Sounds of spshing…

  As eveniled over Atntis—

  Everyone was enjoying a delicious dinner when suddenly, several massive sea beasts, known as the Homies, each measuring dozens or even hundreds of meters, leapt up from the depths of the sea, sending huge sprays of water into the air.

  They slid down the cloud slide leading to Atntis’s inner ke, plunging into its vast waters.

  "Last time, Rufe got lucky and gaihe Paramecia-type Gomu Gomu no Mi..."

  After dinner, El called over the members of the Fallen Angel Pirates—all the new recruits from various races, except for Lillian.

  Seeing these new recruits, many of whom couldn’t hide their excitement and joy, El smiled slightly. “Though Rufe’s good fortu him that fruit, I won’t leave you all out. I’ll give each of you a ce as well!”

  inally, these newly joined recruits wouldn’t have qualified for Devil Fruits. However, this time’s massive haul had put El in a good mood, so he didn’t mind granting a few.

  In particur, as sves selected for the Bck Fg Trading pany’s grand au held every three years, he’d noticed a few promising individuals among them.

  Both the Loribe youth, Mad, and the Cat Mink Tribe youth, Tom, had shown impressive potential duri training, on par with “Griffon” Moss and worth iing in.

  Surprisingly, it wasn’t only Rufe, who had gaihe Gomu Gomu no Mi, but another human male sve, Sak, who also had notable talent. He was quite strong, apparently a former pirate captain. Though he might not match the urengths of the special races, he showed promise for a bright future if he trained hard.

  sidering the Paramecia-type Wax-Wax Fruit, with its crafting ability to produce creations as tough as steel, though vulnerable to fire, El saw potential in developing a Wax-Wax Fruit user who could assist Gerd iing an army of Wax Homies.

  "This is a lucky break for you..." Nef crossed her arms with a smile, adding, "Don’t fet who made all this possible for you!"

  "Of course!"

  “Thank you, El-sama!!!”

  The group of new recruits couldn’t hide their joy, thrilled beyond words.

  They didn’t dare hope for the stro Devil Fruits but khat any fruit would still be life-ging.

  The Loribe youth, Mad, received the Paramecia Egg-Egg Fruit;

  The Cat Mink Tribe youth, Tom, received the Paramecia Speed-Speed Fruit;

  The human male, Sak, received the Paramecia Wax-Wax Fruit.

  And, perhaps refleg El’s pyful side—

  Of the three human women rescued from Sabaody Archipego who chose to join the Fallen Angel Pirates, the curvaceous dancer Baka received the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Bck Mamba;

  The other two, twin sisters with sweet faces and alluring charm—eighteen-year-old Rena and Luna—were each granted a Zoan fruit: Rena with the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Bck Cat, and Luna with the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Ocelot.

  Each of them, brimming with excitement, held back their o eat their respective Devil Fruits.

  "What about me, sir?"

  Seeing everyone else gain Devil Fruit abilities, the young mermaid Ily, realizing she hadn’t received one, widened her eyes in worry. g her small pink fists, she mustered the ce to approach.

  "I want to be a user, too!" she pleaded, looking at El with tearful eyes. Her sapphire-like eyes sparkled with pure innoce, filled with siy and a touch of vulnerability.

  Utterly adorable.

  “What?”

  Before El could respond, Jien the Sea Tiger had already asked in disbelief, "You’re a mermaid—why would you need a Devil Fruit power?"

  Jien, a tiger shark Fish-man, had no desire to bee a Devil Fruit user; he didn’t want to be rejected by the sea. To keep up with Devil Fruit users like Rod Moss, he had doubled his training efforts. After mastering the Six Powers, he eveuro Fish-men Isnd to study Fish-men Karate and Jujitsu from the masters there.

  Under El’s guidan ret days, he had successfully ied Fish-men Karate, Jujitsu, and the Six Powers into a unique fighting style. His strength had improved signifitly, earning him the title of “Sea Tiger” in Sabaody Archipego.

  "Aren't mermaids only fast ier?"

  "I heard your tails only split into legs when you turn thirty, right?"

  "If you bee a Devil Fruit user, you’d be helpless on nd!"

  Tsuru, Linlin, Gerd, and the others were all stunned, giving the mermaid girl a speechless look. They weren’t sure whether to call her adorably naive or just pin clueless.

  Otherwise, after being rescued, she would have returo Fish-men Isnd instead of boldly choosing to stay with the Fallen Angel Pirates.

  "But I summon fish to carry me while I swim..."

  Blushing, Illy ched her small pink fists and protested, "Even though Devil Fruit users are powerless ier, I still breathe uer, so I won’t drown! And with Gerd-sama’s Bubble Homies and those sea beasts, I don’t o rescue a sea!"

  "I want to fight alongside everyone else too. I want to be useful and not just a burden..." Saying this, she lowered her head in shame, her face almost hidden behind her ample chest.

  "But I’m so clumsy that I ’t learn Fish-men Karate no matter how hard I try..."

  "Your talent in that area is definitely g..." Jien sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He had been giving her his all in training sessions, but the mermaid girl showed absolutely no skill in it. On this ship, she was likely best suited as a mascot rather than a fighter.

  Still, it wasn’t a big deal.

  Atntis was more than rge enough for her, and no one had ever sidered “expelling” her or sending her back to Fish-men Isnd.

  "Alright, if you’re really ied, I’ll give you this Bubble-Bubble Fruit."

  Seeing the hopeful and eager look on the mermaid girl’s face, El couldn’t help but smile. He gently patted her head and casually tossed her the Paramecia Bubble-Bubble Fruit. "With Bubble Homies around, you’ll be able to fly and dive uer freely, so there’s no need for you to be a lifeguard!"

  He didn’t mind having a “decorative” crew member, especially one as captivating as this beautiful mermaid. And the Bubble-Bubble Fruit had excellent ing abilities. She could hahe upkeep of Atntis, keeping it sparkling . Plus, with her occasionally visiting Fish-men Isnd, she might even help recruit more fish-men and mermaids.

  The Bubble-Bubble Fruit’s power wasly strong or weak—it all depended on the user. If she wao develop it, she could potentially use the branches of the Yarukiman Mangrove to create defensive bubbles or other means of attack.

  A “Bubble Princess” mermaid? That sounded like a fun idea.

  “Yes—!”

  Cradling the Bubble-Bubble Fruit as if it were a treasure, Ily’s face lit up with joy. She hugged El’s leg and excimed, “Thank you, El-sama! I’ll work hard!”

  Bleam