It had been a month since Lind gave Charlotte Linlin her personal epithet.
During this time, aside from training his subordinates, Lind had also completed epithet requests for all the top members of the Rocks Pirates. The gifts they sent in return were incredibly valuable, ranging from rare treasures to powerful training manuals, greatly enriching Lind's foundation.
Today marked the final order—this one was for Stussy. The gift she provided was particularly useful: a Devil Fruit Handbook. It was incredibly comprehensive, detailing Devil Fruits and their abilities with remarkable accuracy. Many of the entries even contained Stussy's personal annotations, a testament to her scientific background and meticulous habits.
Coincidentally, Lind had recently acquired a few Devil Fruits and had originally planned to ask Rocks about them. However, thanks to the handbook, that was no longer necessary.
As expected of someone from MADS, all three of the Devil Fruits in Lind's possession were recorded in the book. He quickly found detailed descriptions of them:
Growth Fruit (Paramecia-type) – A gift from Charlotte Linlin, this fruit aids in plant growth. Lind considered it a perfect match for a skilled gardener, as it was highly compatible with his ambitions.
Dog-Dog Fruit, Rottweiler Model (Zoan-type) – A gift from Captain John. While not particularly rare, it was still a solid Zoan-type fruit, suitable for nurturing a reliable mid-level officer.
Human-Human Fruit, Singer Model (Zoan-type) – A gift from Shakky. Upon seeing this fruit, Lind immediately thought of a legendary figure from his past life, as well as his loyal companion for the past two months—the Da Kun.
'This must be fate!'
Perhaps all the absurd luck Lind had experienced since arriving in this world—his constant strokes of fortune, his ever-growing power—was a blessing from his divine elder brother watching over him from another world. (Probably a Chinese meme)
"I must nurture Da Kun well! My brother is surely watching over me, and this bird may even be his incarnation!"
"With my brother's divine might, Da Kun's future is boundless! It could even become an Admiral-level powerhouse one day!"
After rambling to himself for a while, Lind grabbed the Human-Human Fruit, Singer Model and stepped out of his room. He then used a Den Den Mushi to summon the seagull Da Kun back.
Over the past two months, as Lind's most trusted companion, the Da Kun had received Lind's absolute generosity. It had consumed various mutated fruits, and after sporadically eating several Dragon Coconuts, its telekinetic abilities had grown significantly. It had also mastered many of Lind's newly developed techniques, and its intelligence had increased tremendously.
By now, the Da Kun was even capable of using telekinesis to operate a Den Den Mushi with ease.
Thanks to its enhanced abilities, Da Kun soared through the sky at full speed, returning to Lind's mansion within ten minutes.
"Boss, I'm back! What's the surprise this time?"
The moment it arrived, Da Kun excitedly spoke, expecting Lind to present another magical fruit.
After all, Lind's fruits were nothing like Devil Fruits—they actually tasted delicious. And who could resist a tasty fruit with special effects?
Seeing the Da Kun's impatient expression, Lind grinned mischievously and pulled out the Singer Fruit, eager to witness its reaction upon eating a Devil Fruit for the first time.
"This fruit is even more special than the ones before. You need to eat the whole thing at once to unlock its full potential," Lind explained.
Since Da Kun was a seabird, even with its increased intelligence, it was still nowhere near a human's level of understanding. It had no way of distinguishing between Devil Fruits and Lind's other mutated fruits.
Without hesitation, it opened its beak wide and swallowed the entire Human-Human Fruit, Singer Model in one gulp.
The moment it did, its head twisted and contorted in disgust.
Clearly, the horrible taste of Devil Fruits was unbearable not only for humans but for animals as well.
Watching its expression, Lind burst into laughter, recalling his own first experience with a Devil Fruit. He quickly took out two Dragon Coconuts and handed them to the Da Kun to help wash away the awful taste.
"Hahaha! Yeah, Devil Fruits taste disgusting. But as one of the sea's greatest treasures, eating one grants incredible powers!"
"Try to sense what kind of ability you've gained!"
Da Kun flapped its wings excitedly. "Boss, I think I just got smarter… and I can transform now!"
As it spoke, it descended to the ground and activated its transformation ability.
The moment the transformation was complete, Lind nearly lost his composure.
'This resemblance… it's too uncanny!'
Lind stared at the humanoid figure before him—it looked just like a certain internet-famous mythical creature from his previous life.
Originally, the Da Kun had the form of a black-and-white seabird. But in its human form, it bore an even stronger resemblance to that legendary meme character from Lind's past.
"This dopey expression… those tiny wings… that little beak… all it needs is a middle-parted hairstyle and a pair of suspenders and it'll be perfect!"
Lind muttered to himself, unable to contain his amusement.
Meanwhile, the Da Kun was utterly confused.
"Boss, you said I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Singer Model… Does that mean I have a special singing ability?"
Lind snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes! Try to focus. Do you feel any instinctual knowledge about music?"
"Gah! I do, boss! I suddenly know so much about singing! From now on, I'll be the musician of our crew!"
"Hahahaha! Perfect! You should also try combining your singing with your telekinesis—use your voice to defeat enemies! Like the saying goes: A single song can break the soul; where in the world can a true friend be found?"
Da Kun flapped its wings excitedly. "Gah! Gah! I'll do whatever boss says!"
Despite its increased intelligence, Da Kun was still young and lacked the wisdom of experience. Lind decided he would arrange for proper education, ensuring Da Kun became a cultured and sophisticated bird.
"Since you've already eaten the Devil Fruit, there's nothing more for now. Spend the rest of today getting used to your new powers. Stay at home and practice."
After a brief discussion about developing its abilities, Lind left Da Kun to train and departed the mansion, heading toward the training grounds of the Seventh Division.
Because his crew was still in training, the Seventh Division didn't have a permanent territory yet and was currently stationed on Hachinosu. This made it convenient for Lind to check on their progress.
Soon, Lind arrived at a large open area on the southern side of Hachinosu —the temporary headquarters granted to him by Rocks.
At the center was a spacious training ground, its floor neatly paved with stone tiles, and surrounded by various training facilities.
Around the training ground stood rows of neatly constructed wooden buildings, providing accommodations for the squad members. These were all personally built by Lind using his telekinesis.
His incredible psychic abilities had quickly won the admiration of his subordinates.
After all, as low-ranking pirates, most of them had never lived in such well-constructed buildings—especially not on Beehive Island.
Every pirate was giving their all in training, eager to prove their worth to their boss.
Seeing his subordinates working so diligently under the supervision of his officers, Lind felt genuinely pleased.
For the past month, he had been busy fulfilling requests and hadn't personally overseen their training, leaving it in the hands of his officers.
Seeing such excellent results despite his absence, Lind was more than satisfied.