Picking up where we left off, Bai Yun continued to deceive... no! He was explaining to Garp why he had fallen from the sky.
"When I was young, I ate a certain fruit by chance. I managed to escape under the protection of my older brothers, but after a battle, I flew in the air for half a day until my stamina gave out, causing me to fall. Thankfully, I encountered you, Vice Admiral Garp."
"I have internal injuries. And the blood you saw at the corner of my mouth when I fell? That is the evidence of my battle."
"I truly didn't want to deceive you, Vice Admiral Garp. I have nowhere else to go. I've lost my... all of my comrades..."
"I just thought maybe I could pretend to be foolish and stay here for the time being, so that's why I misled you. I truly meant no harm!"
Bai Yun wiped away a tear, looking utterly sincere. He had just mentally reviewed every sad event from his eighteen years of life.
He never imagined that the blood he coughed up when he drew the 'sickly constitution' ability would actually come in handy. Life truly is full of unpredictable twists and turns.
After hearing this, Garp's expression softened, and the oppressive aura he had directed at Bai Yun completely withdrew.
"Is that how it is?"
"What kind of fruit did you eat, kid? You can fly?"
"It's... the Paramecia-type Copy-Copy Fruit."
After hesitating briefly, Bai Yun decided to tell the truth. Since fate had brought him together with Garp and his grandson, he figured he would be staying here for a while... even if he had to stubbornly cling to them!
"The Copy-Copy Fruit?"
"Yes, it allows me to temporarily replicate the abilities of others."
"For instance, Vice Admiral Garp, since you are a Marine, if you use the Marine Six Powers in front of me, I can briefly replicate and utilize them."
Bai Yun explained with complete sincerity, though he didn't disclose everything. He could also replicate Devil Fruit abilities, with the resulting strength determined by the method of replication used.
Moreover, when replicating skill-based techniques like the Marine Six Powers, he only needed to replicate them once to grasp the underlying sensation. With subsequent practice, he could fully master those moves.
To put it simply, after replicating those skillful techniques, even if the replication duration expires, he immediately gains proficiency—almost like instant mastery.
"Hmm... that is quite a 'fearsome' fruit. To instantly grasp techniques that others have spent countless years mastering... that is truly very 'fair' to them!"
"But that is simply the power of a Devil Fruit."
Garp replied, his tone remaining calm. Having joined the Marines and risen to his current status as a Marine Hero, he had seen every kind of storm imaginable. This was not enough to shock him.
"Get some good rest."
"Your body is too weak, kid. You need to train properly."
"There's a kettle on the table."
Garp stood up and walked away. His words clearly meant that he had agreed to let Bai Yun stay.
Perhaps, seeing how powerful Bai Yun's Devil Fruit was, Garp felt a fondness for his talent and intended to train both him and Luffy to become promising Marine recruits.
However, some things never go according to plan.
Bai Yun slightly opened his eyes, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and spoke softly.
"Thank you, Vice Admiral Garp."
...This is time.
It walks non-stop, moment by moment. You can Venmo me fifty bucks (V me 50) to conduct an experiment trying to make it stop.
Well, the experiment failed.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
"Bai Yun! Is it ready yet! Is it ready yet!"
Luffy was sitting cross-legged directly on the ground, unconcerned about the dirt, waiting for Bai Yun's roasted meat.
Bai Yun was confined to bed for half a month before he could finally get up. However, his legs were the most severely injured, so he still had to use a wheelchair.
Sitting in his wheelchair, he had Luffy push him around the kitchens of the village restaurants.
Garp was highly skilled in martial arts, but cooking was beyond him.
The grandfather and grandson either settled for whatever they hunted or ate out at a restaurant.
Now that they knew Bai Yun possessed the ability to learn things just by watching, they absolutely had to put it to use!
Thus, Bai Yun, despite being in a wheelchair, had to become the exclusive chef for the grandfather and grandson pair.
"Almost ready, just hold on. Wait until I sprinkle some cumin. Tsk, that flavor is going to be amazing!"
As he sprinkled the cumin, it melted onto the crispy surface of the meat, and the fragrance wafted out, making Luffy drool uncontrollably.
Bai Yun skillfully drew the boning knife from his waist, sliced the meat cleanly in two, and handed a piece of thigh meat to Luffy.
Luffy immediately snatched it, disregarding the heat, and took a massive bite.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!"
The result was him sticking out his scorched, red tongue like a puppy.
"Hmm, that smells really good."
Garp's snot bubble popped, defeated by the inviting aroma. He opened his eyes just as Bai Yun handed the other piece of thigh meat to him.
"Oho, not bad, not bad."
"Just by watching for a single week, you've gained this level of skill. That really is an excellent Devil Fruit ability."
Garp remarked admiringly.
Bai Yun smiled in return, but secretly grumbled about the old man in his mind.
This was the eighth day of the special training in the forest for him, Luffy, and Garp (though it was primarily Luffy's training), and it was also the final day of his first month in the Pirate World.
Garp's training for Luffy mainly consisted of teaching him body tempering. He hadn't demonstrated the Marine Six Powers or any other offensive techniques, leaving Bai Yun with zero opportunities for replication.
Garp was a pure martial arts powerhouse who hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit. If Bai Yun could replicate his martial arts and store the ability, it would certainly be a life-saving weapon.
However, after spending seven days replicating someone else's cooking skills, Bai Yun had figured out a few characteristics of his Copy-Copy Fruit.
He could replicate just by watching, and if he didn't use the replicated ability immediately, he could store it and utilize it later when needed. This meant he could watch powerful individuals fight and directly replicate their abilities and techniques—getting stronger simply by observing.
The only drawback was that if he replicated an ability purely through observation, it seemed he could only replicate half of its original strength.
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
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