A crimson flower bloomed at the center of the female Celestial Dragon's forehead. To Hui, this flower was beautiful, but to everyone present, it was the embodiment of ultimate terror.
Their hearts had yet to settle from the shock brought by Hui's earlier words, and now, a tidal wave of fear surged through them.
"She... she's dead?!"
Finally, someone couldn't suppress their horror any longer. Their voice trembled, their entire body quaking.
As their words fell, the female Celestial Dragon's corpse slowly collapsed before everyone's eyes.
Thud.
The sound wasn't loud, yet it exploded in everyone's minds like a bolt from the blue, like thunder striking from a clear sky.
They were stunned, completely and utterly dumbfounded.
They stared blankly ahead at the lifeless body that had fallen to the ground, unable to process what had just happened.
Their minds were in complete chaos, a tangled mess of confusion, or simply a blank void.
After all, from the moment they were born until now, they had never experienced anything like this. They had never witnessed such an event, nor had they even imagined something like this could happen.
And yet, it had.
Without any warning. Without any prelude.
That indescribably handsome young man had simply pointed a finger, and with that effortless motion, he shattered the deeply ingrained beliefs they had held for countless years.
To that young man, what he had just done was as easy as taking a sip of water, as casual as speaking a single word, so simple it couldn't be simpler.
Yet such a simple action had left them dizzy and pale-faced.
Their entire world felt as though it had collapsed.
"So, the life of a Celestial Dragon is just as fragile as that of an ordinary person?"
Hui's voice was what finally pulled them back to reality.
And then—
The entire world erupted into chaos.
"It's over! A Celestial Dragon is dead!!!"
"We're doomed! We're all dead!!!"
"What do we do? Damn it, that man killed a Celestial Dragon!"
Countless voices cried out in despair.
They didn't even take a moment to consider Hui's words. All they could think about was the catastrophe unfolding before them. In their minds, they were already finished.
Seeing this reaction, Hui wasn't disappointed.
The beliefs of the vast majority of people are difficult to change.
Even when faced with an earth-shattering event, their thinking remained the same.
To change their perception, one would have to influence them slowly, subtly, over an extended period of time, requiring both patience and effort.
And Hui had no interest in doing so.
At the very least, for the people of this planet, he had no intention of going that far.
Being the guiding light of the Shinobi World was already enough for him.
As for whether he would illuminate other worlds? That would depend entirely on his mood.
"Every pitiful person must have a cause to be despised. Those words are indeed true in some sense."
Sighing to himself, Hui no longer paid any attention to the panicked masses. He simply continued walking forward, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll after a meal.
Yet, wherever he passed, the guards who charged at him had their foreheads pierced by a beam of light in an instant.
No one could stop him. No one could rival him.
Just like that, Hui slowly disappeared from their sight.
From the very beginning, his target had never been the Celestial Dragons.
His true goal was the palace at the end of the street, where an object emitting a special energy lay waiting.
Not long after, Hui arrived at the palace.
Then, he saw the object emitting that special energy.
As expected, it was a Devil Fruit.
A Devil Fruit! Now, this was something valuable.
In this world, Devil Fruits were known as the secret treasures of the sea, with a market price of at least 100 million Berries.
According to legend, Devil Fruits were the incarnations of sea demons. When consumed, whether by living beings or even non-living things, they are granted unique abilities.
However, as a price, those who ate a Devil Fruit would be cursed by the sea and forever lose the ability to swim.
Back in his previous life, before he died, the most expensive Devil Fruit he knew of was the Ope Ope no Mi, capable of granting others eternal youth through a surgical procedure. Its value was said to be 5 billion Berries.
Speaking of which, it was necessary to go over the classification of Devil Fruits.
Based on their abilities, Devil Fruits were divided into three main types: Paramecia, Zoan (including the two rare subtypes: Ancient Zoans and Mythical Zoans), and Logia (considered the strongest among them).
Paramecia-type Devil Fruits granted users special abilities that altered their bodies in various ways.
