"This is the room where you will be staying."
Within the No-Name territory, Black Rabbit, who had given Kanroji Mitsuri a tour, pushed open a room door.
"The room might be a bit small, but the children usually keep it clean, so you can rest assured."
"Ah... no, this is already very good."
Peeking her head to look at the empty room inside, Kanroji Mitsuri's face showed an expression of surprise.
Compared to the small hut she used to live in, the size of this room was completely on a different level.
"This is my first time seeing such a large room. Is this standard for people from other worlds?"
"It's not that exaggerated."
Seeing Kanroji Mitsuri so surprised, Black Rabbit comforted her.
"Anyway, it's good that you're satisfied."
"Oh, by the way, you don't really have to take what Lin Que said earlier too seriously."
"Currently, No-Name is just starting, and there's nothing that absolutely needs to be done."
"Things like clearing ruins and rebuilding houses, it's fine if you don't do them for now, there's no rush."
"No rush for what, you stupid rabbit."
As soon as Black Rabbit's voice fell, a hand chop accompanied by Lin Que's voice came from behind.
"The matter of the houses still needs to be taken seriously; the area by the entrance is our facade."
"If it's not tidied up, how will we entertain guests in the future?"
"Ugh... why did you suddenly hit me?"
Rubbing her head, Black Rabbit looked dissatisfied at Lin Que standing behind her.
"Of course I understand what you're talking about!"
"But Kanroji is just an ordinary person right now; asking her to clear that ruin alone is too difficult for her!"
"Anyway, given No-Name's current situation, no guests will arrive anytime soon, so it's better to properly host Kanroji first!"
Bang—!
Another hand chop landed.
"First, this is not a difficult task; since I asked her to do it, there is naturally a reason."
Bang—!
"Second, who told you that no guests will arrive anytime soon? After the auction ends in a few days, I'm going to start promoting."
"At that time, a bunch of people coming to buy cultivation methods will see our territory in such a dilapidated state; do you think they will still believe our cultivation methods are reliable?"
Bang—!
"Finally... well, there are fewer and fewer suitable rooms in the territory, so rebuilding early can also make space for future newcomers."
"Hey! That last one was just an excuse you made up on the spot because you couldn't think of anything!"
Black Rabbit clutched her head, her eyes watering as she looked at Lin Que: "If you can't think of a reason, don't force it! You hit me so hard, it really hurts!"
"Cough, you can't blame me. It's mainly because your head, Black Rabbit, was too easy to hit, and I couldn't stop."
"Then isn't that your fault?!"
Black Rabbit grabbed Lin Que's collar and shook him: "Am I supposed to blame my head for being too easy to hit, which sounds ridiculous?! No matter how I think about it, that's too much!"
"Oh, Mitsuri, come here."
Lin Que waved at Kanroji Mitsuri: "I have something good for you."
"Hey! Don't just ignore me when you don't know how to reply!"
"This is a Devil Fruit. It can change a person's physique and allow the user to awaken new powers."
Lin Que handed the Gourmet Fruit to Kanroji Mitsuri: "Your foundation is too weak right now. Eat this first to strengthen yourself. It'll also make clearing the ruins easier."
"Honestly, Lin Que, you're really too much."
Seeing that Lin Que was determined to ignore her, Black Rabbit's rabbit ears drooped, and she looked weakly at Kanroji Mitsuri.
"Speaking of Devil Fruits, is it really okay to give this to Kanroji?"
If she remembered correctly, Lin Que had mentioned the side effects of this thing when he introduced Devil Fruits last time.
Compared to the boost it gave an ordinary person, the side effect of fearing seawater could be big or small.
As long as one didn't fight in the ocean or encounter those who could control water, it basically had no effect.
But no matter what, gaining a disadvantage out of nowhere wasn't a good thing.
If one encountered someone with ill intentions, it would be easy to be targeted.
"Don't worry, I've removed the side effect of fearing seawater."
Lin Que reassured her: "Aside from tasting bad and only being able to eat one, this Devil Fruit has no flaws."
"Bad taste?"
Kanroji Mitsuri tilted her head, a confident expression on her face.
"Don't worry, I've eaten a lot of bitter things since I was a child!"
"I've also eaten a lot of bad-tasting food, it's not a problem!"
Lin Que silently pulled out a recording crystal: "Then please begin your performance."
"I really didn't lie."
Seeing that Lin Que seemed unconvinced, Kanroji Mitsuri raised the Gourmet Fruit and took a direct bite.
"This kind of thing I…"
"Kanroji?"
Seeing Kanroji Mitsuri's body suddenly stiffen, Black Rabbit asked worriedly.
"What's wrong? Is it really that bad?"
"No… no problem."
Her body trembled uncontrollably, and Kanroji Mitsuri forced a smile onto her face.
Looking at the Devil Fruit with a bite taken out of it, she took a deep breath, a look of grim determination on her face.
"Although the taste was indeed a bit unexpected, I can barely accept it."
"Actually, you don't have to eat the whole thing."
Seeing that Kanroji Mitsuri was still preparing to continue eating, Lin Que, who had already finished recording the scene and didn't want his pet to suffer any more, reminded her.
"You only need to eat one bite of a Devil Fruit."
"Even if you eat the rest, nothing will change."
"Is… is that so?"
Kanroji Mitsuri breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great."
If she really had to eat all of it, she was afraid she wouldn't have an appetite for anything else for the next few days.
"Leave the rest to me. It might be useful later."
Lin Que put away the eaten Devil Fruit, then looked at Kanroji Mitsuri again.
"How do you feel?"
"My strength seems to have increased a lot."
Kanroji Mitsuri sensed it carefully: "Besides that, my appetite also seems to have increased."
"Normal."
Lin Que replied: "This is the basic effect of the Gourmet Fruit."
The Gourmet Fruit has two main effects.
One is to allow the user to eat unconventional things like steel and even lightning, converting them into energy stored within the body.
The other is to actively activate the stored power within the body to heal injuries or unleash more power, raising the physical strength to another level in a short period.
Putting the latter aside for now, in order for the former's effect to be fully utilized, the user's appetite must be guaranteed.
In fact, this was also why Lin Que gave the Gourmet Fruit to Kanroji Mitsuri.
Besides eating those unconventional things, the Gourmet Fruit user can also eat regular food to accumulate energy.
Kanroji Mitsuri's large appetite, combined with the effect of this fruit, was just perfect.
"Huh?"
Just then, Kanroji Mitsuri suddenly let out a gasp.
"Lin Que, I don't know why, but the power within my body is starting to grow again."
...