Capítulo 3: Chapter 3 Strange Fruit
The tolling of the bell echoed louder as Isaac and Nolan approached the village. Isaac's sharp eyes scanned the streets, noting the clusters of villagers gathering in small, murmuring groups. Something was happening, though no one seemed to know quite what.
The bell was rung sparingly—reserved for important announcements or moments of danger. Isaac's mind raced through possibilities. Pirates? Marines? A storm warning? He glanced at Nolan, who clutched his Devil Fruit book tightly against his chest, his expression a mix of curiosity and trepidation.
The source of the commotion became clear as they neared the harbor. A ship, larger and more ornate than any Isaac had seen before, was anchored just offshore. Its black sails fluttered in the wind, and its hull was emblazoned with a golden emblem of a coiled serpent.
"Do you know that ship?" Isaac asked Nolan.
The boy shook his head. "Never seen it before. Doesn't look like a Marine ship."
Isaac nodded, his gaze narrowing. The ship's design was unlike the utilitarian vessels of the Marines or the ragtag boats used by the weak pirates he'd seen in passing. It was something else entirely, its elegance masking an aura of menace.
The villagers had gathered in a wide semicircle near the docks, whispering among themselves. At the center of their attention stood a tall, cloaked figure. The stranger's face was obscured by a hood, and his hands rested on the hilt of a sword strapped to his side. He exuded an air of quiet authority, his demeanour commanding respect despite his lack of words.
Isaac and Nolan slipped through the crowd, weaving their way closer to the front. Isaac's sharp mind immediately began analyzing the stranger. Their movements were deliberate, precise, and their cloak barely shifted in the wind—heavy fabric, designed for durability.
The stranger finally spoke, his voice smooth but carrying an edge that silenced the murmuring crowd. "My name is Elias. I seek information."
Isaac felt a ripple of tension pass through the villagers. No one moved.
Elias continued, unfazed by the silence. "I am looking for a Devil Fruit. A rare one. I've heard rumors that it may be hidden on this island."
The murmurs began again, louder this time. Isaac could see the unease in the villagers' faces. They were simple people, unaccustomed to dealing with strangers, let alone those who spoke of such dangerous things.
A burly fisherman stepped forward, his voice gruff but steady. "We're just a small village. No Devil Fruits here. You've been misinformed."
Elias tilted his head slightly, as if weighing the man's words. "Perhaps," they said. "But I find it hard to believe that an island as unremarkable as this has gone entirely unnoticed. The seas are dangerous, yet you live here in peace. Why?"
The crowd fell silent again. Isaac's mind raced. It was true that the island had been spared much of the chaos that plagued the world, but he had always attributed it to its remoteness and lack of strategic value. Was there more to it?
Elias took a step closer to the crowd. "I am not here to harm anyone," they said. "But I will find what I seek and if I need to harm, I will. If any of you have information, now is the time to speak."
Isaac felt Nolan nudge his arm. "We should leave," Nolan whispered. "This guy gives me the creeps."
But Isaac didn't move. His curiosity burned brighter than his caution. This was no ordinary encounter, and he sensed an opportunity to learn something new.
Elias's gaze swept across the crowd, and for a brief moment, his eyes locked onto Isaac. He felt a chill run down his spine—not fear, but the weight of being noticed.
Before anyone could respond to Elias's demand, a loud, defiant voice rang out from the back of the crowd.
"You're wasting your time, stranger! There's no Devil Fruit here!"
Isaac turned to see an older man with a weathered face and a walking stick limping toward the front. The villagers parted to let him through, their expressions a mix of respect and apprehension.
Elias regarded the man with mild interest. "And you are?"
"Just an old man," the elder said, his tone firm. "But I've lived on this island my whole life, and I know every inch of it. If there was another Devil Fruit here, I'd know about it. So take your ship and leave us in peace."
Elias was silent for a moment, then tilted his head. "Another?," he said.
The man paled, but he couldn't go back now, "I have a devil fruit ability! Albeit a weak one… but there are no other devil fruits nor users on this island." The man puffed out his chest slightly, He was the strongest person in the village regardless of the devil fruits abilities.
In truth, his devil fruit wasn't really weak… But it was in his hands, it just doubled the users strength and the fact he was an old man, just made him slightly stronger than a man in his prime.
"Hmm…" Elias hummed, but his gaze was sharp "If I discover that any of you have deceived me… the consequences will be dire."
Without another word, Elias turned and strode back toward the harbor, his cloak billowing behind them. The villagers watched in tense silence as the stranger boarded a small rowboat and returned to the ominous ship.
Isaac's mind raced as the ship's anchor was raised and its sails unfurled. The stranger's words, their demeanor, and his swift departure all pointed to something larger than a simple misunderstanding.
