Chapter 7: Dark-Dark Fruit!

Carl and the others hadn't gotten far when, behind them, a massive clash of top-tier Haki and Devil Fruit abilities erupted. The battlefield shook with endless roars and shockwaves.

The Valley of Gods had now become a battleground for "gods."

Ivankov couldn't help but glance back—what he saw made his breath catch. Giant boulders were floating into the sky, only to come crashing down like a torrential storm.

Carl noticed it too. He grabbed Ivankov, who stood frozen in shock, and shouted,

"That's the Float-Float Fruit's ability! Run! If we get caught in that, we're dead!"

Ivankov snapped out of his daze, swallowed hard, and sighed,

"The power of Devil Fruits is terrifying… If we eat one, can we become that strong?"

Carl narrowed his eyes and said firmly,

"Yes. At the very least, the Devil Fruits the Celestial Dragons are offering as prizes won't be weaker than that Float-Float Fruit!"

With that, he took the lead, sprinting towards the grand house where they had last seen the suited man.

All of the Celestial Dragons' minions in town had been summoned by Saturn to join the battle. No one was paying attention to them anymore.

This was their chance.

When they reached the site, the once-grand house had been reduced to rubble. Carl didn't hesitate—he rushed forward, pushing aside the debris with his bare hands.

Ivankov and the others saw him digging and immediately joined in.

No one could afford to be lazy now. Any second wasted could mean death.

BOOM!

A fierce gust of wind tore through the battlefield. Carl's robes flapped wildly, and his small frame nearly toppled over under the force of the shockwaves.

But he gritted his teeth and kept digging, muttering under his breath,

"Devil Fruit… if you really choose your master, then choose me! Let's climb to the top of this world together!"

His fingernails were worn down to the skin, bright red blood dripping from his fingertips. The blood trickled onto the broken stones below, seeping into a small gap in the rubble.

Carl wiped his blurred vision and, almost instinctively, started digging in the direction the blood had flowed.

His body was exhausted after a full day of running and fighting. He struggled to move a heavy stone, staggered, and almost collapsed.

Then—a faint golden glow flickered beneath the rubble.

Carl's heart pounded. He crouched down and saw a wooden box buried underneath, a small corner of its golden plate peeking through.

His blood surged with excitement.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he carefully pulled the box out with trembling hands.

It wasn't locked.

That made sense—the Celestial Dragons wouldn't want to struggle to open it. Even in his weak state, Carl could open it effortlessly.

At that moment, the box felt like Pandora's Box in his hands.

Holding his breath, he lifted the lid.

Inside lay a strange purple fruit, shaped like a pineapple, covered in swirling patterns.

Carl's eyes widened. A bolt of lightning flashed through his mind.

"This… This is the Dark-Dark Fruit!?"

He had seen it before—in the comics. The same Devil Fruit that Blackbeard had spent over 20 years searching for.

Carl had expected a strong fruit, but this… this was beyond his wildest dreams!

The Dark-Dark Fruit was undeniably one of the strongest. Unlike other Logia types, it didn't allow for elementalization, but that didn't matter. At high levels, elementalization was nearly useless—except for a few elements with devastating attack power.

But the Dark-Dark Fruit?

Not only could it nullify other Devil Fruit abilities, but what excited Carl the most was its true natural disaster-level power—

The black hole that could consume everything!

Within three seconds of recognizing the fruit, Carl didn't hesitate.

He took a deep breath and bit into it.

A horrible taste flooded his mouth. His face turned purple, and his stomach churned violently before he could even swallow.

It was disgusting.

But thankfully, one bite was all it took to gain a Devil Fruit's power. If he had to eat the whole thing, he might not have survived the taste.

He threw the now-useless fruit aside and stood there, breathing heavily.

Then, he felt it.

A strange sensation washed over him. It was as if he had gained a new sense, like an extra limb he could control freely.

Carl raised his right hand and focused.

Instantly, his hand transformed into pure darkness, wisps of black smoke rising from it like a living entity.

From this moment on…

He was the master of the Dark-Dark Fruit.

The controller of darkness.

"Carl-chan!"

Ivankov's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Carl turned to see Ivankov holding up a Devil Fruit, his face filled with excitement.

"Look what I found! A Devil Fruit!"

Carl's pupils shrank.

Even at a glance, he recognized it—the Paw-Paw Fruit.

Finding it was a huge deal.

But something felt wrong. Ivankov was already a bit too flashy, but right now, he was being outright reckless.

The problem?

Ivankov hadn't realized Carl had already eaten a fruit.

Since Carl had been so obsessed with Devil Fruits earlier, Ivankov naturally thought he'd be overjoyed to see one. So, in his excitement, he shouted loudly.

And the worst thing you could do in a battlefield full of monsters was scream "Devil Fruit!"

The moment those two words left Ivankov's mouth—

Both the Rocks Pirates and the World Government instantly stopped fighting.

For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent.

Then, several dangerous gazes locked onto Ivankov, freezing him in place.

Ivankov had performed remarkably well so far—especially considering he was surrounded by multiple users of Conqueror's Haki. The fact that he hadn't collapsed from the pressure already proved he had incredible potential.

Among the enemies, Saint Garling recognized the Paw-Paw Fruit immediately.

He snapped his fingers, ordering a Knight to seize it. However, Garling himself did not move. Instead, he kept his gaze locked on Carl, his expression unreadable.

The Marines, on the other hand, sighed in exasperation.

Garp muttered under his breath, "Tch, bet this is the Celestial Dragons' fault again."

But Rocks?

He didn't care about all that. Before he could even say a word—

Linlin suddenly charged forward.

"Little brat!!! Hand over that Devil Fruit to me!!!"