Power Systems

The group arrived at Burufatt's residence, right next door to Ra and the others.

As soon as they entered, he said nothing and pulled a bottle of liquor from the freezer in the corner, then tipped it back and gulped down a huge mouthful.

"Ah~ refreshing! This stuff's what keeps me going every day." Setting down the bottle, Burufatt let out a satisfied sigh before finally inviting them to sit.

The stools in the room were rather tall, leaving Ra and the other two unable to reach the floor with their feet, but they did not seem to mind.

Urged on by Oshi, who swung her little legs impatiently, Burufatt slowly began explaining the two most important power systems in this world.

"First, so-called ability users are people who have eaten Devil Fruits. You know what Devil Fruits are, right... okay~" Seeing the huge words I don't know written all over Oshi's face, Burufatt had no choice but to start from the basics.

"There is a special kind of fruit in these seas known as a Devil Fruit. Whoever eats one gains all sorts of abilities.

"Generally, these abilities are divided into three categories. The first is the Zoan Type. Those who eat Zoan Devil Fruits gain the ability to transform into animals, and their strength, recovery, and other attributes increase dramatically.

"The second is the Paramecia. Those who eat this kind of Devil Fruit gain all sorts of bizarre abilities, such as flying through the sky or swimming through the ground."

"Is there one that can turn a woman into a man?" The moment Oshi heard how miraculous Paramecia Devil Fruits were, she immediately thought of her missing little brother.

"Uh... well, there probably is. I just haven't met an ability user like that." Burufatt found himself unable to understand what was going through a little girl's mind at her age.

"Besides, I heard Devil Fruits taste as awful as shit. Do you want to try one?"

"No." Oshi shook her head at once. She did not want either option in that "shit-flavored chocolate" choice.

"By the way, did the person who told you that actually eat shit? Otherwise, how would he know Devil Fruits taste just as bad? Eww~ Uncle, you should stay away from that person from now on."

Burufatt felt rather uncomfortable under Oshi's sincere yet slightly pitying gaze, and his thoughts could not help running wild.

No way~ That guy couldn't have really...

Shaking those messy thoughts from his head, Burufatt gave a dry cough.

"Cough, cough~ Let's continue. Continue."

"The third type of Devil Fruit is also the rarest: the Logia Type.

"Logia ability users can transform into all sorts of natural elements, such as fire and ice. Not only are they immensely destructive, they cannot be struck by physical attacks either, unless you find and exploit the weakness of their corresponding element."

"Eh~ wouldn't that make Logia users almost invincible? They just have to watch out for elemental weaknesses in battle. Being immune to physical attacks is way too unfair~" Oshi complained.

"And such ability users completely violate the law of increasing entropy. It is simply too unscientific," Obe said with a frown.

"Yeah. As the saying goes, 'rare things are precious.' As long as their talent is not too poor, an ordinary person who eats a Logia Devil Fruit can become a first-rate expert with just a little training. And speaking of rarity, there is another kind of Devil Fruit even rarer than the Logia Type."

"What, what? Are there Devil Fruits with even more amazing abilities? Could they let you turn into Ultraman or an alien?"

"I don't know what this 'Ultraman' you speak of is, but this type of Devil Fruit really can transform its user into creatures from legend—so-called 'mythical beasts.'

"This is a special category among Zoan Devil Fruits: Zoan Type—Mythical Zoan." Burufatt spoke with a faint note of longing in his voice.

"Captain Kaido is a Mythical Zoan ability user too, right?" The moment Burufatt mentioned mythical beasts, Ra thought of Kaido's enormous Eastern dragon form.

"That's right."

As Ra expected, Burufatt confirmed it after gathering his thoughts. "Boss Kaido ate the Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit—Azure Dragon Form."

It's the Fish-Fish Fruit, not the Dragon-Dragon Fruit. It seems these so-called mythical beasts are still based on creatures that exist in reality. Then the possibility that these Devil Fruits were artificially created is quite high.

