I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

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''Chapter Opening・When You Wake Up・Riding the Wind Home'' 

In West Blue, eight-year-old Nico Robin is running through the rain on the island. Meanwhile, in the Grand Line's Calm Belt, nine-year-old Boa Hancock climbs to a high rooftop on Amazon Lily. She stretches out her arms and gently leaps down, watched by dozens— maybe hundreds— of tense Kuja women gathered below.

---

Haredas adjusted the magnetic device within the balloon that held his weather ship, gradually descending toward Amazon Lily Island. 

The Calm Belt, as its name suggests, has no wind. 

Without wind, the balloon of a weather ship can't drift along naturally. There's no force to carry it, and each time he entered this sea, Haredas had to watch his magnetic device's power drain, leaving him sighing and pulling out some mustache hairs in frustration.

Yet, his curiosity about Amazon Lily Island's weather drove him to keep coming back, wanting to gather data for his logbook. But this island of women had a rule: no men allowed. The more forbidden, the more tempting it was…

"Ah—ouch."

Frowning, Haredas tugged out another mustache hair without realizing it, muttering to himself, "Haredas, this has to be the last time! Yes…the last time…" 

The women on this island were fierce, and known as a warrior tribe. If he were caught, it would be a disaster.

'Thud.' The weather ship landed. 

The white-bearded old man climbed out, tying the weather ship's chain securely to a tree trunk. Without proper weight, the ship could float off with the magnetic balloon. 

And if it drifted away without him, he'd have to make another balloon from scratch and tug it back home— something his old bones weren't up for. If his grip slipped, that'd be the end of him.

"Better make it quick…" 

Haredas, looking rather like an old wizard with his pointed hat, pulled out a pen, paper, and weather measurement devices and entered the edge of Amazon Lily Island's forest.

…

"As expected, Amazon Lily Island's climate is like the other islands in the Calm Belt…" 

Haredas was delightedly engrossed in his research, raising his measurement device to take notes, when he heard faint sounds nearby.

'A wild animal?' 

He was startled. For an old man who had traveled the world, he still carried a few self-defense gadgets. His Wind Knot technique might not work on animals, but he had a few lightning balls stashed away. In a pinch, he could use his knowledge of weather science to create a small Thunder Cloud, which would probably deter most creatures.

He reached into his cloak to retrieve his Thunder Cloud gadget, but saw three young girls step out of the forest instead.

The one in the middle had black hair and seemed to lead the group—she was too pretty and cute to be mistaken. On either side of her stood a green-haired and an orange-haired girl, both looking at him in surprise. The three wore clothing typical of Amazon Lily Island women.

Haredas relaxed, lowering his hand from his cloak, and smiled. "Oh, just little girls! I thought you were wild beasts…"

Hancock: "…"

Sandersonia and Marigold immediately grabbed their pet snakes, drawing them into bows and nocking wooden arrows on the string.

Haredas was stunned. "Ah…?"

"Who are you?" Hancock asked, crossing her arms and watching him cautiously.

Her two younger sisters, flanking her, pulled their snake-bows back, aiming at the tall, odd-looking stranger.

The white-bearded man introduced himself, "My name is Haredas…I'm not a bad person…"

"You seem suspicious to me!" Sandersonia said distrustfully.

Marigold tightened her grip on her bow. "Right! With such a long mustache and hair, are you in disguise? So suspicious!"

"Mustache? Hair?" Haredas muttered, feeling puzzled until he understood after feeling his chin.

Hancock sighed in exasperation. "That's a mustache! He's a man— an old man."

"That's a 'moustache'?" The two younger sisters, who had heard of such things before, were both startled and curious. 

Holding their snake bows, they leaned closer to Haredas and couldn't help but reach out to touch his long, soft white beard that hung down to his chest. "It's so long... When men get old, they grow this strange kind of hair... a 'mustache', right?"

"Of course," Hancock said, not quite understanding either, and quickly changed the subject, glaring at the old man in front of her. "What are you doing here on Amazon Lily Island? Are you an enemy? Have you come to take the women of this island? In your dreams!"

Her eyes grew dangerous, as if a wrong answer would seal his fate and end him right here.

The two younger sisters found it strange - since when had their big sister become so cautious?

Haredas was visibly frightened, hastily waving her hands. "No, no, no! I'm not an enemy! I'm just a scientist passing through..."

"Passing through?" Sandersonia asked.

"A scientist?" Marigold echoed.

The two young girls exchanged puzzled glances, question marks hovering almost visibly over their heads.

