One Piece- I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

Koala wept uncontrollably, her heart aching but also feeling a sense of release. The emotional weight left her feeling mentally drained, and soon Robin led her to a room to rest.

Mariann, sensing she had made a misstep, remained by Koala's bedside, quietly waiting.

Robin, concerned about Koala catching a cold in her sleep, knocked gently on the door frame before leaving the room. She instructed the little green Den Den Mushi to monitor the temperature in both Koala and Mariann's room.

"Bururu bururu..." The entire City Fortress responded with a series of beeps.

Returning to the living room of the City Fortress, Robin found that the illusion of Amoline created by Liam's powers had already dissipated. B.I.B. was nowhere to be found either. Only Liam remained, sitting upright on the sofa, his body tense and his expression serious. His eyes, however, were hollow and distant. 

Robin recognized the signs immediately: Liam had just retracted his Stand, enduring both the physical exhaustion and the overwhelming surge of B.I.B.'s memories flooding his mind.

The strain Liam experienced in retracting B.I.B. had far surpassed anything he had felt in his weaker days. If this level of fatigue had been transferred to his younger self, it would have shattered him completely, leaving him crumpled in a heap.

Robin sat beside him, gently taking his hand and placing it on her lap.

After a moment, Liam exhaled deeply, a visible puff of white smoke escaping from his mouth, his body radiating heat as if he had just stepped out of a sauna. He clenched his fists.

Despite the exhaustion weighing on him, he could still feel the progress in his strength.

Liam squeezed Robin's hand and turned to see that Annie, who had been resting on the sofa, had woken up.

"I... I want to go home..." Annie sat up, her voice soft with a hint of desperation.

She gazed at Liam, her eyes pleading.

Liam pointed at himself in confusion, "Me? Forget it, I have my own matters to attend to. We're not heading the same way."

Annie's expression darkened, and she bowed her head, lost in silence.

"But don't worry," Liam added with a reassuring smile, "someone will make sure you get home safely."

"Really?" Annie's face lit up with joy as she lifted her head, hope returning to her eyes.

"Naturally," Liam nodded, "The prince here will have no trouble escorting you back home."

"Prince?" Annie hesitated, her brow furrowing with concern. "This..."

Coming from a small, remote island, she had always held a sense of awe toward kings and princes, figures who seemed more like legends. Would a prince really be willing to help someone like her? Would he even consider it?

Liam grinned and reassured her, "Don't worry. This prince is kind-hearted, even if he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. He'll definitely agree."

Robin chuckled and shook her head. While Cavendish didn't appear malicious, as a prince, he was unlikely to be as eager as Liam made him sound.

"Let's not dwell on that for now. Anyway, the prince is busy with something at the moment and can't take you home just yet."

Liam's chest extended a mechanical arm wrapped in black energy, and from his body emerged a slender-eyed Stand with a faint white glow. The Stand retrieved the Human-Human Fruit: Red-Haired Gorilla Form Devil Fruit chip from its chest.

"Let's see if you can still lose control."

Liam's right arm, clad in armor with red flame patterns, gripped the triangular chip, covered in swirling fuzz, and punched it into the chest of the bewildered Annie.

...

Liam had always had little interest in Zoan Devil Fruits.

What did Zoan abilities offer? Beyond the inherent traits of specific animal species, their common features boiled down to superhuman stamina, endurance, and regenerative power.

And as far as Liam was concerned, he was lacking in none of these.

Liam considered his progress with Life Return training a step forward. Now, his stamina, defense, speed, endurance, he even had regenerative power that wasn't lacking. As long as the injury wasn't fatal or crippling, Liam felt confident that he wouldn't truly be defeated. Thanks to Life Return's unique dietary therapy, Liam could recover far beyond what an average person could achieve just by eating.

Moreover, Liam could activate and convert the nutritional energy stored deep within his body into recovery power when necessary, granting him a brief but intense surge of regeneration.

As for Zoan Devil Fruits, to Liam, they held little appeal. Most of them were simply useless.

Take the Red-Haired Gorilla Fruit, for example. It was grotesque in appearance, and Liam had no intention of adding it to his collection.

Had Annie been able to control its power without losing herself to uncontrolled rage, Liam might have helped her return it. Unfortunately, the results had been disappointing.

...

They visited the busiest restaurant in Burujoa Kingdom, mainly for Cavendish's convenience in finding them.

After retracting B.I.B. and absorbing the memories, Liam knew that Cavendish hadn't even noticed when B.I.B. left the palace. If Liam and Robin stayed hidden inside the Den Den Mushi City Fortress, it would be too difficult for Cavendish to track them down. Liam was still waiting for Cavendish to deliver the Eternal Pose to Koala's hometown.

After the emotional release, Koala seemed more lively; she spoke more during their meal. A noticeable change was her newfound shyness.

Mariann, younger than Koala, showed little change. She sat on a cushion, eating seriously with child-sized utensils she'd requested.

Annie, too, seemed to enjoy her meal more. Without the Devil Fruit that had caused her inner resistance, she was able to eat without any negative side effects.

Reflecting on the earlier events in the City Fortress, Liam shook his head.

Once the Red-Haired Gorilla Fruit was reintroduced to Annie, her eyes soon became vacant, and she began muttering incoherent shouts. A few moments later, she exhibited clear signs of Beastification, her hair grew wild, her skeleton expanded, her limbs thickened and lengthened, and her fangs interlocked. Soon, she fully transformed into a towering red-haired gorilla, her appearance identical to the one Liam had faced before.

Once again, Annie's consciousness disappeared, leaving only the raging red-haired gorilla.

With no other options, Liam reluctantly accepted the Zoan Human-Human Fruit: Red-Haired Gorilla Form. He considered it a potentially useful tool for any foolhardy pirate with an Ability who crossed his path, a human bomb for them to experience what it was like to face a Demon Sheriff.

The next morning, the five of them had breakfast at the last remaining restaurant still in business. The morning crowd was light, allowing them to eat at a leisurely pace.

Once breakfast was finished, Liam sent B.I.B. into the Den Den Mushi City Fortress for some solo training. Meanwhile, he took Robin, Koala, Mariann, and Annie to the shop, mostly to familiarize Annie with the island's surroundings, though they didn't know much themselves.

As they walked, Liam's sharp senses picked up the subtle presence of auras trailing them, as if someone was following their every move.

Am I that famous? I haven't done anything yet, and I'm already being tracked? Liam mused, rubbing his chin. After a few more turns and loops, he and Robin returned to the restaurant to prepare for lunch, only to find Prince Cavendish waiting there. In his hand was an Eternal Pose...

(End of Chapter)

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