Chapter 110 – [110] : [BONUS] – Nika’s Awakening! Hacked Upgrade!

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Rowen examined the feedback from the Strongest Trait System in his mind.

This was it—the ‘Desire’ required for the Nika form to Awaken!

To Awaken the Nika form, two desires must be fulfilled: the desire for absolute freedom, and the desire to grant freedom to all others.

Hence the title, ‘Warrior of Liberation’.

The unique, drum-like heartbeat of Nika, called the ‘Drums of Liberation’, also stemmed from this.

The true, core desire for Nika’s Awakening was to grant freedom to everyone—liberation.

By liberating others from their lack of freedom, one moved closer to Nika’s Awakening.

In the original story, Luffy liberated many countries and countless people. Through these acts, Luffy’s own desires increasingly aligned with those required for Nika’s Awakening.

‘True freedom… equals liberation?’ Rowen smiled. Such a desire resonated deeply with his own values, shaped by his past life on Earth.

Through the spiritual transmission link established with Luffy via the Strongest Trait System, this ‘Desire for Liberation’ was manifested and acquired by Rowen.

This power—was essential for Nika’s Awakening.

Though it offered no direct benefit to Rowen himself at present… Rowen could transmit this ‘Desire for Liberation’ directly into Luffy’s being through their spiritual link!

By directly manifesting this ‘Desire for Liberation’ via the System, the infusion would be far more potent than Luffy’s gradual, perception-based development in the original story!

Meaning—Rowen could now accelerate Luffy’s Nika form Awakening, making it happen even faster than in the original story!

Once Awakened, Nika Luffy’s combat prowess was absurdly exaggerated—calling it the Strongest Devil Fruit was no overstatement!

More importantly—after Nika form Awakened, Rowen could also equip its power!

And—

Because Rowen was the one transmitting this ‘Desire for Liberation’, accelerating the Awakening—Equipping the Nika form wouldn’t require the lengthy waiting period like his other equipped Traits from Luffy.

Through their spiritual transmission channel—it could be equipped instantly!

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this ‘Drums of Liberation’ desire power was now effectively Rowen’s to bestow.

(The reason he hadn’t acquired this ‘Desire for Liberation’ after liberating Cocoyasi Village or Alabasta was because only after his Conqueror’s Haki reached Apex Gold could he fully control his spiritual power, allowing him to perfectly channel this desire into Luffy. If he couldn’t transmit it, such a desire, misaligned with Rowen’s own Devil Fruit powers, could have been detrimental.)

Now, the conditions were met; he could naturally acquire this ‘Desire for Liberation’.

And—

——

—[Liberating desire from defeating Morgan and freeing Shells Town!]—

—[Liberating desire from defeating Clown Buggy and freeing Orange Town!]—

—[Liberating desire from defeating Arlong and freeing Cocoyasi Village!]—

—[Liberating desire from defeating Crocodile and freeing Alabasta!]—

—[Conditions Met! All above ‘Desires for Liberation’—their automatically formed spiritual ‘knots’—have been unraveled! Acquired: All of the above Desires for Liberation!]—

——

Throughout their journey, all the ‘Desire for Liberation’ from the numerous people and countries Rowen, Luffy, and the crew had freed—at this moment—were all acquired by Rowen!

Because Rowen couldn’t absorb this desire back then, the Strongest Trait System, much like Joy Boy storing his Conqueror’s Haki within the Ancient Robot, had formed a ‘knot’ with this desire, storing it away.

Now that Rowen could channel this desire into Luffy, these ‘knots’ automatically unraveled, and their power flowed into Rowen!

Rowen looked intently at Luffy.

The ridiculous power boost granted by strong Devil Fruits—Rowen had already experienced it with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

And the Nika form, whose combat performance was even more exaggerated than Rumble-Rumble, along with its BUG-like power of Imagination—once he acquired it, his own strength would undoubtedly receive another massive enhancement!

“Rowen… Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?” Luffy shivered. He suddenly felt a chill.