The range of abilities within Paramecia was incredibly diverse, so much so that, aside from Logia and Zoan, every other type of power belonged to this category.
Paramecia abilities could be further divided into five subcategories: Superhuman, Enhanced Physique, Creation, Partial Mutation, and Manipulation.
Some well-known Paramecia Fruits included the Gomu Gomu no Mi, Gura Gura no Mi, Bara Bara no Mi, Sube Sube no Mi, Kilo Kilo no Mi, Doa Doa no Mi, and Noro Noro no Mi .
The variety of Paramecia abilities was so vast that it seemed like there was no limit, anything one could imagine might exist.
Zoan-type Devil Fruits, unlike the wildly diverse Paramecia, were categorized into three subtypes: Regular Zoans, Ancient Zoans, and Mythical Zoans.
Regular Zoans allowed users to transform into existing animals.
Ancient Zoans granted transformations into prehistoric creatures.
Mythical Zoans were based on legendary animals or even mythical figures.
Both Ancient Zoans and Mythical Zoans were rare, but Mythical Zoans were even scarcer than Logia Fruits. Ancient Zoans, though slightly more common, were still considered extremely rare in the world.
Zoan-type Devil Fruits granted their users three transformation forms: Human Form, Hybrid Form, and Beast Form.
In the Human Form, the user remained in their natural state.
In the Hybrid Form, the user retained their humanoid features while integrating bestial traits. Specific body parts could transform, enhancing physical strength and granting the traits of the chosen animal, such as horns, fangs, claws, fur, or a tail.
In the Beast Form, the user transforms completely into the animal, inheriting all of its characteristics.
Because of this, Zoan Fruits were considered the strongest in terms of close-quarters combat.
Some well-known Zoan Fruits included the Hito Hito no Mi and Tori Tori no Mi.
Lastly, there were the Logia-type Devil Fruits, the undisputed strongest category among the three.
The defining trait of Logia Fruits was the ability to transform the user's body into a fundamental element, making them immune to physical attacks.
Unless countered by specific weaknesses, only Haki, Seastone, or the Yami Yami no Mi could touch Logia users.
Furthermore, if a user's Haki wasn't strong enough, it still wouldn't be able to harm a Logia user.
However, some Logia users, overly reliant on their abilities, neglected physical endurance. As a result, they were sometimes easily defeated due to their lack of durability.
Famous Logia Fruits included the Magu Magu no Mi, Mera Mera no Mi, Pika Pika no Mi, and Hie Hie no Mi.
Though some Devil Fruits possessed similar abilities, no two were ever exactly the same.
A Devil Fruit ability would only reappear once the original user had died.
Thus, every single Devil Fruit was one of a kind.
In terms of appearance, Devil Fruits resembled ordinary fruits, such as bananas or melons.
However, unlike regular fruit, Devil Fruits were covered in distinctive swirling patterns from their skin down to the flesh.
And their taste was said to be absolutely unbearable. The description often given was that they tasted like "nothing but pure nastiness."
When not eaten, a Devil Fruit seemed to last indefinitely.
But only the very first bite granted the ability. Anyone who ate the remaining portion afterward wouldn't gain any powers.
Each Devil Fruit user had their own weaknesses depending on the nature of their abilities. For example:
Sand-based users became vulnerable when exposed to liquid.
Electricity had no effect on rubber.
Smoke wasn't affected by poison.
Lava and ice neutralized each other, as did fire and ice.
These interactions often played a crucial role in battles between Devil Fruit users.
Additionally, when a Devil Fruit user lost consciousness, any ability they had activated on others or objects would cease to function.
One particularly interesting phenomenon was that whenever an ability was used, the user's clothing and accessories transformed along with them.
This conveniently prevented the awkward scenario of having one's clothes torn apart due to sudden transformations.
The Devil Fruit in front of him didn't particularly surprise Hui, but it still caught his attention.
The only question was, what type of Devil Fruit was it? And what kind of ability did it grant?
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