Kouzuki Oden shouted excitedly, nodding repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. As the saying goes, a man doesn't easily shed tears. Kouzuki Oden crying in front of so many people showed how overwhelmed he was.
Whitebeard turned his gaze to Roger, saying with a displeased snort, "Roger, I can let Oden join your ship, but if he loses a single hair, I won't let you off easy."
"Hahaha."
Roger laughed, saying, "I'm the one asking for his help. How could I mistreat him? Whitebeard, you can rest assured. Even if I die, I won't let him get hurt."
Whitebeard snorted. Roger offered the Kira Kira no Mi again, saying, "Please accept this."
Whitebeard said coldly, "Roger, I'm letting Oden join your ship, not for this broken fruit. What do you mean by this?"
Roger smiled brightly, saying, "Whitebeard, you misunderstand. I didn't mean that. This fruit is simply an apology to the little one."
Whitebeard's expression softened. He said to Akira Stone, "Little Akira, this is what you deserve. Don't be polite with him. Accept it."
Akira Stone didn't want to accept it, but after seeing Whitebeard's approval, he took it from Roger, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Roger."
Roger knew he didn't have long to live, so he was eager to find the treasure. After getting Whitebeard's permission, he hurriedly left with his crew.
The Whitebeard Pirates didn't seem too upset about Kouzuki Oden's departure, because they understood the situation.
Though Kouzuki Oden had left, the Whitebeard Pirates continued to live on the sea as before, not changing because of the loss of one person.
"Little Akira, why haven't you eaten your Devil Fruit yet?"
It had been three days since Akira Stone received the Kira Kira no Mi, but he hadn't eaten it. Whitebeard was curious and asked him.
Akira Stone scratched his head, saying, "I haven't decided if I want to eat it."
The Whitebeard Pirates were surprised. Thatch asked, puzzled, "Haven't decided? What are you hesitating about, Little Akira? I've heard the Diamond Fruit is a good one. It can turn your body into diamond, making you strong in both defense and offense. It's a rare fruit. Why are you hesitating?"
"Yeah, Little Akira, eat it quickly. If you eat it, Marco won't be able to bully you anymore," Jozu laughed heartily.
Laughing, Jozu saw Akira Stone staring at him strangely. He uneasily shifted his body, asking, "Little Akira, why are you looking at me?"
Akira Stone suddenly asked, "Jozu, do you think it's good?"
Jozu nodded, saying, "Of course. It's the Kira Kira no Mi. Its ability can enhance…"
"Then I'll give it to you."
Before Jozu could finish, Akira Stone suddenly threw the Kira Kira no Mi at him, startling him into catching it clumsily. He exclaimed, "Little Akira, what are you saying?" Shocked, his tone changed.
Akira Stone shrugged. He had been conflicted while holding the Kira Kira no Mi. From the One Piece anime, the Kira Kira no Mi was indeed powerful, withstanding attacks from Mihawk unharmed. It was a rare, good fruit.
But the ability wasn't what Akira Stone wanted. Compared to Logia or other Paramecia fruits, the Kira Kira no Mi had more defense than offense. Moreover, the fruit originally belonged to Jozu. If he ate it, would there still be a third division commander Diamond Jozu?
Akira Stone was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, so he had to consider the crew. More importantly, he knew of some good Devil Fruits. If he wanted to eat a Devil Fruit, there would be other opportunities. Why fixate on the Kira Kira no Mi?
Also, Akira Stone had the Zanpakutō now. Devil Fruits weren't as important to him.
So, the moment he threw the Kira Kira no Mi, Akira Stone felt relaxed, his mood improving, sweeping away the past few days of worry.
"I'm giving this Kira Kira no Mi to you, Jozu," Akira Stone said with a light expression.
But while he was relaxed, Jozu was startled, hurrying to return the Kira Kira no Mi to Akira Stone. "No, no. This is yours. I can't take it. No, absolutely not."
Akira Stone didn't accept it, saying impatiently, "Just take it. It's just a Devil Fruit. What's the big deal?"
His words left the Whitebeard Pirates speechless. It was a Devil Fruit, and a good one. If sold, it would be worth hundreds of millions of Berries. It represented the birth of a powerful fighter.
Are you just giving it away? The Whitebeard Pirates wondered.
Because Akira Stone was giving it to Jozu, the others didn't want to interfere. Jozu could only say, "Little Akira, you should use the Kira Kira no Mi yourself. If you eat it, you'll have self-defense."
Akira Stone shook his head, saying, "I have you and Pops to protect me. I'm safe. If I need power, I can train slowly. Also, if I eat a Devil Fruit, I'll become a hammer. I'm not ready. Besides, have you forgotten what I said before? If I eat a Devil Fruit, I want a powerful Logia or a Paramecia like Pops, at least not worse than Mangy Bird's Phoenix Fruit. This Kira Kira no Mi doesn't meet my requirements."
Hearing Akira Stone make the rare Kira Kira no Mi sound so bad, Jozu was helpless. Were Logia Devil Fruits so easy to get?
However, Jozu understood Akira Stone's intention. He was making the Diamond Fruit sound bad so he wouldn't feel burdened. Jozu was touched, but that was why he couldn't accept it. He thought Akira Stone, the youngest member of the Whitebeard Pirates, needed the Devil Fruit ability the most.
Jozu continued to persuade, "Little Akira, you might not understand its value. Let me tell you…"
"Hey, Jozu, I thought you were a man. Why are you being so wishy-washy? Are you taking it or not? If not, I'll give it to someone else or just throw it away."
Akira Stone's head was buzzing from Jozu's words, so he shouted loudly.
Jozu was speechless. He could only look at Whitebeard for help.
Whitebeard was also surprised by Akira Stone's decision. He carefully stared into Akira Stone's eyes, seeing what he wanted to see.
Whitebeard said to Jozu, "Since Little Akira gave it to you, accept it."
"Huh?"
Jozu was stunned. He wanted Whitebeard to persuade Akira Stone to take the Kira Kira no Mi back, but Whitebeard told him to accept it. The contrast was too great.
"What 'huh'? Jozu, Pops told you to accept it. You're lucky. You got a good Devil Fruit for free."
"Yeah, Jozu, accept it. Little Akira doesn't want it. Are you looking down on it?"
"If you don't want it, you can give it to me. I don't mind, hehe."
"I think I'm a better candidate. Why didn't Little Akira give it to me? Don't I play with him?"
"I think so…"
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