Chapter 118: 118. Fruit Of Time, Changing Future
"What do you mean? We just met for the first time."
Zoro frowned and asked.
"Yes, even though I've read a lot about you in the newspaper, this is indeed our first meeting," Nekomamushi replied, calmly exhaling smoke from his pipe.
"However, Inuarashi and I have been waiting for someone for eighteen years. After getting in touch, we've almost confirmed it's you. The person we've been waiting for is you, Straw Hat Boy."
After Nekomamushi's words, the room fell silent, and the sound of burning tobacco could be heard clearly. Duke Inuarashi stood aside, lowering his head slightly, his gaze deep and distant.
"Hey, wait, Luffy, aren't you around eighteen?" Nami asked, covering her head.
"Probably seventeen, close to eighteen," Luffy responded with a carefree smile.
"So young," Inuarashi and Cat Viper said in shock. They knew Luffy was young but didn't expect him to be this young.
A seventeen-year-old boy had become a New World emperor, recognized as the most likely to become the next Pirate King after Gol D. Roger.
"You should realize the issue here," Nami said, pulling Luffy's face. "Our captain is only seventeen. Eighteen years ago, he wasn't even born yet. Why do you think he's the one you've been waiting for?"
"It's not impossible," Marco said, frowning. "You have a strong connection with Fish-Man Island. You must know Madam Shyarly."
"The fortune teller from the Mermaid Café?" Nami asked. "She's a big and beautiful mermaid, right?"
"That's her. Madam Shyarly is the most powerful fortune teller in the world. Her predictions are always accurate. Through her fortune-telling, she can see distant future events," Marco explained solemnly. "She predicted the deaths of our father and Ace, but Ace didn't die."
"I remember Madam Shyarly mentioning this," Nami recalled. "She said the future isn't unchangeable; she saw the possibility of change. The outcome of the Summit War was altered."
"She also said Luffy is someone who can change the future, destiny, and the world. That's why he changed the established outcome of the Summit War," Nami recalled carefully. She remembered Madam Shyarly's inexplicable transformation when talking about this, like a nightmare suddenly dissipating.
"So that explains it. Apart from the Summit War, Madam Shyarly's divinations are absolute," Marco thought aloud. According to her, both their father and Ace were destined for grim fates, only changed by the intervention of the Straw Hat Boy. He saved Ace, and their father died peacefully on the Moby Dick, surrounded by family.
The Straw Hat Boy is indeed full of miracles.
"We didn't see the future ourselves, but eighteen years ago, someone told us that after eighteen years, a person who could change the world would come to Zou," Nekomamushi explained. "And at that time, the entire Mink Tribe must support him and help him find the final great treasure."
"Inuarashi and I weren't sure before, but since meeting you, we are certain. If there's anyone who can change the world, it's you, Straw Hat Boy," Nekomamushi continued. "You have immense strength, almost limitless potential, and the ability to communicate with Zunesha. We are sure it's you."
"I think I know who this person is," Marco said thoughtfully.
"Who? Can they see the future like Madam Shyarly?" Nami and the others asked curiously.
"She didn't predict the future but experienced the real future," Marco said, though he struggled to explain it.
At this time, Inuarashi stood up and said, "Come with me. When we arrive at the Whale Forest, the old cat and I will explain some things in detail. You won't believe it until you see it for yourself."
"It just so happens that the Road Poneglyph you need is also in the Whale Forest," Cat Viper added with a smile, his pipe in his mouth.
"What is it? It sounds so mysterious," Nami said, unable to contain her curiosity.
"I'm a little curious too. This sounds interesting!" Luffy said excitedly. The more mysterious Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were, the more interested Luffy became.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi began walking towards the lush forest surrounding the Mink Tribe's kingdom. The Whale Forest was in the middle of this dense forest, and the distance wasn't too far.
When Luffy and the others arrived at a massive tree shaped like a whale, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi led them to a red Road Poneglyph. In front of this ancient stone was a strange Devil Fruit, flickering as if it might vanish at any moment.
"Is this a Devil Fruit?" Sanji asked, a bit uncertain.
It wasn't just the fruit's mysterious appearance that puzzled him. Normally, Devil Fruits look unusual but don't exhibit any special qualities externally. This one was clearly different.
