Nika or Phoenix

[Summit War Intervention Gift Pack opened]

[Obtained one "enhanced" Devil Fruit ability copy, "directly to awakening"]

[Obtained one copy of a certain ability "excluding Fruit abilities"]

[Obtained absolute control over a person for ten seconds, "suicide excluded"]

[The Four Emperors Gift Pack will activate in the next phase]

After opening the gift pack, Luo Chen already understood the uses of the three abilities he had received.

He had obtained the ability to copy a certain ability "excluding Fruit abilities" once before. Luo Chen had used it to copy Issho's Observation Haki, which was how he now possessed SS+-rank Observation Haki.

The ability to gain absolute control over someone for ten seconds, "suicide excluded," was also easy to understand at a glance.

Even if it only lasted a brief ten seconds, if used well, it could definitely produce godlike results.

What if several enemies were fighting you, and one of them suddenly stabbed the others in the back?

It might not instantly turn the battle around, but it could still secure a massive advantage.

And that was not all! It might even be possible to use those short ten seconds to achieve whatever goal he wanted.

So that was the plan... A plan had already formed in Luo Chen's mind.

The ability to obtain one "enhanced" Devil Fruit ability copy, "directly to awakening," was especially insane.

Find an overwhelmingly powerful Devil Fruit and copy it directly, instantly reaching its awakened state?

If he used it well, Luo Chen's combat ability would rise by a huge margin in an instant.

So, if he had to choose from the current Summit War battlefield...

There were only two Devil Fruit abilities that caught Luo Chen's eye: the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Form and the Mythical Zoan Nika Sun God Form.

In terms of versatility, the Nika Sun God Form was undoubtedly more well-rounded and offered a greater boost to combat strength.

Once awakened, the Phoenix Form would probably grant the true ability to be impossible to kill. Its weakness, however, was that Seastone could seal its powers.

But that was not a problem for Luo Chen. He suffered no side effects from any Devil Fruit ability, which was why the Phoenix Form had entered his range of choices. Otherwise, it would have remained under consideration.

In the original story, the awakening of Luffy's Nika Fruit gave him the right to challenge Kaido again. This time, relying on his Fruit ability alone, Luffy successfully forced Kaido to use his ultimate move, transforming into a flaming dragon himself.

It had to be said that Luffy after entering Gear Fifth could fight, endure punishment, and recover exceptionally well. He could recharge his "scrapped" body to full in an instant. That kind of recovery ability far surpassed most Zoan Fruits.

"Recovery ability" was a unique "passive skill" of Zoan users. As long as someone was a Zoan user, they possessed the ability of "high recovery," and that was the key to a Zoan user's sustained combat capability.

Among the many Zoan users with impressive recovery abilities, one stood above the rest. His recovery ability ranked among the very best of all Zoan users. That person was the Mythical Zoan Phoenix, Marco.

Luffy's Nika Fruit and Marco's Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit both belonged to the Mythical Zoan category. However, the Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit focused primarily on recovery, while the Nika Fruit was more versatile.

Looking solely at the recovery abilities of these two Mythical Zoan Fruits, which was superior? It was undoubtedly Marco's Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit.

First of all, Luffy's Nika Fruit ability was more comprehensive. After awakening, it enhanced attack, defense, recovery, and many other aspects. It could be said to be a one-of-a-kind Devil Fruit on the seas.

Moreover, the Nika Fruit's recovery ability truly did not fall short of Marco's Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit. Even after Luffy had exhausted all his strength, he could instantly "recharge" back to full condition, practically like a perpetual-motion machine.

Judging from the Nika Fruit's performance, it seemed to consume not only stamina, but perhaps even prematurely drain one's "life force."

The Mythical Zoan Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit was inherently a healing-focused Fruit. Like Barto's Barrier-Barrier Fruit, this type of Fruit was somewhat specialized. Its functions were relatively singular, but its corresponding strength was greater than that of other Fruits.

Luffy's Nika Fruit, on the other hand, was more like an all-purpose Fruit.

After considering all this in an instant, Luo Chen made up his mind to copy the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Form.

Indeed, it was not as versatile as the Nika Sun God Form, but after awakening, it would be truly impossible to kill.

For Luo Chen, being impossible to kill was the most important means of preserving his life.

Since he had made his decision, then...

[System, bring up Marco's abilities for enhanced copying]

[Received, Host]

[One "enhanced" Devil Fruit ability copy, "directly to awakening"]

[Copy target: Marco]

[Zoan Mythical Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit ability: Unawakened]

[Observation Haki: S-rank]

[Armament Haki: S-rank]

[Physical arts: S+-rank]

[Swordsmanship: D-rank]

[Base stamina, endurance, defense: SS-rank]

[Overall attack power: S-rank]

[Overall defense power: SS-rank]

Luo Chen could tell from Marco's status panel that he was heavily specialized!

Base stamina, endurance, defense: SS-rank.

Overall defense power: SS-rank.

Those two were his highest stats. The Phoenix Form ability probably contributed to them as well.

Marco clearly possessed SS-rank base stamina, endurance, and defense, so why did he become exhausted so quickly in battle? It was probably related to the enormous consumption of the Phoenix Form's recovery ability.

If it awakened, that drawback would probably be resolved as well.

Looking at Marco's attributes, Luo Chen felt that Marco was the type who was neither outstanding nor weak.

He could fight in high-level battles, that was true!

Unfortunately, his damage output was insufficient. S-rank Armament Haki, S+-rank physical arts, and S-rank overall attack power were all among the best at the S-rank.

But the powerhouses in high-level battles all started at SS-rank. Even the weakest among them had to possess at least S+-rank defense.

It would have been fine if the Phoenix Form had awakened, but Marco had not awakened it either.