“Luffy… Want to Awaken your Devil Fruit?” Rowen asked with a knowing smile.

“EH?” Luffy blinked.

Then, along with everyone else, he gasped.

“Devil Fruit—Awakening?”

Everyone stared at Rowen and Luffy in shock.

They had personally witnessed how terrifying an Awakened top-tier Devil Fruit could be.

Rowen’s Awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit was a true natural disaster!

Once unleashed, it could trap an entire island in a perpetual thunderstorm, turning it into a forbidden zone for life! Such terrifying power truly seemed like a miracle!

And Luffy’s Devil Fruit—hailed by Rowen himself as the Strongest—the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika!

The only regrettable aspect was that this particular fruit was unique.

Before Awakening, unlike Rowen’s Rumble-Rumble or Flare-Flare fruits which possessed incredible power even unawakened, Luffy’s Nika form could only fight using its rubbery body. Its combat performance was quite average among Devil Fruits.

But now—Rowen had a way to Awaken Luffy’s Nika form?

The Strongest Devil Fruit!

Thinking of Rowen’s assessment of Luffy’s fruit, everyone stared wide-eyed.

“Awakening? Rowen, you can Awaken my fruit?” Luffy asked, looking at Rowen with delighted surprise.

“I can accelerate the process—” Rowen clarified, not making absolute promises.

Even if the ‘desire’ threshold was met, Luffy’s current physique was still too weak—even handling Gear Second and Third was a struggle, let alone the power of an Awakened Nika form—To Awaken, especially a Mythical Zoan, the user’s physique had to be up to par.

“That’s still great! Shishishi, Thanks, Rowen!” Luffy grinned cheerfully. He was naturally optimistic and never expected to achieve everything at once.

With Rowen’s help, Luffy was already incredibly thrilled with his own rate of power increase. If not for Rowen broadening his horizons and helping him get stronger, his power would never have reached its current level.

Only with strength could he achieve his dream of becoming King of the Pirates!

After Rowen opened his eyes to the true scale of power, Luffy understood his current strength was still far too weak. He had to get stronger to achieve his dream!

And Rowen’s dream also needed his strength. Luffy grinned, but his gaze towards Rowen held a serious resolve.

Rowen was the first man to acknowledge his dream.

His very first comrade!

Throughout their journey, Rowen had contributed the most, even helping them awaken Haki.

Luffy wasn’t selfish, only dreaming of becoming Pirate King for himself.

On his path to that dream, he also wanted to help all his comrades achieve their dreams!

He wanted to contribute to Rowen’s dream too!

For that, he needed even greater strength to be of help to Rowen!

(Of course, Luffy would never say such things aloud. As he mentioned before, between him and his comrades, such words were unnecessary; they already shared a deep, unspoken understanding. That was true companionship.)

“Well then, experience this properly—the ‘Desire’ that aligns with your Devil Fruit, required for Awakening,” Rowen stated. He naturally understood Luffy’s thoughts.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—were indispensable combatants on his own path to achieving his dreams. Their improvement was his improvement. To enter the final ‘championship round’, the more high-end combat power on his side, the better.

Rowen then channeled the ‘Desire for Liberation’ into Luffy’s body.

VMM!

Luffy closed his eyes, feeling the continuous stream of liberating desire flowing into him from Rowen. His understanding of ‘freedom’ deepened profoundly.

After a long while, Luffy finally opened his eyes.

“Rowen… This desire… still needs to be digested,” Luffy informed Rowen seriously, relaying his internal sensations.

“That’s normal. Your current strength is still insufficient,” Rowen replied with a smile.

Luffy’s power was still far from the Awakening threshold.

However, this ‘Desire for Liberation’ inherently resonated with the Nika form within Luffy, so there was no risk of conflict. He just needed to slowly assimilate it.

“SANJI! I’M STARVING!” Luffy suddenly yelled towards Sanji.

