Chapter 249: The Nika Fruit Is About to Awaken!
"All pirates are evil!"
"Those who kill, burn, loot, destroy nations, and bully the weak are pirates!"
"I won't do that!"
"Then you're not a pirate, you're an adventurer, Luffy!"
"No, I'm a pirate!"
The Straw Hat Pirates rarely had serious arguments,
but Luffy was strangely stubborn about this one.
His crew respected their captain's dream and said nothing more,
but they couldn't help feeling confused.
Because when it came down to it,
Luffy's dream wasn't truly about becoming Pirate King.
It was about finding the greatest treasure on the seas,
and becoming the freest man in the world.
Nami didn't understand.
It was like her dream of mapping the entire world—
then someone suddenly showed up and said,
"What you're drawing isn't a sea chart, it's a world map.
You're not the queen of navigation, you're the queen of world mapping."
So what?
Making maps was her dream.
Whether it was called a world map, a galaxy chart, or a cosmic atlas didn't matter.
The name wouldn't change the dream.
Zoro didn't get it either.
His goal was to become the strongest swordsman.
Even if someone changed the title to "Sword God" or "Ghost Swordsman,"
he wouldn't care.
What mattered was the journey toward the dream.
But ever since the Adventurer Declaration,
Luffy had given off a strange feeling.
Like…
He was shackled by the title of Pirate King,
unable to escape it.
"Nami, how long has it been since you last made a map?"
Sanji, usually lovestruck around Nami, asked seriously for once.
Nami paused. "My maps… I've been too busy lately, so it's been… two weeks."
She didn't know why Sanji was asking,
but then she noticed something strange.
Back in the day, no matter where the ship went,
she would always chart the surrounding waters and keep the maps close.
But now,
she hadn't drawn anything in two weeks.
That never used to happen.
What was going on?
Was it the Reincarnation Game?
Was she too tired to follow her dream?
Seeing her expression,
Sanji didn't explain further.
He glanced at Zoro, who sat nearby, drinking heavily—
but his sharp eyes showed he was thinking deeply.
Then Sanji turned to leave.
"We're leaving Syrup Village tomorrow. I need to collect some spice seeds.
Usopp, can you show me around?"
"Of course! There's no corner of this island that the great Captain Usopp doesn't know!"
Usopp was thrilled.
His dream was to become a brave warrior of the sea.
So sailing with kindred spirits was all he'd ever wanted.
And now,
he could feel something different in these people.
They weren't like other pirates.
They really did feel more like… adventurers.
"Master, the Rubber Fruit you asked me to watch is about to awaken."
In the Game Shop, Afu's soft voice suddenly spoke up.
Fang Yi raised his palm and swept across the counter,
revealing an image of the Straw Hats just leaving Syrup Village.
Normally they'd be cheerful and lively,
but now the atmosphere seemed off.
Other than Usopp, who hadn't fully caught up,
everyone had something on their mind.
Seeing this, Fang Yi smiled.
"No wonder.
It's Shanks' Adventurer Declaration—it made the Straw Hat crew notice something."
Afu tilted her head. "Something strange?"
Fang Yi nodded.
"Because of the Reincarnation Game, Luffy has gotten stronger.
The Rubber Fruit within him—housing the will of Nika—has begun interfering with those around him."
"The Rubber Fruit carries the will of the Warrior of Liberation,
the Free Spirit born from that great war 800 years ago."
"The terrifying part is that even after so many years,
giants, the Buccaneer Clan, and others still believe in that will—
still pray for its return."
"That vast will… influences those nearby,
spreading its so-called 'Will of Freedom.'"
"Before the fruit was awakened,
Nika's will slept, so the effect was minimal."
"But now, thanks to the Game's interference,
the will inside the fruit is starting to awaken on its own."
Fang Yi hadn't expected the world's consciousness to be so impatient.
It was inevitable.
In the original story,
Zoro, Nami, Chopper, Sanji, Franky, and Usopp all had personal dreams—
to find the All Blue, draw the world's map, create a cure-all medicine...
But over time,
they began to forget.
All of them were subtly influenced by the Nika Fruit,
and gradually made "protecting Luffy and helping him become Pirate King" their only mission.
Even Luffy forgot why he had set out to sea in the first place.
But now,
Shanks' shocking declaration had shaken things up,
letting the Straw Hats subconsciously feel something was wrong.
Still—
Without external help,
even if they noticed the problem, they couldn't change it.
Because the Will of Liberation, feared even by the World Government,
was far too powerful.
Afu hesitated. "So… Luffy is like a Prison Beast?"
"Not quite."
Fang Yi shook his head.
"All Zoan Fruits contain a will.
But only when that will devours the host—when awakening fails—does one become a mindless monster."
"An empty creature that knows only killing."
"But Nika's will doesn't control directly.
It subtly guides."
Devil Fruits were born from human desires and beliefs.
Among them, the strongest belonged to the Warrior of Liberation—
the Sun God, called forth across generations.
Its essence was immense.
Still,
Fang Yi didn't have high hopes.
To claim that essence, Luffy would need to willingly trade in the Nika Fruit.
But with Luffy's mental strength,
the moment he even thought about that, he'd fall under Nika's control.
To resist a will summoned by millions over centuries?
Impossible. Not even worth considering.
Afu munched on her meat bun and looked at Luffy on the screen.
"He looks so normal… Poor guy. Are we just going to watch this happen to him?"
"That depends on whether he can muster the will to break free."
"Even if only for a moment,
if he can push past his limits—
he can be saved."
"Fate is in his hands."
As they spoke,
the Merry had just left the harbor—
When a massive shadow blocked its path.
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