Ace closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze had regained its clarity: "I understand, Big Brother. Thank you."
On the other end of the Transponder Snail,
Ron's voice remained calm and casual, as if discussing the most ordinary of matters: "Oh, right, I still have ten strands of the 'Bone Spirit Coldfire's' Extreme Heat Flame. They're just sitting here with me, so come get them whenever you have time. They're all yours."
Ace was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard: "Extreme Heat Flame? Ten strands? Big Brother, that's too precious, I..."
"Precious for what?" Ron interrupted him.
Then, his tone was unequivocally decisive, "These things are useless to me.
But you're different—you possess the Mera Mera no Mi. If you can fully fuse these Extreme Heat Flames, perhaps... you might be able to touch upon deeper powers of the Fruit, or even trigger its Awakening."
Ace gripped the Transponder Snail's receiver, his knuckles turning white, his throat feeling choked, unable to speak for a moment.
Such precious resources, and Big Brother just gave them all to him so casually...
"Big Brother... thank you," he finally said in a low voice, an unmistakable tremor in his tone.
"What's there to thank?" Ron's voice suddenly grew a bit more serious, yet also carried a hint of gentleness, "You are my brother, Sabo is too, and Luffy is too. Between us brothers, there's no need for such words."
Just then,
The expression mimicked by the Transponder Snail paused slightly. Ron seemed to let out a soft laugh on the other end, his tone relaxing again: "Besides, seeing you all grow stronger makes me, your Big Brother, happy. Don't overthink it."
Ace was already speechless.
He lowered his head, tears uncontrollably welling up, falling onto the deck one by one, leaving dark stains.
He bit his lip, unwilling to make any sobbing sounds, but the surging emotions were impossible to suppress.
From childhood to adulthood, Big Brother Ron had always been like this, supporting him unreservedly, guiding him, giving him the best of everything.
Even when he caused the biggest trouble, Big Brother never truly blamed him, only silently cleaned up the mess and continued to give him strength.
He raised his arm and vigorously wiped his red-rimmed eyes, but new tears quickly blurred his vision again.
He simply stopped wiping, allowing himself to vent his pent-up emotions in this silent flood of tears.
This kindness, he would never forget in this lifetime!
He swore in his heart that one day, he would use everything he had—including his life—to repay Big Brother's trust and care.
A moment later, their conversation ended.
The Transponder Snail *baii*-ed and closed its eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
Ace slowly stood up and took a deep breath. The sea breeze blew against his face, caressing his wet cheeks, bringing a touch of coolness and dispelling the last trace of confusion in his heart.
He looked at the distant, undulating sea horizon, his eyes now clear and resolute, a decision already made.
...
The next day,
The deck of the Moby Dick was bathed in bright sunshine, the sea breeze gently caressing it, but the tranquility was suddenly broken by a thunderous exclamation.
"What did you say—!?"
Whitebeard Edward Newgate, who had been lazily reclining in his giant chair, suddenly sat bolt upright. His eyes, which overlooked the seas, snapped wide open, fixed intently on Ace standing before him.
"Dual Devil Fruit Physique?! How is that possible... Does such an illogical thing truly exist in this world!?"
His booming voice carried an unbelievable tremor, as if he had heard the most incredible thing.
Marco, beside him, almost spat out his drink. He wiped the corner of his mouth and quickly approached: "Wait, Ace, say that again? Dual Devil Fruit? You mean what I think it means?"
Jozu's massive body also turned, his heavy diamond arm subconsciously clenching: "That's truly astonishing. It's common knowledge that a person can only eat one Devil Fruit; a second one will absolutely cause them to explode."
Vista's mustache twitched, his hands already on his twin swords: "This is truly... unheard of!"
Ace stood in the center of everyone, feeling their shocked, puzzled, and even horrified gazes. He took a deep breath and nodded firmly: "It's true! This physique truly exists, and I... have obtained it."
He paused, meeting their still-disbelieving eyes, and added: "It's all thanks to my Sign-In System, as you all know."
This sentence was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of everyone's memories.
"The Sign-In System... Is that the system you use every day without fail, but it always churns out all sorts of weird stuff?"
Marco couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a hint of teasing in his tone, "Didn't it sign out a wooden stool last time? And the time before that, a Seastone chain—you almost locked yourself to the deck and forgot the key?"
Jozu grumbled, "And the time before that, a pile of roasted chicken legs, which it called a 'consolation prize'."
Vista smiled and shook his head: "Your system has been famous for more than a day or two, Ace. Tables, chairs, benches, and even a sleeping cap once... right?"
Ace awkwardly scratched his hair, his cheeks flushing slightly: "Ahem... Yes, it has produced quite a few... useless things."
"But this time is different! This time, my luck has turned around! The Sign-In reward is directly heaven-defying!"
"Heaven-defying?" Whitebeard's deep voice sounded again. His gaze was like a torch as he slowly repeated the word, then let out a hearty laugh, "Gurarararara... Boy, this is more than just heaven-defying!"
He stopped laughing, his massive body leaning slightly forward. The oppressive aura of the World's Strongest Man instantly enveloped the entire scene.
"This is a miracle capable of shaking the very foundations of this world's rules."
The deck fell into a momentary silence, with only the soft rustle of the sea breeze against the sails and rigging, and the heavy breathing of everyone, which had not yet subsided.
Ace met their still-shocked gazes and took a step forward. His voice was clear and firm, like the ringing of a bell of destiny:
"This physique—I've decided to give it to Pops!"
His gaze burned as he looked at Whitebeard sitting in the giant chair, his tone growing more impassioned: "As long as Pops has the Dual Devil Fruit Physique, he can eat another Devil Fruit!"
Ace spoke of his vision: "If he chooses a Zoan type, especially a Mythical Zoan... with its far-beyond-normal recovery and life enhancement, it will definitely be able to completely improve his physical condition!
Those persistent old injuries, the vitality that has been declining year by year... all of them will be reversed!"
He grew more and more excited as he spoke, his fists unconsciously clenching, as if he could already see that scene: "By then, Pops' body... will definitely return to its peak!"
....
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