One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 343 The Price of Devil Fruits

How did Luffy manage to grow beyond the limitations of time?

To be honest, Roman thinks there are some things worth considering about this topic.

After two and a half years at sea, he became one of the Four Emperors.

This speed is simply outrageous.

It is indeed something to be envied.

So Roman sometimes wonders what's so magical about Luffy that makes miracles happen and the birth of a king so swift.

Now, she already has a preliminary idea.

The reason Luffy can grow so quickly is because of the price he pays.

Yes, that's Roman's idea. She believes that miracles happen not because of the miracle itself, but because of the cost.

If you think about it carefully, is it possible that this is the "nature" of Devil Fruits?

Eating a Devil Fruit and becoming a Devil Fruit user comes at a price.

In the ocean, seastone becomes a weakness.

This is the price of gaining power.

So, is this "nature" only present at the moment of eating the Devil Fruit?

No, of course not.

The moment you eat the Devil Fruit, your "deal" begins.

In mythology, demons can give humans anything they want.

As long as you have a request, they are omnipotent and can grant you any wish.

Of course, demons are not philanthropists, they are not philanthropists who come to grant your wishes; they are doing business, they are making deals.

To gain something, you must first give something.

While they will grant your wishes, they will also make you pay a heavy price.

This is the devil's principle of doing things.

Thinking about it this way, it's quite fitting that Devil Fruits are called Devil Fruits.

It lures you with power, but in gaining that power, you will also have to accept the common weakness of all those with abilities.

Of course, if you only look at it this way, it seems like a good deal.

After all, you have obtained great power, so even if that power has flaws or weaknesses, it's not a big problem.

So the question is, does the deal really end once the Devil Fruit is eaten?

Maybe not yet.

What was the price Luffy paid for forcibly activating Gear Second using the properties of his Devil Fruit?

It refers to lifespan.

The more force you use, the shorter your lifespan will be.

Although this flaw disappeared after Luffy became stronger and unlocking Gear Second no longer came at a cost, the lifespan that had already been lost could not be recovered.

Thinking about it that way, Roman felt it was practically a trap.

If you knew that sacrificing a little of your lifespan would make you stronger and allow you to use the greater power of a Devil Fruit, could you resist the temptation?

Thinking about it more carefully, the highest level of the Op-Op Fruit that Law ate later would be to be able to perform surgery to grant others immortality, but the user would face death while performing the surgery.

Isn't this a manifestation of the cost?

A Devil Fruit user can only maximize the power of their Devil Fruit by exhausting their own lifespan.

Hmm... It's like Pandora's Box.

Although she wasn't entirely sure of her own ideas, she felt that her ideas might not be without merit.

Luffy has encountered far too many difficulties along the way.

This forces him to constantly overdevelop his abilities.

This also resulted in a very obvious cost to him.

Second gear, which consumes more lifespan.

Three levels, child-friendly.

Fourth gear, temporarily unable to use the Overpowering Aura.

Level 5: Physical aging.

So if we think about it this way, although a Devil Fruit may not necessarily want your life, it does require you to pay the price for overexploiting it.

Its very existence has already given you a shortcut; if you still need to transcend time and achieve power, then you will have to pay the price.

Whatever it is, you need to put in the effort.

Thinking about it this way, Devil Fruits do have a terrifying side, but they also have a relatively reasonable side.

So if you want to achieve strength that transcends time, you'll have to pay a price.

Power can be addictive and intoxicating, but it can also easily lead people astray.

At least in terms of the use of force, caution is indeed needed; too much of a good thing can be bad.

The fact that Shanks was so badly injured was partly due to his forced use of Divine Evasion.

The greater the power, the more dangerous it is. If Roman wasn't mentally prepared, she thought it would be better to stop for a while.

So, it's time to find that lazy, nice guy.

After all, I still need his help with something.

……

An eye mask, a sleeping pillow, and a cloak used as a blanket.

Even though it's working hours, this general is still fast asleep, treating the office like his own bedroom.

This is typical of General Kuzan's style.

Even though he has become much more diligent than before, and his attendance rate is barely acceptable, it still doesn't change the fact that he is lazy and undisciplined.

Whenever he has a spare moment, he seizes the opportunity to rest.

In short, don't expect him to take the initiative to do any work.

If this general doesn't give up his job to you, you should be thanking your lucky stars.

Roman understood this insight very deeply.

Of course, even so, Aokiji was still a general, and generally no one dared to say anything.

but……

"If you continue to be so lazy, those new recruits who are looking forward to your image will cry."

After knocking for three minutes without any response, Roman immediately went inside.

Although it's impolite, people who sleep during long working hours probably wouldn't think of this.

"Oh dear, it's just a short rest, there's no need to be so strict!!!"

Now that Roman had arrived, it was probably impossible to continue sleeping, so Aokiji simply got up.

"It's a real shame you didn't get to meet the Snake Queen of Nine Serpents; she's an absolute beauty."

"I don't think you'll drive her away." Aokiji knew how sharp Roman's tongue was.

Legend has it that Snake Princess of Kuja is also a very proud person.

Therefore, the meeting between the two is unlikely to be pleasant.

"I have no choice. If I don't force myself to say something tough to get her to leave sooner, I'm about to break down. You all know this, which is why you sent me, right? So I still have to say, you really think highly of me. She's a huge problem."

The beauty of the Snake Princess is like a massive nuclear weapon.

It's impossible not to be tempted at all.

Therefore, Roman also needs to get rid of her quickly.

"It wouldn't be surprising if you did something like that!!" Aokiji yawned lazily.

"Although I don't really want to bother you, I think you haven't forgotten something."

"Oh my, you're really energetic! But are you sure?"

Aokiji's eyes changed.

Although it still didn't look quite right, Roman knew he was starting to get serious.

fair enough.

"Of course, I will not back down at this time, so I hope you will take action now."

As they spoke, a chilling aura emanated from them.

And thus, Roman plants were able to emerge.