One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me

Chapter 351 Roy: Luffy's Devil Fruit Awakened?

To be honest, Shanks is bringing this information right now.

Even for Roy, this was something he had never imagined.

"Kaido of the Beasts" has already cooperated with the World Government, or rather, with "Lord Im"—his first reaction was that it was impossible, after all, Kaido was one of the few who directly participated in the battle against Im during God Valley.

But then Roy realized something was wrong.

"Kaido fought Im at God Valley because he had just obtained the Azure Dragon Fruit and wanted to test the power of the fruit. In addition, it was also because of Rocks' kindness."

"No, to be more precise—the God Valley incident just happened to make Kaido one of the people who knew that Im probably existed... This incident itself is the basis of 'cooperation'."

"And most importantly, Kaido's ambition."

Upon thinking of this, Roy felt a sense of awe.

Who is Kaido?

He was already the "strongest soldier" in his country when he was ten years old, and a "war maniac" who has been immersed in war since childhood.

The law it follows is that "the strong live and the weak die".

Roy was well aware that Kaido's ambition was to start the "world's greatest war".

He longed for that war to drag everyone in the world into it.

Whether commoners, royalty, pirates, marines, or even Celestial Dragons—everyone fought and died equally in the war.

That was the world order he longed to reshape.

Logically speaking, someone with such ambition would never cooperate with the World Government—after all, he wanted to create a world where everyone, including the Celestial Dragons, could do so equally.

But

"That's not necessarily true now."

Roy immediately realized that this was his previous habitual way of thinking.

Based on the information he currently has, he is almost certain that the Celestial Dragons are no longer receiving as much attention from Im within the World Government.

It seems highly likely that the Knights of God have disbanded, with only Shamrock receiving a special "contract." Furthermore, recent intelligence from the Star Hunting Force and within the Navy suggests that the Five Elders' presence has become very weak.

"Because of my and the Twelve Constellations' activities, Im may no longer trust the Five Elders and has taken control himself, issuing orders directly." "In that case, the Celestial Dragons may become obstacles and resource drains for Im."

"However, due to the pact that Im and the twenty kings signed on the Pillars of Creation in the past, Ike is unable to directly kill the Celestial Dragons, but at least... Ike will no longer care about them."

In this way, Kaido and Im can completely cooperate.

Kaido wants to reshape the world order through a war, but for Im—it doesn't matter how the world becomes. As long as the twelve constellations and their lords don't exist, and as long as Joy Boy and Davy Jones' plans are thwarted.

The great Im is the god of this world, who can reshape the entire world at will.

And most importantly...

"Im now needs strong individuals with power."

"It's not the 'false power' that the God Knights of the past forcibly created by relying on Devil Fruit abilities and bloodline factor energy, but a true powerhouse who has reached perfection in both mind, body, and technique."

Shamrock is one of them, but clearly not enough.

In this era, the most remarkable and powerful figures on the entire sea are undoubtedly the "Four Emperors".

"Whitebeard learned the world's secrets through Roger, and given his past ties with Rocks, he's unlikely to cooperate with the World Government." "Red-Haired Shanks is even less likely; he's a Celestial Dragon who defected from the government, a staunch anti-Im warrior who betrayed his own class." "Big Mom was somewhat possible, but Linlin's been eating cake in Wonderland lately."

"Only Kaido's ambitions have been thwarted by the loss of the 'Three Disasters' and the 'Artificial Devil Fruits.' For Im, who possesses the resources of the World Government's member states, neither Devil Fruits nor a sufficiently powerful army are problems."

Under such circumstances, it is perfectly normal for the two to reach a cooperation agreement.

It was precisely during Wu Ma's contemplation that this occurred.

"Kaido hasn't shared any details of his plans with any of his subordinates, and intelligence about the area around Wano Country has been completely blocked," Shanks continued.

"So please be careful... If he's going to make a move, his target is very likely related to the twelve zodiac signs."

He said this solemnly.

