Chapter 51: A Precious Gift for You (Part Two)

It truly wasn’t anything significant, just something related to the two newcomers who had just joined.

“On the last voyage, by a stroke of chance, I happened to acquire two interesting items. Originally, I intended to use them as rewards for the two most outstanding candidates among this batch of one hundred who would qualify to join the family. But now…”

At least, there was no need for Doflamingo to agonize over who was the most outstanding, since only two remained out of the hundred. So, even if Baby-5 and Buffalo weren’t the best, they had to be the best by default.

“In any case, rewards are still necessary,” Doflamingo said.

As his words fell, one of his men brought over a tray with the prizes, placing it cautiously between Baby-5 and Buffalo.

And what exactly were the prizes?

On the tray lay two fruits marked by peculiar, winding patterns.

Among those present, aside from the two clueless recipients, there was likely no one who didn’t recognize these… They were Devil Fruits.

This was Qiubai’s first time seeing a live, whole Devil Fruit. After all, the one Ain had found on Whale Island was already half-eaten and useless by the time he saw it.

A single Devil Fruit grants power to only one person; even if most of it remains, as long as someone’s taken a bite, the rest loses all effect. Well, perhaps the sour taste could be used as a poison of sorts.

Yet Qiubai hid his curiosity and probing gaze well; as someone who’d “been around,” he looked at the Devil Fruits with clear distaste, though what exactly he found repulsive was anyone’s guess. Anyone who had eaten one would know.

According to Doflamingo, he’d acquired these treasures of the sea—rare and precious—by sheer chance. Who would believe that? Only a fool.

It seemed as though Doflamingo could bring out Devil Fruits at will, but that was simply because, in a sense, he controlled the entire underworld and black market of the North Sea. Through trade, barter, or plunder, he could always get what he wanted.

The two newcomers, however, seemed a bit lost regarding the rewards about to be bestowed upon them.

“Baby-5, Buffalo, the items before you are called Devil Fruits. They’re known as treasures of the sea and are extremely valuable because they can bestow extraordinary abilities upon humans. Of course, gaining these powers comes with a trivial price… but with them, you’ll become more useful to the family.”

“There is one small problem, though. Neither of these fruits are recorded in the guidebooks, so the abilities you’ll receive depend entirely on your luck.”

The uncertainty of their powers was probably one reason Doflamingo was so quick to offer them to the newcomers.

“So… choose one each.”

Doflamingo’s gaze was intense; Baby-5 and Buffalo had no choice but to accept, and truthfully, they had no intention of refusing. His words were clear enough.

The strange appearance of the fruits instinctively repelled them, but at the same time, they emitted an inexplicable allure.

Devil Fruits provoke such contradictory feelings, yet in the end, they are an indescribable temptation, and for Baby-5 and Buffalo, eating them was inevitable.

At that moment, however, Qiubai interjected unexpectedly.

“Excuse me, Doflamingo, but if we’re talking about priority, doesn’t Corazon need a fruit? I heard that Corazon hasn’t eaten any Devil Fruit yet.”

This remark earned only a sidelong glance from Rosinante, who then calmly took out a cigarette—and just as calmly set his own hair on fire.

Scoundrel! Absolute scoundrel! What grudge did he have? Why harm me? Corazon howled inwardly.

Still, setting his own hair alight was nothing new. His long-standing clownish behavior masked his inner turmoil, and two well-trained underlings rushed over to help him extinguish the flames before he could really burn himself.

Rosinante had already eaten a fruit, and the only consequence of consuming a second would be death. No one had ever survived eating two… at least, not so far.

“Corazon is another matter. These two are rewards for the newcomers,” Doflamingo said.

His brother’s words allowed Rosinante a small sigh of relief. If forced to eat another fruit, he’d explode and die; if he refused, Doflamingo might become suspicious, risking exposure…

So, it was probably best to stay as far away from this mad redhead as possible.

The blazing fire atop his head did nothing to disturb the storm raging in Rosinante’s mind.

Qiubai, meanwhile, gave him a reassuring smile, as if to say, “This is for your own good,” and didn’t press the issue. What he wanted to know, he’d already learned. So, from this moment, Doflamingo was already plotting to find the Operation Fruit, have his brother eat it, and then use up his brother’s life to perform the Immortality Operation and achieve his own eternal life?

That was, in fact, a deeply flawed assumption. If there was anyone in the family who’d willingly sacrifice themselves for Doflamingo… the Operation Fruit ought to be given to Baby-5.

Of course, performing that surgery required more than just loyalty…

With that in mind, Qiubai glanced at the girl beside him, only to see her look up at him at the same moment.

“Brother Qiu, which one do you think I should pick?”

One fruit was purple, the other red, each distinctly different in appearance, making it hard for Baby-5 to choose. Because of earlier events, she naturally turned to Qiubai for advice.

“Well… that’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself,” Qiubai replied, a bit awkwardly.

He actually knew that one of the fruits should be the Weapon Fruit, and the other should be the Spin-Spin Fruit, which allowed its user to fly like a propeller. In terms of utility, the Weapon Fruit—capable of transforming the body into various weapons—was clearly more practical.

In contrast, his impression of the Spin-Spin Fruit was simply “propeller hat”: it could fly, but it wasn’t nearly as flashy.

But Qiubai had no way of telling which fruit granted which ability, since neither was in the guidebook.

If he gave random advice and Baby-5 ended up as a flying maid… well, actually, that didn’t sound too bad.

While Qiubai’s mind wandered, Baby-5 seemed to emerge from her own internal struggle and finally made her choice.

“I’ll take this one,” she declared.

She picked the one nearest her, leaving Buffalo with the other.

“Why?” Qiubai hadn’t expected her to decide so quickly.

“Because I think this one will taste better.”

Qiubai: “…”

That… that had to be a naive misconception born of youth. Of this, Qiubai was one hundred percent certain.

He knew Devil Fruits tasted terrible, though he’d never actually eaten one himself—nor did he ever intend to.

Wait, wasn’t there something a bit off about that logic?

Still, his thinking was perfectly sound.