Dumpling Tactics

Once Ace's "injuries" had recovered, he asked Duen for another friendly spar. However, he could not help becoming somewhat timid during the fight.

Physical wounds were easy to heal, but wounds of the heart were much harder to deal with. That was probably what it meant.

Duen also studied the influence of Red Nightmare during their battle. Using Phantom Mirror to control Ace did not succeed every time. Even when it did, Ace would often break free in less than a second.

It was not just him. Luffy also broke free quickly after Duen used it on him. Although it had some effect, it was not obvious. Moreover, the Red Nightmare on the broad blade gradually dimmed with use, like water stains slowly evaporating under the sun.

The mental impact created by Phantom Mirror should have been similar to Conqueror's Haki. The difference was... perhaps the two could be used at the same time.

Although the power of "Nightmare" was currently limited, even a moment's hesitation in battle could often affect the outcome of the entire fight.

After being defeated by Duen four or five times in a row, Ace finally gave up. Though he looked unwilling, there was nothing he could do. Not only were his strength and speed inferior, but Duen's strange ability left him with no way to defend himself.

Ace picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it toward the distant sea. Distractedly, he asked, "Duen, what exactly is that power?"

"You tell me first. What did you see?" Duen asked in return.

"Hmm..." Ace scratched his head, seeming to think about how to describe the feeling. "How should I put it..."

"Ace, it's a kaleidoscope! A kaleidoscope!" Luffy suddenly shouted.

"That's right, a kaleidoscope." Reminded by him, Ace suddenly understood. "Duen, have you ever played with one? It's a toy children play with."

"I have."

Only after hearing Duen's answer did Ace continue, "When you used that strange power just now, it felt like I was looking into a kaleidoscope. I saw countless vivid flower patterns constantly spinning and changing. Um... I feel like, amid that endless spinning, I also saw some scenes..."

He paused and tried hard to recall them, but still came up empty. "What were they? I can't remember at all..."

"I see..."

Duen murmured. Only after hearing the affected person's firsthand experience did he understand why this ability was called Phantom Mirror.

"Were you thinking about something?" Ace turned to look at him.

"I was. This is the power of a Devil Fruit." Duen smiled faintly. Nearly transparent Red Nightmare crawled over the back of his hand, bathing in the sunlight like insects. However, it was extremely dim, almost disappearing.

"What's a Devil Fruit?" Ace pinched his chin and began to think.

"What Devil Fruit? Is it tasty?" The moment Luffy heard the word "fruit," he leaned over too, hurriedly wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Ace turned around and stared at Luffy for a full five seconds before crying out, "Wah, wah, wah... Luffy, was what you ate called a Devil Fruit?"

"Huh? I think it was called a Devil Fruit!" Luffy came to the realization too. He covered his throat and stuck out his tongue in a gagging motion. "That fruit tasted awful!"

"I'm a Devil Fruit user who ate the Nightmare Fruit." Duen brought the conversation back on track. "That's why I have special abilities, just like this rubber idiot."

Negative emotion value from Portgas D. Ace +...

Negative emotion value from Monkey D. Luffy +...

Ace's face darkened slightly. "Don't just call someone else's little brother an idiot..."

"My name is Luffy, and I'm the man who'll become the Pirate King! Don't call me a rubber idiot!" Luffy loudly retorted on his own.

"Don't worry about such details."

"It's very important!!"

Grrr~~

Luffy rubbed his stomach and raised his head. "I'm hungry, Ace."

"We shouldn't have mentioned fruit..." Ace slapped his forehead, then broke into a sunny smile and chuckled. "Then let's eat!" After saying that, he looked at Duen. "Want to join us? We hunted a wild boar this morning. There's more than enough for four people."

Duen waved his hand. "No need. I brought my own meal."

"Really, don't be shy!" Ace invited him several times, but Duen refused every time. Ace finally gave up, found a patch of yellow earth, piled up some stones, lit a campfire, and began roasting the wild boar they had hunted that morning.

Duen chose an open patch beside Ace and the others. Under their astonished gazes, he took a large bag of wrapped dumplings, a kettle of water, a large pot, several bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, and a tube of fine salt from his storage bag. Other than the dumplings, though, he had casually taken everything from Uplasp's house...

"How did he pull all that out?"

At that moment, the three of them, including Nami, were utterly baffled. Nami quickly calmed down, but Luffy hurried over to Duen's side, golden cross-shaped gleams flashing in his eyes as he cried out, "Is this magic!!"

"Luffy, don't bother people when they're busy." As the older brother, Ace naturally lectured him.

"Got it, Ace—"

Luffy dragged out his reply in dissatisfaction. His body moved back toward Ace, but his head remained completely still, suspended in the air beside Duen. Because his neck was rubber, it stretched farther and farther.

Ace's mouth twitched. "Pull your head back too."

Smack! Luffy retracted his neck.

Without Luffy's interference, Duen moved much faster. He lit the fire, poured the water into the pot set over it, and skillfully began dropping in the dumplings.

Plop... plop...

Once all the dumplings had fallen into the water, he sprinkled in an appropriate amount of fine salt, covered the pot, and calmly sat down nearby.

Very soon...

Steam billowed out from beneath the pot lid, while the sliced steaks on Ace's side only slowly began to give off wisps of heat. They looked barely two or three tenths cooked, but for those two who had no cooking skills at all, such long waits were already routine.

Duen lifted the lid, and a rich fragrance spread through the air. Luffy, who was ten meters away, rushed over at incredible speed. Pouting, he said, "What is this? It doesn't look tasty at all."

Smack!

Duen calmly slapped away Luffy's hand as it tried to sneak into the pot. "If it doesn't taste good, don't get any ideas."

"What does it matter? It looks so bad anyway..." Luffy's stomach uncooperatively let out another growl.

"Uh..." Even Ace, far away on the other side, awkwardly lowered his head and covered his eyes with one hand.

Duen filled two bowls with dumplings, handed one to Nami, and took the other for himself. Leisurely gazing at the rolling blue sea in the distance, he slowly put a dumpling into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Then he let out a blissful groan.

"Ah~~ Praise the dumplings!"

Negative emotion value from Monkey D. Luffy +777...

"Hmph! Who wants to eat that stuff of yours? It definitely tastes terrible..."

Despite his words, Luffy showed no intention of leaving. He stared fixedly at the dumplings in the bowls, wiped the waterfall of drool flowing from the corner of his mouth, and could not help shouting, "Ace! Is the steak ready yet?!"