"What? You killed the soldiers from other countries who went to Flevance to massacre people?! And not just one or two—how many exactly?"
Listening to the voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Jake answered honestly.
"About a thousand or so."
There was a brief silence on Sengoku's end before he roared.
"A thousand?! You did that alone?! What the hell do you think you are—a pirate or a Marine?! Who gave you the right to execute those bastards on your own?! Do you even still consider yourself a Marine?!"
"I'm sorry. But my Devil Fruit ability allowed to see the sins weighing on those n. I couldn't tolerate those murderers of civilians continuing to live in this world."
Hearing this, Sengoku frowned slightly before pressing further.
"You're saying your Devil Fruit showed you the sins they carried at that mont? Are you certain?"
"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. I saw the spirits of the dead clinging to them, and I witnessed the atrocities they had committed."
"If that's the case, then it's highly likely you were influenced by the residual consciousness within your Devil Fruit at the ti."
Jake's expression turned odd as he listened.
He knew exactly what kind of excuse Sengoku was preparing for him.
Sure enough, Sengoku's next words were all about justifying Jake's actions.
"You might not be aware, but among the three types of Devil Fruits, Zoan-types possess a unique trait that Logia and Paracia don't—the residual consciousness within the fruit. The reason Devil Fruits are called 'Devil' Fruits actually stems from this latent consciousness in Zoan-types."
"After consuming a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the user can be influenced by the fruit's consciousness at various tis, especially during awakening, when this influence peaks. Have you heard of the Jailer Beasts in Impel Down?" Discover more novels at novel✶fire
Jake nodded upon hearing this and then said.
"You an those like the Minotaurs?"
"Yes, precisely those individuals. But in reality, before transforming into monsters, they were all ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit users. One of them was even a Marine before his awakening. However, after his Zoan-type Devil Fruit awakened, his own consciousness was completely consud by the will within the fruit. He lost all intelligence and emotions, becoming a monster that acted solely on instinct."
"That Marine was an exceptionally outstanding officer. At the ti, we tried nurous thods to revive his consciousness—locking his body with Seastone, subrging him entirely in seawater, and various other approaches. Yet all attempts failed. It was as if his consciousness had completely dissipated. No matter what we did, we couldn't bring his awareness back."
"After nearly a year of relentless efforts, we had no choice but to give up on that excellent Marine. We sent him to Impel Down, where he beca one of the jailers, contributing his last remaining usefulness to justice. You must have fallen into a similar state. At the ti, did you experience any strange sensations—like your consciousness becoming hazy or your emotions turning eerily calm?"
Listening to Sengoku's words, Jake was no fool.
He imdiately replied.
"Yes, Sengoku-san. Not only that, but I also fell into an extrely bizarre state. I felt an indescribable indifference toward the loss of those people's lives—as if I were no longer human but a god."
After a mont of contemplation, Sengoku responded.
"I've experienced those emotions myself. This must be the drawback of us Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit users. Though our fruits are imnsely powerful, the will contained within them can subtly influence our ability to discern right from wrong. I think I understand the situation now."
"Don't worry too much, Jake. You were likely under the influence of the fruit's will at the ti. There's no need for self-bla—after all, your fruit is an ultra-rare one that, until your appearance, was thought to exist only in myths. To be honest, before you ca along, I always believed the Seraphim Fruit was purely fictional, given that even the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia makes no ntion of it."
"Just like my own fruit, there are tis when we fall into those inexplicable, strange emotional states. Don't let my current deanor fool you—when I was younger, I was often swayed by that fruit's will. Many of the decisions I made back then seem utterly baffling to now. This is the downside of Mythical Zoans, and it's also my oversight for not considering it thoroughly. Rest assured, I'll handle this matter for you."
Hearing this, Jake couldn't help but let a faint smile curl at the corners of his lips.
He knew better than anyone that he hadn't been influenced by any Devil Fruit—because the power of the Seraphim didn't originate from a Devil Fruit at all.
It ca from the template he had brought with him.
The Devil Fruit he had actually consud was the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
However, having a plausible excuse, Jake naturally wouldn't outright deny Sengoku like so reckless fool.
But before Jake could rejoice for long, Sengoku's voice ca through again.
"Even so, you can't avoid punishnt this ti. After all, those were soldiers from World Governnt-affiliated nations—part of the official system. Killing them directly makes it difficult for us to justify to them. So, you might still face repercussions from those parties later. As for my side..."
Just as Sengoku was about to continue, Sakazuki's voice interrupted.
"There's no need to punish Jake. Those scum deserved to die. If it's a Devil Fruit issue, let them take it up with the Devil Fruit. As for Morgans, we've recently acquired his organization through the Marines. Following Jake's strategic push, we've also infiltrated most of the underworld giants. The value of that gold has given the Marines enough leverage to stand up to the World Governnt."
"We need to show so backbone against them sooner or later—why not start with Jake's case this ti? Those people were killed, and that's that! We don't owe them any explanations. The rule that the Marines can't intervene in wars between affiliated nations should have been revised long ago! Many of those conflicts are manipulated by pirates lurking in the shadows!"
"Not only should we refuse to back down, but we should also demand the right to intervene in their internal affairs!"
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