"Rubber Fruit?"
Kaido looked confused. "A guy like Joy Boy… he had such a seemingly mundane Devil Fruit?"
"No, Kaido," Shanks, who knew the full story, spoke up. "That's only because, at that time, the true power of the Rubber Fruit hadn't yet manifested."
"That's right," Ian said with a smile. "During his adventures, Joy Boy faced several crises, and under the pressure of those crises, his ability awakened."
"He gained unparalleled arm strength, the power to reshape his body at will, and the Drum of the Heart, which ensures that as long as it keeps beating, he will never lose his fighting strength!"
"The Sun God Nika—that's the name the slaves he liberated revered him with."
"Sun God!!"
The two giants shouted in unison. Could this Joy Boy really be the deity their giant tribe had always revered?
"In any case, it really is an incredible power."
Ian said.
Over the years, he had been keeping an eye on Luffy, but the Rubber Fruit had yet to appear.
Strictly speaking, the awakening of a Devil Fruit is an extension of the user's own will.
The original Devil Fruits, the moment they were consumed, reshaped the user according to their deepest desires.
Awakening was the evolution that followed.
It either further enhanced the transformation of the body or allowed the user to assimilate with the surrounding environment.
One could say that the awakenings achieved by later users were merely manifestations of the original users' intent.
After Joy Boy awakened the power of Nika, there was truly no one on the seas who could stop him.
His journey went smoothly, and he circled the world effortlessly, liberating countless slaves along the way.
"Ah? Then what about the twenty kings who came later? And how did the war break out?"
Aunt Linlin couldn't help but ask.
It seemed that Joy Boy's journey had gone remarkably smoothly, hadn't it?
"That's because Joy Boy made many friends during his travels."
Ian explained.
Joy Boy's companions weren't all slaves; many were prominent figures.
For example, the two princesses of Fish-Man Island and the Alabasta Kingdom at that time.
Or the ancestors of Wano, the Buccaneers.
And even a prince named Nerona Imu.
It was hard to imagine now, but at first, Imu and Joy Boy were indeed good friends.
At that time, Imu had not yet become the ruler of his country; he was a wise and benevolent prince.
After meeting Joy Boy, he even became his companion, traveling together with him.
Yes, although Joy Boy had started out alone, his crew steadily grew as the journey progressed.
People from different countries and tribes joined him, exploring the beautiful world together, and Imu was one of them.
They circled the globe together and eventually returned to Birka.
Imu decided to stay in Birka, taking the opportunity to study there.
But the turning point came after their journey ended.
The deeds Joy Boy had done during his travels sparked a massive wave of slave liberation across the world.
This naturally angered the kings who still upheld slavery across the seas.
They immediately banded together and launched an attack against Birka.
But the technological power Birka possessed was far beyond what they could match. They didn't even need to deploy their ultimate weapons to repel this coalition.
Meanwhile, among Joy Boy's friends, people like Lily, who had now ascended as the king of Alabasta, began actively supporting the movement to liberate slaves. Some even took the initiative to mediate with the nations hostile toward Birka.
By all rights, everything should have been moving in the right direction.
But at that moment, a man joined the nations aiming to subjugate Birka, and the situation shifted instantly.
Of course, it was Imu.
Joy Boy's former closest friend, the one he trusted above all, had betrayed him.
He seized Birka's ultimate weapon and gained the strongest power in the world, launching a direct assault on Birka.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Ace shouted, confused. "I don't care about the whole friend-betrayal thing, but how did that guy get his hands on Birka's weapon?"
"Because he also turned a group of people to his side," Ian explained. "They were a special faction of Birka with black wings and flames burning at the back of their heads."
"Lunarians?"
Queen shouted immediately. "So King's ancestor was a traitor too?"
"Not all Birka people are united. Just like before they arrived at the Blue Sea, they were divided into factions," Ian said. "The group later called Lunarians was also unique among the Birka."
"They pursued power, going so far as to modify themselves using Devil Fruit abilities."
"Unlike the other peace-loving Birka, they coveted the world."
"And to make up for their lack of numbers, they created an elite force of warriors through genetic modifications."
"Warriors with human-like bodies but animal traits."
"Mink Tribe?"
Enel raised an eyebrow.
He remembered clearly recruiting that tribe back when he had even climbed onto the elephant's back to bring them over.
Ian nodded lightly.
After the experiments on the Mink Tribe were discovered, Lunarians became collectively despised by the rest of the Birka.
For the peace-loving Birka people, such wanton manipulation of life was simply unacceptable.
And this hostility became the perfect opportunity for Imu to sway Lunarians.
In the end, Imu succeeded in turning Lunarians, and together they seized the Birka people's ultimate weapon.
Then Imu returned to his own country to claim the throne and, allying with nineteen other nations across the seas, launched the final war against the Birka.
It's worth noting that at this time, another close friend of Joy Boy, Queen Lily, was also deceived by Imu, believing that Joy Boy and the Birka would destroy all the nations of the world. She then led Alabasta to join the coalition.
Seeing this, Ian couldn't help but feel a bit helpless—were they really that easily deceived?
In any case, facing Imu, who now wielded the ultimate weapon, the Birka began to retreat step by step. Even the large number of Devil Fruit users among them struggled to resist.
This situation only began to change when Joy Boy quietly created Pluton in Water 7.
Thus, the world entered a standoff of ancient weapons clashing.
With the mermaid princess, who could communicate with Sea Kings, on their side, the situation reached a stalemate.
However, at this point, Imu's ruthless nature came into full play.
Taking advantage of the world's lack of communication, he began using the ultimate weapon to wreak havoc indiscriminately. He could be said to bear the majority of responsibility for the rising sea levels.
Ultimately, Joy Boy was forced to risk everything and confront him in a decisive battle.
The result?
Joy Boy was defeated.
"Huh? That's it?"
Redfield's expression immediately fell.
Kaido stroked his chin. "I feel like I've seen someone like this before."
Ian almost burst out laughing.
Indeed.
"But why did Imu betray Joy Boy?"
Black Maria asked. "Weren't they close friends before?"
"Well…"
Ian's lips curled into a smirk.
That made it even funnier.
**********
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