Kuke shared his idea with the crew.

“Who wants to give it a try?”

He asked the majority of the crew.

As long as a crew member’s Devil Fruit ability had a lower potential than the Mythical Zoan Daibutsu Fruit, they could attempt the switch.

For those with abilities on the same level—like Gion, Shakky, or Linlin—it wasn’t necessary.

“Swapping fruits?”

Many crew members were tempted.

Hancock’s beautiful eyes flickered.

She had never admitted it aloud, but deep inside, she had always felt a little insecure—no matter how hard she trained, she couldn’t catch up to some of the others.

For someone as proud as her, it was difficult to accept.

Smoothie felt the same way.

Back when she was with the Big Mom Pirates—

She was one of the Sweet Commanders, the strongest female officer among them.

But in the Sun and Moon Pirates—

Even the proud Smoothie had been training relentlessly, striving to become stronger.

Like Hancock, she had great talent, but her Devil Fruit ability was holding her back.

Both women currently had a combat power of around 100,000.

They were incredibly strong by the ocean’s standards.

But within the Sun and Moon Pirates—

They ranked somewhere around seventh or eighth.

Not even in the second tier under Kuke.

The first tier consisted of Gion and Charlotte Linlin.

The second tier included Stussy, Yamato, and Belo Betty—those with combat power close to or exceeding 200,000.

The third tier was where the 100,000-level combatants like Hancock and Smoothie belonged.

“The Daibutsu form… doesn’t seem very elegant,” Hancock thought for a moment and decided against it.

She wanted both strength and beauty.

“The Daibutsu form only enlarges the body and grants a golden, Buddha-like transformation. It doesn’t alter one’s appearance too much.”

The Daibutsu form—

Simply put, it was a giant golden transformation.

For a woman, would that make her a female Buddha? Or a Bodhisattva?

“I’ll wait a little longer,” Ulti hesitated before declining. She immediately clung to Kuke’s arm and pouted, “Captain, you promised to find me an amazing Devil Fruit!”

“I know, I know.”

Kuke flicked Ulti’s nose playfully.

Then, he looked at Smoothie.

“I’ll give it a shot,” Smoothie decided after some thought.

The giant transformation wasn’t an issue for her—

Her current Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit also had size-enhancing effects.

But compared to the Daibutsu form, her existing ability was far inferior.

She also felt a growing sense of urgency.

“I need to get stronger quickly. If Mama really goes too far one day, I need to be strong enough to stop her. Even though the Captain has shown no interest in her so far… if that day ever comes, we might lose our chance forever.”

With that thought in mind—

Smoothie decided to switch her ability to the Daibutsu Fruit.

“I wonder… if someone eats the Daibutsu Fruit now, then dies, will they retain it upon resurrection? Would that mean having two abilities?”

Kuke pondered.

Would it work?

This could be an exploit in the system.

It was a well-known fact—

A person could only consume one Devil Fruit. Eating a second one would cause immediate death.

History had proven this countless times.

The only exception was an extremely rare and unique physique capable of holding two abilities.

But—

The system granted every Sun and Moon Pirate crew member a monthly resurrection.

This meant unlimited trial-and-error opportunities.

“Let’s test it. Even if the Daibutsu Fruit is wasted, it doesn’t matter.”

Kuke decided.

Once they obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, they could plunder any top-tier ability in the world.

There were plenty of fruits that rivaled the Daibutsu Fruit in power.

If this worked—

Every Sun and Moon Pirate could potentially wield two or even three Devil Fruit abilities.

It would push their limits to an entirely new level.

“Smoothie, eat it directly.”

Kuke instructed.

Smoothie didn’t hesitate.

She took the Daibutsu Fruit and bit into it.

The crew watched with wide eyes.

They had all heard that eating a second Devil Fruit would lead to death—

But they had never actually seen it happen before.

The moment Smoothie swallowed the Daibutsu Fruit—

Her face flushed red.

Pain contorted her expression.

Kshhh!

In an instant—

Kuke moved and pressed a palm to her chest.

He shattered her heart in a single strike.

Before she could feel any pain, she died instantly.

Her body vanished.

Kuke immediately checked the system panel to monitor her status.

『Crew Member: Charlotte Smoothie

『Paramecia – Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit, Zoan – Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Daibutsu Form; Bounty: 1 billion; Combat Power: 986,123.』 (Deceased)

Her profile had changed.

Now, she had the Daibutsu Fruit listed under her abilities.

Her combat power hadn’t increased.

She had died too quickly after eating the fruit to gain any strength from it.

『Revival Available. Choose one option:』

『1. Revive with the Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit.』

『2. Revive with the Daibutsu Fruit.』

『3. Revive with both (Currently Unavailable).』

“Unavailable?”

Kuke narrowed his eyes at the third option.

“Unavailable” meant that, for now, she could only keep one ability upon revival.

She couldn’t become a dual-fruit user just yet.

“‘Currently unavailable’—which means it will become possible in the future. Eventually, my crew will be able to wield two, maybe even three Devil Fruits.”

That phrase alone confirmed it.

Digging deeper into the system, he found the requirement:

A crew member could wield multiple Devil Fruits if at least 1 million achievement points were spent.』

“A million achievement points?”

Kuke smirked.

For now, he chose to revive Smoothie with the Daibutsu Fruit.

The Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit was useful—

But only as an added bonus.

As soon as the selection was confirmed—

Smoothie instantly reappeared on the Radiant Eclipse at the harbor.

She moved at lightning speed—

Returning to the garden within seconds.

The crew wasn’t surprised.

By now, they were used to seeing each other die and revive.

Over the past seven years—

They had even fought to the death as a pastime, just to experience resurrection.

Kuina especially loved doing this.

She enjoyed nothing more than dying in Kuke’s arms.

Experiencing the moment between life and death dramatically enhanced her swordsmanship.

For years, she had been suppressing her power—

Focusing on strengthening her foundation rather than chasing immediate growth.

She had seen the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

And her ambition had grown beyond that.

She wasn’t aiming for quick power-ups.

She was building an unshakable foundation for an even higher ceiling in the future.

If she had sought rapid strength—

Kuina’s combat power wouldn’t have just barely surpassed 100,000 by now.

“Right now, you only have the Daibutsu Fruit. But that doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to wield two Devil Fruits. It just takes time—and the right complementary ability.”

Kuke explained directly.

Smoothie didn’t waste time checking her body.

The crew’s eyes brightened.

But no one was shocked anymore.

They were long used to things like this.

New members like Pudding and Flampe, however, were too young to understand.

To them, the Captain was simply incredible.

“Try using your ability.”

At Kuke’s words—

Smoothie took it as the most important moment of her life.

She immediately activated her new power.

Zoan abilities didn’t require much development.

They were the easiest to master.

A golden light radiated from Smoothie’s body.

Her tall frame expanded rapidly.

She shimmered in golden brilliance, transforming into a massive, radiant giant.

Still retaining her own form—

Yet exuding divine majesty.

“That’s not a Buddha,” Kuke observed.

“She looks more like a Bodhisattva.”

“From now on, your new title is ‘Bodhisattva’ Smoothie.”

——

DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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