"Liam, what are you hiding?" Nami clenched her fist as she asked him with a polite smile. But behind that smile, he could feel the threatening tone.
Luffy also looked at him with confusion.
"Liam, Shanks told me that my devil fruit was Gomu-Gomu No Mi."
Liam stayed silent for a moment as they kept giving him a strong gaze. Eventually, Liam sighed and decided to admit defeat.
"Alright! Alright, I didn't want to reveal this now since it can't be used to its fullest potential right now but I believe Captain would be able to awaken it one day. That would be the day when the power of your devil fruit can be called the most ridiculous power in the world."
"Until then, it is still Gomu-Gomu No Mi. Wait, wait, I understand. I understand. Shanks went to your village to give that fruit to Ace. Now, it all makes sense. That must be it. Your roger's son. Of course, he would do that."
When Liam started talking in excitement, everyone got confused.
Ace looked at Liam and asked.
"What are you talking about? What does Shanks have anything to do with me?"
Liam looked at him and said.
"You don't know? Shanks was a crew member of Roger Pirate. In fact, I found that he was very young when Shanks was in that crew. I even heard the rumor Roger was like a father figure to Shanks."
"Obviously, he wanted you to become the next pirate king. So, he went to Government Ship, stole that fruit, and then went to your village. But, it seems like Luffy ate the fruit and so Shanks decided to bet on Luffy for becoming the next pirate king."
"That's why he gave you that hat. It was a hat that was first worn by Pirate King himself and then it was passed down to Shanks. It is very important to Shanks. That's why he wanted you to return this hat when you become a pirate king."
When Liam said that to Luffy, Luffy held his hand and started to giggle. Liam sighed a breath of relief when he saw that Luffy didn't mind any of his words and was happy that the hat was passed down from Roger.
"So, you are telling me that Shanks went to give that fruit to Ace but Luffy ended up eating it? But, does the devil's fruit really matters that much? First, that teach guy, and now Luffy? But, why only these two?" Nami asked.
Unlike others, she was a very curious person so she continued to ask.
"Well, I don't know much about Luffy's fruit. The only reason why I know about it is because of Shanks' incident. And, also I know its name because this fruit has been evading government for eight hundred years."
"Whatttttt?"
Everyone jumped up in surprise.
"How is that even possible? How can a fruit evade on its own?" Nami asked once again.
"Well, it's because Luffy's fruit is not Paramecia. It's Mythical Zoan, Hito-Hito No Mi- Model Sun God Nika. I heard that Sun God 'Nika' existed eight hundred years ago. And, he was called Sun God because he was the freest person in the world."
When Liam said that, Luffy's eyes widened.
"I thought Pirate King was the freest man."
Liam put his hand on the chin and said.
"Basically, Pirate King is Sun God without your devil fruit's power. Sigh! Don't ask me too much about this. I have no idea how this works. That's why I want you to get Robin on our ship. She is the only one who can uncover the mysteries of Void Century."
Hearing that, Ace asked.
"So, what about Teach's devil fruit? Why do you compare it with Luffy?"
Liam turned to him and said.
"Actually, this is just a theory that I came to right now. Yami-Yami No Mi also known as Dark-Dark Devil Fruit has the power of darkness. It is opposite to Sun itself."
"But then, it also has one of the most broke abilities. It can negate any other kinds of devil fruit."
"What?"
The whole crew shouted in shock even including Ace. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. If this was the case, then his devil fruit would be useless.
"Yes, not only he can negate others' powers. If you attack him with your devil, he can't evade it like normal logia and the pain from your attack would be even greater than normal but if he manages to bear that pain, his physical powers would increase and your ability would stop."
"Of course, it doesn't completely negate the devil fruit ability. It just negates your certain skill. For example, if you use Fire Fist once on him, then you can't use it again. But, you can use another type of power."
"That's why I suggest you not fight him. He will kill you."
Hearing his words, Ace's expression turned serious. But, after a while, he calmed down and said.
"Although what you said makes sense, I still have a way to defeat him. I didn't become the second commander of Whitebeard Ship without skills."
Liam heavily sighed.
'Alright! One last try.'
"Since you are so fixated, let me warn you once again. You must have seen the scar on Shanks' eyes, right? There is nothing to hide. Blackbeard was the one who gave Shank that scar and it wasn't because Shank was careless."
"That's the last piece of advice I can give you. Since you are also D, you are not less stubborn than our captain. So, I don't think I would be able to stop you from chasing him."
Hearing that, Ace shook his head and smiled.
"You are right. Whether he is strong or not, I must bring him back. He has broken the most important code of a pirate ship. But I am surprised that you know so much about things. Why did you leave your previous job?"
"Haaa! I might not have dreams like my crewmates but I am an adventure-seeking person. Circumstances led me to leave that job and after that, I couldn't contain myself from going to the adventure so I joined the safest route." Liam said.
"Hehehe!"
When he said that, everyone started laughing especially the boys.
"Hey, why are you laughing?"
Liam couldn't help but blush upon hearing their laughter. He shouted at them but they just kept laughing until Ace also joined.
Eventually, the laughter turned into a party. Bears were brought as they started celebrating Ace joining the group.
Unfortunately, it was only fake.
After that long celebration, Liam walked into the cabin. Inside the cabin, there was only one person. That person was none other than Valentine. When Liam came in, he walked closer to her and said.
"You heard a lot of things today. Just keep in mind that Captain still hasn't agreed to let you join."
After saying that, Liam walked out. Valentine indeed heard everything and she was truly shocked. She didn't expect Ace to be the pirate king's son. And, Luffy to have the power of such devil fruit.
She heavily sighed.
"Why does he have to threaten me? It's not like I have anyone to tell this."
"He was only threatening you because he doesn't want to hurt you." Nami's voice rang from the door.
Valentine turned her head and saw her.
"What do you mean?"
"Liam isn't Luffy or others. He isn't dumb like them to make such a mistake. The only reason why he revealed it without hesitation was that he trust you."
"But, he is still worried. After all, who wouldn't? The fruit that has been evading the government is now in the hands of someone who wears the hat of the previous pirate king and also wants to become a new pirate king."
"Of course, the government wouldn't let him live if they find that. That's why he is worried. Because if you tell this to anyone, not only he would blame himself but he would end up killing you in guilt." Nami said as she walked closer to Valentine.
Valentine looked at her and asked.
"Do you think I would betray your crew?"
"I don't know. I was just reminding you that he is different. He trusts his crew like Luffy but he is also ruthless like Zoro. He also places women before men like Sanji but he is also smart like Usopp."
"So, if you end up betraying a person like that, who knows what he would end up doing? Anyway, I don't think you would betray us. After all, what would you end up getting if you do betray us?" Nami said as she turned around.
As she started walking, Valentine suddenly said.
"You don't have to worry. I have the intention of getting myself involved with this."
Nami suddenly stopped. She turned around and a smile appeared on her lips.
"You know if you want to join our crew, just don't leave."
Saying so, she turned back and started walking. When she reached the door, Valentine suddenly asked.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
Hearing that, Nami smiled and said.
"As I said, just don't think of leaving. Just stay!"
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