Pushing aside the cluttered thoughts in his mind,
Will noticed the two of them still staring at him, so he spoke again, this ti with a firm tone:
"That's right. I brought it back for you to eat."
"Now, the two of you can discuss among yourselves and decide who's going to eat this Devil Fruit."
Seeing that Will wasn't joking,
Nami and Karina exchanged a glance, then both lowered their heads in deep thought, silently weighing the decision.
Will didn't rush them. He picked up a bottle of sherry from the table, flicked the top off with a finger, and took a swig.
A mont later—
Nami and Karina looked up in perfect sync, then spoke at the sa ti:
"Let Karina eat it."
"Let Nami eat it."
"Eh?"
Both won were stunned by the other's response.
Karina was quick to offer a logical analysis:
"Nami, you're our ship's navigator. If you eat a Devil Fruit, it'll make it easier to keep you safe."
"My combat ability is slightly stronger than yours anyway, so it makes more sense for you to take it."
But Nami didn't agree. She shook her head slightly and replied seriously:
"Karina, like you said, I'm the navigator of this ship."
"Which ans I have to stay sensitive to the weather."
"I've told you before—my skin can pick up on small atmospheric shifts within a certain range."
"And once I eat the Fruit, there's no guarantee that its power won't interfere with that."
"So I believe you should be the one to eat it."
She broke into a grin. "Besides, if you eat it, you'll still be able to protect , right?"
"Nami..."
Karina didn't know how to argue back, so she just let out a helpless smile.
The two of them were fully aware of how precious a Devil Fruit was.
They each wanted the other to eat it—only because they were worried that one of them might be in danger when facing enemies down the line.
Eating it would at least provide so level of self-protection.
But now that Nami had made up her mind,
Karina decided not to keep pushing it either. She laughed brightly and said:
"Alright then. From now on, I'll be your protector, little cat burglar navigator~."
Nami's smile instantly dropped, and she looked mildly annoyed. "Navigator is fine. What's with the 'cat burglar' prefix?"
"You sly little fox!"
"Ushishishishi~."
Karina covered her mouth with a laugh, then turned to Will.
"Well then, Captain sir, I'll be the one to eat the Fruit."
Seeing her grinning from ear to ear,
Will imdiately picked up the Devil Fruit and placed it in front of her, his tone rich with aning:
"Co on, eat the pie. Let's see what a Devil Fruit really tastes like."
Sothing about his odd tone made Karina shiver involuntarily.
She looked solemnly at the Devil Fruit before her.
After taking a deep breath, she stopped hesitating, lifted the Fruit with both hands, and took a bite.
The mont the flesh touched her tongue—
Karina's chewing froze. It took an enormous effort for her to force the bite down.
Then—
Her entire expression collapsed. An overwhelming wave of nausea surged up from her stomach.
It felt like she hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit... but sothing far more indescribable.
"So this is... what a Devil Fruit... tastes like..."
After that first bite, Karina didn't even dare think about finishing the rest. Her face looked like she was about to vomit as she muttered through clenched teeth.
"Ahahaha!"
Will burst out laughing, the corners of his mouth curled in amusent.
"I forgot to ntion—there's probably another reason why they're called Devil Fruits."
"And that's the absolutely demonic taste. There's just no way to put it into words."
"Pfft~!"
Nami, watching Karina's struggle, couldn't help but cover her mouth and snicker.
"Damn it... You bastard... Why didn't you tell sooner..."
Karina's face darkened as she glared at the two people laughing at her misery.
After Will finished laughing, he added with a grin:
"Oh right, Karina, one more thing."
"You've gotta eat the entire Fruit."
"Not sure if it's necessary, but better safe than sorry. Can't hurt, right?"
Seeing Karina's face freeze in terror, Will chuckled and added reassuringly:
"Don't worry, I've got good news."
"Apparently, the bad taste is only in the first bite. Everything after that is flavorless."
"...Is that true?"
Karina eyed Will with deep suspicion.
Seeing that he wasn't trying to ss with her again,
she took a deep breath, ntally prepared herself, and then—with a determined expression—held her breath and gobbled down the rest in one go.
Gulp—!
Once all the flesh had gone down,
Karina didn't show any more signs of nausea. In fact, she looked surprised:
"Eh? It really didn't have that awful taste."
"Though... that might not be the best way to put it..."
"To be precise, it had no taste at all. That's weird in its own way..."
Honestly, she had never eaten anything completely flavorless before.
The second and third bites were a world apart from the first.
The first bite had been revolting, while the rest were plain and bland.
Nami, seeing that Karina had finished the whole thing, suppressed her smile and curiously asked:
"Well? Karina, do you feel any different?"
"Different? I think..."
Karina stood up and walked to the side, muttering to herself:
"I feel like... there's a strange power stirring inside ."
Then suddenly—
Her eyes sharpened, and her whole body began to transform.
Karina's beautiful features gradually shifted, taking on distinct feline traits.
Her ears turned into a pair of cute, blue-purple cat ears.
And from her tailbone, two long, sleek, and powerful tails of the sa color extended outward.
Her muscles tensed slightly, her figure becoming more athletic, and her fingernails turned sharp and claw-like.
The most striking of all—
two bands of flickering blue-purple flas appeared, curling around her wrists.
The transformation made her look like sothing straight out of a fantasy, surreal and awe-inspiring.
"My god..."
Nami's jaw dropped at the sight, unable to stop herself from gasping in amazent:
"No wonder it's a Mythical Zoan-type... It really does look magical."
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