The Devil Fruits—mystical treasures of the sea. Eating one grants you the power of a demon.
But what exactly triggers this demonic power?
Rosinante had eaten a Devil Fruit himself. And whenever he activated the powers of the Silence-Silence Fruit, it always started with a thought—a single mental command. That command resonated with the fruit, triggering a wave-like fluctuation that synchronized with his body and released its ability.
So… if the Silence-Silence Fruit could cancel out vibrations, then could it also nullify those very waves? What if it could prevent that resonance from reaching the user's body? Wouldn't that temporarily disable someone's ability to use their Devil Fruit?
It didn't seem impossible.
After all, in physics, vibration and wave motion are naturally connected. Vibrations cause waves; waves are the result of vibrations. If he could block one, why not the other?
And this was the world of One Piece. A place where Devil Fruit powers could be developed through sheer imagination. Some powers even crossed into the realm of metaphysics. Compared to that, Rosinante's idea was downright logical.
With that in mind, Rosinante suddenly felt like he'd stumbled onto the key to beating Borsalino: temporarily cutting off the resonance between a Devil Fruit and its user's body.
"Hey hey~ Little bro, you've been waving your hands around for ages—what kind of scary move are you planning to use on me, hmm?"
Lost in thought, Rosinante was caught completely off guard when Borsalino suddenly appeared behind him, casually peering over his shoulder. His laid-back tone came with a jab, and his gaze fell on the words Whitebeard scrawled on the ground.
"Woah~ You sneaky little thing, writing Whitebeard's name like that... Don't tell me you've got ties with him and plan to sic him on me? That's a pretty gutsy strategy!"
"Get lost, you yellow monkey! You're the one with shady Whitebeard connections! If you're really that scared, how come you never hesitate in a fight?"
"Don't get mad, little bro. Getting worked up is bad for your health. Anyway, I'm off to enjoy some tea. Goodbye~"
Borsalino had clearly shown up just to mess with him, and as soon as he delivered his usual string of irritating lines, he casually walked off. Rosinante could only grit his teeth in frustration, wishing he could just smack that smug face off the stage.
Once Borsalino was gone, Rosinante calmed himself and revisited his theory.
Could a Devil Fruit truly be disconnected from its user, even momentarily?
That's when Blackbeard came to mind.
Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit could suppress other Devil Fruit powers. Which meant that Devil Fruits didn't fuse completely with their users, they could be interrupted. That thought validated Rosinante's hypothesis.
But theory alone wasn't enough. If he wanted to turn this into a usable move, he needed to test it.
You can't just rely on imagination alone. Without experimentation, it's just a wishful thinking.
Determined, Rosinante approached a stocky Marine standing nearby. His code name was Boar, a Zoan-type user who had eaten the Boar-Boar Fruit, granting him the form of a wild boar hybrid.
He was also one of Rosinante's closest friends.
"Boar."
"Oh~ Blue Eagle, you called?"
Boar looked up at him, snorting instinctively as he always did—a side effect of his Devil Fruit.
"I've been working on a new move." Rosinante said. "But I need a sparring partner. Would you help me test it?"
"Of course, Blue Eagle! We're best buds, aren't we?"
Rosinante smiled. "Thanks, Boar. I really appreciate it."
Together, the two made their way into the nearby forest to begin training.
That evening in the dorms, Borsalino was lounging in a chair, legs crossed, sipping tea and reading the newspaper without a care in the world. Just then, Sakazuki returned—clearly exhausted.
"You've been sitting in here drinking tea all afternoon?" he asked, frowning.
"Yup. Why?"
Borsalino didn't even glance up.
Sakazuki's brow furrowed further. "Blue Eagle's been in the woods all day, working nonstop with Boar on a technique specifically to counter you."
"Oh~"
Still unfazed.
"You're seriously not going to prepare?"
"Prepare for what?" Borsalino replied lazily. "You really think Blue Eagle can beat me? I'm a Logia user. At this stage, he's got no chance. And if I'm not going to lose, what's the point of exhausting myself with extra training? I'd rather enjoy some tea and a good read. Much more relaxing, don't you think?"
Sakazuki shook his head. "Master-Z was right. You rely on your Devil Fruit far too much. Sooner or later, it's going to cost you."
"Woah~ Sakazuki, you say the scariest things. By the way, could you pass me some of Blue Eagle's rice crackers?"
"Get them yourself."
Sakazuki didn't even look at him. Instead, he grabbed a whetstone and began sharpening his blade.
—
The next morning, at exactly 10:00 AM, Boar stumbled out of the forest, eyes bloodshot, face pale with shock.
That… that was terrifying.
He couldn't believe Blue Eagle had actually developed such a nightmarish technique.
It was the kind of move that could make any Devil Fruit user tremble.
Of course, it hadn't come easy. Rosinante and Boar had gone twenty-four straight hours without sleep, pushing themselves to the limit. But now that the move was complete, Rosinante had finally collapsed from exhaustion, activating Deep Sleep on the spot.
Boar, still too shaken to rest, had left early to find food for his friend.
And after seeing that technique in action, he truly believed Rosinante might have a shot at beating Borsalino. That flashy yellow monkey relied far too heavily on his Devil Fruit.
—
By noon, Z had already prepared the arena at the Marine Academy—an improvised ring made of rolling logs. Cadets crowded around, eager for the matches to begin.
The rules were simple:
If one side was knocked out or sent flying out of the ring, they lost.
As the matches got underway, cadets stepped up one group at a time. Techniques from Six Powers were on full display, with a few students even wielding weapons. The crowd enjoyed the bouts, though none of them delivered any truly explosive moments.
That changed when Z took the stage again to announce the next matchup:
"Kizaru vs. Blue Eagle."
The arena erupted.
This was the fight everyone had been waiting for.
Borsalino strolled lazily onto the stage, looking around with a relaxed smile.
"Hmm? Where's little bro? How strange~ Didn't show up today?"
His words sent murmurs through the crowd—sure enough, there was no sign of Rosinante. Whispers spread. Had he backed out?
Just when people were starting to believe he might have fled, a familiar voice rang out from the distance.
"Wait up— Blue Eagle's coming! Blue Eagle's coming!"
Boar appeared, sprinting toward the arena with Rosinante slung over his back.
(End of Chapter)
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