Ace nodded repeatedly as he excitedly said.
"Yes, yes, that's right! There's no way my efforts could be in vain!"
"Ron, I understand!" Ace was the first to raise both hands in agreement, his face brimming with a determined and confident smile.
Though the others were still pondering, after seeing Ace's reaction, they all nodded in agreement one after another.
After all, on these vast seas, Ron's words always carried immense weight.
Listening to Ron was always the right choice!
Whitebeard also revealed a satisfied smile.
He slowly rose from his seat, exuding an overwhelmingly powerful aura that made everyone present feel an intangible pressure.
"Gurararara, the kid is right!" The elder's voice boomed with strength, filled with approval and support for the younger generation.
Then, he turned to his sons, his eyes filled with guidance.
"Though the Haki Fruit can elevate you to the peak in one step, granting power beyond ordinary people, without the corresponding effort and training, you'll still be as fragile as paper."
He continued, "Only by constantly challenging yourselves, through relentless effort and mastering various skills, can you truly become strong!"
After saying this, Whitebeard turned back to Ron and asked with a faint smile,
"Ron, what do you think of what I just said?"
"Hahaha, Captain, you're absolutely right!"
"Gurararara, Ron, don't just keep painting them pretty pictures. Tell us what's needed to create the Haki Fruit, or if there are any other limitations?"
Whitebeard knew that such a heaven-defying fruit must be different from the previous ones—perhaps even exorbitantly expensive!
Hearing Whitebeard words, the others also tensed up.
Right, such an overpower technique must come with high restrictions!
Everyone turned their gazes to Ron, eagerly awaiting his answer.
"Well, there are indeed some limitations, and the cost isn't small either," Ron said to the group, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness and earnestness.
"First, the prerequisite for replacing a Haki Fruit is that you must already possess the Haki you wish to replace.
For example, if you want to replace top-tier Armament Haki, you must already have Armament Haki.
This means that if you lack a specific type of Haki, you can't obtain it."
"Second, regarding the cost of the Haki Fruit, one requires ten billion Belly, plus a single drop of the target's blood."
Upon hearing this news, everyone present silently marveled in their hearts:
"As expected!"
They realized that while there were indeed certain restrictions, from another perspective, these limitations were almost negligible.
After all, for most people, accumulating wealth to achieve their goals was far easier than training themselves.
Soon, the crowd was filled with excitement and enthusiasm.
Despite the need for substantial financial investment, they believed that as long as they persistently saved money, they would eventually succeed.
In contrast, relying solely on personal effort to master top-tier Armament Haki was nearly an impossible task.
Therefore, such restrictions served more as motivation rather than obstacles for them.
"Hahaha," someone laughed loudly, "This so-called 'restriction' is practically meaningless! You know, Armament Haki is an incredibly easy skill to learn—anyone with hands can train it!"
"Exactly!" another chimed in. "The real shame is that most of us don't have Conqueror's Haki. Otherwise, we'll look damn overpower!"
Someone nearby immediately added, "Imagine just glaring at your enemies and watching them all collapse! Hahaha, that'd be amazing!"
"Still talking about Conqueror's Haki? Don't kid yourself. That level of Haki can only be possessed by those with the qualities of a king. So tell me, what kind of king do you want to be?"
"...Pirate King... no, Bitch King?"
"Get lost!"
This remark instantly drew roars of laughter from the crowd.
The entire group was electrified with excitement, and even Jozu and Marco were utterly stunned.
For Jozu, in particular, this moment held extraordinary significance!
He stared at his hands as if he could already feel an unparalleled power surging within him.
"If I can master top-tier Armament Haki and combine it with my diamond-hard body, I can't even imagine how tough I'd become!"
Jozu muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with boundless anticipation for the future.
He seemed to envision himself wielding supreme Armament Haki, standing before the gates of Navy Headquarters, facing tens of thousands of cannons, defiantly tilting his nose up against the biting wind, while those countless cannons relentlessly bombarded his body—yet failing to even scratch his defense!
The mere thought of it made Jozu tremble with excitement!
"Hahaha, if this is real, then I will be the toughest man in the world!"
Jozu chuckled foolishly, but then his expression immediately darkened, his whole demeanor visibly deflating, because behind this grand ambition, he saw a man mining day and night.
"Tch!"
"So what if I have to mine to become the toughest man in the world?!"
"I'll do it!"
Marco shook his head slightly, lost in thought.
If he truly had ten billion Belly right in front of him, he wouldn't even consider improving his Haki.
Instead, he would unhesitatingly use the money for Enchanted Magma-Magma Fruit!
That had always been his dream.
According to his plan, he would first spend six billion Belly on a magma Enchanted fruit.
Not only would this drastically enhance his abilities, but it might even alter the nature of his phoenix flames!
After completing this Enchantment, he'd still have four billion Belly left—enough to accumulate funds for his next goal.
In his view, this was the most reasonable and effective way to utilize funds.
Thinking this, Marco turned his head to glance at Jozu, who was lost in his own excitement, and couldn't help but shake his head again.
Jozu was absolutely getting carried away!
He still hadn't repaid the money he owed Izo, and now he was probably thinking about upgrading his Haki.
He'd be stuck mining for ages.
The others were equally full of ambition, but when they reached into their pockets, they immediately began to wail in despair.
"Life's so damn unfair—why am I broke?!" a burly man cried, pounding his chest, his eyes filled with frustration and resentment.
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