OP: AMP Ch. 202

Marcus watched as the Shichiseiken rejected the offer, then gently pushed the Goatman Devil Fruit forward a bit.

The result was predictable. A tiny ghostly hand formed from the sword's spectral energy and nudged the fruit back toward him. But this time, the push was extremely cautious, as if the blade was afraid to touch it for too long.

His expression turned from amused to fascinated.

"The so-called Goatman is a little story that's widely told in certain parts of the world. It was a dark and stormy night—"

I suddenly realize it's gotten quite late, the Shichiseiken interrupted quickly. I'm feeling rather tired and should probably rest now.

As it spoke, ghostly energy manifested into two translucent hands that covered the sides of its blade where ears would be on a human.

Of course, a sword didn't possess the biological organ known as ears, but the gesture was clear enough.

"On a remote farm—"

Oh my, what lovely weather we're having today! the sword said loudly, its blade trembling.

Marcus couldn't tell if the vibrations were from it speaking or from fear.

Seeing this display from the supposedly fearsome cursed blade, he couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! I never would've guessed that you're scared of horror stories."

I am not! I am absolutely not!

The intent transmitted through the ghostly energy was incredibly strong, as if it was desperately trying to prove its bravery.

Then he moved the Devil Fruit a little closer to the blade.

The Shichiseiken's ghostly hand pushed it away again, a bit more forcefully this time.

I already told you, I simply don't like unclean things. One look at this fruit tells you it's evil. How could I possibly associate myself with something so wicked and foul?

The sword spoke with the utmost righteousness, even preparing to launch into tales of its former glorious deeds to prove its past magnificence and virtue.

"You're really not going to eat it?"

No, thank you.

"If you ate it, you might be able to grow limbs of your own. You might even break free from my control entirely."

Marcus dangled the temptation in front of it like bait.

But the Shichiseiken seemed to have made up its mind.

I am upright and honorable.

"By the way," Marcus said, examining the blade, "how would you even eat a Devil Fruit? You're a sword. Don't tell me it's as simple as just stabbing you into the fruit and that counts as eating it?"

He picked up the Shichiseiken, studying its hilt thoughtfully.

However, the sword merely transmitted a contemptuous response through their connection.

Obviously, if it were really that simple, the world would be filled with blades, swords, and weapons that had consumed Zoan-type Devil Fruits. After all, Zoan-type ability users would eventually die of old age or fall in battle. But if a blade or sword could eat a Devil Fruit, the increase in combat power would be a qualitative leap that would persist indefinitely. And if all it took was stabbing a weapon into a Devil Fruit for it to "consume" the power, then the rankings of famous blades in the world would be filled with ridiculous names.

Like: Supreme Grade Blade, Murakumogiri, Model: Ox.

Or: Black Blade, Yoru, Model: Cat.

Seeing this line of reasoning go nowhere, Marcus sighed. So his idea of "getting on the bus first and buying the ticket later" had completely fallen through.

"What a waste. If nothing goes wrong, this fruit could let someone see hallucinations and even absorb fear from others."

He recalled everything that had erupted from the Goatman at the end. Even now, he wasn't entirely clear on how the creature had evolved, or what exact mechanism had transformed it into a Devil Fruit. But presumably, even if Indigo were to create more Goatmen in the future using the same process, a Devil Fruit version would never appear again. After all, Devil Fruits possessed uniqueness, at least, they had before his arrival in this world.

He looked down at the Mythical Zoan fruit in his hand, studying the swirling patterns one more time.

What a shame. This was a Mythical Zoan, and it was going to end up gathering dust.

Do you really want me to eat it that badly? the Shichiseiken asked, naturally noticing the regretful expression on Marcus' face.

"If you don't want to eat it, there's nothing I can do," Marcus said with a shrug. With a flip of his hand, the Devil Fruit vanished back into his inventory. Then he spread his palms. "Everyone has their own choices to make, even if you're a sword."

The Shichiseiken fell silent for a long moment.

As a cursed blade controlled by Marcus through the Loyalty VI enchantment, it was aware that if he truly wished it, he could simply issue a direct command and it would have no choice but to obey. And afterward, it wouldn't even resent him for it. In fact, it'd probably feel grateful. That was what Loyalty VI meant, absolute devotion and allegiance.

The sword remained quiet as he lay back against his cloud sofa, getting comfortable.

"Come to think of it, you're not opposed to eating a Devil Fruit in general, are you? Is there a specific one you're hoping for?"

He'd asked the Shichiseiken once before, back when he'd first obtained a large collection of Devil Fruits from various sources.

The answer he'd gotten back then was simply: not suitable.

So after that, he hadn't paid much attention to the matter.

The Shichiseiken was incredibly special, after all. Not only was it a cursed blade with its own consciousness, but that blade spirit was, if its memories were to be believed, the consciousness of some empress from eight hundred years ago. At least, that was the impression it gave him. And on top of all that, he'd invested seven hundred million EMC into its enhancement.

