Chapter 82: Beware of Imitations

"This product is suitable for extremists with a craving for power and a curiosity for strange flavors. Dosage: once in a lifetime, 1000 grams, to be taken half an hour before a meal. Note: Pregnant women and nursing children should only use it if the benefits clearly outweigh the risks."

Of course, supernatural items like Devil Fruits don’t come with anything resembling a prescription insert. But thanks to the countless people who have risked themselves over the years, those who come after can always sum up a few experiential truths. For example, these fruits are extremely harsh on the digestive system and can cause severe pregnancy-like symptoms. Or, if you eat two, your body will, in both the physical and literal sense, experience the phenomenon known as “exploding to death.” The first might be tolerable, but the latter is a lesson written in blood.

Yet, even now, there remain many mysteries about Devil Fruits for most people—much more unknown than known. How do they work? Why is seawater such a critical weakness? And, for instance… if you braise or fry one, does it still have its original effects?

No one really knows. After all, who would think to cook a fruit worth at least a hundred million Berries?

But as for the fate of the "Playful Heart Fruit," Qiubai had no time to observe in detail. So, even if the explosion a moment ago had caused any adverse consequences, he wouldn't have noticed.

The truth is, after charging into the smoke, Qiubai only vaguely picked up something resembling a Devil Fruit. For all he knew, he might just be holding a pineapple.

He couldn’t stop, though. Grabbing the fruit-like object, he maintained his breakneck speed straight through the vault. Slowing down was out of the question: though the explosion had stunned the guards and left them reeling, it certainly couldn't have killed them all.

There had to be some real powerhouses among them—otherwise, how could they have broken through waves of pirates and survived countless chases? If he got into close combat with people like that, Qiubai had zero confidence. Someone might flatten him with a single blow.

So, charging deeper inside was the only sensible choice. He even used a clever maneuver, weaving between columns, knowing that if the enemy still cared about the "treasure" stored here, they wouldn't dare fight at full strength.

With the pursuers distracted, Qiubai finally had a chance to glance at what he’d picked up… Thankfully, it wasn’t a pineapple—otherwise, he’d have to double back.

Though a bit blackened, the strange patterns proved it was indeed a Devil Fruit—Qiubai had grabbed the right thing.

This sort of action, teetering between theft and robbery, demanded speed, precision, and decisiveness. At this moment, Qiubai found himself a little envious of Rosinante’s powers; the ability of the Silent-Silent Fruit was practically tailor-made for a thief.

Originally, Qiubai had planned to dash in through the vault’s entrance and sprint straight out the other side. But while weaving and dodging, something else caught his eye.

Wait—why was there another Devil Fruit inside the vault?

Did Devil Fruits really need a “decoy”?

For a split second, Qiubai wondered if the one he held was a fake. But no, the two fruits looked different, didn’t they?

Well, it wasn’t impossible for there to be several Devil Fruits here. What was unimaginably rare for most people might be commonplace for the powerful elite—especially for those who ran auction houses like this one.

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Better to keep things simple; so, Qiubai decided… to snatch the second fruit as well.

Just a quick grab—nothing that would trouble the owner too much. Even if the Playful Heart Fruit had been cooked to perfection, at least he’d have an answer for Doflamingo.

Without pausing, Qiubai scooped up the second fruit and kept running. The vault, though spacious and built mostly of iron walls, couldn’t stop Qiubai, who blasted through with sparks and thunder.

Aside from seastone, the world’s toughest material, only something like the “Gate of Justice” could have held him back—but clearly, these walls weren’t nearly as thick.

So it was only a matter of how many explosions it took. As long as he focused his attacks, making an exit where there was none was hardly difficult.

“Perfect! It’s open!”

With a burst of deafening blasts, a hole just large enough for a person appeared in the wall ahead. Admittedly, it was a bit narrow.

Qiubai turned sideways, ducked his head, tucked in his arms, and with a leap, shot through without losing speed.

“Who are you? Stop right there!”

At last, someone had shaken off the effects of the explosion and was giving chase—so fast, in fact, that now only a wall separated them.

Qiubai was outside the vault; his pursuer was inside.

But—

“Sorry, but if you want to blame someone, blame your own lack of business ethics.”

Qiubai pitied his opponent. The man had caught up, but not before grabbing a handy weapon. Even without looking, Qiubai could sense what it was—Black Blade: Night.

Infuriating, wasn’t it? That blade should have been sold off, yet here they were, trying to snatch it back in the confusion. Maybe the buyer hadn’t paid, but didn’t they have any sense of contract?

As for whether his own counterfeit would ever sell—Qiubai, as its creator, didn’t much care. But if the enemy managed to grab the Black Blade unopposed, that was just bad luck.

*Bang!*

With a mischievous grin, Qiubai turned and mimed firing a gun.

As his foe raised the Black Blade overhead, ready to strike—nothing happened next.

From the hole Qiubai had blasted, an explosion flashed blindingly. At this range, the blast would have left his opponent half-dead, if not worse.

And this was the second time he’d been hit.

Why? Why did the weapon in his hand explode so inexplicably?

If he could have asked, Qiubai would have answered: it was the result of a skill called “Phantasmal Collapse.” But it wasn’t that Qiubai was unwilling to explain—the enemy simply had no chance left to ask.

Were he given the chance, Qiubai certainly would have been happy to elaborate.

Once in the courtyard, Qiubai dove into the chaos of the night, always heading for the thickest crowds.

Moving swiftly, he tore off his cumbersome clothes, wrapped the two as-yet-unverified fruits securely inside, and began his escape along the route he’d scouted beforehand.

By now, a sizable number of pirates had flooded the area, and their goal seemed to have devolved into simple looting. There was little need for Qiubai to provide “artillery support” any longer; both sides had already rolled out their cannons and were firing blindly into the night.

Gunfire flashed through the darkness, solid shot whistled through the air—at this point, even Qiubai felt things were spiraling out of control. Surely the Navy would show up soon.

Had he gone a little too far?

All the chaos, whether measured in casualties or property loss—by rights, Qiubai bore inescapable responsibility. If he had to estimate…

Maybe about two percent?