Chapter 19: Muninn's Devil Fruit

As both Taiyo and Van Augur woke up, they looked toward the source of the commotion. It was a giant bird, its feathers reflecting the glow of the moonlight. Taiyo recognized the breath of the creature before him, though he wasn't sure what had happened. Van Augur, on the other hand, immediately aimed his rifle at the bird until his vision suddenly shifted. Huginn had shared Muninn's vision with him, showing that this wasn't some random monster.

"What the—? Captain, it seems that—" Van Augur began, seeing his own body through Muninn's eyes, but Taiyo cut him off.

"That's Muninn. I know his breath. I just don't understand how he changed like that—as if he ate a Devil Fruit," Taiyo said, slowly putting the pieces together. He turned toward the place where he had stored the Devil Fruit and realized it was missing.

"Huh, it seems Muninn ate the Devil Fruit we found. I wonder what its name is," Taiyo said to Van Augur, calling Muninn over as the giant bird flew toward them.

As Muninn landed, he looked nervous, expecting to be scolded for eating the strange fruit. But instead, Taiyo gently touched his head and began patting him, feeling the texture of his feathers. They felt like metal. Each feather had the weight and sharpness of a blade, leading Taiyo to a suspicion.

'Is it the Supa Supa no Mi? But wasn't that eaten by Daz Bones since childhood? And it wouldn't explain the sudden boost in Muninn's size and strength. Maybe it's a Zoan Devil Fruit... possibly a Mythical Zoan with powers similar to the Supa Supa no Mi,' Taiyo thought.

"Are you feeling alright?" Taiyo asked Muninn, wanting to assess how he was coping.

"Yes, Boss. I feel stronger," Muninn replied, relieved that Taiyo wasn't angry with him.

"Good. It really does seem like a Mythical Zoan, though I don't know what kind yet," Taiyo said, letting go of Muninn's head and encouraging him to fly off and test his abilities, asking him to report back in the morning.

"Well, that's interesting," Van Augur said, having listened to everything Taiyo had said.

"Let's just sleep. Tomorrow, we'll set sail—and maybe on the next island, we'll find a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia to identify Muninn's fruit," Taiyo said as he plopped down on the sand once again, closing his eyes. Van Augur stayed up for a moment, looking at the sky before lying back down to sleep.

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When the sun rose, both Taiyo and Van Augur were seen eating while Muninn reported the capabilities he had discovered during the night, following Taiyo's orders to test his new powers. Muninn explained that he could turn his feathers into sharp, blade-like metal projectiles and hurl them at enemies. The feathers he fired would be regenerated over time. He also discovered he could coat his feathers in poison. In addition, his beak had become incredibly sharp and seemed to be made of bronze.

When Taiyo heard about the bronze beak, along with the other abilities, he immediately thought of the Stymphalian Bird—a mythical creature from Greek mythology. It was the only thing that came to mind that matched the description Muninn had given.

After finishing breakfast, the group set sail, having grown bored of the island, which offered little of interest. As they drifted onward, Huginn—whose vision had expanded through his connection with the birds on the island—spotted a Marine vessel chasing what appeared to be a pirate ship, identifiable by the flag it flew. Huginn relayed the information to Van Augur through their shared vision.

Upon seeing the pirate ship in Huginn's vision, Van Augur stared at it with mild curiosity, wondering if fate had placed it in their path.

"Captain, seems like fate has something in store for us in that direction," Van Augur said as he began rowing toward the ship Huginn had seen. Taiyo, who hadn't connected to Huginn's vision, simply allowed Van Augur to take the lead.

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Meanwhile, aboard the pirate vessel being pursued by the Marines, the crew was scrambling to decide how to escape. Despite being a pirate crew, only the Captain and the Vice-Captain were capable of defending themselves—a detail the Captain had initially dismissed as unimportant, but was now proving to be a burden. The constant need for the Captain to step in during conflicts was taking its toll, and the fatigue was beginning to erode his enthusiasm for the pirate life.

Now, the Captain and his Vice-Captain were in a private room—restricted to the two of them—discussing their next move.

"I'm getting tired of this life," the Captain admitted, leaning back with a sigh. "Maybe we should just quit while we still have our lives."

The Vice-Captain, who was still peering through the periscope to monitor the Marine vessel trailing them, replied, "Yeah, but what can we do? We chose this life."

"Well," the Captain said, a glint of calculation in his voice, "what if I could come up with a plan to make our problem disappear?"

The Vice-Captain glanced at him, curious. "What are you thinking?"

"What if we take someone who resembles me," the Captain began, "and have them be captured by the Marines—make them believe he's me. If they think they've caught the real Captain, they'll likely execute him right away for my crimes. Especially if we make sure to leave their strongest soldiers alive, to ensure they survive long enough to identify him and carry out the sentence."

As the Captain laid out his plan, the Vice-Captain realized what he was getting at. There was a crew member aboard who bore a faint resemblance to the Captain. And with the Vice-Captain's ability, they could make the plan convincing and successful.