As the crowd began to disperse, Isaac turned to Nolan. "What do you think he was looking for?"
Nolan shrugged, his expression still wary. "I don't know, but I'm glad he didn't stick around to find it."
Isaac's gaze lingered on the horizon, where the ship was now a distant silhouette against the setting sun. He felt a strange mix of excitement and unease. This encounter had raised more questions than answers, but one thing was certain: this island, his home, was not as ordinary as it seemed.
The grove was as peaceful as ever when Isaac and Nolan returned. The sunlight filtered through the apple tree's thick canopy, casting dappled shadows on the soft grass below. Isaac leaned against the tree and let out a sigh, the tension from the village still lingering in the back of his mind.
"You think Elias will come back?" Nolan asked as he sat down beside Isaac, carefully setting his Devil Fruit book on the ground.
"Undoubtedly," Isaac replied. "People like that don't leave without answers. And they don't like being lied to."
"Well, I hope he doesnt find what he's looking for," Nolan muttered, flipping open the book. "We don't need trouble."
Isaac smiled faintly, closing his eyes and resting his head against the tree. "We're already in trouble," he said, half to himself. "We just haven't realized how much yet."
Nolan frowned but said nothing. He began reading aloud, his voice soft and steady as he recounted the peculiar traits of Zoan Devil Fruits. Isaac listened, though his mind was only half-focused on the words. The gentle rustling of leaves above and the warm breeze created a rare moment of calm.
Then, without warning, something hard and heavy smacked Isaac squarely on the head.
"OW!" he yelped, his hand shooting up to rub the sore spot. He opened his eyes just in time to see a bizarre, misshapen fruit tumble onto his lap.
Nolan's eyes went wide. "What the…? Did the tree just attack you?"
Isaac scowled, holding the strange fruit in his hands. "Attack me? Don't be ridiculous. It must've been hanging from a branch above, and…" His voice trailed off as he got a good look at it.
The fruit was deep red, its surface ridged and uneven like a coiled root. Wooden tendrils clung to its base, twisted and gnarled as though it had grown directly from the heart of the tree itself. It was unlike anything Isaac had ever seen—or felt. The fruit was warm to the touch, almost pulsing faintly, as if it were alive.
"Isaac…" Nolan said slowly, leaning closer. "That's… that's a Devil Fruit, isn't it?"
Isaac stared at the fruit in his hands, his mind racing. "It can't be," he said, though his voice lacked conviction. "Devil Fruits are rare, aren't they? Why would one just… fall out of a tree?"
Nolan's jaw dropped. "You mean to tell me a Devil Fruit just fell on your head and you're still questioning it?!"
Isaac didn't answer. He turned the fruit over in his hands, inspecting its strange, organic patterns. His logical mind searched for explanations, but none came. The fruit was unmistakably unnatural.
"Let me see that," Nolan said, reaching out.
Isaac hesitated for a moment, then handed it to him. Nolan held the fruit as though it might explode, turning it over carefully. "Look at this thing!" he said, his voice filled with awe. "It's exactly like the ones in the book. Weird shape, weird patterns… it has to be a Devil Fruit!"
Isaac leaned forward, peering at the fruit again. "If it is, then why here? Why now? What are the odds of us sitting under this tree and having it fall into my lap—literally?"
"Maybe it's fate," Nolan said with a grin, though his eyes were still wide. "Or maybe this tree is special. You think it grew the fruit?"
Isaac frowned, looking up at the tree. Its gnarled branches stretched toward the sky, heavy with ordinary apples. But now that he was paying attention, he noticed something unusual. The roots of the tree seemed… odd. Twisted and dark, almost as though they had fused with the earth itself.
"I don't think this is an ordinary tree," Isaac murmured.
"No kidding," Nolan said, still holding the fruit like it was made of gold. "What do we do with it? Should we eat it?"
Isaac shot him a sharp look. "Absolutely not. Do you have any idea how dangerous that could be? Devil Fruits grant power, but they also come with a curse. If you eat it, you'll lose your ability to swim forever."
Nolan's grin faded. "Oh. Right. That."
Isaac reached out and took the fruit back, wrapping it carefully in a piece of cloth from his satchel. "We're not eating it," he said firmly. "We'll study it. Carefully. Maybe even hide it until we figure out what to do with it."
Nolan nodded, though he still looked a little disappointed. "Fine. But what if someone comes looking for it? Like Elias?"
Isaac stood, tucking the wrapped fruit into his satchel. "Then it's better that we have it than leaving it out in the open. At least this way, we can decide who deserves it—or if anyone does."
Nolan stood too, brushing dirt off his pants. "You're really calm about all this, you know. A Devil Fruit falls out of the sky and hits you on the head, and you act like it's just another puzzle to solve."
