"You can't sleep in the middle of the night and decide to harass me?"
Nicole Robin was truly speechless at Weiwei's reason for calling. In her opinion, Miss Wednesday's brain might be a little off. Then again, in a world full of chaos and pirates, the Baroque Works organization was already a haven for lunatics, so this wasn't all that surprising.
Robin wasn't naturally a pirate, bounty hunter, or revolutionary—she was a scholar, through and through. So, while she found Weiwei's midnight historical quiz bizarre, she still treated it with scholarly seriousness.
Rubbing her forehead to wake herself up a bit, she repeated, "You're asking about the Rubnir Kingdom in the North Sea? The origin of Tree Fever?"
"Yes!" Weiwei nodded quickly.
Robin replied with calm certainty: "If I recall correctly, historical circles define that as the year 1060 of the Haiyuan Calendar..."
"Thanks!" Weiwei cut the call decisively. Used like a living encyclopedia, Robin stared at her Den Den Mushi for a second, sighed, shook her head, and went back to sleep.
Weiwei entered the number 1060, and with a harsh mechanical rumble, the heavy steel gate slowly creaked open under her tense gaze.
Duck Karoo, ever timid, hid behind her, cautiously peeking into the now-revealed chamber.
Once her bodyguard, Karoo had taken the role of loyal pet more comfortably now that Weiwei could casually split mountains with her "Weiguo" blade. His days of bravely leading charges were over—especially when "monsters that love duck meat" might be inside.
"There are creatures in there," Weiwei teased, baring her teeth in a mock snarl, "and their favorite snack is roast duck!"
"Quack!" Karoo flailed in panic.
Weiwei chuckled, then signaled him to wait outside. Once she felt the airflow had stabilized between the chamber and the outside world, she cautiously entered.
Inside, there was no light source. She lit a torch and stepped forward slowly.
Her first glance was toward the back of the steel gate—packed with gunpowder. One misstep, and everything inside would be blown to ashes. A careless torch wave might've ruined everything.
She frowned. "So dangerous."
Thankfully, her "plastic sister" Robin had come through again. Weiwei didn't bother analyzing the gate's question-switching mechanism; clearly a defense known only to the cult members that outsiders couldn't predict.
The chamber was compact—no more than ten square meters. In the center stood a small pirate-style chest resting on a stone table. It was ornate and unusually well-preserved despite over a century of isolation.
It wasn't locked.
Weiwei used the tip of her sword to lift the lid. Inside was a lavender Devil Fruit, roughly apple-sized, marked with the distinct swirling patterns of Devil Fruits.
Her heart skipped. This was the fruit she'd been seeking since her journey began—the Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire, a Mythical Zoan-type.
The Nefertari royal family had their own Devil Fruit reference guides. She'd confirmed it immediately: this was a rare and legendary fruit. Even rarer than Logias, Mythical Zoans were virtually unique. The vampire model wasn't necessarily the strongest in raw combat, but its life-preserving potential was unparalleled.
If one day she faced the World Government or Imu and couldn't win, she didn't need to. She just had to survive.
She could outlive them.
Three Admirals? Four Emperors? If she couldn't defeat them, she could wear them down, force them into corners, drag the fight into eternity.
Cradling the fruit, she stepped outside. Karoo gave her a worried glance.
Weiwei felt that such a moment required ceremony. She cleared her throat and assumed a solemn tone.
"Karu... there's a limit to what a person can do."
The duck blinked in confusion.
"One thing I've learned from my short life is— the more you struggle, the more you realize the limits of humanity... unless you go beyond being human!"
"Quack?"
"Karu... I'm not human anymore!"
Karoo squealed in alarm, pulled out a frying pan, and prepared to smack some sense into her.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" she waved him off, chuckling.
Weiwei brought the fruit to her lips. The thought of never swimming again crossed her mind—but she dismissed it. She didn't have the natural talent of a prodigy, and time wasn't on her side. She needed power. If this was the cost of survival, she'd pay it.
She bit into the Devil Fruit.
Even prepared, she nearly gagged. The taste was revolting—indescribably bitter, revolting on every level. Her stomach churned in rebellion, but at the same time, she felt a strange sensation: a joy humming from her cells.
Despite her nausea, her body was already absorbing the fruit's energy. It was a paradox—her stomach rejected it, her blood welcomed it. The name "Devil Fruit" was appropriate. It was seductive, cursed, powerful.
Weiwei, trained in Observation Haki, could perceive even her own body at this moment. She knew—after just one bite—the power had been passed to her. The rest of the fruit was useless now; only its foul taste remained.
"Let's go, Karu—"
But before she could finish, her knees buckled and she collapsed.
Karu rushed to her side, catching her limp form. He propped her gently against the cave wall, then pulled out a frying pan and a bunch of scallions, uncertain whether to cook for her or whack her awake.
Before he could act, Weiwei stirred again.
Unconscious only briefly, she slowly stood, wobbling, dazed as if hit with a terrible fever.
The transformation was more intense than she imagined. She remembered Redfield, the infamous "Red the Aloof," who had once eaten this very fruit. He had shown no outward signs of transformation. No fainting, no pain. But Weiwei wasn't a monster like him—not yet.
The gap between her and a legendary pirate like the Red Earl was still massive.
She focused, breathing in slowly. Every moment, her stamina surged. Her blood now flowed like living fire, racing through her veins, rewriting her body.
She closed her eyes and began to feel the full range of changes the Vampire Fruit had brought.
And this... was only the beginning.