"Yes, this is the legendary Toki Toki no Mi, the Time-Time Fruit. Eating it allows one to become a time traveller," Inuarashi explained.
"A Time-Time Fruit? How is that possible?" Nami asked, finding it hard to believe. Though Devil Fruits possess many mysterious powers, the concept of time travel seemed too far-fetched.
"Marco can vouch for this," Inuarashi said.
Marco nodded. "About thirty years ago, when Oden first joined our pirate crew, he saved a woman who claimed to have come from eight hundred years in the past. Her name was Toki, and she had eaten the Time-Time Fruit. To reach Wano, she travelled through time repeatedly, eventually arriving in the future."
"Yes, it was Lady Toki who left the prophecy about the future," Cat Viper added.
"After she left her message for the future, she succumbed to her injuries, and her body transformed into this Time-Time Fruit," Inuarashi and Cat Viper recalled, their expressions sad as they remembered the events of eighteen years ago.
They recalled Lady Toki, covered in blood, seriously injured, but with a firm gaze. "The future has been altered. The changes I foresaw were supposed to occur twenty years later, but a mysterious force has tampered with it," she had said. "Momonosuke and Kin'emon might have been lost in the future's time-space, or they might arrive at the appointed time, but then it will be too late."
"Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, you must remember: eighteen years from now, the true change will come. The person who will change the world will set foot on Zou. When that happens, assist him with all your strength and help him bring about the greatest change."
"After I die, the Time-Time Fruit will remain here. Its power is immense but also filled with uncertainties. You must tell them it should only be used as a last resort. Do not eat this fruit unless absolutely necessary."
"This Time-Time Fruit has no effect on the present, only on the future. Guard it well; it may be the last safeguard."
"We must wait for that person to appear. They will bring true liberation to this world. The unfulfilled ideals of 800 years ago will shine in this era."
There was an unwavering determination in Toki's eyes. She seemed to have seen the distant future, the dawn that so many in this world had awaited for eight centuries.
"This is what Lady Toki said at the end," Inuarashi and Nekomamushi recalled, their eyes filled with tears.
They remembered being rescued twice by Oden, once when they first arrived in Wano and once at the end when Oden was executed. They had failed to protect Lady Toki. After she sent Momonosuke to the future, they fled back to Zou. A few days later, Toki, travelling through time, arrived in Zou and shared her final prophecy.
"We will entrust the Road Poneglyph rubbing and this Time-Time Fruit to you, along with the support of the hundreds of thousands of warriors in our Mink Tribe."
"So, Straw Hat Boy, bring great changes to this era," Nekomamushi said, picking up the Time-Time Fruit and holding it out to Luffy.
No one spoke. Perhaps it was the shock of Toki's time-travelling ability, or they didn't want to influence Luffy's decision.
Luffy looked at Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, then at the Time-Time Fruit in Nekomamushi's hand. If he nodded now, he could gain the support of hundreds of thousands of Mink Tribe fighters and the most mysterious and precious fruit in the sea. He could use this power to fight the entire World Government and possibly become the true king of the world.
But.
"I refuse," Luffy said, crossing his arms over his chest with a carefree smile.
"Eh?" Everyone was taken aback by Luffy's sharp refusal.
"I don't know what change is, and I don't know how to change the world. I'm not Roger. I'm just Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Boy. I want to become the Pirate King," Luffy declared. "I want to be the freest person in this sea, that's all. I won't be bound by these things."
Luffy's smile remained as bright as ever.
"That's something only you would do," Zoro said, shaking his head as if he had expected it.
"As expected of Brother Luffy, always making such unexpected choices," Jinbei laughed.
"Did you really refuse? Do you understand the power of the Mink Tribe?" Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were stunned by Luffy's refusal. "There are hundreds of thousands of Minks, each a natural-born warrior."
"Our physical strength, ability to release static electricity, and comprehensive combat skills make us second only to the giants of Elbaf. No other country can match our military might," Inuarashi added.
He wasn't bragging. The Mink Tribe was powerful, with every member trained for battle. Even the largest countries in the world couldn't compare to their individual strength and collective power.
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