Not noticing that Ra's thoughts had drifted elsewhere, Burufatt continued talking away.

"However, all ability users share a common weakness: they become helpless on land. Whether they are Logia users or Mythical Zoans, once they come into contact with seawater, their whole bodies go weak and they cannot use their abilities."

"Huh? You mean Boss Kaido, as an Azure Dragon, is actually afraid of water? And he's a pirate who can't even swim?"

"Hahahaha~ a Fish-Fish Fruit user who can't touch water? That's way too funny!" Oshi imagined a fish flapping twice in the water before drowning and could not help clutching her stomach with laughter.

Burufatt did not mind. He merely took another swig of liquor to moisten his dry throat.

"Alright, that's all I know about Devil Fruits and ability users. Next is the Haki I used earlier.

"Haki is a power that exists within everyone's body. In theory, anyone can use it through training, and if cultivated to the extreme, it can likewise surpass those with powerful Devil Fruit abilities and stand at the pinnacle of this world.

"Take the great pirate Gol D. Roger and that 'Marine Hero,' Garp, for example. Neither of them was an ability user, yet both were among the strongest people on these seas."

"Oh? Then who is stronger, those two or Boss Kaido?" Children always liked comparing people.

"Cough! Th-that's hard to say."

Well, Oshi could tell the answer just by looking at his awkward expression.

"W-we'll continue. Um, unlike the countless strange abilities of Devil Fruits, Haki is generally divided into only two types: Observation Haki and Armament Haki.

"You, red-haired girl, just experienced Observation Haki firsthand. It is a technique that predicts an opponent's movements by sensing their presence. Those with strong Observation Haki can often anticipate their enemies during battle and remain calm and composed.

"Armament Haki is what I used earlier. It coats the body, hardening it and creating an effect like a layer of tough armor. It is also the only way to attack the bodies of Logia ability users aside from seawater and elemental weaknesses.

"As for the other kind of Haki, called Conqueror's Haki, I do not know much about it. I only know that it is a special Haki that can only be awakened by those born with the qualities of a king.

"If you want to know more, you can ask Boss Kaido. He has Conqueror's Haki."

The bottle was already empty. After spending most of the day explaining, Burufatt had finally built a rough outline of this world's power systems in the three girls' minds.

"I see. Thank you for your explanation, Mr. Burufatt."

"Eh~ no need to be so polite, little girl. We're pirates; we don't stand on ceremony. From now on, we're all in the same Pirate Crew, so just call me by my name."

Burufatt waved a large hand, indicating that she did not need to be so formal. He had quite a good impression of Ra, who had remained polite throughout.

"Then, Uncle with the hard-to-remember name, can you teach us Haki?" After hearing Burufatt's introduction, Oshi could barely wait to learn Haki.

"Get lost, get lost. When I wanted to teach you earlier, you refused to learn. Don't come bothering me now!"

Burufatt was clearly still upset about what had happened earlier. He had obviously been teaching Armament Haki, but this brat had focused only on dodging. She had dodged and dodged until she somehow awakened Observation Haki instead!

"Eh~ how can you be like this! Don't be so stingy, Uncle." Oshi jumped down from her stool, ran over, hugged Burufatt's leg, and stared straight at him.

Though acting cute like this damaged her dignity somewhat, the temptation of the Power of Another World outweighed her embarrassment.

Stare~

Stare, stare~

Stare, stare, stare~

"I said I won't teach you, so I won't teach you. And you little brat still haven't remembered my name, have you?" Burufatt snorted and huffily turned his head away.

"Ugh~"

Just as Obe could no longer stand it and was about to pry Oshi off his leg, a young voice suddenly rang out.

"I'm afraid that won't do, Burufatt. Boss Kaido told us to make sure these three master Haki as soon as possible."

Everyone looked up to see someone wrapped up from head to toe entering the room.