Chapter Nine: The Devil Fruit

A terrifying roar suddenly echoed from the depths of the forest, and Roland’s expression changed in an instant. Just from hearing that roar, Roland knew the creature behind it was by no means ordinary.

As for the otherwise unremarkable tiger, upon hearing the roar, it immediately bit its broken paw and fled for its life. In this forest, the law of the jungle was enacted to its extreme. A tiger that would pose a great threat to an ordinary person outside these woods was nothing more than a kitten waiting to be slaughtered here.

Roland paid no mind to the tiger’s departure, for such an opponent was no challenge to him. Since he was here for training, his adversaries were naturally those beasts equal to or slightly stronger than himself. Bullying mere kittens hardly counted for anything.

Gripping his sword with one hand, Roland stood poised and alert, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. It wasn’t long before he felt an overwhelming force surging toward him, like a tidal wave. In the forest ahead, towering trees fell one after another, as if some colossal creature was sweeping through with unstoppable might. Ferocious roars continued to ring out.

“It’s coming.” Roland focused, his narrowed eyes swiftly spotting the beast behind the fallen trees. It was a massive mantis of emerald green, easily twice as tall as Roland. In the grand world of pirates, perhaps it was nothing extraordinary, but to Roland, it was indeed a giant.

Its enormous scythe-like pincers were razor-sharp; a single swipe could sever ancient trees at their trunks. Its crimson eyes gleamed with wild rage, as if consumed by fury.

“A mantis, after all. It seems I can test my swordsmanship.” Faced with an enemy that even the tiger could only flee from, Roland wore a confident smile. Five years of relentless practice had elevated his sword technique a level above his basic abilities, and this was the source of his self-assurance.

The mantis attacked with remarkable speed, leaping into the air the moment it saw Roland and launching itself at him. Its sharp pincers swung down like the blades of a skilled swordsman. But Roland knew this was merely instinctive reaction; perhaps there was a hint of swordsmanship, but it was far from the real thing.

“Let me enjoy a proper battle!” Roland raised his blade, Nara, and met the attack head-on. Sparks flew in an instant. Even against Nara, one of the finest blades crafted by human hands, the mantis’s pincers suffered not the slightest scratch, instead clashing with the blade and producing a shower of sparks.

This raised Roland’s estimation of the mantis and only heightened his delight.

This was the kind of battle he yearned for; without facing such trials, how could he grow stronger? The sea was vast, and he still wished to see more of it. Parrying another strike from the mantis with his blade, Roland’s senses reached their peak. He watched all directions, listened for every sound—he was attuned to the world around him.

Hearing the fierce wind whistle past, Roland bent his knees and dodged an attack that grazed his scalp. In that moment, the forest was alight with sparks, the sound of clashing metal ringing out ceaselessly. As time went on, Roland’s movements became ever more fluid, seamlessly integrating his learned sword techniques into real combat.

Compared to Roland, the mantis was struggling. At first, it pressed Roland hard, but as he grew accustomed to true battle, the mantis gradually lost its advantage. Yet for a berserk beast like this, its mind held nothing but combat; there was no thought of running away in defeat.

So, even as it began to lose, the mantis didn’t attempt to flee like the tiger, but instead continued seeking an opportunity to kill Roland.

“It’s time to end this fight.” As his strength grew, Roland’s exhilaration faded; the mantis was no longer his match, and there was no need to prolong the battle.

“One Sword Style—Cloud Cutter.” Roland stepped forward, unleashed a powerful slash, and with a flash of white light, appeared behind the mantis. The blow cleaved the creature cleanly in two. Even as it died, the mantis still tried to strike Roland with its massive pincers.

The battle ended with the mantis’s death. Roland sheathed his sword and quickly departed. He had come to the forest immediately after finishing his training, and the recent fight had left him somewhat exhausted, so he planned to find a place to rest before venturing deeper into the woods.

As Roland moved toward the heart of the forest, he saw countless bleached bones. The largest were so immense that a single rib was as big as Roland himself, and such gigantic beasts had perished on the outskirts of the forest. This startled Roland, but it also excited him.

Yet, as he continued, Roland couldn’t decide if his luck was good or bad—he didn’t encounter a single beast along the way. Not until night fell did he find a cave, and still, there were no other creatures.

The cave’s entrance was enormous; even if the mantis had been twice its size, it would have had no trouble entering. This made Roland wary, his hand resting on his sword hilt to ensure he could react instantly to danger.

Carefully, Roland entered the cave, and suddenly saw a faint glow flickering like fireflies.

As the dim light grew, Roland’s gaze froze, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

“Is that... a Devil Fruit?” Roland stared at the stone pedestal in the center of the glowing area, where a fruit with strange patterns, resembling a honeydew melon, lay quietly.

“So this is a specialty of the Pirate King’s world?” Roland moved closer, without dropping his guard, studying the fruit intently.

“Ding, special item detected. Scanning...” “Ding, scan complete. The item is an Animal-type Human-Human Fruit, Devil form.”

“Animal-type, Human-Human Fruit? Devil form?” Roland wasn’t unfamiliar with such terms. According to the anime, he knew of two Human-Human Fruit users: Chopper and Sengoku.

But why had he found the Devil form? Did he have some affinity with demons?

Roland didn’t dwell on it. Seeing no danger nearby, he took the Devil Fruit and hurried out of the cave, heading for the palace.

He had originally planned to stay in the forest for several more days. But now, having discovered the Devil Fruit, Roland decided to return and ask Golden Lion’s advice.

After all, he didn’t know how to choose regarding such a thing. Eating the Devil Fruit would grant him special abilities, but at the cost of becoming a landlubber, cast out by the sea.

Yet those who didn’t eat the fruit, like Hawk Eyes and Garp, could still reach the world’s pinnacle through their own strength.

“Where is Master Shiki?” At the palace entrance, Roland asked the pirate standing guard.

“In the collection room,” the pirate replied respectfully.

Roland nodded and, clutching the Devil Fruit, ran toward the collection room.

He knew the way, as Golden Lion had brought him there once before.