Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter IV: Sea Legs

"Changes how?" Jaune asked, intrigued.

She scoffed, "Look for yourself. It's like something out of a story."

He pulled it from the trash and felt his mouth hang open for a bit. The lady noticed and chuckled, "See, it's quite odd, isn't it? I've had a few customers want to try them out from looks alone, only to cough it all up from the taste. I don't think I've ever seen anyone get a bite down."

Jaune gulped, knowing well what this was. "It does look really cool. Do you think I could maybe keep it? As a souvenir or something?"

She laughed, louder this time. "Sure, if you want bitter fruit that will rot after some time. Go ahead and take it."

Jaune wrapped the fruit in the dark cloth he had purchased earlier, keeping it close to him for later. He waited for his meal and headed off once he had it. He could faintly taste just how delicious the sour but sweet plum sauce was on the shrimp, but his mind was too far adrift. Excitement and nervousness tightened his chest, just like when he had traveled home and snuck up into his family's attic to find his second Pumpkin Pete hoodie only to discover his birth certificate. It was the sensation that something big was headed his way, but he was unsure if he was at all prepared for it. That fruit, almost thrown away by a clueless woman, held a bit of his future in it. It would very much dictate the direction of his life, and it all depended on just what fruit he had gotten.

The truth was, he had no idea how to tell which devil fruit it was.

***

Willow swirled the wine in her glass, smiling distantly as if in another world. The staff dutifully brought her a new bottle, setting it on her table. When she went to refill her still half-full glass, her arm almost brought the end to her lips. It would be easier to drink straight from the bottle, but that would be un-lady-like. She broadly gestured to be left alone, and her service exited the room in quick fashion. They filed out of the room, the last to leave gently closing the door behind him. Once they had vacated, she approached the door and locked it. Her drunken unsteadiness vanished entirely.

She sat back down in her chair, placing the wine glass next to the bottle. It was almost amusing how easily fooled people could be. Did they not know that aura, if used correctly, could severely dampen the effects of alcohol? Somewhere in the distance, a man who drank enough to get tipsy despite his aura reserves sneezed.

She turned to a dresser, rifling through the contents before pressing down on the side. A hidden panel pushed in and the side of the drawer opened to reveal a secret compartment. It was full of very incriminating items: forged IDs, confidential documents that had been stolen, and a set of firearms with ammunition that had been banned, just to name a few. She quickly rummaged through the mess. It was organized, but whenever she opened it, there was a need to move quickly and she had no time to waste on anything proper. Finally, she found what she was looking for. It was a snail roughly the size of her hand with a rotary phone placed into the side of its round shell.

She dialed a number and pulled the transmitter close to her mouth. The snail's eyes straightened as it woke. It began muttering 'puru puru puru...' while Willow patiently waited. Eventually, it said 'gacha' and its facial expression morphed from neutral to a slight frown.

It spoke, but its voice was no longer its own, "Anything to report?"

Willow spoke professionally despite her relaxed posture, "He still suspects something — always does. I've led him to believe that I've recently become intrigued by wine tastings. I also framed it as though the organizers of these non-existent events wish to use it as an opportunity to grow closer to the Schnee family and that I am ignorant to that.