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“There are actually human structures here…”
Robin was a bit surprised. This was the Calm Belt— could there actually be humans living in the Calm Belt?
As a qualified historian with a doctorate, Robin instantly switched to her secondary role as an archaeologist, studying the ruins of the dilapidated structures around her.
Even though her arm was still in a sling, with the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) and Liam’s ghost helping out, climbing over the rubble and flipping through the debris wasn’t much of a challenge.
Liam, meanwhile, stood in place, lost in thought.
It felt odd— an island full of fierce beasts in the Calm Belt, with human ruins. This scene seemed familiar somehow…
Liam gazed into the distance. The island’s ecosystem was fully developed— there were forests, grasslands, birds, fish, insects, and animals everywhere, along with several volcanoes that rose like chimneys.
“Is it really possible for there to be such a coincidence in the world?”
As Liam was contemplating this, a massive brown bear, the size of a small mountain, suddenly charged out of the trees. Its roar was so powerful that the entire forest seemed to shake.
Robin looked up at him.
Liam launched himself at the gigantic brown bear with Geppo, calling back, “You do your thing, I’ll do mine!”
Robin knew Liam wasn’t interested in history, so she gestured with a thumbs-up before continuing to focus on the weathered ruins, searching for traces left by history.
Every now and then, the sounds of Liam’s battle cries and the roars of the beasts he fought could be heard. Occasionally, the sharp sounds of wind followed, signaling that Liam had resorted to using his Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) when he found himself unable to overpower his opponents…
…
Bang!
On the second day, Liam, in his highly flammable and explosive gas form, charged at a bizarrely-shaped giant beast. Unable to defeat it, he opted to self-destruct and take it down with him!
Robin, still with her arm in a sling, carefully wiped the dust off another ruin she had discovered on the island. She examined the carvings on the surface, trying to determine what period, civilization, or country they belonged to…
…
“Damn it! It’s still not dead?!”
In the background, the hot air from the explosion condensed back into Liam’s form. Before him stood a massive mammoth. Its thick skin had only been slightly torn by the explosion. The beast was still alive, and now it was even angrier, its bloodshot eyes glaring at Liam.
“There should be something more underneath…” It was now the third day. Robin had taken off her sling, though her arm was still bound with wooden planks for support. This was another ruin on the island.
Following the clues, she used her ghost armor’s strength to turn over a huge rock single-handedly.
With the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi), she quickly cleared the dirt beneath, revealing a stone slab. She smiled excitedly, “Found it! There’s writing here… It seems to be… from over two thousand years ago, during the ancient era… written in Kland script…”
The mammoth charged at Liam, sending him flying. He managed to elementalize just in time, turning into gas. If he hadn’t, the impact—powerful enough to shatter a mountain— might have killed him.
“You’re finished! No one in heaven or earth can save you now! I swear it!” Liam hovered in the air, pointing his finger down at the massive mammoth. “You beast! Seeking death! Divine Thunder from the Ninth Sky, Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon!”
As he spoke, Liam transformed into a cloud of pure oxygen, enveloping the mammoth completely.
…
On the fifth day, Robin’s arm had mostly healed, and she couldn’t resist the urge to remove a few of the wooden planks.
She looked up from the ruins, wiping sweat from her brow, and exhaled deeply.
When she turned around, she saw a massive gorilla, the size of a small mountain, gradually losing its strength. It was covered in blood and slowly collapsed to the ground…
A dense cloud of oxygen condensed back into Liam’s form. He landed lightly on the ground, took a deep breath, and marveled, “The beasts on this island sure pack a punch! No wonder they’re great sparring partners for my Fourth Gear… If I hadn’t cheated with Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit), they probably would’ve killed me a dozen times by now! Haha…”
Robin walked over. “It’s all the same, isn’t it? A Devil Fruit ability is still an ability.”
If someone’s Devil Fruit is powerful, that person is powerful too.
Liam was able to use the powers of the Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) to kill so many strong animals and monsters on the island, which clearly showed that he was stronger than them.
But when Liam heard this, his expression instantly turned deadpan, as if he had lost all interest.
Is he really that disagreeable? Robin found it amusing and asked teasingly, “Do you think that only by defeating them with your own fists and kicks does it count as real strength?”
Liam eagerly nodded in agreement. Robin almost thought his jaw would snap open and hit her with a Rankyaku.
“Maybe Devil Fruits come too easily to you,” Robin mused aloud. “And… no matter what kind of Devil Fruit it is, you seem to have a natural ability to immediately master and skillfully use it. But because of that, you probably don’t care as much about the power that comes from Devil Fruits…”
Suddenly, she paused.
Liam’s expression had become uncharacteristically serious.
“Did I guess wrong?” Robin asked, feeling a little embarrassed.
Liam responded gravely, “Robin, don’t you think it’s strange?”
“Huh? What’s strange?” Robin was confused.
Liam continued slowly, “Why can I use the abilities of Devil Fruits? Why only me? And… is it really only me who can?”
Robin froze in shock as Liam’s words sank in.
“You’ve read Dr. Vegapunk’s research too… The Devil Fruits, according to his findings, could very well be something that can be created with technology,” Liam said mysteriously. “In other words, Devil Fruits might have originally been artificially made special fruits that grant superpowers.
“If Devil Fruits aren’t treasures of the sea but rather a form of technology, then there could be an even higher level of technology.”
Robin gulped nervously. “You mean…”
Liam looked into her eyes and smiled. “The technology to extract Devil Fruits from ability users! Or… shouldn’t we be asking: if Devil Fruits were indeed created, why have there never been two identical fruits? Could it be that Devil Fruits are limited editions?”
“If we use the current results to infer the cause, couldn’t we hypothesize that, on a fundamental level, it’s impossible for two identical Devil Fruits to exist at the same time? In other words, ‘Devil Fruit factors’ with the exact same wavelength can’t coexist…” Liam paused, then added playfully, “Perhaps this is why we have Devil Fruits that seem similar but are considered superior or inferior versions of each other? Since they can’t be exactly the same, a slight adjustment is made to create a difference…”
Robin couldn’t help but ask, “But what if… someone intentionally created an identical fruit? For example, if Dr. Vegapunk made another Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi), or another Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit)…”
What would happen to her, the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) user, or to Liam, the Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) user?
Liam waved his hands, causing the flammable and explosive gas he produced to detonate with a series of small explosions.
“Maybe we’d just go ‘boom’ and explode on the spot!” Liam laughed heartily. “Or maybe our Devil Fruit powers would suddenly vanish, merging into the other complete Devil Fruit and becoming one?”
Robin imagined such a scenario…
“But that’s just my wild imagination!” Liam reassured her. “Actually, you’re right. The things you can’t have always seem the most desirable, while those who are favored act fearlessly… Wait, did I just start singing? Anyway, it makes sense that I’m not interested in Devil Fruits since I’m naturally gifted with them!”
Robin rolled her eyes and nodded. “What song was that? It sounds like one of those dialects you mentioned before…”
“Dialect…” Liam looked speechless for a moment, then sniffed the air suddenly. “Did you just… stink?”
Robin immediately blushed, feeling the urge to curse him out.
…
Later that night, by a freshwater lake on the island.
Liam gently removed the ‘B.I.B.’ face mask from Robin’s face.
In the lake, Robin, with her arm still clamped in a wooden splint, used countless arms sprouted from the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) to wash herself.
Liam, wearing the ‘B.I.B.’ mask, leaned against a stone by the lake, gazing up at the night sky.
……
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