Chapter 514: Devil Fruit Abilities
Imu was absolutely the strongest opponent Brett had faced since arriving in this world.
His strength far surpassed the limits of Admirals or Emperors.
Whether in raw power or Haki, he exceeded Brett. Even Brett's usually infallible Observation Haki had been countered.
With his current strength alone, Brett probably couldn't defeat him.
Weapons must be countered with weapons. People, of course, must be countered with people.
He had to become stronger.
But his body had already developed nearly to its limit, and his Haki was honed to its current peak. There wouldn't be any explosive progress in the short term.
So beyond body and Haki, the only thing left to focus on was his ability.
The replica Azure Dragon Fruit he'd obtained from Vegapunk possessed extraordinary power. Brett understood this better than anyone.
Aside from color differences from Kaido's version, this was a genuine Azure Dragon Fruit, an indisputable Zoan Mythical Beast type Devil Fruit.
But honestly, since Brett ate this fruit, despite all these years passing, there hadn't been much progress in terms of ability.
Zoan Devil Fruits weren't as versatile as Paramecia or Logia types. What you got when you ate it was what you'd have going forward. There basically wasn't any development to speak of.
In terms of ability usage, the biggest difference between Brett now and Brett when he first ate the fruit was simply experience.
There'd been no progress in the ability itself. The reason the ability became stronger was because he himself became stronger, so the Zoan ability that enhanced his body also became stronger.
But actually, Zoan Devil Fruit abilities could also enter entirely new territory.
That was awakening.
Not all Devil Fruits could awaken. Not all ability users could awaken.
Kaido had said that only when both body and mind could keep up with the ability would the phenomenon called awakening occur.
Brett figured by now he couldn't be considered weak by any measure, right? His body and mind should long ago have caught up with the ability he possessed, right?
Yet he still hadn't mastered awakening.
Brett could only make one guess. Could it be because his fruit was a replica, artificially created, so it didn't possess the ability to awaken?
Originally he hadn't cared much about this. After all, even without awakening, he couldn't find opponents in this world anymore.
That mindset lasted until Imu displayed his strength.
That was a monster even stronger than himself. To defeat him probably required relying on awakening.
So if he couldn't awaken now, that would be a huge problem.
As for this question, he could only consult the fruit's creator, Dr. Vegapunk.
"Awakening, huh?"
The old man blinked, then stroked his chin. "I've actually thought about this before."
"Awakening is quite a miraculous thing!"
"Devil Fruits are products of wishes!"
The doctor said, "Every fruit, long ago when the first person ate it, responded to that person's deepest desire, transforming into the ability they most hoped for!"
"Wait! Doctor!"
Tesoro had already moved closer, nearly dumbfounded. "This is the first time we're hearing about this!"
Even Joy Boy's message hadn't mentioned such things!
"Eh? Devil Fruits are such amazing things?" Ryokugyu had also drifted over at some point, eavesdropping nearby.
"That's truly remarkable technology!"
Vegapunk said solemnly, "Technology that can genuinely make people's dreams come true!"
He looked at Brett. "Every Devil Fruit is stained with the first consumer's imprint! But if later consumers are strong enough, they can break through this imprint!"
"After that, ability users can truly color their abilities with their own hue. This is Devil Fruit ability awakening!"
Brett nodded slightly.
So awakening was actually surpassing the shackles of predecessors and stepping into new territory?
Put that way, it became clear.
"But Doctor," Brett asked, "you still haven't answered my question."
Though he now knew the principle behind Devil Fruit awakening, could his ability actually awaken or not? Doctor, just give me a straight answer.
"Don't know."
Dr. Vegapunk spread his hands.
"Don't know?"
Brett raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I don't know."
Dr. Vegapunk shook his head. "I haven't made many artificial Devil Fruits to begin with. The people who ate them weren't strong enough to touch the awakening realm either. How would I know if they can awaken or not?"
"I see."
Brett nodded helplessly.
This was somewhat troublesome.
The question remained unanswered. Whether this possibility was feasible remained unknown.
A headache.
"Tsuru!"
Just then, surprised cheers erupted from behind.
Brett turned around, just in time to see Gion embrace the just-sitting-up Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Marine Headquarters' Chief Staff Officer's injuries had completely healed, though some confusion still lingered on her face.
However, after realizing Gion was holding her, she paused for a moment, then raised her hand and gently patted her back.
"Tsuru, I'm glad you're alright."
Vice Admiral Garp also came over cheerfully with greetings.
"Garp"
Vice Admiral Tsuru fell silent for a moment, then asked, "How is Headquarters?"
Vice Admiral Garp fell silent.
"I see."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded lightly. "Then Sengoku also-"
Vice Admiral Garp nodded gently.
Vice Admiral Tsuru took a deep breath.
In the first moment the bombardment came, she hadn't lost consciousness immediately.
She knew what had happened, and she knew Sengoku had protected her.
After quickly composing herself, the woman said, "Then explain in detail. What exactly happened at Mariejois?"
"Alright."
Garp nodded.
As they told the story over there, Tesoro nudged Brett with his elbow. "Marine Headquarters is done for?"
Brett nodded.
"Tsk."
Tesoro clicked his tongue. "Worthy of Imu indeed."
Then he winked at Brett.
Knowing he didn't need to say it, Brett would understand what he wanted to say.
Brett rolled his eyes.
This guy was thinking that even so, it was already worth it.
"Tesoro," Brett suddenly asked, "what exactly does awakening feel like?"
"Huh? What does it feel like?"
Tesoro stroked his chin. "Asking me so suddenly, I don't know how to answer for a moment."
"Probably like breaking through some kind of restriction. The ability becomes unprecedentedly responsive, I guess?"
Breaking through restrictions?
Brett pressed his lips together.
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