expression.
"I'm a bit tired, I'll go back to rest first. Have someone take over my shift—remember to prepare some food and water for the prisoner, and give him a blanket."
Loy said this.
"Yes, sir!"
The Marine Soldier quickly nodded in response.
After giving these instructions, Loy silently returned to his own room—an independent room with an outer window, located on the aft side of the deck.
And as he entered the room, the system prompts in his ear continued to ring.
[Paramecia Type · Slice-Slice Fruit has been added to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, current Level LV1.]
[Current Encyclopedia Devil Fruit types: 19 → 20 types (Paramecia Type - 8, Zoan Type - 7, Logia Type - 4, Special Paramecia Type - 0, Mythical Zoan Type - 1).]
[Total number of recorded Devil Fruits has reached 20 types, gaining an additional 'Devil Fruit Slot'.]
[Current Devil Fruit Slot count: 2 → 3.]
[Current Devil Fruits in Slots: Ox-Ox Fruit · Giant Bison Form, Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit · Snow Rabbit Form, Empty.]
Listening to the continuous sounds, and looking at the constantly flashing prompts on the light screen.
Loy's smile became even more joyful.
"This trip was truly worth it!"
He sincerely exclaimed.
That's right.
After acquiring the 'Slice-Slice Fruit', his total number of Devil Fruits finally reached 20 types, allowing him to successfully unlock the third Devil Fruit Slot.
For him, this upgrade was undoubtedly significant.
Of course, what was even more crucial was...
"The Slice-Slice Fruit, this Devil Fruit Ability is very important to me! Extremely important!"
This was what made Loy happiest at this moment.
Just as mentioned before, his biggest headache right now was the issue of identity.
He needed his Marine identity and status for self-protection, and he also needed the Marine channels to accumulate Devil Fruit Abilities.
But at the same time, he needed a large, even virtually unlimited, amount of money to help him upgrade his Devil Fruit Abilities.
These two were almost impossible to achieve simultaneously—especially the latter, as most ways to earn a large amount of money in a short period were fraught with danger.
But now...
"Slice!"
Loy said softly in his mind.
Then, in the next instant, the Slice-Slice Fruit was equipped into the newly appeared Devil Fruit Slot, and then...
"Buzz!"
The muscles and skin on Loy's body began to constantly change—his body seemed to tear apart at that moment.
But Loy didn't feel any pain.
He only felt that his body and consciousness seemed to undergo some indescribable change at this moment.
The next second, a 'Loy-Aran' who looked almost identical to him, appeared stark naked out of thin air in front of him.
And at this moment, Loy's special feeling became even clearer.
He felt as if the body in front of him had become an extension of his own.
His consciousness also seemed to split into two parts, yet both parts remained under his control.
This feeling was very novel, even for Loy, who possessed many Devil Fruit Abilities.
However, Loy quickly understood.
He first grabbed a set of his ordinary clothes for the clone to wear—although he was also a man, seeing his own naked body still felt a bit awkward.
Then, he manipulated his Slice Clone, carefully sensing the changes in its body.
And then...
The corners of both Loys' mouths began to curl up simultaneously at that moment.
"Sure enough, just as I'd guessed..."
He muttered softly.
Then, he manipulated the Slice Clone to throw a punch.
"Boom!"
The immense force drove the air, producing a piercing wind-breaking sound, and one could even see faint white fur appearing on the Slice Clone's arm.
That was the fur of a snow rabbit!
That's right.
"The Devil Fruit Ability sliced out by the Slice-Slice Fruit is a perfect 'copy'."
"It even includes the 'Devil Fruit Ability' itself!"
Loy had already guessed this point while in the prison.
Because Aran in the prison was clearly a Slice Clone, yet his Devil Fruit Encyclopedia could still analyze Devil Fruit Abilities from his body.
This was enough to prove that the Slice Clone from the Slice-Slice Fruit most likely copied the Devil Fruit Ability along with it—it's just that the copied Slice-Slice Fruit Ability couldn't be used again.
This feature was meaningless to most other people.
After all, even if one discovered that the Slice-Slice Fruit could copy Devil Fruits, what then?
Aside from that monster Blackbeard, normal people could only eat one Devil Fruit.
But for Loy, the situation was clearly different.
For example, right now...
"This clone of mine also possesses the abilities of the 'Snow Rabbit Fruit' and the 'Giant Bison Fruit'!"
"The only downside is that the Slice-Slice Fruit itself needs to occupy one slot of the clone, and cannot be freely replaced, which means the clone will have one less Devil Fruit Ability than my main body, but this is already enough!"
Loy understood how crucial this discovery was to him.
This meant that the dilemma he had faced until now finally had a solution.
From today onwards, he could continue to stay in the Marines, safely and steadily acquiring Devil Fruit Abilities.
As for his other Clones, they could go and collect the immense amount of Beri needed for Devil Fruit Encyclopedia upgrades, without needing to worry about the methods!
For example, right now, he had a very bold idea.
"Then, first, I need to conceal my identity..."
Loy muttered softly, his gaze sweeping around the room.
Soon, he saw an item in the room.
It was a mask placed next to a storage cabinet in the corner of the room.
The mask looked like a rooster, appearing remarkably lifelike.
Loy, of course, remembered what that thing was.
It was a gift Hannes had brought back for him after a trip to his hometown in South Blue last year.
"This is our South Blue's unique 'Sea Beast Mask', made from iron ore unique to South Blue..."
According to Hannes, this item was one of South Blue's most famous specialties, visible everywhere in many kingdoms of South Blue, and even in various kingdoms along the Grand Line, known for its sturdy fit and resistance to damage.
Of course, Loy later learned from Fal—whose name he was reluctant to reveal—that while the mask was indeed a specialty of South Blue, Hannes's main reason for buying it as a souvenir was because it was cheap.
So the next day, Fal was ordered to stand night watch for half a month because he stepped onto the deck with his left foot first, and this mask had been casually tossed into the corner of Loy's room ever since.
But now...
Loy picked up the mask and casually tossed it to his Slice Clone.
After the other party put on the mask and dressed in ordinary clothes, he repeatedly confirmed it—he couldn't see any facial or body characteristics whatsoever.
Only then did he nod in satisfaction.
"Then... let's begin!"
(end of chapter)