One Piece: Rinnegan Is My Golden Finger.

Chiga slapped Ivankov's enormous forehead, using the power of the Human Path to extract a portion of his soul.

Ivankov's eyes widened in shock as he saw the purple spiritual body being torn from him. In that instant, he truly felt as though his Devil Fruit ability was being ripped away.

Panicking, he cried out,

"Wait, wait! I still need to make some preparations!"

"Hm?"

Chiga paused, frowning suspiciously, thinking Ivankov was trying to go back on their deal.

Ivankov quickly explained,

"I need to leave some essential medications behind for special surgeries. Just give me a second—I'll be fast!"

Without waiting for a response, Ivankov dramatically pulled out two giant syringes—each as big as he was—leaving Chiga completely dumbfounded.

Ten of Ivankov's fingers morphed into needle tips as he plunged both hands into the syringes and declared,

"Female Hormones!"

"Male Hormones!"

Transparent liquid sprayed from his fingertips, instantly filling both syringes.

The process drained him. His face turned pale—producing such a large dosage in one go was taxing, even for him.

Chiga glanced at the liquid inside, his mouth twitching. If this stuff existed back on Earth, it would probably upend entire medical industries.

Ivankov gently set the syringes aside—likely his final batch of gender-altering hormones. He had to treat them like gold.

People rarely realize the value of something until it's gone.

But Chiga couldn't bear to waste any more time. He moved quickly.

Extract soul. Absorb ability. Return soul. It all happened in one swift movement. Before Ivankov could react, the power of the Horu Horu no Mi was gone.

Within Chiga's Door-Door Space now rested a strange, pink Devil Fruit shaped like a syringe.

Ivankov, now powerless, sighed in defeat. Seeing his disheartened state, Chiga hesitated for a moment, then handed him the Orochi fruit.

To his surprise, the moment the fruit was in reach, Ivankov snatched it and swallowed it whole without even chewing—afraid Chiga might change his mind.

He immediately activated the power, eager to test it.

With a flurry of grotesque noises, eight enormous Ivankov faces manifested before Chiga, each with a different expression. The central one had the familiar purple afro, but the others sported afros of all colors.

Chiga stared for a moment at the green one... then wordlessly vanished, flashing away to the top floor of Impel Down. If he stayed another second, he feared he'd develop a permanent aversion.

At the prison's entrance, he spotted Kalifa chatting with Chief Guard Domino. The two women were deep in conversation, occasionally bursting into silvery laughter.

Chiga crept closer, trying to eavesdrop.

But Kalifa knew his presence all too well. Before he could get near, she turned to him calmly and said nothing.

Busted.

Clearing his throat in a mock-serious tone that mimicked Sengoku, Chiga said,

"Everything's sorted. Time to head back."

"Understood, Boss," Kalifa replied obediently. She turned to Domino and smiled,

"I'll do my best with what you mentioned. I have to go. Let me know if anything comes up."

A subtle smile appeared on Domino's face. Behind her sunglasses, she sneaked a glance at Chiga, then held Kalifa's hand to express her thanks.

Their interaction left Chiga puzzled, but he decided not to ask. Women's talk, after all.

Kalifa didn't keep him waiting. After saying her goodbyes, she returned to Chiga and linked her arm with his.

Chiga took a moment, then smiled at Domino.

"Domino, I have a feeling Chief Magellan's working hours will be extended quite a bit from now on. You'll finally get to relax."

Before Domino could respond, he vanished, taking Kalifa with him.

Moments later, a refreshed Magellan arrived at the scene. Seeing Domino still standing there, he asked,

"Domino, what are you doing? Where's Admiral Kirin?"

"He already left."

"Oh... I see. Pity. I wanted to see him off!" Magellan said, his face twitching oddly.

Domino stared at him, confused, then turned back toward her office, sighing softly.

As she walked, she couldn't help but replay the interactions in her mind—between Magellan and Chiga. She came to a sudden stop and muttered,

"They're both my superiors, but why is the difference so massive...?"

---

The Next Day — Chiga's Office

Kalifa sat holding the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit that Chiga had given her, examining it with childlike curiosity.

Chiga, already exasperated, said,

"Kalifa, you've been staring at that thing for half an hour. Are you going to eat it or not?"

"Boss, I've heard Devil Fruits taste awful. Do you have any idea how bad?"

That stumped Chiga. He was the user of nine Devil Fruits... but he'd never eaten one directly.

Still, seeing Kalifa hesitant, he didn't want her to suffer through the taste.

With surgical precision, Chiga cut off a tiny portion of the fruit and signaled for her to open her mouth.

As soon as she did, he used the power of the Ope Ope no Mi to teleport the piece directly to her throat.

Gulp.

Kalifa swallowed reflexively, not even tasting it. Her heart warmed at his thoughtfulness, and she silently berated herself for becoming sentimental over something so small.

But to Chiga, this was something small. And that side of Kalifa made her all the more endearing.

He chuckled softly, glancing at the partially eaten Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit. Now that a bite had been consumed, the rest was nothing more than an ordinary fruit.

But curiosity got the better of him.

It was a unique delicacy of the One Piece world, and he hadn't ever tasted one. If he didn't now, would he regret it later?

Unable to resist, Chiga took a tiny bite.

His face turned pale... then red... then black... then ghost white again.

Kalifa panicked and rushed over with a huge glass of orange juice.

Chiga grabbed it and downed it all in one gulp. After what felt like a lifetime, he finally recovered from the horror.

Exhaling shakily, he stared at the fruit—just as it suddenly crumbled into dust and disappeared.

What a mistake.

This taste... was never meant for humans.

---