Ace mulled over the question for a moment before answering directly.
"The Phoenix's flames have healing abilities, while Kaido's flames are for pure destruction."
Ron shook his head with a complex expression, but then he nodded slightly, as if to say,
You're on the right track, but you're only seeing the surface.
Even Whitebeard looked over, his gaze intense.
"Ron, just tell me straight," Ace finally surrendered with a sigh.
"My brain's too slow to figure out your riddles."
Ron smiled faintly, his gaze warm as he looked at Ace and the rest of the crew who had gathered to listen.
He held up a single finger.
"Temperature," he said, the word simple but powerful, immediately causing everyone to fall into deep, contemplative thought.
"The power of a flame isn't just in its existence," Ron continued, his voice taking on the quality of a master lecturer.
"It lies in the temperature it can reach. Marco's flames of rebirth are an ethereal, blue fire—they are warm but fundamentally harmless, which is why they can heal without causing further damage. A true flame of destruction, however, can theoretically burn as hot as the sun itself. The awakening path of the Flame-Flame Fruit," he concluded, his eyes fixed on Ace.
"Is absolute mastery over temperature. From a gentle, life-giving warmth to the core of a star. That is your potential."
The entire crew was captivated.
"Yeah, Ron whats my awakened ability gonna be then?" Jozu asked, a teasing glint in his eye.
"Do I just turn the whole ground into diamonds?"
"Exactly," Ron answered, his tone completely serious, which wiped the smirk right off Jozu's face.
"That's precisely it. Influencing your surroundings, turning the inorganic world into your own element. That is the nature of a Paramecia awakening."
Jozu fell into a deep, profound silence, the implications of Ron's words washing over him.
The other commanders stared in shock.
This news was a massive surprise; it meant all of them had a path to a power they had never even considered.
The air buzzed with excitement until Ron held up a hand.
"Ahem," he coughed, tempering their enthusiasm. "Devil Fruit awakening also depends on timing and opportunity. Don't fixate on the destination. Focus on growing stronger along the path. Becoming stronger is the only real goal."
His words were like a bucket of cool water, but they resonated with truth.
"He's right! At least now we have a direction!"
"Vice-Captain Ron knows so much! It's like he's an all-knowing god!"
"God Ron! God Ron!" the chant began, half-joking and half-serious.
[Ngl i bet they already know this considering they are veteran pirates]
Ron lightly raised his hand, signaling for them to quiet down.
His gaze then shifted, a faint, knowing smile on his lips as he noticed a certain mountain of a man trying to subtly sneak away toward the exit.
"Jozu," Ron's voice cut through the noise.
"It's your turn to eat an Enchanted devil fruit. Where do you think you're going?"
Jozu froze mid-step, looking like a giant child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
He turned, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Ah, Ron... I haven't saved up enough yet... This..."
Ron's smile widened. "Don't worry about that," he said, his voice carrying across the room.
"Izou already took care of it."
The name hit Jozu like a physical blow.
"Izou?" he repeated, stunned.
He just stood there, his mind struggling to process the news as memories of a young, displaced samurai from Wano flooded his mind.
"That guy... why would he do this..." he murmured, his voice thick with an emotion he rarely showed.
Seeing Jozu's shock, Ron finally explained how Izou had gifted his entire share of Orochi's treasure for this very purpose.
Upon hearing the full story, Jozu's eyes welled up, and he remained rooted to the spot, completely overwhelmed.
Ace and Marco exchanged a knowing smile.
They, along with the other commanders, stepped aside, revealing a single box resting on a pedestal behind them.
It seemed to hum with a unique, latent power.
The atmosphere in the room, already warm with celebration, grew even more harmonious, a testament to the powerful, brotherly bonds that held their crew together.
"Quit dawdling, big guy," Ron teased with a laugh. "Hurry up and get your fruit. Let's see how lucky you are."
Jozu was so completely overwhelmed that he burst into tears, the raw, choked sobs of a man whose heart was too full for words.
Great streaking tears ran down his rugged face.
"Izou... that bastard," he choked out, frantically searching the crowd.
"Where is he? I need to thank him properly..."
"Alright, no need to look for him," Ron said gently, patting Jozu's massive shoulder.
"I sent Izou on a secret mission. Before leaving, he told me he hoped to see you succeed in your Enchantment by the time he returns."
Hearing this, Jozu could no longer hold back his emotions and wailed openly.
Wiping his snot and tears with the back of a diamond hand, his voice trembled as he turned to Ron.
"Ron," he declared, his voice thick with emotion but firm with resolve.
"I want to eat it!"
Ron chuckled and opened the box, revealing six exquisite Devil Fruits humming with power.
Without a second's hesitation, Jozu grabbed the first and shoved it into his mouth, swallowing it whole in a single, tear-soaked gulp.
He closed his eyes... but as the foul taste faded, so did his hope.
Nothing.
"Second one!" he shouted stubbornly.
Again, nothing.
"Third one!"
Failure.
The room grew quiet, the only sound Jozu's heavy breathing as he downed the fourth, and then the fifth, each with the same disappointing result.
The crew watched in a stunned, pained silence.
Just as he was about to give up all hope, he grabbed the sixth and final fruit.
He closed his eyes, bracing for one last failure... and then, he felt it.
A subtle warmth, a flicker of alien energy that quickly grew into an undeniable, surging tide of immense power.
His eyes snapped open.
"It worked!" he murmured, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"It really worked!"
No sooner had he spoken than his entire body began to radiate a dazzling, golden light.
It wasn't just a glow; it was as if he had become a living prism, pure, solid light refracting through his diamond skin, casting brilliant, dancing patterns across the entire room.
"Hahahahaha…" Jozu burst into laughter, a sound of pure, unrestrained joy.
"Izou, Ron, Pops, everyone—I did it!"
One by one, his brothers came forward to offer their congratulations, their cheers and laughter filling the room.
Whitebeard approached, gazing fondly at the commander who had grown up under his care.
"Gurararara! Jozu, congratulations!" he boomed. "Now show us what you've got. You've been waiting long enough, haven't you?"
Jozu reined in his excitement and nodded, a wide, predatory smirk tugging at his lips as he looked up at the nine majestic dragons still darting through the air.
"Hey! Care to test yourselves against me?"
"Jozu, how do you want to do this?" Squard's voice boomed from his green dragon form.
"Who do you want to fight?"
Jozu's grin widened, his expression brimming with a wild, almost insane confidence.
"Naturally," he declared, his voice ringing firm and powerful across the open field.
"All of you."
A hush fell over the crowd.
One man against nine dragons.
"Jozu, I won't hold back," one of the dragons growled, a clear note of insulted pride in its voice.
Jozu just chuckled. "Don't hold back, or I'll be disappointed. The moves I've been preparing won't get a proper test."
As he spoke, his arms transformed into flawless, unbreakable diamond, so clear they were almost transparent.
Within them, beams of pure, golden light manifested, refracting and reflecting inside his limbs as if he had created an intricate optical system within his very bones.
The light converged, focusing through his fingers until an impossibly bright point of energy gathered at his fingertips.
"Let's start," he murmured, his voice a low, dangerous hum.
"With a little warm-up."
--------------------------------
Whitebeard solo vs marines still on going.
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