"System, you've got something good here."
Ron gave the system a big thumbs-up.
This ability was downright insane!
Devil Fruit Enchantment?
Did that mean he could possess others' abilities?!
In the world of pirates, obtaining a Devil Fruit was already difficult and acquiring the exact ability one desired was even harder!
Most people would never come into contact with a Devil Fruit in their lifetime.
Only a select few possessed Devil Fruit abilities and even then, the powers were mostly random.
It could be said that apart from a very small number of people who had the privilege of choosing their Devil Fruit, everyone else was at the mercy of chance.
Some, who were originally strong, ended up weakened after eating a Devil Fruit due to drastic changes in appearance or physique, eventually fading into obscurity.
But now, all these difficulties vanished for Ron!
He could enchant Devil Fruit abilities!
In other words, anyone could obtain the power they desired through him!
"Whew—!"
Ron took a deep breath.
After repeatedly confirming and understanding his ability, his expression darkened slightly.
The Devil Fruit Enchantment Technology wasn't free— it required financial backing.
Each enchantment cost one billion Berries!
Still, the first attempt had a 100% success rate!
This gave him plenty of room to maneuver.
"Pops! Let me go!" Ace roared again, his face contorted with barely suppressed fury.
"That bastard Teach did this—as his commander, I bear responsibility. No one else is more suited for this than me."
Seeing Ace's pained and guilt-ridden expression, Whitebeard knew he couldn't stop him.
Even if he refused now, Ace would find a way to sneak off later to hunt down Teach.
Rather than that, it was better to let him go.
Besides, he had faith in Ace's strength.
"Fine. Since you insist, then—"
"You can't go!"
A sudden voice interrupted them, drawing the attention of everyone present.
Ace stiffened, turning slowly to glare at Ron.
"You... you're stopping me?! Are you connected to Teach too?!"
By the end, Ace's tone had grown increasingly hostile, his eyes turning dangerously sharp.
The other crew members also tensed, gripping their weapons tighter.
Whitebeard's gaze fell on Ron, his towering six-meter body looming over him.
The overwhelming pressure made Ron gulp as he quickly raised his hands.
"Don't misunderstand—I have no ties to Teach. Besides, Thatch saved my life. Teach is my enemy too."
Ace studied Ron's eyes and found no trace of deceit.
His stance relaxed slightly.
"Then why do you stop me?"
Ron, "I'm not stopping you. I just think chasing Teach now isn't the right move."
Ace frowned.
Right now, his mind was consumed by vengeance, leaving no room for anything else.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard's eyes flickered thoughtfully at Ron's words.
"Oh?" He showed interest but still kept a cold expression.
"Why do you think so? What do you know?"
Seeing Whitebeard speak up, the others also grew curious and listened intently.
Ace suppressed his impatience and turned to Ron, waiting for his answer.
"Ahem..." Ron cleared his throat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under so many gazes.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that—to stay with the Whitebeard Pirates, he had to prove his worth.
"Haven't you all thought carefully about why Teach dared to kill Thatch so blatantly, especially knowing the price of betrayal is death, yet he still chose to do it?"
At Ron's rhetorical question, Marco was the first to frown.
"Does he have another backer? One of the Yonko?"
Ron shook his head. "You might not believe it, but Teach himself isn't weak, especially in physical combat. He's even capable of injuring Shanks."
"Shanks??? That's bullshit."
"Teach is just a small crew member—how could he hurt Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Yonko?"
"This guy must still be dreaming."
"..."
Ignoring the others' mockery, Whitebeard frowned as if recalling something.
"Are you saying the scar on Red-Hair's eye was caused by Teach?"
Ron was slightly surprised but quickly understood—Whitebeard and Shanks were both Yonko, so some secrets weren't secrets between them.
"Correct."
Whitebeard fell silent, his expression growing grave.
Seeing their captain's grave expression, the others couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Was Teach's really that strong?
Marco also frowned before helplessly patting Ace's shoulder.
"Teach is cunning and has hidden himself too well. His strength might rival the Yonko. You shouldn't go after him yet."
Ace's eyes burned with fury and unwillingness, his teeth grinding audibly in anger.
"So what if he's strong? I'm a Logia-type, user of the Flame-Flame Fruit. That can easily make up for my shortcomings."
He still refused to give up, remembering the days he drank merrily with Thatch, his heart aching again.
He had to avenge Thatch!
"Hmph! Reckless fool." Ron didn't hold back his mockery.
If Ace hadn't been so arrogant, he wouldn't have been captured by Teach.
During the Summit War, he had even turned around to fight an Admiral head-on just because of Akainu's taunt, leading to his death.
It had infuriated Ron back then and now that he had transmigrated into this world and witnessed this scene, he didn't hesitate to mock Ace outright.
"What?! You're calling me a reckless fool?!" Ace roared in outrage. "Thatch saved you! Are you just going to stand there and mock me instead of doing anything?"
Ron snorted coldly.
"Do you know what fruit Teach stole?"
"The Dark-Dark Fruit. So what? My Flame-Flame Fruit is enough to defeat him!" Ace retorted defiantly, brimming with confidence in his own strength.
"Do you understand what the Dark-Dark Fruit is?" Ron's counter left Ace stunned.
"N-no... I don't."
"Then let me tell you. Once a Dark-Dark Fruit user touches you with their hand, no matter what Devil Fruit ability you have, you'll temporarily lose it and become an ordinary person!"
Ron narrowed his eyes at Ace.
"Do you think your physical combat skills can harm Teach after you lose your powers?"
Upon hearing Ron's words, Ace froze in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Impossible... The Dark-Dark Fruit can actually strip other Devil Fruit users of their abilities and turn them into ordinary people?!"
He had initially thought the Dark-Dark Fruit was merely a Logia type, never expecting it to possess such a bizarre power.
If Teach were to touch him and nullify his abilities, he would undoubtedly lose the fight—and might even be captured.
The thought of the dire consequences that would follow sent a chill down his spine.
"I... I'm sorry... It was... It was reckless of me..."