In the central plaza of Water 7,
The sea breeze, carrying fine wood shavings and the scent of salt, swept across the gathered crowd. Ron leaned against the broken fountain, the hem of his black trench coat brushing against the damp stone steps.
Luffy was sprawled across a table, his straw hat nearly carried off by the wind. Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Chopper, and the others all had their eyes glued to the massive holographic screen in the center of the plaza.
It was a top-tier projection Den Den Mushi specially arranged by Iceburg, currently broadcasting the shocking battle at Marineford in real time.
When Ace, his new form wreathed in pale flames, tore through the smoke and appeared on the screen, the entire plaza fell into an eerie silence.
"Is... is that Ace?!" Luffy's jaw practically hit the floor, his rubber arm unconsciously stretching out to wrap around Zoro's neck. "Why did he turn white, hey!"
Zoro's eyes were wide open too: "Those flames... just looking at them sends a chill down my spine!" He subconsciously touched the Wado Ichimonji at his hip, as if testing whether the blade could cut through those strange pale fires.
The cigarette in Sanji's mouth finally burned his fingers. He hissed in pain, flicking the butt away: "He changed his whole color scheme?"
Usopp was also startled: "Su-super scary flames! Even through the screen, I feel like my soul's about to get burned!"
Robin, Chopper, and Nami also stared in shock at Ace's new form.
Franky crossed his arms with a clank: "What a SUPER look! Almost as cool as me!"
Just as everyone was reeling from the shock, Ron let out a soft "tsk," almost thinking Ace's Devil Fruit had Awakened. But after observing Ace's reaction, he shook his head gently. "A shame, no Haki halo."
Whether Logia or Paramecia, a true Awakening must be accompanied by a materialized Haki aura. What burned around Ace were, in the end, just unusually shaped flames.
"Just a deeper application of his abilities...?" Ron stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Just then, Ace's declaration suddenly came from the screen: "To burn all creation to ash... I am the Flame Emperor!"
Luffy suddenly broke free from Zoro's grip, his rubber arm slapping against the screen with a thwack: "I don't get it, but it sounds awesome! Ace finally learned to pick a cool nickname!"
Zoro facepalmed in exasperation: "You missed the point completely, you idiot Captain!"
Sanji, however, suddenly grew serious: "But... the temperature of those flames... looks like it could help me get stronger fast..."
Everyone's gaze snapped back to the screen, watching the pale flames completely vaporize Blackbeard. The only sounds left in the plaza were the crashing waves and countless synchronized gulps.
At the same time, a System prompt suddenly chimed in Ron's mind:
[Detected that Sub-System Host Ace has completed a Sign-in Achievement]
[Tenfold Return Reward Triggered!]
[Obtained: Bone Spirit Coldfire · Extreme Heat Flame (Ten Strands)]
Ron had also received the tenfold return reward. A wisp of pale white flame quietly bloomed in his palm.
The flame looked as cold as frost, yet it contained a terrifying high temperature that slightly distorted the space around it. Most remarkably, this wisp of flame was precisely woven from ten hair-thin strands of fire, each possessing exactly the same temperature and energy.
He flicked his finger, and the flame traced a mysterious arc in the air. "Not a single strand off."
The System's judgment of "multiplier" was terrifyingly precise, even dividing the flame's energy into standardized units of measurement.
The pale fire flowed and shifted between his fingers. Ron could clearly feel that the energy contained within this single wisp was enough to completely vaporize the entire Enies Lobby.
Ron then stored it away. This thing was a consumable for him, but for Ace, it was different. Perhaps with this wisp of flame, he could truly achieve Awakening!
The stronger the Sub-System Hosts became, the stronger he became!
"I'll keep it for now and give it to Ace when I see him."
Also,
Now that the public execution was over, why hadn't Ace's sign-in reward appeared?
Could it be another special reward…
Ron felt a little relieved. Everyone was getting stronger step by step, and he was growing stronger at ten times their speed!
"One step at a time."
Ron gently brushed aside his thoughts about Ace. If Ace ran into any trouble, he'd excitedly contact him anyway.
Right now, he had more important matters to attend to.
"Franky's new crew member initiation ceremony starts now." Ron's voice made Franky, who was adjusting the Pluton cannon, snap his head up.
"SUPER shocked!" Franky's mechanical arms transformed with a series of clanks. "Didn't I already get a joining gift? Isn't the Munch-Munch Fruit ability enough?"
Usopp set down his hammer, laughing with his hands on his hips: "That was just the beginning! The real main event is next!" He mysteriously lowered his voice, "Welcome to the 'System-Bearer' family!"
"Sy... System-Bearer?" Franky's blue pompadour tilted to one side, his face a picture of confusion.
Chopper immediately bounced forward, holding up a small blackboard he'd made himself with his tiny hooves: "Ahem! Let me explain!" On the blackboard were crudely drawn diagrams:
"Get stronger by sunbathing — that's my 'System'!"
"Get stronger by boasting — that's Usopp's 'System'!"
"Get stronger by getting beaten up — that's Sanji's 'Beaten-Up System'!"
"Get stronger by treasure hunting — that's Nami's 'Treasure Hunting System'!"
"And there's Robin's strongest attribute-picking System, Zoro's sleeping System, and so on. Every member on the ship has a System!"
Sanji blew out a gloomy smoke ring: "Why is mine the only one that involves so much pain...?"
Nami smiled as she counted the Berries she had just dug up: "Be grateful. You're experiencing pain and happiness at the same time."
Franky's mechanical jaw dropped with a clack: "SUPER — unbelievable! You all have Systems?"
Usopp laughed heartily: "Didn't expect that, did you! These are all gifts from Captain Ron!" He suddenly lowered his voice, "Actually, this is Captain Ron's special Devil Fruit ability — the 'System-Bearer Fruit'!"
"Nani?!" Franky's pupils dilated to their limit. "There's such a broken Devil Fruit ability? This is even more SUPER — ridiculous than Vegapunk's technology!"
Ron smiled faintly, looking at Franky: "So, what kind of System do you want?"
All the mechanical parts in Franky's body began spinning wildly, erupting with unprecedented brilliance: "SUPER!!! Please give me the 'Radical Modification System'!"
"The more radical, the better! I want to become the world's most SUPER cyborg!"
"Sub-System bound: Franky." Ron spoke softly, "Issuing 'Strongest Modification System'."
Before Franky could react, a scorching torrent of data flooded his mind. His eyes shot wide open, his body emitting uncontrollable clanking sounds as a sleek holographic interface materialized before his retinas.
[Strongest Modification System]
[Host: Franky]
[Core Rule: Get stronger by modifying!]
[Current Level: Bronze (0 / 100)]
[Modification Tiers: Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond → Star-Lord → King]
[Hidden Buff: God-tier Modification (activated during bursts of extreme modification obsession)]
....
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