"I travel all over the world gathering information from different places - well, information about the weather, to be exact," Haredas clarified, fearing that the word 'information' might arouse suspicion. "I'm a weather researcher! I just came to study the weather on Amazon Lily Island..."

"All over the world?" "Traveling?" Hancock's curiosity was piqued.

"So it's just to study the weather..." The two younger sisters slowly lowered their bows.

"This is the Calm Belt. What's there to study about the weather here? It's windless all year round - end of story." Hancock completely doubted the old man's explanation.

"Elder sister is right!" The two younger sisters raised their snake bows again, suspicious once more.

Haredas began to sweat. "It's the lack of wind that makes it so worthwhile to study! Isn't it strange that there isn't even the slightest breeze all year round?"

He pulled out his logbook and various readings from his instruments. "You see... according to my research, the magnetic fields here on this island - and throughout the entire Calm Belt - are incredibly unique! I think that's why no natural winds can form here..."

Hancock, Sandersonia and Marigold tilted their heads in unison, a collective question mark hanging over them.

"We don't understand a word you're saying!"

With a loud shout, Hancock held out her hand, and her pet snake, Salome, transformed into a bow and landed in her grasp. "Your very presence on this island is suspicious enough! And the fact that you're a man only makes it worse! According to our laws, any man who trespasses on Amazon Lily is sentenced to death!"

With a quick movement, Hancock pulled an arrow from her quiver and drew back her snake bow.

"..." The younger sisters looked at their big sister, both a little perplexed.

They wanted to remind her that there was a man on their island right now - one she had secretly spent time with before her last journey.

But like their sister, they raised their bows and aimed at the tall old man in front of them.

"Please don't kill me... I'm really not a bad person..." Haredas looked dejected, his pointed hat drooping in despair.

"You think we'll just let you go? You're a man, begging for our mercy?" Hancock raised her voice in a mocking tone. "Think again! What good do you think you can offer to bribe us? This is pirate country - dream on!"

So that's it; she's clearly after his goods! The two younger sisters looked back at Hancock.

Their big sister had become so assertive! Was this the kind of experience one gained sailing with pirates?

But they knew her true nature well, and it was obvious what would happen next...

"Hand over anything of value if you want a chance to get out of here alive!" Hancock demanded.

Haredas was practically in tears, surrounded by three drawn snake arcs, as he pleaded, "I'm just a humble scientist! I have nothing of great value... the only treasure we really have is a room full of research papers, nothing but the bare essentials. Ah, I think I saw three Devil Fruits in a corner of the warehouse back home, but those strange fruits turn people into 'land ducks' once eaten. I doubt you would want them... I really have nothing of value!"

The two younger sisters were stunned that he had just confessed everything all at once.

"Devil Fruits?" Hancock blinked.

Just then, a thunderous explosion echoed from the distant forest.

...

"What was that?!"

On the other side of the forest, the Kuja warriors who were training in the city heard the explosion or felt an unusual tremor under their feet.

...

Could Giorno be behind this? Hancock wondered, suspecting that other than the Snake Princess, only Giorno could cause such a commotion on the island.

"Let's check it out!" Hancock said, leading the way to the source of the explosion.

"Right!" The two younger sisters replied.

As Haredas was about to slip away, Hancock looked back and ordered, "Bring him along!

And so, with his head hanging low, the old man was tied up by two snakes and lifted over the heads of the younger girls as they carried him away.

...

In the clearing by the woods near the shore, bear paw prints dotted the ground, and many trees were broken and lying askew, creating a scene of utter chaos.

Up above, Robin had used her Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) powers to assist her in climbing higher, observing from a safe distance.

Liam's clothes were tattered, his forehead slightly sweaty and his breathing accelerated.

In front of him stood Kuma, steady as a mountain, watching Liam's condition with mild surprise. "You have impressive stamina... is it because you excel at Life Return?"

"Perhaps!" Liam grinned, clenching his fists again and wrapping them in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) as he dashed forward with renewed vigor.

'Are you using me to sharpen your Haki?' Kuma smiled kindly, feeling unbothered, as his own paws darkened with Haki, prepared to meet him head-on.

'Boom!' Their Haki-clad fists collided.

Kuma's eyes widened in surprise, sensing the dark shadow that had somehow slipped behind him.

B.I.B.'s narrow eyes glowed white, and his left hand, etched with blue flame-like markings, reached toward Kuma's back.

His heart?

Kuma realized— 'It's a Devil Fruit ability!'

(End Of The Chapter)