121
In another possible river of time, this power should have belonged to him.
But that mechanic had chosen another path-a Devil Fruit that could produce all kinds of tools was, he said, better suited to tinkering with gears and bolts.
There was nothing anyone could say to that reasoning.
And so the question became: who would serve as this "engine"
?
The spaceship's designer had said that the power of lightning had to be developed to a considerable degree to sustain the long voyage and reach that fireball hanging in the sky.
And among the people it knew, very few had never tasted a Devil Fruit.
Fish-Men could not touch seawater-that was common knowledge; another warrior skilled in Haki had suffered serious injuries three years earlier and was still conditioning his waist and abdomen, with no energy to spare for taming an unfamiliar power.
Being strong did not necessarily mean one could master a Devil Fruit.
Some talents were instincts etched into the blood.
There were suitable candidates among the younger generation, but it did not dare gamble.
If whoever ate the Devil Fruit failed to meet the requirements, it might remain suspended there forever, becoming a truly lonely star.
Pressure tightened around every inch of its thoughts like invisible hands.
In the end, it turned its gaze toward the rubberlike boy before it.
If it was him...
The shadow on his back stirred slightly.
Luffy sensed that some decision was taking shape, heavy enough to make his shoulders ache.
He raised his head and saw the Devil Fruit being held out before him.
Its cloud patterns seemed to come alive in the sunlight, flowing slowly.
"Eat it."
The voice spoke calmly, with something unquestionable hidden beneath it.
Luffy blinked and reached out to take it.
The skin felt