One Piece Devouring Fruit - Chapter 56

In the boundless ocean, there was nothing novel in sight. Sailing across the sea was monotonous and boring, with no way to tell if you were heading in the right direction.

The salty sea breeze carried a slight chill. Today’s sun was hidden behind clouds, making the temperature less hot than usual.

Michion and his companions sat on the deck, exchanging battle experiences and discussing exciting ways to develop their Devil Fruit abilities.

Why weren’t they engaged in rigorous training?

The apparent reason was the food shortage. Most soldiers had been fishing recently, hoping to supplement their meals with seafood porridge.

Michion suggested making seafood porridge. Since people here were not familiar with the concept of savoury porridge, Michion initially thought of making seafood porridge to give the soldiers a taste of something different.

Soon, the soldiers who enjoyed the novelty began fishing daily to make various types of porridge, such as crab and shrimp porridge.

As they tried different types of porridge daily, everyone, including Tina and the others, got addicted to it.

They were fascinated by the randomness of what kind of porridge they would get, and with Michion’s excellent cooking skills, no one had any complaints.

However, the food crisis had not been averted. Even the supply of buns and rice was nearly depleted. If this continued, they might have to rely on the Vice Admiral to catch fish.

Just as Michion was lost in thought, Sora’s voice interrupted him.

“Michion, I see an island! Look, look!”

Hearing Sora’s shout, everyone, including the fishing soldiers, rushed to the deck to take a look.

Sure enough, in the distance, an island was vaguely visible.

Half of the island appeared barren, but the other half showed hints of green, which relieved everyone since forests meant animals, and animals meant meat.

On land, they could finally put their skills to use, unlike at sea, where their powerful physiques couldn’t help them catch fish.

Of course, Michion wasn’t afraid of seawater, but that secret was too shocking to reveal.

As they approached the island, Michion noticed it was a little small.

He couldn’t determine its exact size, but it felt like a small island. After checking their maps, they realized this island needed to be marked.

When the ship got closer, Michion saw that the half of the island with the forest was quite beautiful.

The shore was a sunny beach lined with coconut trees, and the sight of the abundant coconuts made everyone’s eyes light up. They were experiencing a severe food shortage, and fruit had been long gone.

Beyond the beach was a dense forest.

Even before setting foot on the island, Michion could already feel the fresh air from the forest.

The fresh air from the forest’s photosynthesis neutralised the salty sea breeze.

“Let’s go ashore!”

With a cheer, Sora was about to jump onto the island, eyeing the coconuts like a wolf eyeing its prey.

Luckily, Tina had anticipated this and grabbed Sora by the collar.

“We must wait for the Vice Admiral’s orders. There could be dangers on the island!” Tina sternly admonished Sora.

“Okay, I understand.” Sora stuck out her tongue, realising her rashness.

After a while, Vice Admiral Ark returned and assigned some people to guard the ship while the rest formed groups to hunt around the island.

“How about an adventure for you all?” Vice Admiral Ark asked, smiling and waving at the group.

“An adventure?” The group was immediately interested, especially Sora, whose eyes lit up.

“Yes, I scouted around and found that the forest side is safe, but the barren side of the island shows signs of human activity, although it’s been abandoned. I’d like you to investigate.”

Vice Admiral Ark stroked his beard, a broad smile spreading across his face as he looked at the group, his thoughts hidden.

“Feels suspicious!” Michion said, rubbing his chin and looking at Ark.

“Yeah, Ark’s smile is really suspicious. He’s definitely planning something,” Sean and the others agreed, nodding.

“Cough, cough. Don’t worry, I’ve already scouted the area,” Ark said, scratching his head awkwardly, trying to appear serious.

While he was an expert at capturing pirates, handling students was another matter, and his acting skills needed to be improved, leaving him a bit exposed.

Michion stepped in to ease the tension. “Well, since Vice Admiral Ark says it’s an adventure, there must be something interesting there. Let’s go and check it out.”

“No objections.” The group bade farewell to Vice Admiral Ark and headed towards the barren half of the island.

After traversing the forest, they discovered a metal wall stretching across the island, dividing it in half.

While this obstacle could be daunting, it was only about six or seven meters high. They hadn’t mastered Moonwalk yet, but leveraging the wall’s height wasn’t an issue.

However, in her usual impulsive manner, Sora grabbed her companions and tossed them over the wall before they could react.

“Next up, Michion,” Sora said, reaching for him, only to grasp at air. Turning, she saw Michion smirking at her.

“Let’s go. I don’t need your help to get over. You should think about how to deal with their ‘revenge’,” Michion said, walking up the wall as if climbing invisible steps.

“Uh…” Sora’s face froze, realising she hadn’t considered the consequences of her actions.

But after a brief moment, she regained her composure and followed Michion up the transparent steps, curious. “Is this your ability too?”

Michion nodded. “Yes, it’s the same concept as forming the semi-transparent weapons earlier. It’s quite handy.”

“Michion, this side of the island feels strange, like something’s off.”

Sora looked around cautiously, her senses heightened, ready for battle.

“What’s wrong? What do you feel?” Michion asked, taking her instincts seriously. Despite her carefree demeanour, Sora’s instincts were sharp, enhanced by her Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

“I’m not sure. It feels like this side of the island isn’t naturally grown, like it’s somehow deformed.”

“Maybe the island’s previous inhabitants conducted some unnatural experiments here,” Michion speculated, glancing around.

“Could be. I wonder where Tina and the others are,” Sora said, cheerfully following Michion.

“You should be more worried about your actions,” Michion chided, glancing back at Sora.

“Watch out!” Michion suddenly sensed an attack from behind. He was about to use his “Air Shield” when Sora’s beastly transformed fist punched his head.

Michion withdrew his shield, ready to assist Sora if needed.

“Bang!” Sora’s punch sent a figure flying.

As Michion got a clear look at the attacker, his expression turned to surprise and confusion.

“What is this?!”

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