The amount he'd poured into it was so astronomical that, if he wanted, he could at any time equip an entire military force, and one composed entirely of Zoan-type ability users at that.

Using the Velociraptor fruit, valued at 2 million EMC as the baseline calculation:

Seven hundred million EMC could directly purchase 350 of them.

Give one to each member of a well-trained military unit, and instantly that army would become virtually unstoppable.

Consider that the Beast Pirates only numbered around five hundred members total, and those were mostly trash-tier SMILE artificial Devil Fruits. Those homemade knockoffs were garbage in terms of power, with the added risk of mental instability caused by the artificial fruit's flawed consciousness. Even with all their bugs and coordination issues, if such an army were deployed against any country, it would result in one-sided slaughter, terrifyingly powerful.

But 350 Ancient Zoan Velociraptors?

If they all transformed simultaneously, the sheer visual spectacle alone would ensure that no country would underestimate them. The ground would literally shake from the synchronized transformations.

Put simply: Marcus had traded away the equivalent of an invincible army to create one fully enchanted sword.

If it were to eat some unsuitable Devil Fruit now, he would feel the loss. But this Goatman Devil Fruit? That felt pretty suitable to him.

After all, it was a Mythical Zoan, and the Goatman's traits centered around illusions and shapeshifting. Combined with the Shichiseiken's own innate talents and its explosive ghostly aura... The resulting strength would likely be so great that even without a wielder, the sword itself could become an extremely powerful combatant, capable of fighting independently.

The Shichiseiken trembled as it floated closer to Marcus, its blade coming to rest against his leg.

He looked down in confusion.

The sword's ghostly energy quietly seeped into his leg, establishing their communication link more firmly.

To be completely honest... what I want is a Human-Human Fruit.

Marcus was surprised by the answer, though it also made sense when he thought about it.

If the Shichiseiken were merely a blade spirit born after the fact, it would naturally recognize itself as a sword and probably wouldn't think much beyond that reality. But it carried extensive memories from its time as an empress. Its consciousness, sense of self, and entire identity was rooted in having been human.

And fundamentally, it still was an empress, or at least, it still thought like one.

Whether it truly was an empress from eight hundred years ago or not didn't really matter. The point was that it had human awareness and human memories of having a physical body.

Being trapped inside a sword, if there were no choice, it wouldn't dwell on it. But with Devil Fruits like Chopper's Human-Human Fruit existing in this world, that would surely be the best possible option for it.

A chance to be human again.

Marcus sat up straighter, giving the sword his full attention.

The Shichiseiken's blade trembled slightly as it continued explaining, perhaps worried he'd misunderstand.

Don't worry, it's just wishful thinking on my part. If I were to choose in reality, my selection would be a Mythical Zoan version of the Human-Human Fruit. I heard Sanji mention something about a Human-Human Fruit, Model: Angel once. Or perhaps other humanoid Mythical Zoans, like vampires or demons or something similar.

He pondered this revelation thoughtfully.

Simply put, the Shichiseiken had standards. It didn't want to become ugly.

Was the Goatman ugly? He recalled the creature's face from his brief encounter with it. Honestly speaking, it had been hideous.

But as far as he knew, there were only a handful of confirmed Human-Human Fruit Mythical Zoan variants in the One Piece world.

First was the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha, Sengoku's Buddha form. It was the earliest one to appear in the series, capable of producing shockwave-like attacks. Though after "Ryuo" became a thing in later arcs, those shockwaves might've just been advanced Haki applications rather than a fruit-specific ability.

Second was the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. The Sun God Fruit that turned out to be a massive plot point later on.

Third was the unconfirmed one, the Onyudo form. A fox that could transform into a humanoid shape, capable of fighting and speaking.

If a Buddha form existed, then logically angels and demons should be possible too. They'd probably manifest as something like a Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Angel, or a Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Demon.

If they were adding those kinds of fruits, why stop there? The Azure Dragon already existed as a Mythical Zoan, so what about the Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, or Black Tortoise from the same mythology?

His expression turned thoughtful. The Goatman appearing as a Mythical Zoan fruit raised some interesting questions.

Did that mean Mythical Zoans had actually existed in reality at some point? Or had they been artificially created?

After all, the One Piece world looked medieval on the surface, but eight hundred years ago there'd been a kingdom with incredibly advanced technology. Freaking robots had existed back then.

And look at what scientists were doing now, Vegapunk researching Lineage Factors, Indigo creating mutant beasts through IQ plant modification. If that kind of development continued, manufacturing Mythical Zoan creatures might not be impossible.

If they could create birds that crackled with electricity, why not birds wreathed in flames? And a fire bird was basically a proto-Phoenix or Vermilion Bird, wasn't it?

Marcus scratched his head as his thoughts spiraled. The birth of the Goatman Devil Fruit had sent his brain into overdrive.

He was even starting to consider bringing pigmen or ghasts into the real world to experiment with them. What if those monsters could also successfully transform into Devil Fruits? Even if he didn't know what they'd be useful for, it sounded like a fascinating experiment. And when someone ate them, he was curious what kind of abilities would result.