Even as one of the Four Emperors, he naturally had to be wary of the Beasts, especially the Beasts who were likely cooperating with the World Government and whose strength had greatly increased.

After the red-haired man's reminder, a glint flashed in Wu Ma's eyes.

"I see."

He suddenly remembered a pawn he had planted beside Kaido long ago, and now... it seemed the time to use it. What Wu Ma didn't expect was that, besides the secrets of Mary Geoise and Kaido's unusual behavior, Shanks actually had something else to say. "There's one last thing."

The four emperors looked at Wu Ma with a serious expression.

"On my way here, I received a letter from Mr. Rayleigh... Does your company know of 'Monkey D. Luffy'?"

"...Straw Hat Boy? Shenhou has seen them before."

Upon hearing Shanks' words, Wu Ma was taken aback at first, then nodded.

"Yeah, that's the kid."

As Shanks spoke, a hint of inexplicable worry appeared on his face.

After he informed Wu Ma of the information he had received.

"Fruit awakening!?"

Beneath the horse-head mask, Roy's face froze for a moment.

"You mean, Luffy... cough cough, Straw Hat Luffy's Nika-no-Kami Devil Fruit has awakened!?"

How is that possible?!

He had absolutely no idea what was happening.

He remembered that the last time he saw Luffy through Shenhou's perspective, Luffy hadn't even developed "Gear Second".

How long has it been, and he has already completed the "Fruit Awakening"?

Did Teacher Kai travel all the way to the amusement park without his knowledge, prematurely reenacting the famous scene of "Three Sticks Teaching Four Emperors"? "So you guys really do know Nika."

Upon hearing Wu Ma's words, Shanks showed a knowing look, and then he nodded solemnly.

Yes.

As the one who gave the Devil Fruit to Luffy, Shanks naturally knew about the existence of the Nikka Fruit.

To be more precise—when he was still an apprentice in Roger's pirate crew, after Roger completed his voyage to the final island "Laugh Tale", he had a deep conversation with Shanks and passed on his will to Shanks.

It was around that time that Shanks learned of the existence of the "Liberation Warriors" from Roger, and that the user of the Nika Fruit was Joy Boy, the one who changed the world.

The reason he chose to return to Mary Geoise after that, and even became a member of the Celestial Dragons and God's Guardians, was because he had not found any trace of the Nika Fruit while he was in the lower world.

It wasn't until he became God's Guardian that he learned the World Government had been searching for a fruit called the "Rubber Fruit." From this, he concluded that the Rubber Fruit was very likely the Nika Fruit.

In the end, he managed to steal the Gum-Gum Fruit from a government warship, but before he could decide what to do with it, Luffy accidentally swallowed it.

It wasn't until recently, when Rayleigh wrote to Shanks informing him of Luffy's awakening of his Devil Fruit, that Shanks finally confirmed that the Devil Fruit Luffy had taken was "Nika".

But the problem is...

"His awakening of his fruit was very sudden."

Shanks didn't hide anything, but told Wuma everything in detail, including the abnormal physical condition Luffy felt in Alabasta, and the sudden awakening of his Devil Fruit after the appearance of the Esther.

"He's completely unable to control his power right now, and his awakened form appears intermittently—this is clearly not a normal awakening." Shanks frowned.

It's obvious that he's worried about Luffy.

The consequences of a Devil Fruit awakening out of control are extremely serious—whether out of affection for Luffy or out of concern for Nika's Devil Fruit, he clearly does not want to see Luffy's Devil Fruit go out of control.

Wu Ma: "

In fact, at this moment, Roy's expression under the horse-head mask was quite strange.

"I can't believe such a thing exists."

Hearing Shanks' words, he also realized that Luffy's unexpected Devil Fruit awakening might be... his fault. Back in Alabasta, he had once struck the Drum of Liberation at Queen Lily's cenotaph.

The timing coincides perfectly with the abnormal situation that Luffy's body experienced.

