A person in Tokyo becomes a demon god

Chapter 74 The Setting of Devil Fruits

"what?!"

Looking up and noticing the midnight bells, the 'princess' was horrified.

Phew~~
The sound of air leaking came from the side.

The magnificent, enormous pumpkin carriage is visibly shrinking.

Two extraordinary horses, capable of easily smashing through any obstacle and trampling metal police cars, also withered and twisted in their struggle. But in the blink of an eye, they became two:
A mouse the size of a palm!

Under the watchful eyes of many, the murder weapon that sped up to 300 miles per hour was transformed into an adorable toy.

At the same time, noticeable changes also occurred in the 'princess':

"No, no, don't!"

The magnificent crimson gown turned gray, the crescent-shaped laurel wreath returned to being a headscarf to wrap her hair, and the precious folding fan became a rag for wiping furniture. In an instant, the noble 'princess' became the girl who once slept by the fireplace again.

Cinderella: The name comes from the fact that she had no bed and could only sleep by the fireplace for warmth, so she was covered in soot.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse; without fine attire, the person before us:

“Miss Cinderella,”

"You look much cuter like this."

? !
Hearing Kaori's words,

He angrily threw down the rag in his hand.

The 'Cinderella' who had been restored to an ordinary woman trembled.

"You think I'm afraid of you just because you don't have 'magic'?"

"Phew, I was terrified before."

I finally breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Kaori Inoue revealed a sly smile.

"But your expression right now makes me feel relieved."

The bet was right,
The story of Cinderella,

Almost every girl has heard this when she was little.

A kind, beautiful, and hardworking girl—who was bullied by her foster mother and sisters—finally won the prince's heart at the ball with the help of magic. She was then found by the infatuated prince and transformed from a 'Cinderella' by the fireplace into a 'princess' above all others.

Countless girls compare themselves to Cinderella: all they need is a pair of glass slippers to become the most noble woman in the kingdom.

It's the most beautiful dream for any girl!

"Now that she has become a 'princess' and found happiness."

The smile vanished from her face, and Inoue Kaori questioned him with a serious expression.

Why do all this?

free,

Is it really that important?

"Huh? What do you know—"

Upon hearing Kaori Inoue's words, the trembling Cinderella paused, then retorted with a heart full of resentment.

Do you know how many rules of etiquette a princess must follow?

"Why don't you try living a life where you have to be precise down to the second when it comes to eating and sleeping?"

Have you ever felt the endless scrutiny, judgment, and hostility from those around you?!

It's clear that this Cinderella, who 'lived happily ever after with the prince' in the fairy tale ending, is at least under immense pressure, if not hysterical.

While it's wonderful to rise to the top and become a phoenix, countless jealousies, hostility, and exclusion come at one of the costs.

"You don't understand anything!!"

The next second, Cinderella charged at Inoue Kaori again.

Ok?
"it is good!"

In the Metropolitan Police Department command center,
Director Fujita's spirits lifted, and he clenched his fist and swung it in the air.

On screen, Kaori Inoue rolls over to dodge Cinderella's kick.

Although she looked a bit disheveled, don't forget that 'Cinderella' is rated as a 'powerful' level existence: that is, she is considered top-tier even among the 'powerful' level.

Previously, Kaori Inoue could only keep running away;

Now, however, they can fight back and forth.

It wasn't that Inoue Kaori suddenly became stronger, but rather:

Cinderella has become weaker!

"good chance!"

"Sure enough, the magic will disappear after '12 o'clock'."

The island nation and the American government were greatly encouraged; especially at the Yokosuka base, Director Thomas's eyes flashed.

"Send out the 'Super Squad' to try and capture 'Cinderella'!"

The body of that unfortunate fellow, 'Tanaka Taiji,' is in the Yokosuka base.

Using this 'supernatural corpse,' America has produced several 'super injections' and secretly established a 'super tactical squad.'

For ordinary soldiers, it would be an overwhelming force, but against these supernatural beings, it would still be no match.

So it hadn't been used before, but now:

The opportunity is coming!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Banqiao District
"When the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella's magic will vanish without a trace."

Akizuki Ritsu, who had been following this 'battle' closely, looked thoughtfully at the images in the book.

"As expected, Devil Fruits are influenced by human 'cognition'."

This wasn't due to his intervention, but rather because 'Cinderella' had indeed become weaker out of thin air: what made her weaker was the 'perception' of billions of people in this world.

The fact that Cinderella's magic only lasts until midnight is one of the most basic and unshakable settings in the minds of everyone who has read the fairy tale "Cinderella".

"This also confirms that guess."

Ritsu Akizuki possesses all the abilities of a Devil Fruit, and given his personality, he naturally wants to continuously develop, research, and utilize these abilities.

According to Vegapunk, the origin of Devil Fruits lies in the 'possibility' of 'human evolution' that people are pursuing.

Simply put, the essence of a Devil Fruit is the embodiment of countless human desires.

When someone like Old Bei, who's into science, says something like that, it truly confirms the saying:
The end of science is theology.

"Conversely, human cognition also limits the potential of 'Devil Fruits'."

It's not that having a wild imagination allows for unlimited development; the abilities of Devil Fruits have a clear 'upper limit': and this limit depends on human 'understanding'. In other words:
"To make Devil Fruit powers stronger, the people of this world must have stronger 'cognition'?"

Like gods and demons,

To promote one's own doctrines?
And the autumn moon's rhythm is the root of everything.

