Now this was a real cheat.
Ron silently gave the system a thumbs-up.
The ability he had just received was absurdly powerful.
Devil Fruit Enhancement?
Wasn’t that basically the ability to grant people additional powers?
In the world of One Piece, simply obtaining a Devil Fruit was already incredibly rare.
Finding a specific Devil Fruit was even more difficult.
Most people would spend their entire lives without ever laying eyes on one.
Only a lucky handful managed to acquire such treasures.
And even then, the ability they obtained depended entirely on chance.
In other words, aside from a few top-tier figures with enough influence and resources to search for particular fruits, almost everyone else left their fate to luck.
Some people even ended up weaker after consuming a Devil Fruit.
Their appearance could become bizarre, their combat style might no longer suit them, and their overall fighting ability could actually decrease.
But Ron was different.
Those concerns no longer applied to him.
He could enhance Devil Fruits.
That meant he had the ability to provide others with powers they truly desired.
"Ha..."
After thoroughly examining the system’s description, Ron’s expression became somewhat strange.
Because the ability came with a price.
A very expensive one.
Every enhancement required money.
An enormous amount of money.
One billion Berries for a single enhancement.
Thankfully—
The first enhancement was guaranteed to succeed.
A 100% success rate.
That alone gave him plenty of opportunities to work with.
With that thought in mind, Ron began considering his plans for the future.
"Pops! Let me go!"
Ace spoke once more, barely managing to suppress the fury inside him.
"Teach committed this crime while he was under my command!"
"As the commander of that division, I can’t avoid responsibility!"
"No one is more qualified than me to track him down!"
Whitebeard looked at the grief and guilt written all over Ace’s face.
He knew there was no convincing him otherwise.
Even if he refused today, Ace would eventually leave on his own to chase Teach.
Rather than letting that happen—
It would be better to grant permission openly.
Besides, Whitebeard trusted Ace’s strength.
"Very well. Since you’ve made up your mind, then—"
"You can’t go."
The sudden interruption instantly cut Whitebeard off.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
Ace froze briefly before shifting his gaze toward Ron.
"You... are you trying to stop me?"
His expression immediately darkened.
"Or are you somehow connected to Teach?"
The more he spoke, the colder his tone became.
Around the room, numerous pirates instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.
The atmosphere instantly became hostile once again.
Whitebeard also looked toward Ron.
His massive figure cast a shadow over him.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Ron swallowed nervously before speaking.
"Don’t misunderstand."
"I have nothing to do with Teach."
"If anything, he’s my enemy as well."
"After all, Thatch saved my life."
Ace stared directly into his eyes.
After several seconds, the hostility in his gaze eased somewhat.
"Then why stop me?"
Ron shook his head.
"I’m not stopping you."
"I just think now isn’t the right time to pursue Teach."
Ace frowned.
At this moment, revenge was the only thing occupying his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Oh?"
His interest had been piqued.
"Why do you think that?"
"What exactly do you know?"
The others also became curious.
Even Ace forced himself to listen.
Ron cleared his throat.
Being watched by the Whitebeard Pirates was far more nerve-racking than he had expected.
Still, if he wanted to continue staying aboard this ship, he needed to prove that he had value.
"You’re all focused on Teach’s betrayal," Ron began.
"But have any of you considered why he dared to do it?"
"Why would someone knowingly murder a crewmate when he fully understands the consequences?"
The room became silent.
Marco was the first to react.
"You think he has someone backing him?"
"One of the Four Emperors?"
Ron shook his head.
"No."
"You probably won’t believe this, but Teach himself is far from weak."
"In fact, his physical strength is terrifying."
"He’s powerful enough to have wounded Shanks."
"Shanks?!"
"No way!"
"Teach was just an ordinary crew member!"
"How could he possibly injure Red Hair?!"
"This guy must still be half asleep!"
Voices of disbelief immediately spread throughout the room.
Ron ignored them entirely.
Whitebeard, however, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"You’re saying the scar over Red Hair’s eye... was left by Teach?"
Ron blinked in surprise.
Then he quickly remembered.
Whitebeard and Shanks were both Emperors.
Certain secrets weren’t really secrets among people of their status.
"That’s right."
Whitebeard fell silent.
His expression gradually became more serious.
The others immediately noticed the change.
If Whitebeard wasn’t denying it—
Then Ron’s words might actually be true.
Shock spread across the room.
Could Teach really possess that level of strength?
Marco frowned thoughtfully.
After a moment, he turned toward Ace.
"Teach has always been cautious."
"He concealed his true abilities for years."
"If he’s really that strong physically, then rushing after him may not be wise."
Ace clenched his jaw.
The grinding sound echoed through the cabin.
His eyes burned with frustration and unwillingness.
"So what if he’s physically strong?"
"I have the Flame-Flame Fruit!"
"That alone is enough to make up the difference!"
He still refused to give up.
Memories of drinking and laughing alongside Thatch surfaced in his mind.
The pain stabbed at his heart once again.
He had to avenge him.
"Hah. Idiot."
Ron didn’t hold back.
If Ace hadn’t been so confident in the original story, Teach never would have captured him.
And during Marineford—
One taunt from Akainu had been enough to make Ace turn around and challenge an Admiral.
That single decision ultimately cost him his life.
Back when Ron watched it, he had been furious.
Now that he was standing here in person, witnessing the beginning of everything, there was no way he would stay quiet.
"What did you just say?!"
Ace exploded immediately.
"You called me an idiot?!"
"Thatch saved your life!"
"And while I’m trying to avenge him, you’re standing here insulting me?!"
Ron let out a cold snort.
"Do you even know which Devil Fruit Teach stole?"
"The Dark-Dark Fruit. So what?"
Ace folded his arms.
"My Flame-Flame Fruit is enough to defeat him."
His confidence remained unwavering.
Ron looked directly at him.
"Then do you know what the Dark-Dark Fruit is capable of?"
Ace paused.
"I... don’t."
A cold smile appeared on Ron’s face.
"Then listen carefully."
"The moment a Dark-Dark Fruit user makes physical contact with another Devil Fruit user, they can temporarily suppress that person’s ability."
"For that period of time, your Devil Fruit powers become useless."
"You become an ordinary person."
Silence.
The entire cabin fell silent.
Ron stared straight at Ace.
"Now answer me."
"If your powers disappear..."
"Can you beat Teach in close combat?"
Ace’s eyes widened.
His face was filled with disbelief.
"That can’t be real..."
"The Dark-Dark Fruit can actually nullify other Devil Fruit abilities?"
He had always assumed it was merely another Logia fruit.
He had never imagined it possessed such a terrifying ability.
If Teach touched him and shut down his powers—
Then he would truly lose.
And if he lost...
The consequences would be disastrous.
A chill crept down his spine.
The rage clouding his judgment finally began to fade.
After remaining silent for a long time, Ace slowly lowered his head.
"...You’re right."
"Sorry."
"I was acting recklessly."