Everyone knows Akainu ate the Magma-Magma Fruit—a Logia-type Devil Fruit. But if you didn't, you might even think he'd eaten some kind of Mythical Zoan instead.
Honestly, the way he went head-to-head with Whitebeard, for a moment it felt more like he was fighting Kaido than Akainu.
And don't get me started on the manga. There, it's almost like the roles are reversed—Whitebeard sneak attacks Akainu, not the other way around.
At this point, Brandon just didn't know what to say.
Ordinary Group Admin: "The anime version is still better. The old man (Whitebeard) throws out a flawless combo, and Akainu—aside from some blood—comes out basically fine. But in the manga, Akainu gets to act cool, even jumping up to smash the old man in the head. Of course, he gets smashed right back in the waist."
Ordinary Group Admin: "And then there are those who say Whitebeard was the strongest of the last era, and Akainu is the strongest of this one."
Ordinary Group Admin: "Come on, really?! Kaido, Big Mom, Garp, Sengoku—they're all supposed to be from the 'previous era.' What about Shanks? Don't tell me Akainu could beat Shanks. Or even kill him?"
To be honest, Whitebeard was Roxie's idol right now. That Angel-form Devil Fruit alone made her want to call him "Dad." No way would she let some jerk like Akainu insult him.
Child of Nature: "There's not really any point to this argument anymore."
Child of Nature: "From now on, the strongest of this era is Monkey D. Luffy."
Ordinary Group Admin: "Your world still has One Piece? Oh, right, you do. So—so? Did Luffy actually become the Pirate King?"
As soon as Brandon said that, Roxie (Su Yunqing) perked up, her excitement barely contained. Naruto and Luffy were both huge parts of her childhood.
Now Naruto was Hokage and even had a kid.
All that was left was for Luffy to become King.
As for Brandon's claim that Luffy was the strongest, she had no complaints. He is the main character—if Luffy's not the strongest, then who is? Akainu?
Child of Nature: "Not yet."
Child of Nature: "I haven't watched it myself—just heard people talking about it."
Child of Nature: "Supposedly, Luffy awakened his fruit after fighting Kaido. And it turns out, it wasn't actually the Gum-Gum Fruit, but the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Nika form."
Child of Nature: "He has rubber, lightning, fire, smoke—four different abilities. Maybe even more, but I haven't kept up."
Uchiha Dance King: "???"
Ordinary Group Admin: "???"
Most Evil Spirit: "???"
Stew Daigu: "???"
Unrivaled in the East: "???"
Richest Man: "What the heck? Nika? What's that supposed to be?"
Ordinary Group Admin: "So after all this shouting about rubber, it's actually Nika-Nika? Didn't the author design the Gum-Gum powers just for fun—how did it become Nika? Facepalm.jpg"
Ordinary Group Admin: "And here I thought Chopper's Human-Human Fruit was the only one. Turns out Luffy's got the 'flavored' version."
Ordinary Group Admin: "I used to naively think Zoro might beat Luffy someday. Guess I was deluding myself."
Roxie covered her face, mortified. She'd never expected Luffy's fruit to actually be a completely different type. Wasn't it always said there were no "bad" Devil Fruits—just users who didn't unlock their potential?
She'd always imagined Luffy would win by creatively using rubber powers.
She wondered if Enel on the moon would be mad about all this.
The chat group quickly devolved into a mess, everyone clamoring to question Whitebeard about the Nika Fruit.
Brandon just kept eating his python steak, munching on spicy rabbit head, occasionally checking the web for updates.
If it weren't for the Nika Fruit news that morning, he might not have bothered checking the internet at all.
He used to be glued to his phone like everyone else, but ever since awakening his powers and getting into the chat group, he'd lost all interest in novels, games, and anime.
Apart from making calls, he barely picked up his phone these days.
Brandon's routine became fairly straightforward: daily physical training, honing his Armament Haki, and, whenever the food ran out, venturing into the mountains to hunt for more ingredients.
The rest of his time went to experimenting with [Authority of Nature], developing even more creative abilities.
And what about his official duties with the Vantora City Spirit Bureau?
Well, he was a special case.
Unless it was something truly urgent or absolutely required his power, they basically left him alone.
He took a deep breath as he stepped out of the hot spring, wearing nothing but shorts. Water flowed off his muscles, highlighting the explosive strength beneath his pale skin.
If he could, he'd have chosen a bronze tan, but with his current physique, he could sunbathe forever and never get any darker.
With a casual wave, he brushed the water from his skin and instantly dried off.
Collapsing onto the sofa, Brandon flicked through TV channels, idly searching for something interesting. When his brow suddenly furrowed, he put down the remote.
"Beast tide strikes a northern village. Several ability users attempted to hold back the surge, but didn't last long. Multiple casualties reported during the defense."
"Authorities have sealed off the area and dispatched professionals to handle the crisis."
If that was all, Brandon might not have cared much. But what caught his eye was the news footage: Firewing was there, right in the thick of it.
Normally, a beast tide of mutant rats would be terrifying, but with modern tech still working, it shouldn't be unmanageable. If Firewing was involved, it should be resolved quickly—no need for a full military deployment.
So why were there so many soldiers on the scene?
"Maybe they're using the rat tide as a training scenario for the army's ability users—getting ready for a possible real beast tide with more dangerous mutants?"
Not impossible.
After all, top-tier talents like Firewing or Skyler Quinn were rare. They'd be the country's true trump cards, reserved for the most dangerous threats.
But who would deal with all the "regular" mutant beasts? That would fall to everyone else.
Even with a monster like Brandon in their ranks, they couldn't always rely on him.
Not that he'd want to be the go-to guy for every crisis, anyway.
If they annoyed him, who would take responsibility for the fallout?
In a way, Brandon was like a living nuclear deterrent—an ace in the hole you never want to use unless it's absolutely necessary.
Just because you have nukes doesn't mean you stop developing other weapons or defenses.
They knew that too.
Nukes are a last resort, and you don't use your last resort lightly.
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