Koala broke the silence, interrupting the romantic moment between Luffy and Yamato, proudly shaking the devil fruit in her hand. With a mischievous grin, she spoke to Yamato:
"Watch closely, Yamato, don't let your jaw drop when you see this~~"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Yamato's attention was immediately caught. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly set her arms down. Turning to face the mysterious fruit in Koala's hand, she couldn't hide her excitement.
"Hey, is that a devil fruit? Koala, are you really going to eat one? What kind of devil fruit is this? Paramecia? Logia? Or maybe Zoan?"
Just moments ago, Yamato had been shy and reserved, but now she was all curiosity, her questions tumbling out one after another.
"Hehe, you'll find out soon enough," Koala teased, giving nothing away.
Yamato's anticipation grew with each passing second, and she stared intently at Koala, waiting for the moment of truth.
With a smile, Koala shrugged and took a bold step forward. Without any hesitation, she bit into the replica fruit with gusto.
"Ugh~ Why do these taste so awful?" Koala complained, grimacing as she chewed, clearly finding the fruit far from appetizing.
Luffy, watching from the sidelines with amusement, couldn't help but mock her, "Don't waste it! Eat all of it so you start working on your transformation!"
Koala shot Luffy a glare, rolling her eyes in exasperation. She tossed the remaining part of the fruit away with a dramatic flick of her wrist. She wasn't buying into his nonsense. But soon after, as the fruit began to settle in her stomach, she could feel a strange sensation. A powerful force coursed through her body, flowing from her heart down into her limbs.
"Ooohhh! The power is rushing in! Let's go, transform!" Koala shouted, her voice filled with excitement as the energy surged within her.
Yamato, who had been eagerly awaiting the result, found herself growing increasingly confused as the seconds passed. She watched, mouth agape, unable to believe her eyes.
"Huh? Is that—Kaido?" Yamato stuttered, her jaw practically hitting the ground in disbelief.
Koala, now fully transformed into a massive dragon, roared with excitement. Her dragon head, large and imposing, hovered above the crew, casting a long shadow over the ship. The new perspective was thrilling, and she couldn't contain her joy.
"Whoa! It really is just like Kaido's ability! Dr. Vegapunk is incredible!" Koala exclaimed, her voice vibrating through the air.
She spun around to examine her new form. Her sharp dragon claws, the long sinuous body, and the thick, powerful tail were all exactly as she had imagined. The metallic sheen of her pink scales glistened in the sun, reflecting light with an almost ethereal glow.
But suddenly, something struck her as wrong. Her eyes darted to her reflection, and her excitement quickly turned to frustration.
"Wait a second! Why am I pink? This color is all wrong!" Koala cried out, her voice tinged with panic as she flapped her wings in distress.
The giant dragon flailed in the sky, her unfamiliarity with the form making it difficult to control. She floundered, losing her balance and falling towards the ship. The whole vessel shook with the force of the impact as Koala crashed heavily onto the deck, her massive body creating a tremor.
Before she could even let out a cry of pain, she quickly lifted her dragon head and looked at Luffy, eyes wide with near-tears.
"Luffy! You lied to me! This is nothing like Kaido's ability!" Koala whimpered, her dragon voice carrying the weight of her disappointment.
Luffy, who had been watching with amusement the whole time, walked up to the giant dragon head, an amused smile on his face. He patted the enormous snout and reassured her.
"Okay, okay, calm down. It's just the color that's different. Why are you so worked up?"
Koala blinked, a little taken aback by Luffy's calmness. She was about to protest when Luffy continued, explaining with his usual nonchalance.
"Vegapunk's a perfectionist. He wouldn't let something like a flaw go unnoticed. The only difference between this fruit and Kaido's Azure Dragon fruit is the color. But other than that, it's exactly the same. The abilities are identical."
Olivia, who had been standing nearby, walked over with a thoughtful look on her face. She gave a nod of agreement, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered Luffy's words.
"That makes sense. I've heard that Vegapunk is an incredibly meticulous scientist. He doesn't settle for anything less than perfect."
Luffy shrugged. "Exactly. If it wasn't for this little imperfection, Vegapunk would've not tossed it away. It was practically impossible for me to get my hands on it."
Koala, hearing this, turned her gaze back to her pink scales. The initial panic began to fade, and a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Eh~ I guess it's not so bad after all," she muttered, her tone lightening. "The pink scales... actually look kinda cute now."
She gave a contented sigh, finally relaxing into her new form.
At that moment, Yamato, supported by Kujaku, walked over to inspect Koala's dragon form more closely. She circled around the massive creature, her eyes scanning every detail.
"From the outside, you're almost identical to Kaido," Yamato observed. "The only real difference is the color and size. I'm curious, though—does your ability work the same way? Why don't you try spitting out dragon flame like Kaido does?"
Koala and Yamato—two idiots with far too much curiosity and no caution between them—stood ready for an experiment. Koala opened her mouth wide, her dragon teeth glistening as she prepared to take in a deep breath.
Suddenly, Luffy, who had been watching this unfold, froze. His eyes widened in panic, and he leapt forward, punching Koala on the head with a loud thwack.
"Are you crazy?!" Luffy shouted, his voice urgent. "You want to blow up the whole ship? If you're so eager to experiment, do it outside!"
Koala blinked, taken aback by the sudden hit. She touched her head where Luffy had hit her, frowning but not particularly hurt.
"Ouch! Okay, okay, I get it! No need to be so dramatic," she replied with a huff, rubbing the spot. Then, almost as if the information had just clicked, she paused, realizing something. "Wait a minute... I feel fine."
Her eyes widened as the realization hit. The overwhelming sensation of panic from earlier had dissolved, and now she felt strangely at peace.
"Yeah," she whispered to herself, a small smile forming. "I'm alright after all."
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