But that's a story for another time. The current issue is:
"Even if it's an extremely weak Cinderella, can you handle it?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

boom! ! boom! !
In Yokosuka City, where the crowds had already been evacuated, two figures were fighting in front of an antique-style tower building.

"Ha, she's injured, injured!"

"Work harder!"

As she moved Inoue Kaori, she pulled the trigger, and bullets from the pistol shot out rhythmically, exploding into bursts of fire.

Meanwhile, 'Cinderella,' her opponent, dared not withstand the attack any longer, and her speed and strength were greatly reduced. Her long dress, which had previously been unscathed by various attacks, was torn apart by the explosion.

It is clear,
Once it was past midnight,
Cinderella's strength has not been halved.
Instead, it plummeted to the point of amputation from the eyebrows down.

"Damn it!"

The 'Cinderella' who dodged in a disheveled manner gritted her teeth.
Careless,
After becoming a 'princess', she no longer needed to worry about the 12 o'clock 'magic' disappearing.

I never expected to encounter this situation so soon after leaving that castle.

Am I destined to live only in worry?

no way!

Braving the flames of the explosion, Cinderella charged towards Inoue Kaori once again, moving at high speed in a 'Z' pattern.

"They're here!"

"Master, be careful!"

The last two little figures crawled into the magazine, and then roared out as Kaori Inoue pulled the trigger:

Don't underestimate me—

Facing the bullets, Cinderella crossed her arms, seemingly determined to take the hit head-on.

boom! ! boom! !
Flames erupted into the air, and the next moment, a figure amidst a cloud of smoke burst through the flames, appearing as a true 'Cinderella' as she lunged at Inoue Kaori.

Won!

The 'Cinderella', covered in soot, wore an excited smile.

Because the other party's pistol was out of bullets!

brush,

The view suddenly went blank.
"Hey?"

Amidst gasps of surprise and disbelief, Cinderella stumbled forward.

That's because Kaori Inoue suddenly ducked down and squatted, then swept her leg out horizontally.

This kick struck Cinderella's ankle, who thought she had the victory in her grasp, and disrupted her balance.

You're the one who underestimated me!

In the instant the two passed each other, Cinderella read those words in the other's eyes.

Kaori Inoue certainly doesn't have much fighting ability, relying entirely on her 'possessed object' pistol, but that doesn't mean she's content with the status quo: through the Tokugawa family's connections, she also invited several martial arts masters to her home to teach her various fighting techniques.

Although the limited time prevented the development of any systematic techniques, surprise attacks could still be effective.

Don't forget, Kaori herself is a Devil Fruit user, and her physical attributes actually surpass those of humans.

The two were locked in a fierce battle, tumbling and rolling, and had reached the edge of the square.

Kaori Inoue kicked him in the ankle unexpectedly.
Before Cinderella, who was stumbling forward:

It's a staircase!
so what?

Even in her extremely 'weak' state, Cinderella's constitution was still far superior to that of an ordinary girl, enough to...
Baga,

At this crucial moment, the crystal shoe on her foot suddenly tilted to one side.

how come--

The thought had barely crossed my mind when one of my crystal shoes slipped off my feet.

This caused the weakened Cinderella to completely lose her balance and tumble down the stairs.

"It hurts, it hurts,"

In her weakened state, Cinderella, who had rolled to the bottom of the steps, had just gotten up when she felt a chill on her forehead.

"do not move."

?

The woman, who had fallen to the ground, looked up and saw the dark muzzle of a gun.

"I've recovered one bullet."

Kaori Inoue's calm voice rang out as she stood on the steps, pointing at Cinderella, who had slumped down the steps, covered in a mess of gray and black.

"But I don't understand,"

"Is it because of the trivialities of life that you left the prince?"

Such reality is too disheartening: after all, Cinderella was once the goal of countless girls around the world.

"prince?"

Cinderella, who had fallen to the ground, retorted,

"You've read our story, haven't you?"

Cinderella placed her hands on her chest and instead questioned Inoue Kaori:
"Don't you think it's strange?"

"I only danced one dance with the prince, just one dance."

"The prince didn't even remember what I looked like; instead, he tried to find me by my shoes."

"Anyone can become a princess as long as they can wear glass slippers!"

The more Cinderella talked, the more agitated she became, her face showing anxiety, unease, and helplessness.

“I’m no different from other girls,”

"Any girl in the kingdom can be a 'princess,' but does the prince love me, or—"

A girl with a magical pumpkin carriage and glass slippers?

This questioning,

Not to mention Kaori Inoue at the scene,
The high-ranking officials from both countries who were watching via drone were taken aback.

The reason fairy tales are called 'fairy tales' is because they shouldn't be taken too seriously; otherwise, they would become something people wouldn't dare to look at directly.

"This kind of thing,"

Kaori Inoue remained silent for a while before stepping back and putting away her pistol.

Why don't you ask the prince?

Instead, he fled alone.

Da da da da,

Just then, the sound of propellers came from the sky.

Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush

A strong wind was blowing.

Several fully armed figures leaped down from above.

Boom, boom, boom,

He was covered in high-tech exoskeletons, helmets, and heavy firearms, as if he had stepped out of a science fiction story.

"Your Highness, please come with us!"

"Ms. Inoue, step back!"

America's 'super tactical squad' makes its grand entrance.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: The Devil Fruit setting will follow Vegapunk's explanation; Oda might retcon the story later, but by then this book should have been finished long ago.

(End of this chapter)