章 90: Panda Girl, Gets Eight More Magical Skills!

Kuina took a bite of the bamboo shoot-shaped fruit, but as soon as the pulp touched her tongue, a vile taste flooded her mouth. Her face twisted in disgust, and she was about to spit it out when Arias quickly covered her mouth, urging her to swallow it.

"It's horrible!" she exclaimed as soon as Arias released her, almost on the verge of tears.

"What did you feed Kuina?" Zoro immediately stepped in front of her, fiercely glaring at Arias in a protective stance. Even Koshiro, usually calm, grew visibly tense, unaware of the nature of the fruit.

"Don't worry," Arias assured them calmly. "It's not harmful. Kuina, try to focus on the new power within you and bring it out."

Kuina, sensing something strange coursing through her, concentrated. Soon, her body began to change rapidly, transforming her into a cute yet formidable giant panda. With a simple swing of her paw, she shattered a nearby pillar effortlessly.

"How did Kuina become a monster?" Koshiro's anxiety only deepened, worried about whether his daughter could ever return to normal.

But Kozaburo seemed more composed, recalling old rumors. "Shiro, be patient. This might be the legendary Devil Fruit."

"Devil Fruit?" Koshiro echoed, still confused.

Yamato then stepped forward, transforming into her godly form, her appearance surrounded by an aura of freezing air that sent shivers down the spines of those present. "Why has this girl become a monster?"

"Try to control the power, Kuina," Arias advised the giant panda. "You're not limited to just this form."

After overcoming the initial shock, Kuina calmed down and began to follow Arias's instructions, guiding the newfound power within her. Moments later, she shifted into a hybrid form, blending human and panda traits.

"Wow! She's such a cute panda girl!" Hiyori's eyes sparkled with delight as she admired Kuina's new form, barely resisting the urge to hug her.

In her hybrid state, Kuina examined her paw, then walked outside and effortlessly struck down a large tree with a single, light slap.

"Hiss~ Such strength!" Koshiro gasped in disbelief, realizing that his daughter might now rival his own strength.

"Kuina," Arias instructed, "try hiding that power, and you should be able to return to your original form."

Kuina did as she was told, and soon, the panda features vanished, leaving her as she was before. However, she could feel that her physical strength had dramatically increased. Even without accessing her animal or hybrid forms, she now felt capable of standing toe-to-toe with her father.

Grinning, she turned to Zoro and teased, "With this power, it'll be even harder for you to defeat me!"

But little Zoro wasn't discouraged. "Even with this devilish power, I'll still beat you one day!"

At that moment, Kozaburo approached Arias, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Mr. Arias, for giving such a precious gift to Kuina."

Arias smiled and waved it off. "No need to be so formal, old sir. From now on, we're all on the same team."

Kuina also stepped forward and sincerely thanked Arias. "Thank you, Mr. Arias. I won't let you down!"

Invited by Kozaburo's warm hospitality, Arias and his group decided to stay the night. However, despite the precautions, the fateful event still occurred.

In the middle of the night, Kuina awoke, and while heading downstairs, she tripped and tumbled down the steps, hitting her head hard and falling unconscious.

Arias was immediately alarmed when he heard the news. Could it be that even the Devil Fruit couldn't prevent Kuina's tragic fate?

Rushing to her side, he noticed a blackish-purple lump swelling on her temple—a critical and dangerous spot.

No wonder Kuina died in the original story after falling down the stairs. Such a blow to a vital area could easily have been fatal. But thanks to the enhanced physical strength from the Devil Fruit, she was only knocked unconscious rather than killed.

Without treatment, Kuina might have remained in a coma for a month. But that would take too long.

"Let me handle this; I have a solution," Arias said as he knelt beside her. He carefully placed his fingers over the swollen area, using a small Room technique to extract the pooled blood and pus with a delicate motion of his index finger.

With Zoan's incredible recovery ability, Kuina would likely awaken within two days.

Sure enough, two days later, Kuina and Zoro joined Arias aboard the Dawn, bidding farewell to everyone in Shimotsuki Village.

Before leaving, Koshiro presented Kuina with the Wado Ichimonji, and even Zoro received a fine blade named Sukumaru. Kozaburo, being a renowned swordsmith, had crafted many excellent swords, even if the large blades were fewer in number.

Unfortunately, saving Kuina didn't trigger any system rewards. Her influence on the timeline seemed limited to inspiring Zoro.

But Zoro was now inspired by Arias and maintained his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman, so the timeline in that regard remained unchanged.

However, as the ship set sail, the system's voice suddenly echoed in Arias's mind:

'.~Rescuing Kuina and recruiting Zoro early has weakened Luffy's potential team. Zoro was a key member of the protagonist's group. Reward: One of the Eight Mystical Techniques [Soul General 1].'

As expected of Zoro!

But in this world, what's the use of a Soul General Technique?

Well, maybe not entirely useless. For example, it could come in handy against those with the Soul-Soul Fruit, Shadow Fruit, or Underworld Fruit abilities. But whether those things qualify as 'spirits' remains to be seen.

Since Zoro's recruitment offered a mystical technique, could Nami, Robin, Chopper, Brook, Franky, and others offer similar rewards?

Next stop: Cocosia Village!

Onboard, Hiyori, Kuina, and Zoro practiced their swordsmanship together, each pushing the other to new heights.

When they finally tired, Hiyori approached them with a suggestion.

"Brother Ye asked me to teach you some new abilities."

She then introduced them to the method of Qi training. Having already developed a foundation in meditation, they quickly grasped the concepts. Now, it was just a matter of long-term practice to cultivate their Qi senses.

Once they gained a sense of Qi, they could delve deeper into related techniques and expedite their Haki training.

During the voyage, a seagull dropped a newspaper from the sky:

[Jinbei, leader of the Sun Pirates, joins the Seven Warlords of the Sea!]

[The entire treasury of East Blue's Goa Kingdom was stolen—who did it?]