A person can only consume one Devil Fruit in their lifetime, and Caesar was absolutely unwilling to let the crew gamble on the unknown abilities of these untested fruits.
After all, no one could predict whether a fruit's power would be useful or disastrous.
If it turned out to be a completely useless ability, like one that only stretched a person's hips absurdly, then there would be no point in even eating it.
Moreover, Caesar wasn't about to risk having someone on his crew accidentally obtain a top-tier ability. If that happened, it would be a huge loss for him.
Unlike Blackbeard, who possesses the unique ability to steal Devil Fruit powers using the Yami Yami no Mi, Caesar had no way of directly plundering a Devil Fruit user's ability.
Thus, the idea of feeding random strangers these fruits to test them was also rejected.
Now, staring at the six unknown Devil Fruits before him, Caesar found himself in a dilemma.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and a plan began to form in his mind.
"337… I know how we can test these fruits," he muttered.
Without wasting time, Caesar turned to Lily.
"Lily, check the nautical charts and find out the closest island to the Rex."
Once she pinpointed the location, Caesar didn't hesitate. Using his telekinetic abilities, he lifted the Rex from the sea and propelled it toward the island.
Before long, they arrived at their destination—a deserted island.
It had no human inhabitants, nor did it house any particularly large beasts, only common animals and plant life.
Perfect. This island would serve as the ideal testing ground.
"Yakesi, make me six hollow crust biscuits," Caesar ordered.
"Got it! Leave it to me!" Yakesi responded enthusiastically.
"Tony, after Yakesi finishes the biscuits, I need you to expand the hollow space inside them."
"Ah, sure thing! No problem, Captain!" Tony agreed.
Though Yakesi and Tony were confused about Caesar's intentions, they followed his instructions without question.
While they worked, Caesar retrieved a Devil Fruit of minimal value from the ship's storage. With it in hand, he flew into the depths of the island to put his plan into action.
Using his highly attuned Kenbunshoku Haki, Caesar scanned the entire island. Nothing could escape his detection.
Soon, he spotted a small rabbit and easily captured it with his telekinesis.
The Devil Fruit he had brought was a Paramecia-type known as the Stink-Stink Fruit (Kun Kun no Mi), granting its user the ability to constantly emit a foul stench.
A completely useless ability—one that even ordinary people would recoil from.
With that in mind, Caesar had no qualms about using it for his experiment.
Using a razor-sharp, invisible psychic blade, he cut a small piece from the fruit and forcibly stuffed it into the rabbit's mouth.
The rabbit struggled against his telekinetic hold, but resistance was futile. It swallowed the fruit piece unwillingly.
Moments later, a foul odor began radiating from the rabbit's body.
Just as Caesar expected—after all, animals in the world of One Piece could indeed consume Devil Fruits, as seen with characters like Chopper and Funkfreed.
This was the first phase of his experiment.
Now came the crucial second step.
Earlier, his Kenbunshoku Haki had detected a large tiger in the vicinity.
Without hesitation, Caesar carried the stinking rabbit toward the tiger's location.
Upon reaching the area, he carefully placed the rabbit a short distance from the tiger without drawing attention to himself.
The rabbit, panicked by the predator's presence, instinctively attempted to flee.
However, Caesar would not allow it to escape—his experiment depended on it.
The tiger, initially interested, took a few steps forward, but then abruptly turned away.
The foul stench emanating from the rabbit was so overwhelming that even in hunger, the tiger lost its appetite.
Caesar frowned. If the tiger refused to eat the rabbit, how could he test his theory?
"You have no choice but to eat it, little tiger!"
Using his telekinesis, he immobilized the tiger, forcing its jaws open.
The tiger's expression twisted in confusion and fear as Caesar levitated the reeking rabbit into its mouth.
The tiger struggled, but it was powerless against Caesar's ability.
With no alternative, the tiger was forced to swallow the rabbit whole.
Almost immediately, the island's air began to clear—the source of the stench had been consumed.
However, the tiger sat motionless, eyes watering, retching violently as if trying to vomit the rabbit back out.
Yet, what was done could not be undone.
Caesar remained hidden, observing closely.
At first, the tiger showed no other signs of change, and Caesar started to worry—was his theory incorrect?
But then…
A familiar stench began to spread from the tiger's body.
Caesar smirked.
His hypothesis was correct.
Just as he suspected, consuming a Devil Fruit user could transfer the fruit's ability!
This phenomenon had precedent—Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom, had unknowingly gained the Soru Soru no Mi (Soul-Soul Fruit) from Mother Carmel. In the manga, Mother Carmel vanished mysteriously after Linlin's hunger rampage, and afterward, Linlin inexplicably possessed her powers.
Though never explicitly confirmed, Caesar strongly suspected that Linlin had eaten Mother Carmel during her food craze, unintentionally absorbing her Devil Fruit ability.
Now, thanks to his experiment, Caesar had verified that it was indeed possible to transfer Devil Fruit powers through consumption!
This discovery provided the perfect method to test unknown Devil Fruits without any risk.
All he had to do was feed small animals the unknown fruits, observe their new abilities, and then—if the fruit was valuable—have a crew member consume the transformed animal.
To make the process more palatable, Yakesi's hollow biscuits would serve as a covering.
Instead of eating raw animals, the crew would only need to consume the biscuit-enclosed creatures.
Satisfied with his results, Caesar left the island, abandoning the unlucky tiger, which continued to retch and whimper at its misfortune.
---
Testing the Unknown Devil Fruits
Back aboard the Rex, Caesar found that Yakesi and Tony had completed their tasks.
The six hollow biscuits were ready, and Tony had expanded the spaces inside them as requested.
With everything in place, Caesar gathered the crew and explained his findings.
"Wait, so Devil Fruit abilities can really be transferred by eating the previous user?"
"I had no idea animals could even consume Devil Fruits!"
"As expected from our captain! This changes everything!"
"This means we can safely identify the powers of those unknown Devil Fruits in storage!"
Excited by this revelation, the crew eagerly followed Caesar to an open area on the island where the next phase of the experiment would take place.
Since some of these Devil Fruits could be dangerous, it was better to conduct the tests away from the ship.
Caesar used his Kenbunshoku Haki to locate small white-furred rodents, capturing a group of them as test subjects.
Taking the first unknown Devil Fruit—a bumpy, oddly-shaped fruit—Caesar sliced off a small piece and forced it into one of the rodents' mouths.
The crew watched in anticipation.
Seconds passed… then the rodent's body began to change.
Its small, pointed face stretched into a wide mouth.
Its fur fell away, replaced by wet, wrinkled skin.
Its hind legs lengthened and curled unnaturally.
The rodent had transformed into a brown toad.
Disappointed groans filled the air.
"Seriously? A toad?!"
"Ugh, what a trash ability…"
Though the first fruit was a letdown, there were still five more to test.
As Caesar prepared the next fruit, the excitement returned.
"Alright, let's see if this next one is any better!"
With a smirk, Caesar cut into the next Devil Fruit, ready to reveal its hidden power.
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