Isaac smiled faintly. "That's exactly what it is. A puzzle. And I intend to solve it."
As they made their way back toward the village, the grove behind them seemed quieter than usual, as though the very air held its breath. Isaac felt the weight of the fruit in his satchel, a silent promise of the mysteries to come.
And though he didn't say it aloud, he couldn't shake the feeling that the world around him had just shifted—subtly but irrevocably.
Isaac and Nolan hurried back to Nolan's small, cluttered study room, tucked away in his family's house. The moment they were inside, Isaac carefully placed the mysterious fruit on the wooden table, still wrapped in the cloth. The dim light from the single oil lamp flickered, casting shadows across the fruit's strange ridges and tendrils.
"Alright," Isaac said, taking a seat. "Let's find out what we're dealing with."
Nolan plopped down across from him, grabbing his well-worn Devil Fruit encyclopedia. The book's spine creaked as he flipped through the pages, skimming illustrations of bizarre and fantastical fruits.
"You think it's in here?" Nolan asked, glancing up.
"It has to be," Isaac replied, his voice steady. "A fruit this unique must have been documented. Keep looking."
Nolan nodded, turning page after page. The images of Devil Fruits ranged from the grotesque to the elegant, each accompanied by descriptions of their abilities and weaknesses. Finally, after several tense minutes, Nolan stopped and pointed.
"Here it is!"
Isaac leaned forward, his sharp green eyes scanning the page. The illustration matched the fruit perfectly—deep crimson, ridged like tree bark, with gnarled roots curling at its base. The text beside it read:
**Rikou Rikou no Mi (Law Law Fruit)**
*Classification:* Paramecia
*Description:* Grants the user the ability to influence the movement of objects and themselves through physical contact. This includes altering speed, trajectory, and force.
*Known Uses:* Despite its potential applications, the fruit is considered one of the weaker Paramecia-class Devil Fruits. Users have historically failed to wield it effectively in combat or other practical scenarios.
*Weaknesses:* Limited range and power. Requires precise control and knowledge of physics, making it impractical for most users.
Nolan tilted his head, frowning. "Law Law Fruit? That sounds… kind of lame."
Isaac stared at the page, his mind whirring. "Influence movement…" he murmured, more to himself than to Nolan. "Limited range, requiring precision… No wonder people consider it weak."
"Well, yeah," Nolan said, shrugging. "What are you gonna do with that? Push things around a little? Make a rock move faster? If you're fighting someone with the Fire Fire Fruit or the Gum Gum Fruit, you're toast."
Isaac didn't respond immediately. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, tapping his chin thoughtfully. His logical mind was already dissecting the fruit's potential.
"Everyone's dismissed this fruit because they don't understand it," he said finally.
Nolan blinked. "Huh?"
Isaac pointed to the description in the book. "Look at what it says. Requires precise control and knowledge of physics. That's the key. People in this world don't seem to think about the deeper principles of movement. They don't understand how forces interact, how trajectories are calculated, how momentum can be manipulated."
Nolan scratched his head. "You're losing me, Isaac."
Isaac leaned forward, his eyes bright with excitement. "Think about it, Nolan. If you truly understood the laws of motion—Newton's Laws—you could use this fruit to its full potential. You could redirect projectiles, enhance your own speed, control the force of impacts… The possibilities are endless."
Nolan frowned. "But most people don't think like you. They don't know… uh, 'Newton's Laws,' or whatever. So, to them, this fruit is just weak."
"Exactly," Isaac said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "But to someone who understands the principles of motion, this fruit isn't weak at all. It's perfect."
Nolan stared at him, then glanced back at the fruit on the table. "So… are you gonna eat it?"
Isaac's smile faded as he looked at the fruit again. He could feel its strange warmth radiating through the cloth. Eating it would change everything. He would gain incredible power—but at the cost of his ability to swim, a basic necessity in a world dominated by the sea.
"Not yet," Isaac said, his voice steady. "This fruit has waited here for who knows how long. It can wait a little longer. If I eat it, I need to be sure. I need to understand it fully first."
Nolan nodded slowly. "Makes sense. But what if someone else finds out about it? Or what if Elias comes back?"
Isaac's gaze hardened. "Then we make sure it's safe. No one else will take it—not until I've decided what to do with it."
The two boys sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their discovery settling over them. The Rikou Rikou no Mi sat between them, unassuming yet filled with untapped potential.
Isaac reached out and carefully tucked the fruit back into the cloth, wrapping it securely. "For now, we keep this between us. And we learn everything we can."
Nolan grinned. "Sounds like a plan. But if you do decide to eat it, I hope you figure out how to make it less lame."
Isaac chuckled softly, though his eyes remained focused on the fruit. "Don't worry, Nolan. If I eat it, it won't be lame. It'll be revolutionary."
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