"?"
"Damn it, I can pick up an entire Devil Fruit?"
When he heard the system notification, Renji froze in place.
His mind went blank, and the curse slipped out of his mouth without him even realizing it.
It had been more than three years since he arrived in this world.
Yet it felt as if he had always been completely incompatible with the most iconic power of the One Piece world, the Devil Fruit.
He had never picked up a complete Devil Fruit.
He had not even picked up a fragment of one or a piece of insight about using a Devil Fruit.
What he collected the most were basic attributes from the third category, things like strength, defense, and agility.
Even combat experience or Haki insights were relatively rare.
But now he had actually picked up an entire Devil Fruit.
Renji stared at his hands in disbelief.
Based on what the Devil Fruit users aboard the Whitebeard Pirates had once explained, he focused his thoughts.
Suddenly, cracks resembling shattered glass appeared across his right hand.
At the same moment, an intense wave of pain surged through his body.
This was the power of the Gura Gura no Mi.
It possessed terrifying destructive power, capable of shaking the heavens and the earth.
But its side effects were equally terrifying.
The stronger the quake you created, the stronger the vibration your own body had to endure.
When reflected onto the body, it meant overwhelming pain.
The reason Edward Newgate carried so many hidden injuries was closely related to the backlash of this fruit.
"Incredible…"
Renji clicked his tongue.
But inwardly he was overjoyed.
He had always known his system was capable of picking up Devil Fruits.
However, the conditions were extremely harsh.
First, the Devil Fruit user had to use their fruit ability with complete focus, they could not rely on other supporting abilities like Haki.
Second, the user could not be distracted, their entire attention had to be devoted to the battle.
Finally, and most importantly, the Devil Fruit user had to have awakened their fruit ability and no longer care much about relying on it.
The first two conditions were not impossible to meet.
But the last one was nearly impossible.
Devil Fruit users themselves were already rare.
Those who had awakened their fruits were even rarer.
And someone who had developed their fruit to the level of awakening but no longer relied heavily on it was almost unimaginable.
Thinking about this, Renji looked toward Whitebeard with even greater respect.
Perhaps only someone standing at the peak of the world could reach such a state.
Whitebeard's mastery of the three types of Haki might not even be inferior to that of Monkey D. Garp.
That was why he did not overly rely on the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"I thought this function of the system would never be used, I did not expect to activate it now."
"And my first Devil Fruit is actually the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, life really is unpredictable."
[You picked up 1 Strength!]
At that moment, the battle between Whitebeard, Marco, and Jozu was still continuing.
Although Whitebeard had already reached old age, and although it was possible that his life could end at any time, Marco and Jozu together still could not suppress him.
"Tremor, Heaven Collapse!"
With a roar, Whitebeard leapt high into the air.
Cracks that looked as though they could tear apart the sky spread across his right fist.
As the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit erupted, those cracks expanded endlessly.
"Together, block it!"
Marco and Jozu exchanged glances and nodded.
This punch was clearly meant to test their ability to confront Whitebeard head on.
They could dodge it, and dodging would even be the smartest choice.
But retreating like that felt unacceptable.
And if they failed to block it, they could still earn Whitebeard's recognition.
That was what mattered most.
"Come on, Pops, I'm ready!"
Blue flames exploded upward around Marco's body.
"Crane Claw!"
Marco was not relying on his Devil Fruit alone.
He also activated Armament Haki, and it was extremely well controlled.
Under his control, both legs were wrapped in dark Armament Haki.
[You picked up 1 Armament Haki Insight!]
On the other side, Diamond Jozu was equally determined.
His body was already fully transformed into diamond, and another layer of black coated it.
[You picked up 1 Strength!]
This was clearly full body Armament Haki.
"Pops, we're not the same as before!"
Jozu stared at Whitebeard.
His face was filled with determination.
"Brilliant Right Punch!"
"Good!"
Whitebeard's face lit up with excitement as he looked at Marco and Jozu going all out.
He had pushed them to this point.
But he did not mind.
Even earlier, without using Haki at all, he had nearly driven both of them into desperation using only his Devil Fruit ability.
Even now, he could still push them to the brink with the fruit alone.
"Fight!"
With Whitebeard's roar, his fist finally struck.
Marco's kick and Jozu's punch collided directly with Whitebeard's fist.
For a moment, the three forces locked together.
Everyone believed it would end in a draw.
After all, Whitebeard had not used Haki, while Marco and Jozu were both powerful Yonko commander level fighters.
A stalemate seemed possible.
[You picked up 1 Strength!]
But in the blink of an eye, the result changed completely.
Boom!
A cracking sound echoed through the air.
The diamond armor covering Jozu shattered instantly.
His Armament Haki began to fade.
He was sent flying backward until he slammed into the ship behind him.
"I told you already, you still aren't ready!"
Whitebeard's voice thundered again.
His enormous fist crushed Marco's legs first, then his waist, then his upper body, and finally his head.
With that single strike, Diamond Jozu's power collapsed, and Marco once again turned into the flames of the Phoenix.
[You picked up 1 Strength!]
[You picked up 1 Armament Haki Insight!]
"As expected, we still can't beat Pops."
After a while, Marco reformed his body.
A helpless smile appeared on his face.
Jozu also walked back over with a frustrated expression.
"We couldn't even force Pops to use Haki, that's honestly embarrassing."