Chapter 231: Chapter 231: The Third Eye’s Secret
"I just made a momentary mistake, a momentary mistake!"
Ulti had a gnashing expression on her face. "Captain Shin, you hand over the Shadow Fruit to that bastard Moria, and let's fight again!"
Pudding covered her mouth with one hand, a phony smile appearing on her face. "Iron-headed girl, your stubbornness is so cute! Do you want the captain to wait until your stamina is fully recovered and then fight Moria again?"
Ulti was so furious that she gritted her teeth but couldn't refute it. Moria, after absorbing thousands of shadows, went on a rampage with his powerful punches.
Ulti was lucky to be alive—all thanks to Shin's healing abilities. If it had been any other doctor, Ulti and Page One, who had been on the brink of death, would have died multiple times over. There was no way they would be up and ready to fight again.
"Alright, this time, you really did not perform well, Ulti," Shin interrupted impatiently. "If you lose, you lose. There's no point making excuses. If no one had saved you this time, do you think Moria would have spared your life?"
Ulti, who was originally fuming, lowered her head like a defeated chicken. Page One, who had been standing quietly beside her, also spoke up. "Sorry, Captain... We let you down."
Shin waved his hand dismissively. "There's nothing to be disappointed about. Besides, this mistake was mostly Ulti's, and it has little to do with you."
After that, Shin turned to Pudding and couldn't help but feel impressed. "Pudding, you performed well this time. Your ability was truly surprising—especially your Mangekyō Sharingan. It's clearly a mutated version, unique to this world. It carries a sinister aura. Besides the amnestic ability, what else have you awakened?"
Pudding smiled. "This other ability is meant to target the opponent's soul. Allow me to demonstrate."
She reached out and patted Moria's massive body. Suddenly, a soul that looked exactly like Moria was forcibly pulled from his body. However, even though Moria's soul was extracted, a thin thread still connected it to his physical form. The soul hovered outside for only a few seconds before being reabsorbed into his body. Pudding retracted her Mangekyō Sharingan and explained, "I must make direct contact with the opponent's soul to pull it out, but the soul will return within a short time. If the opponent has a strong body and spirit, it might only make them dizzy."
Shin nodded thoughtfully. Although Pudding spoke as if it had little effect, he could already see that these two techniques complemented each other perfectly. If she first extracted a soul and then erased its memories, the combined effects could be terrifying. A slightly weaker opponent might have their memories erased entirely, regressing their mind to childhood.
Similarly, if she used amnestic abilities to momentarily distract her opponent before extracting their soul, it would significantly increase the likelihood of success. Used in tandem, these abilities could be lethal. Only the top fighters—those at the level of the highest-ranking marines or pirates—might be able to resist. Otherwise, most elite officers or high-ranking combatants would be instantly incapacitated.
"Actually, I think I can awaken another technique..." Pudding muttered as she reached up to touch her forehead. "The third eye on my forehead seems to be developing something, but it's missing a key condition. That's why I haven't been able to unlock it yet."
Shin pondered for a moment. "Perhaps what you're missing is a Devil Fruit to serve as the foundation. Your two Mangekyō Sharingan techniques already show clear traces of Devil Fruit abilities. This likely comes from the Memory-Memory Fruit and the Hallow-Hallow Fruit you consumed in the past."
"So, if I consume another Devil Fruit, I could awaken a new technique?" Pudding murmured, contemplating the idea. Then, her eyes gleamed with anticipation as she looked at Shin, who chuckled and pulled out two Devil Fruits. "These should be the best match for your Mangekyō Sharingan. What do you think?"
The moment the two Devil Fruits appeared, they caught everyone's attention. Ulti gasped. "That's... That's BigMom's Soul-Soul Fruit!"
Her gaze then shifted to the other bright red Devil Fruit in Shin's hand, and her expression changed to one of shock. "A Mythical Zoan... The Vampire-Vampire Fruit! It's said to be a Devil Fruit that grants eternal life!"
Ulti's eyes widened as she practically shouted. As a member of the Beast Pirates—and a woman—she naturally desired this Mythical Zoan, which was rumored to grant eternal youth. She recognized it instantly.
Pudding, while knowledgeable about Mythical Zoans, did not immediately recognize the fruit. However, she had heard rumors of the Vampire-Vampire Fruit. It wasn't as powerful as the Azure Dragon, Buddha, or Phoenix Fruits, but it was still an incredibly formidable Devil Fruit—just a step below the strongest Mythical Zoans. More importantly... it granted eternal youth.
Although the fruit wouldn't be for her directly, there was a chance that its abilities could synergize with her Mangekyō techniques, potentially allowing her to absorb the essence and restore youth. It wasn't impossible, was it?
Driven by that thought, Pudding reached for the Vampire-Vampire Fruit without hesitation. "I'll take this one! Please extract the Memory-Memory Fruit from my body!"
Shin nodded, taking a deep breath. With a controlled burst of energy, he extracted the Memory-Memory Fruit from Pudding's body. Without hesitation, she bit into the Vampire-Vampire Fruit.