Not long ago, when the Esther surfaced, he also sounded the liberation drum, which could be heard throughout the sea, because he was piloting the Ark Noah.

Unexpectedly, that directly led to Luffy awakening his Devil Fruit power.

"Freedom inspires more freedom, so did Luffy's Nika Fruit awaken prematurely due to the Drum of Liberation?"

Roy gradually came to the conclusion.

And clearly, this is the third reason Shanks came here.

"I have already informed Mr. Rayleigh and asked him to bring Luffy and the others to the Esther."

Shanks looked at Wu Ma, his words filled with sincerity.

"If possible, I would like to ask you to help me ascertain Luffy's condition."

"And...whether he is still fit to continue sailing on this vast ocean."

Several days later.

"Luffy! Slow down!"

On the deck of the Esther.

As the starlight shifted, a group of figures appeared in the central plaza of the Esther.

Those were none other than the Straw Hat crew, along with Jinbe and Rayleigh.

At that moment, Chopper, watching Luffy rushing forward at top speed, couldn't help but shout, "Your physical condition isn't stable yet!"

"Huh? But I feel great right now, hehehe!"

Luffy turned around and looked at Chopper with some confusion.

But before he could finish speaking, his hair suddenly turned faintly white, and his face instantly broke into an exaggerated and enthusiastic smile. However, just moments later, the white hair and smile vanished without a trace.

"Um?"

Luffy looked around somewhat bewildered: "That's strange... I suddenly became so happy just now."

"See?"

Upon seeing this, Chopper was furious.

Yes, that's Luffy's current situation.

Since that accidental awakening of his Devil Fruit, Luffy's abilities have become extremely unstable.

His body's recovery and strength have increased to a great extent, but along with this, his body will occasionally take on that special white form that he cannot fully control.

"Never mind that—I'm suddenly so hungry, where's the nearest restaurant!?"

However, it was clear that Luffy himself wasn't very concerned about this compared to Chopper; he simply patted his stomach and said this. Upon hearing this, Nami instantly transformed into Hyuga Nami: "Are you an idiot?! This is the headquarters of the Twelve Constellations, not some shopping arcade! How could there possibly be such a thing here?!"

"No? But I'm so hungry!"

"Then you'll go hungry until you see that friend Rayleigh mentioned who healed you!"

"Huh!?"

It was precisely at the moment when Nami kicked Luffy, who had a wrinkled and unhappy face, flying away.

Unlike the other crew members, Rayleigh and Jinbe looked at Luffy with more serious expressions.

Compared to the Straw Hat crew, whose understanding of Devil Fruits and powers is still relatively superficial, the veterans of the seas clearly have a better grasp of Luffy's current state.

Each Devil Fruit contains its own "wish" and "will".

When the user's mind and physique align with that desire and will, the fruit will awaken—that "desire" will transform into their power. However, if the user's mind and physique fail to align with the desire and are instead suppressed by it, the fruit's awakening will fail.

The consequences of failure are very serious.

Like the jailer beasts of Impel Down, they are all Zoan-type Devil Fruit users with "Fruit Awakening," but they cannot suppress the instincts of the corresponding animals within their fruits, so they have almost become pure beasts.

Luffy's current situation is clearly more unique.

His strength and mental capacity were clearly not at a level sufficient to awaken him, but he unexpectedly awakened without completely losing control.

This is sufficient to illustrate the point.

"Luffy...is indeed very suitable for this Devil Fruit."

Rayleigh and Jinbe both knew very well that the legendary liberator Nika, and his successor Joy Boy, did indeed bear a striking resemblance to Luffy.

Perhaps that's why Luffy didn't immediately lose control completely, but instead entered this special state.

He couldn't control his power, but he wasn't completely replaced by the will of the Nika Fruit either.

Neither Rayleigh nor Jinbe could do anything about it—he wasn't a Devil Fruit user and wasn't particularly good at it.

"I just hope... the Twelve Zodiacs can find a way to deal with his situation."