Chapter 249: The Nika Fruit is about to awaken!

"Pirates are all evil guys!"

"Those guys who burn, kill, loot, destroy countries, and bully the weak are all pirates!"

"I won't do that!"

"So, you are not a pirate, you are an adventurer, Luffy!"

"No, I am a pirate!"

The Straw Hat Pirates rarely have serious arguments, but for some reason, Luffy shows unusual persistence in this matter.

The crew members respect their Captain's dream and do not continue to say more,

they are just a little confused,

because Luffy's dream, to put it bluntly, is not actually to become the Pirate King.

It is to obtain the most precious treasure on this sea and become the freest person on this sea!

Nami cannot understand,

just like how she wants to draw all the nautical charts in the world,

but someone suddenly jumps out and says that what you are drawing is not a nautical chart but a world map, and that it would be more appropriate to call it the King of World Maps rather than the King of Nautical Charts.

So what?

Drawing nautical charts is the dream; whether it is called a world map, a universe map, a galaxy map, or anything else, it will not interfere with the realization of her dream.

Zoro also cannot understand,

his dream is to become the strongest Sword Master; even if the name were suddenly changed to the strongest Swordsman, the strongest Sword God, or the strongest Ghost Swordsman, it would not matter.

What needs to be valued is the process of realizing the dream.

But after the adventurer declaration appeared, Luffy gave people a very strange feeling,

as if,

he were bound by the title of Pirate King like shackles, unable to break free.

"Nami, how long has it been since you drew a nautical chart?"

Sanji, who always has hearts in his eyes when he sees Nami, suddenly asks this question very seriously.

Nami is stunned and says: "Nautical charts, because I've been quite busy lately, I have already for two weeks..."

She is not sure why Sanji is asking this,

but she immediately notices something wrong,

in the past, no matter how the ship sailed or which island they reached, she would always draw the terrain of the nearby sea area and keep the nautical chart on her person.

But now, without realizing it, she hasn't drawn a nautical chart for two weeks,

which would have been impossible in the past.

What is going on?

Could it be that because of the appearance of the Samsara Game, she is too tired to find time to fulfill her dream?

Seeing Nami's expression,

Sanji does not explain too much, glances at Zoro, who is leaning against the side drinking heavily but whose gaze has also become sharp and thoughtful,

turns and leaves, adding: "We are leaving Syrup Village tomorrow, I need to go collect some spice seeds, Usopp, can you take me?"

"Of course I can, there isn't a place on this entire island that I, the great Usopp, don't know!"

Usopp is very happy,

his dream is to become a brave Warrior of the Sea, so following like-minded partners out to sea is the thing he wants to do most.

And now, he feels something different from these people than from ordinary pirates; that's right, they should indeed be called adventurers.

"Master, the Nika Fruit you asked me to monitor has reached the point of being about to awaken."

Inside the Game House, A Fu's sweet and naive voice suddenly rings out.

Fang Yi raises his palm and brushes over the counter, seeing the Straw Hat Pirates who have just left Syrup Village.

The atmosphere, which should have been lively and excited, is somewhat strange at this moment.

Except for Usopp, who just boarded the ship and is not yet clear about the situation, the rest of the crew members all have their own thoughts.

Seeing the situation, Fang Yi smiles and says: "No wonder, it is because of Shanks's adventurer declaration that the crew members of the Straw Hat Pirates have noticed something wrong."

A Fu asks in confusion: "Something wrong?"

Fang Yi smiles and nods, saying: "Because of the Samsara Game, Luffy keeps getting stronger, and that Rubber Fruit, which houses the will of Nika, has also begun to constantly interfere with the thoughts of the people around him."

"The Rubber Fruit houses the Free Will of the Liberation Warrior from that great war eight hundred years ago!"

"The most terrifying thing about this will is that even after disappearing for countless years, it is still believed in by people like the Giant Race and the Buccaneer Race, who look forward to its arrival."

"Therefore, this immense will will influence the people around it according to its own wishes, spreading what is called 【Free Will】."

"When the fruit's ability has not been developed, the will of the Liberation Warrior is dormant, so the trend of infecting the people around is relatively small."

"Now, because of the intervention of the Samsara Game, the will housed within the fruit has begun to want to self-awaken."

Fang Yi did not expect that the consciousness of the Pirate World would be so impatient,

this is an unavoidable matter.

In the original work,

the crew members of the Straw Hat Pirates—Zoro, Nami, Chopper, Sanji, Franky, and Usopp—all set sail with their own dreams, some wanting to find the All Blue, others wanting to draw a world map, develop a panacea, and so on.

These were all the crew members' own wills, but in the end, they were all gradually forgotten.

All of them were interfered with by the Nika Fruit, and in the end, they followed Caomao Lufei, turning the protection of Luffy becoming the Pirate King into their own greatest will.

Even Luffy himself forgot his original intention for setting sail.

It was just that Shanks's sudden, world-shaking adventurer declaration made the Straw Hat crew members, who had been interfered with without realizing it, notice the anomaly.

It's just that,

Without external intervention, even if one notices the anomaly, it is impossible to make any changes.

After all, it is impossible for Luffy to overcome the 【Liberation Will】 that has been passed down for eight hundred years and which even the World Government fears.

A Fu said with some uncertainty: "So, is Caomao Lufei actually a Jailer Beast?"

"Not exactly."

Fang Yi shook his head and said: "Zoan fruits all harbor a will; only when one is consumed by that will, meaning the Awakened process fails, do they degenerate into a Jailer Beast."

"Monsters without self-awareness, knowing only slaughter."

"The will of the Nika Fruit, however, leans more toward subtle, imperceptible guidance."

Devil Fruits are miraculous fruits that appeared due to human desires and beliefs; the most powerful belief and will among them belongs to the Liberation Warrior passed down to this day, the Sun God called upon and longed for by countless people to return.

The origin contained within it is immense.

However,

Fang Yi did not hold any expectations; after all, to obtain the origin, he would need Luffy to willingly exchange the Nika Fruit.

But, given Luffy's mental fortitude, as soon as he has even the slightest thought, he will be interfered with by Nika.

To overcome the Nika—who is called upon by countless people—with his own individual will alone, such a possibility is infinitesimal and can be ignored.

A Fu, while eating Water Meat, looked at the seemingly normal Luffy on the screen and asked: "How pitiful, are we just going to watch like this as Caomao Lufei is interfered with?"

"That depends on whether he can erupt with a will that transcends his limits; even for a brief moment, that would be enough to obtain salvation."

"Fate is in his own hands."

Just as they were speaking,

the Going Merry, which was gradually sailing out of the harbor, had already been blocked by a massive figure.

(End of this chapter)