Chapter 435: Nika's Choice

Red Soil Continent, Holy City Skyborne.

Inside the banquet hall exclusively belonging to the King of the World, Saint Saint Saiwen was entertaining the Red-Haired Crew members who had returned to the Holy Land.

"This time you've come back, stay."

After all, they were brothers raised together; Saint Saint Saiwen naturally wanted to secure a good position for his dear friend Shanks within the United Kingdom.

"Mm, I won't leave."

Shanks nodded, his gaze occasionally drifting toward Luffy, whose eyes sparkled with excitement, as if listening to Buggy recount tales of the sea.

"That's Cap's grandson?"

"Yeah." Saint Saint Saiwen couldn't help teasing: "Shanks, you look just like an old man gawking at a little brat with yellow hair."

In truth, Saint Saint Saiwen himself felt deeply puzzled.

After taking in Luffy, Zoro, Xiao Shan Zhi, Usopp, Uta, Reijiu, and others as adopted children, the silly kids entered the second cohort of the Inazuma Kindergarten.

Luffy had Perona, Nami—the adopted daughter of the Golden Lion—and Nokigao, among other girls around him.

Yet Luffy was closest to Uta.

A frown of worry creased Shanks' brow.

"I have only one precious daughter, and Uta is still young—I can't bear letting her get too close to that boy."

"That kid from Cap's family? Clearly no good."

"True," Saint Saint Saiwen shifted tone and proposed: "Shanks, let's run a test—see who it will choose."

Having finally obtained the Rubber Fruit after years of longing, Saint Saint Saiwen had fulfilled one long-held wish.

As for who would consume this Devil Fruit, Saint Saint Saiwen planned a test—to see whether the Nika Fruit's will would continue choosing Luffy.

Or whether it would choose someone else.

"Huh?" Shanks finally realized something: "Saint Saint Saiwen, is the one destined to inherit Nika's will among these few?"

"Try and see."

With that, Saint Saint Saiwen stirred his will.

A jet-black demonic aura rose behind him, seizing the Rubber Fruit along with its wooden crate, and gently placing it on the banquet table nearby.

"Don't blink..."

Shanks had already pulled out his Den Den Mushi watch, filming the wooden crate containing the Rubber Fruit, then smiled and explained:

"I learned it from you—when something happens, don't panic; record it first, then watch it slowly."

"By the way, where's Buggy?"

As three brothers raised together on Luo Jie's crew, both he and Saint Saint Saiwen were present—but Buggy was nowhere to be seen. This absence left Shanks with a strange sense of loss.

Saint Saint Saiwen couldn't help but laugh and sigh.

"Don't mention it. That Buggy insisted on joining the geological survey team, babbling about digging up treasures from the Ancient Kingdom era."

The known history of the pirate world spans roughly five thousand years; the history before the Ancient Kingdom was erased and repeatedly altered by the World Government since its founding eight hundred years ago.

Almost entirely buried beneath the dust of time.

Even though Saint Saint Saiwen personally overthrew the World Government, restoring that lost truth remained as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Because civilization had been severed, its lineage broken—countless records and documents had vanished entirely.

From this, it's clear how grievously the World Government had sinned over eight centuries—directly severing a civilization's lineage.

Though Elbaf preserves murals depicting the First and Second Worlds, even Elder Aruru doesn't fully understand what those murals actually record.

Instead, certain fairy tales faintly hint at secrets of the Ancient Kingdom.

It truly proves the saying: only by writing stories into fairy tales can one evade the World Tree's revisions.

"This..." Shanks paused: "That's exactly the kind of thing Buggy would do."

Even during Luo Jie's crew days, everyone else was obsessed with long voyages and chasing freedom—only Buggy was fixated on hunting, digging, and seeking treasure.

It must be because Saint Saint Saiwen became King of the World, and Buggy had traveled the seas with the Red-Haired Crew, that Buggy finally mustered the courage to pursue his dream.

"That's good," Shanks smiled with relief.

"At least Buggy hasn't forgotten his original heart."

As the two chatted, Luffy had been sitting intently beside Buggy, listening with Zoro, Xiao Shan Zhi, and others as Buggy recounted tales of the sea.

Perhaps he grew hungry.

Suddenly, Luffy ran to the banquet table, grabbed two plates of fruit, and brought them to Buggy, Zoro, and others to taste.

After repeating this several times, Luffy finally noticed the wooden crate on the banquet table, curiously opened it, and pulled out the deep purple Rubber Fruit.

Seeing this, Shanks widened his eyes.

"It... really... chose him."

Yet Luffy did not, as in the anime, choose to eat the Rubber Fruit. Instead, he picked it up and hurried to Saint Saint Saiwen's side.

"Dad, this is your favorite Devil Fruit."

"Good son," Saint Saint Saiwen laughed happily.

He was delighted that his beloved son Luffy still remembered his fondness for Devil Fruits—and mocked the so-called Nika consciousness within the Rubber Fruit.

Nika, who had resisted fate for a thousand years, was ultimately a failure, a defeated pawn of Imu.

Once the God of Liberation, now a prisoner trapped within a fruit, leaving only shattered remnants of rebellion.

But he, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, was the one who personally overthrew the World Government that ruled for eight centuries, crushed the divine authority of the Celestial Dragons, unified the Four Seas, and founded the United Kingdom—the King of the World.

The delusions of the defeated will always be dusted over.

Only the victor can reshape the world's order and command the ocean's new future.

You, a defeated one, just stay put quietly.

"Luffy, this is your reward from Dad."

"Remember to eat it all."

"Alright." Luffy hugged the Rubber Fruit and took huge bites. Although he wasn't clear on what type of Devil Fruit this was, Old Man would never harm him.

After all, being a child raised by Saint Saint Saiwen, Luffy's trust in his godfather Saint Saint Saiwen surpassed even that of his grandfather Garp.

Garp: My great-grandson, my great-grandson!

With Luffy finishing the Rubber Fruit, Saint Saint Saiwen was left with only the Dark-Dark Fruit, known as the Logia type, yet to be obtained.

Nika Nika and Nidhogg, these two god-tier Mythical Zoan ability users, one was Saint Saint Saiwen's godson, the other was Saint Saint Saiwen's subordinate.

"It tastes so bad, Old Man."

"How can it taste worse than dog shit?"

As the words fell, not only Saint Saint Saiwen and Shanks, but Luffy included, the three fell silent simultaneously.

Fortunately, Benn Beckman noticed the anomaly, soothed the audience, and came over to break the silence.

"Shanks, where is the Rubber Fruit?"

Glancing disdainfully at Luffy, Shanks helplessly explained to Beckman.

【72】 "It chose Luffy."

It chose Luffy.

Beckman blinked: "Alright, I'll go continue telling stories to the little ones."

Only then did Luffy follow Beckman to escape.

Before long, Shanks looked at his beloved daughter Uta standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Luffy, and the whole person became even more depressed.

Saint Saint Saiwen rubbed his brow as if suffering a headache.

Luffy certainly wouldn't actively try certain things; then someone must have guided him.

As for who? Besides Captain Luo Jie's good son Ace, who else could it be?

Never before had Saint Saint Saiwen been so eager to drag Captain Luo Jie out from the Underworld and hand the problem child Ace over to Captain Luo Jie to deal with.

"This brat... has been spoiled rotten."