That night, Newgate, overjoyed at having a family, drank a lot of sake, his “gurararara” laughter echoing endlessly.
“Pops, where are we going?” Shaq asked, scratching his butt.
“Hmm, Sphinx, I haven’t been back in a long time.
Let’s go take a look,” Whitebeard replied, taking a large gulp of strong liquor.
“Sphinx, is it far?”
“Not far.
At our current speed, we’ll be there in about a month.”
…Newgate and Shaq chatted for a long time, and eventually, both of them slept outside the cabin, with the sky as their blanket and the deck as their bed.
The next day at noon, Newgate slowly woke up, rubbing his head, which ached from a hangover.
He casually threw away the empty sake bottle, but unexpectedly, the bottle landed squarely on Shaq’s head, who was still sound asleep.
“Ah!” Shaq, who was dreaming of beating Kaido and knocking down Big Mom, cried out in pain as he woke up.
He grabbed the bottle and threw it into the sea.
“You bastard, Pops!
You almost killed your only son!”
Newgate laughed loudly and stood up, ignoring what Shaq was saying.
He glanced at the Log Pose, and his smile suddenly froze.
Shaq also noticed Newgate’s unusual behavior.
Rubbing his bruised head, he also got up and asked, “What’s wrong, Pops?
Is there a problem?”
“There is a small problem,” Newgate said helplessly.
“I drank too much last night and didn’t pay attention to the course.
Now we’ve drifted off route.”
“Ah, does that mean we’ll have to sail a little longer?” Shaq asked.
“Uh, it’s not that simple.
We seem to have entered a new route.
The Log Pose needs time to record the magnetic field again.
We’ll have to head to the nearest island and wait,” Newgate replied, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit unreliable?” Shaq said, speechless.
“Hmm, you brat, show some respect to your old man!” Newgate, embarrassed and annoyed, knocked Shaq on the head, and immediately a large red lump appeared.
Shaq, having been struck by the ‘fatherly iron fist,’ became obedient.
He covered his head and quietly moved aside.
Seeing this, Newgate grinned with satisfaction and said, “Gurararara, Shaq, don’t say I’m bullying you.
Since you’re my son, I’ll give you a welcome gift.
Come with me.” Saying this, Newgate beckoned for Shaq to follow.
Shaq was very curious about what kind of welcome gift his father would give him.
He ignored the lump on his head and followed behind Newgate.
The two walked one after another into the cabin.
Entering the cabin, Newgate pulled out three treasure chests and placed them one by one in front of Shaq, saying, “Shaq, take a look.
These three are my most valuable collections.”
When Shaq saw the treasure chests, he immediately understood that they must contain three Devil Fruits.
He just didn’t know which ones, but they were likely to be powerful, since his father valued them so highly.
So, Shaq opened the three treasure chests one by one.
In the first chest was a fruit covered in blue flames.
The second fruit was shaped like a cluster of crystals, resembling a diamond.
The third fruit was also very peculiar, entirely emerald green and covered with swirling leaf-like patterns.
Newgate saw Shaq open all the treasure chests, revealing the true forms of the three Devil Fruits, and then introduced them,
“The first is a Mythical Zoan, the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix.
Eating it allows you to transform into a phoenix.”
“The second is a Paramecia, the Glint-Glint Fruit.
It allows the body to become diamond.”
“As for the third, I found it yesterday on that pirate ship.
According to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, it’s a Paramecia-type… the Life-Life Fruit.
Its exact ability isn’t clearly explained only five words are written.”
Shaq’s interest was immediately piqued, and he eagerly asked, “Which five words?”
“Forbidden Power,” Whitebeard replied.
“Shaq, all three of these Devil Fruits are powerful.
No matter which one you choose, it can help you grow strong.
Of course, you can also choose not to eat one.
As your old man, the decision is yours.”
Upon hearing this, Shaq had already decided to eat a Devil Fruit.
Although it meant losing the ability to swim, it would be a waste not to, after coming to this world.
Moreover, the rumored terrible taste also made him curious.
As for which fruit to choose, Shaq began to think carefully.
The Phoenix Fruit and the Diamond Fruit would belong to future members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
He was familiar with their abilities.
The Phoenix Fruit was powerful and versatile, capable of regeneration and combat.
As for the Diamond Fruit, it focused on defense and toughness, which didn’t quite suit his style.
And finally, the Life-Life Fruit “Forbidden Power” sounded extremely intriguing.
Seeing Shaq deep in thought, Newgate smiled in satisfaction.
After all, this concerned his son’s future.
After a moment of hesitation, Shaq reached for the emerald green Life-Life Fruit.
Although he liked the Phoenix Fruit, he chose this unknown power instead.
“Pops, I choose this Life-Life Fruit,” Shaq said firmly.
“Good.
Then eat it.
I’ll warn you first Devil Fruits taste awful.
Don’t cry,” Newgate said with a grin.
“Pops, I’m not a kid anymore.
A man doesn’t cry.”
Holding the Life-Life Fruit, Shaq looked as if he were about to face death.
Seeing this, Newgate burst into laughter.
Glaring at him, Shaq took a big bite.
The moment it entered his mouth, an overwhelming stench exploded in his senses.
It was indescribably foul.
“Ugh!”
His face twisted in pain, but he forced himself to swallow it.
“That really is disgusting!”
Newgate laughed loudly.
“Gurararara!
Not bad, right?”
“I’ve never tasted anything worse,” Shaq said, sticking out his tongue.
“Gurararara!
Enough complaining.
Try your power let me see this ‘Forbidden Power’!”
Hearing this, Shaq focused and felt the changes in his body.
Then, he reached out and touched a nearby chair.
He felt a small portion of his vitality being consumed.
The next moment, the chair began to move.
Eyes and a mouth formed on its surface as it suddenly came to life.
“Greetings, Master!”
Seeing this, Newgate frowned slightly.
“It resembles Linlin’s ability.”
“Hmm… I know a bit about her power too,” Shaq said thoughtfully.
“It’s similar, but not the same.
If I had to describe it… this feels like a more advanced version.
The rest, I’ll need to develop myself.”
“Hmm… Gurararara!
A power beyond Linlin’s, huh?
Interesting!”
Newgate laughed in satisfaction.