Michael's generous attitude made all the stall owners fawn over him.
They eagerly brought out their best goods and placed them at the top of their stalls.
And of course, Michael was thoroughly enjoying himself...
The exchange rate difference had allowed him to splurge a little.
"Everyone, spread out and start purchasing," Michael waved his hand and said with a smile.
"Buy up all the Dials... and anything else you judge useful as well."
With that order, only Enel and the Boa sisters remained by Michael's side.
Compared to shopping for these strange items, Hancock preferred staying close to Michael.
So she adjusted the custom-made Marine dress they had tailored for her and quickly caught up to him.
"What? Don't you want to buy anything?"
"Uh, not interested at all," Sandersonia said, twirling her green hair with a finger.
"I'd rather focus on mastering the Rokushiki."
"I don't mind either way," Marigold said with an adorable smile.
"As long as I'm with Big Brother, I'm happy."
Hancock's eye twitched as she watched Sandersonia and Marigold unhesitatingly occupy the spots on either side of Michael...
"Hey! Leave some space for me too! Don't hog Michael all to yourselves, you jerks!"
Listening to Little Hancock's flustered shouts, Michael's own lips twitched.
Good news: after spending so much time together, the three girls had started seeing him as an older brother.
Bad news: they seemed a little too attached...
These were three little girls, the oldest being only twelve!
Michael almost wanted to turn himself in for this!
But unlike their original fate as slaves, the Boa sisters hadn't wasted their most crucial developmental years.
Early physical training and proper nutrition were absolutely vital.
As slaves, none of that would have been guaranteed for them.
In other words, in the original timeline, Hancock had managed to become one of the strongest female characters—even contending for the top spot—despite having a shaky foundation.
Her talent… was simply monstrous.
And even Sandersonia and Marigold, though slightly less gifted, at least had the potential to reach the level of Whitebeard's division commanders.
After all, the genes of Amazon Lily were no joke.
Just starting to train in the Rokushiki had triggered a growth spurt—their strength, speed, and stamina were skyrocketing.
Despite their rapidly increasing appetites, they remained slender little girls…
Which only proved how efficiently their bodies absorbed nutrients and how hard they trained.
Especially Hancock—even compared to Luffy at the same age, her appetite was just as outrageous.
As everyone knew, in the One piece world…
Being a big eater was the greatest talent of all—bar none!
So Michael didn't let Hancock eat the Love-Love Fruit right away.
Instead, he planned to have her thoroughly refine her physical strength and master the three types of Haki.
At the very least, she needed to fully grasp Life Return and become proficient in Armament and Observation Haki before he'd give her the Love-Love Fruit.
Gaining a Devil Fruit ability too early wasn't always a good thing.
After all, not everyone was a pure monster like Michael.
"Seems like you're the type kids adore," Enel remarked, his eyes as indifferent as ever.
"Can't help it, this is what you call charisma," Michael said, stroking his own face.
"And this face is my charisma generator."
"Since when is shamelessness considered charisma?"
"That's just jealousy talking!"
Michael rolled his eyes while scanning the shop counters.
They had now reached the heart of Lovely Street, where foot traffic was heaviest and the small stalls had given way to proper stores.
Truth be told, this small area alone gave off a bit of a Sabaody Archipelago vibe.
"Speaking of which, Enel, can your 'Mantra' see a lot of things?" Michael suddenly turned and asked curiously.
Enel's Mantra, combined with the Goro Goro no Mi, allowed him to see detailed images.
"That's right... What are you getting at?"
"Nothing much. It's just too troublesome to check every single shop one by one... Could you help me see if there's anything nearby similar to the fruit you ate back then?"
"You mean that disgusting, foul-smelling fruit that gave me power?"
"Exactly, though we in the Blue Sea call them 'Devil Fruits'..."
"Devil Fruits?" Enel suddenly froze.
"So my power... truly comes from a devil."
"Don't be ridiculous, it's just a name..." Michael said, stretching his Wings and drawing admiring glances from the crowd.
"What kind of devil would grant an angel's power?"
Marigold tugged at Michael's sleeve and whispered.
"Brother, it might be better to keep a low profile... Otherwise, people will start asking where you got those custom-made wings!"
Michael glanced around and indeed found himself the subject of countless envious stares.
Shivering slightly, he turned back to Enel.
"Come on, stop being dramatic. Help me look."
After a brief hesitation, Enel nodded.
Closing his eyes for just a moment, he then pointed to several shops in succession.
"Here, here... and here! At least one in each of these six stores."
Michael nodded, slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected so many to be in stock here.
After all, based on his assumptions, few in Skypiea knew about Devil Fruits, so they were likely rare items gathering dust in storage.
There was a good chance to snag a bargain!
With this in mind, Michael entered the first shop Enel had pointed out..
Upon hearing his request, the shopkeeper's face lit up with delight as he brought out the item.
One glance was all it took for Michael's hopes to deflate.
It was just an ordinary Zoan-type fruit.
Judging by its shape, it was probably the Mushi Mushi no Mi: Kamakiri model—decent among standard Zoans.
But when the shopkeeper quoted the price, Michael's eyes sparkled.
"You're saying this thing costs 10 billion Extol?"
"That's right, 10 billion!" The shopkeeper wore the expression of someone driving a hard bargain, though a hint of guilt flickered in his eyes.
"This is an incredibly rare item!"
At the current exchange rate, 10 billion Extol = 1 million Berries.
When a Devil Fruit costs just 1 million Berries...
No matter what kind of Devil Fruit it was, the cost-performance ratio was absolutely incredible!
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