Brandon chose to return home via a "magic door," mostly on a whim.
Compared to other ways of traveling, this was just more fun, wasn't it?
"Come to think of it, will my [Authority of Nature] ever let me create life itself one day?" he mused. "If it does, I really want to make a real-life Doraemon—even if it doesn't have a four-dimensional pocket."
Who hadn't dreamed of having a Doraemon as a kid? Sure, all those gadgets from the fourth-dimensional pocket were amazing (and borderline cheating), but wasn't the best thing about Doraemon just having a big blue friend who was always there for you?
"Still a ways off, though. I need to grow a bit more, and so does my Authority." Brandon could sense the feedback from his powers; neither he nor the Authority were mature enough yet to create the life he envisioned.
Both were still a little too young.
Shaking off the thought, Brandon had his kitchen staff take out the giant black python from his storage ring and prep it for dinner—along with a couple of mutant rabbits for good measure. He had no idea if mutated python tasted good, but he knew spicy rabbit head would never disappoint.
While waiting for the food, Brandon sank his consciousness into the chat group, curious to see what everyone else was talking about.
Ordinary Group Admin: "Thanks to the old man for sending over the Devil Fruit!"
Ordinary Group Admin: "Hehehe, I got the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Angel Form. Hehehehe."
Ordinary Group Admin: "Angel, angel, angel!"
Ordinary Group Admin: "From today on, I'm no longer a loser! All those prodigies of my generation, you're out of luck—you'll have to witness the rise of the most absurdly talented genius in history!"
Ordinary Group Admin: "It's your fortune—and your misfortune—to witness me take center stage!"
Ordinary Group Admin: "Wahahahaha!"
Richest Man: "What's going on? Did the admin finally lose his mind?"
Child of Nature (Brandon): "Looks like the old man handed over a Mythical Zoan—Angel Form Devil Fruit. The group admin's just a little… enthusiastic."
Child of Nature: "But hey, it's not every day a former underdog gets their glow-up. I get it."
Stew Daigu: "Makes sense, but is it just me or does this all sound a bit like a middle-school anime speech?"
Golden Flash: "Middle school syndrome? I don't think it's that bad. Actually, it's kind of inspiring!"
Most Evil Spirit: "Says the guy who once named a move 'Super Spiral Flash Ultra Wheel Howl Triple Attack.' Of course you'd think this is normal."
Richest Man: "Angel Form? Don't remember seeing that one in One Piece. Where did Whitebeard find it?"
Tony was puzzled. He'd watched so many episodes of One Piece—even saw Whitebeard die—but never once did he see any "Angel Form" Devil Fruit.
Come Be My Son: "Gurarara! That fruit was originally snatched by the Revolutionary Army before we got there, but they ran into me on the way home."
Richest Man: "So you just robbed them?"
Come Be My Son: "Of course! That fruit showed up in my territory. They barged in, so taking the fruit off their hands was me being generous. If I didn't actually like the Revolutionary Army, I'd have taken more."
He was Whitebeard, after all! Even the Navy didn't mess with his territory lightly. If the Revolutionaries snatched something under his nose, that was on them.
Richest Man: "If the Revolutionary leader came for payback, what would you do? I mean, your body's half-ruined now. At Marineford you barely managed to hold your own against Akainu."
Richest Man: "That commander can't be much weaker than Akainu, right?"
He'd watched the Marineford arc so many times: sure, three admirals went after Whitebeard, but Akainu did the most damage. Sneak attacks, trash talk, dirty tactics—he was brutal. Still, Whitebeard just wouldn't die, no matter how much of him they blew off. Was he even human?
Come Be My Son: "…"
Richest Man: "Right, their goal is to overthrow the Navy. Why would they pick a fight with you? Probably ended up apologizing."
Richest Man: "Didn't think that one through. My bad."
No matter how battered Whitebeard was, he was still Whitebeard. If the Navy hadn't captured Ace and forced that war, nobody would've dared attack him.
Besides, just with the Quake-Quake Fruit, one tsunami and half the world could drown.
Stew Daigu: "If the old man was at his peak, he'd have flattened Akainu for sure."
Stew Daigu: "Too bad…"
Come Be My Son: "No such thing as 'too bad.'"
Come Be My Son: "Picture.jpg"
[Item: Lifespan +20]
[Ability: After fusion, all physical abilities return to what they were 20 years ago.]
Uchiha Dance King: "What the—? You can draw 'lifespan' from the lottery?"
He never imagined something like lifespan could be a prize. Did that mean you could get your old body back? Maybe even be resurrected if you got lucky?
Stew Daigu: "Looks shocking at first, but think about it—lifespan's tied to every living thing. We just don't think about it much because it's hidden."
Stew Daigu: "Old man 20 years ago—if not his absolute peak, he was still at 90% of full power."
Daigu wasn't sure how old Whitebeard really was, but that seemed right.
Child of Nature: "Twenty years ago, who knows. But twenty-six years ago, at age forty-eight, the old man fought Roger for three days and three nights—no clear winner."
Child of Nature: "Back then, he already had the title of world's strongest man. Because of Oden, Whitebeard thought Roger was stealing his family. His anger alone caused seaquakes; it wasn't even the same as what he had to do later at Marineford, channeling everything through his fists."
Child of Nature: "For several years after that, he was probably at his absolute best. Nowadays, with the Quake-Quake Fruit and full mastery of Haki, his techniques are stronger than ever, but his body is too broken to use them properly."
Child of Nature: "If he had his body from twenty years ago, beating Akainu would be a walk in the park."
Child of Nature: "Just look at that punch at Marineford—Akainu coughed up blood after one hit. It's kind of ridiculous."
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