Chapter 98: The Path to Devil Fruit Awakening; Jozu’s Surprise!

Ace thought for a moment before answering honestly,

"The Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix has healing abilities, while Kaido’s flames are incredibly destructive."

Ron shook his head, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer.

Yet he also nodded, as if acknowledging that Ace wasn’t entirely wrong.

Whitebeard turned his attention over as well.

He had always felt both gratitude and respect toward Ron.

Though he had long wanted to officially make Ron one of his sons, Ron had always politely declined, and Whitebeard never forced the issue.

"Vice Captain Ron, just tell me directly. I’m not smart enough to figure it out," Ace admitted with a helpless grin.

In front of the man he admired most, he always seemed like the same immature kid.

Ron smiled slightly and looked at Ace and the others.

"Temperature."

The simple answer immediately threw everyone into thought.

Ace frowned.

He felt like he understood part of it, but not completely.

The others began pondering as well.

Gradually, they realized what Ron meant.

The true power of fire wasn’t merely its existence—it was the temperature it could reach.

Seeing that everyone was beginning to grasp the idea, Ron continued:

"Fire can be strong or weak. The deciding factor is temperature."

"The flames of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix possess almost no heat. That’s why they can heal injuries without causing secondary burns."

"However, when used offensively, increasing the temperature of those flames can still inflict devastating damage."

Hearing this, Marco nodded.

"That’s true. The healing flames feel warm and gentle, but when used for combat, they can definitely burn people."

Ace’s eyes lit up slightly.

"So, Vice Captain Ron, you’re saying I should increase the temperature of my flames to improve my attack power and become stronger?"

Ron nodded approvingly.

"Exactly."

"The development path—or perhaps the awakening path—of the Flame-Flame Fruit (Mera Mera no Mi) lies in temperature."

"In theory, fire has neither an upper limit nor a lower limit."

"Whether you develop it vertically or horizontally depends entirely on the user."

At those words, everyone focused their attention on him.

This was the first time Ron had openly discussed Devil Fruit awakening.

Even Whitebeard listened carefully.

It was clear Ron had touched upon something important.

Ron continued:

"The point is that no matter how you develop it, it’ll become powerful."

"Everyone’s path may be different, but the goal remains the same—becoming stronger."

"You can try various methods to increase the temperature of your flames."

"Emotional fluctuations, concentration, combining your abilities with other forces—there are countless possibilities."

"As long as you find the method that suits you, you’ll continue breaking through your limits."

Ace nodded firmly.

His confidence had returned.

"Gurararara! Ron, boy, I didn’t expect you to know so much about Devil Fruit awakening."

Whitebeard laughed, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Yeah, Ron," Jozu said jokingly. "What about my fruit? Does awakening mean turning the ground into diamonds or something?"

"Yes."

Ron answered immediately.

"That’s exactly what it means."

"If your power can affect and transform the surrounding environment into diamond, then your Diamond-Diamond Fruit (Kira Kira no Mi) would be considered awakened."

Jozu froze.

"......"

The others stared at Ron in shock.

If what he said was true, then all of their Devil Fruits had the potential to awaken.

For them, this was undoubtedly huge news.

"Ahem..."

Seeing everyone’s excitement spiraling upward, Ron quickly poured a bucket of cold water on them.

"Devil Fruit awakening also depends on timing and opportunity."

"Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the opportunity simply hasn’t arrived yet."

"So don’t obsess over awakening itself."

"Instead, focus on becoming stronger while walking the path toward awakening."

"Getting stronger is the real goal."

His words immediately calmed everyone down.

They realized he was right.

Awakening wasn’t something that happened overnight.

It required time, effort, experience, and perhaps a little luck.

"Exactly! Becoming stronger should be the goal. Awakening is still way too far away."

"Maybe, but at least we have a direction now. We’re not blindly training anymore."

"I swear, Vice Captain Ron knows everything."

"It’s like he’s some all-knowing god!"

"God Ron!"

"Damn, that’s actually a great nickname!"

"God Ron! God Ron!"

"God Ron!"

"..."

Ron waved his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

Then his gaze landed on someone attempting to sneak away unnoticed.

Jozu.

" Jozu, it’s your turn for the enchantment."

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Jozu’s body stiffened.

He immediately stopped walking.

His original plan had been to quietly slip away and head back to the mines.

He knew he needed more money if he wanted to purchase an Enchanted Devil Fruit.

Unfortunately, Ron had caught him before he could escape.

"Ron... I haven’t saved enough money yet..." Jozu scratched his head awkwardly.

He truly wanted the enchantment.

The problem was that he simply couldn’t afford it.

"Don’t worry about that."

Ron smiled.

"Izou already gathered the funds for you."

"Izou?"

Jozu froze.

For a moment, his brain simply stopped working.

The problem that had been weighing on him for so long had suddenly been solved.

The surprise was so overwhelming that he didn’t know how to react.

He just stood there in stunned silence.

Seeing his expression, Ron finally explained how Izou had secretly entrusted him with the money beforehand.

After hearing everything, Jozu’s eyes immediately turned red.

He remained rooted to the spot.

Unable to recover for quite some time.

"That idiot..."

"Why would he do something like that..."

His voice trembled with emotion.

Standing nearby, Whitebeard watched the scene with warmth in his eyes.

This was exactly what he wanted to see.

His sons supporting one another.

Helping one another.

Trusting one another.

Ace, Marco, and the others exchanged smiles before stepping aside.

Behind them, displayed prominently on the platform, sat the Enchanted Devil Fruit prepared for Jozu.

At that moment, the atmosphere aboard the Whitebeard Pirates felt warmer than ever.

It was as though any hardship could be overcome through the bonds they shared as brothers.

"Quit stalling."

Ron laughed.

"You’re a grown man."

"Get over here and receive your enchantment already."

"Let’s see how good your luck really is."

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