His imagination kept running wild. He even thought about the Ender Dragon. Sure, he couldn't find it right now, but that didn't mean it was impossible in the future.

If the Ender Dragon could be turned into a Devil Fruit... just imagining it gave him chills. That would be incredible.

Lost in thought, Marcus stared up at the night sky until the Shichiseiken's voice pulled him back.

Actually, I can eat it, the sword said. The Goatman is still technically human, isn't it?

Marcus hesitated, feeling the sword's desperate hopefulness through their connection. Finally, he pulled out the Goatman fruit.

Moonlight washed over the pitch-black fruit, making its spiral patterns seem to writhe.

When someone's desire was strong enough, a Devil Fruit would respond to that call. Even though the Shichiseiken wasn't human, it was still a sentient being. And the One Piece world had precedent for weapons eating Zoan fruits.

In theory, it should work.

He sighed heavily. The more options you had, the harder it became to choose.

Originally, he'd just wanted to quickly boost their combat power. The situation with Shiki was still a ticking time bomb, even if the legendary pirate hadn't made any hostile moves yet. That was mainly because Shiki didn't know they were from the East Blue, and more importantly, he didn't know about Nami's unique talent for weather prediction.

If he found out about either of those things, he'd definitely try to get his hands on her. The ability to predict weather was exactly what he valued most, it could even affect his combat effectiveness.

After all, the Battle of Edd War had left him with serious trauma about unexpected weather changes.

The only reason he hadn't acted yet was because he didn't know about their abilities to appear and disappear at will, and more importantly, there wasn't any major conflict of interest between them. At least he didn't know the Straw Hats were already preparing to stop his plan to destroy the East Blue. And when they moved to stop him, there'd only be one outcome: a fight.

For Luffy to face Shiki head-on, he'd need at least Gear Fourth, right? If he could somehow jump straight to Gear Fifth, then crushing him wouldn't just be a dream.

Marcus placed the fruit on the sword's hilt. "Whether you eat it or not is up to you. I won't order you to."

After saying that, he lay back on his cloud sofa and looked away, giving the sword privacy to make its choice.

Ghostly energy began swirling around the Shichiseiken as it clearly wrestled with the decision.

A Devil Fruit could only be eaten once, that applied to swords too. This was a permanent choice.

The ghostly aura climbed upward, wrapping around the fruit.

Finally, the Shichiseiken made its decision and consumed the Devil Fruit. But the method was completely different from how humans ate them. It didn't grow a mouth, nor did it slice the fruit into pieces with its blade. Instead, the ghostly energy completely enveloped the Devil Fruit. Then the fruit began dissolving as if it had been dropped into acid, breaking down bit by bit and being absorbed into the spectral energy.

The sword's consciousness transmitted directly to Marcus' mind.

Disgusting.

"You can taste things?" Marcus asked. "You're a sword. How does that even work?"

The Goatman Fruit disappeared completely under the ghostly shroud. After a moment, the Shichiseiken responded.

It's a sensation that comes directly from the soul, it explained simply before falling silent.

Marcus sat up, watching the sword curiously as it processed the new power.

The earliest known weapon to eat a Devil Fruit had been that dachshund gun from the Arabasta arc. Its ability was pretty simple, it could fire timed explosive balls by sneezing. Nothing fancy beyond that.

There was also that bazooka that ate an Alpaca Fruit. Same deal, just one transformation with some basic self-aiming capability. Not particularly impressive.

Then came the elephant sword that ate an Elephant-Elephant Fruit. Like humans who consumed Zoan fruits, it had three forms: the normal sword form that looked completely ordinary, an elephant-sword hybrid form where the blade could extend and track targets, and a full elephant form where it turned into an actual adult elephant with its own consciousness, capable of feeling fear and being threatened.

Most recently, there was a sword that had eaten the Cerberus Fruit, the three-headed hellhound. It also displayed three forms: sword, three-headed-dog-sword, and full three-headed-dog.

So theoretically, the Shichiseiken should also develop three forms: sword form, Goatman-sword hybrid form, and full Goatman form.

Marcus was buzzing with curiosity. Even though the original Goatman had been ugly as hell, the Shichiseiken was special. What would it look like?

He placed one hand on the sword's hilt, and Haki flowed quietly down the blade, establishing a stronger connection.

The Shichiseiken's blade trembled lightly at the touch.

"Show me what you've got."

As his words fell, the Shichiseiken began to change. White wool started growing from the sword guard, spreading rapidly. The blade itself began to soften and deform, reshaping into something entirely different.

Within moments, a figure stood before him, humanoid but clearly not human. The creature had long limbs covered entirely in white wool. Despite the animal features, the body had a surprisingly well-proportioned, feminine silhouette.

White goat horns curved from its head, paired with distinctly non-human facial features.

Marcus stared in silence. He'd been expecting something ugly and disturbing based on the original Goatman, but this...