“Hey, hey! Rowen fought so hard and isn’t even saying he’s hungry, yet you—” Sanji retorted, veins popping on his forehead as he looked at the wailing Luffy.

“I don’t know why! After digesting those desires, I’M SUDDENLY SUPER HUNGRY!” Luffy clutched his stomach, looking weak.

“Let me see.” Rowen’s Observation Haki spread out. Then, through the spiritual link with Luffy, he quickly reached a conclusion.

“The Nika form… is truly monstrous. As expected of the Strongest Devil Fruit,” Rowen exhaled, filled with admiration.

“What’s wrong?” Zoro and Sanji, the crew’s other two main fighters, looked towards Rowen.

“While digesting this desire… Luffy’s physique is also rapidly strengthening. And his Haki is rapidly improving as well—” Rowen explained, somewhat astonished himself.

The rubbery body of the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika, was merely its form.

Its true essence represented accommodating everything, transforming everything. Haki could also be perfectly integrated into Nika’s rubbery body!

This meant, once Nika Awakened, every punch and kick would automatically carry Nika’s power, perfectly fused with Haōshoku Coating and Armament Haki!

No wonder Nika Luffy’s combat performance was so outrageously powerful!

Correspondingly, during the Awakening process, the ‘Desire for Liberation’ not only brought him closer to the Awakened state, but Luffy’s Haki and physique also rapidly improved as he neared Nika’s full Awakening!

This level of ‘hacking’ the power system was simply too exaggerated!

And with Rowen’s Strongest Trait System infusing Luffy with ‘Desire for Liberation’—it was like a hack within a hack!

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“Eat this first, you glutton! This was supposed to be for Rowen!” Sanji, realizing Luffy wasn’t just messing around, quickly handed him a pirate lunchbox he had prepared for Rowen.

(Sanji knew Rowen was going to fight Enel—though confident in Rowen’s strength, as a cook, he had prepared a lunchbox for Rowen just in case, to quickly restore his stamina if needed. Now, Luffy got to benefit.)

“SHISHISHI! ITADAKIMASU!” Luffy instantly brightened and began eating ravenously.

“But Rowen… The crew’s food budget is running low again. We can’t sell the gold from that Ark, can we?” Sanji asked, looking towards Rowen.

(Rowen had said the Ark Maxim had great strategic value—even Nami, who loved Gold most, wouldn’t dare suggest dismantling it.)

“Um, Rowen… those two Devil Fruits you gave me could still sell for a lot, right?” Nami raised her hand.

Rowen ate a lot—for his sake, Nami was willing to part with the monetary value of those fruits.

“Mr. Rowen! Everyone! Is gold very valuable in the Blue Sea?” The Shandian Chieftain suddenly asked.

“Of course! It’s the most valuable metal!” Nami immediately replied.

“This Golden Bell cannot be given to you; it is the honor of our Shandora. However, look—The pillars supporting the Golden Bell—those can be yours,” The Shandian Chieftain declared, pointing towards the massive golden pillars with a smile.

The other Shandians also smiled in agreement.

Even Wyper nodded towards Rowen and his crew. Their gratitude towards Rowen was beyond words.

The Golden Bell represented Shandian honor and couldn’t be parted with, but giving the golden pillars supporting it to Rowen and his crew was a small token of their immense thanks.

“!!!” Nami, Vivi, Chopper, Usopp, Even Sanji and Zoro stared blankly at the two enormous golden pillars supporting the Golden Bell!

Th-This was… How much gold was that?

W-WE’RE RICH!!!

“YATTA! WE’RE RICH! WE’RE RICH!” Nami and Vivi shrieked excitedly, jumping up and down, hugging Rowen.

Usopp and Chopper also cheered wildly.

Sanji and Zoro grinned excitedly.

Even Robin offered a bright smile. Gold—was a pirate’s romance!

“Thank you all,” Rowen said, smiling warmly at the Shandian people. He genuinely liked them.

It was because of them that his own strength had progressed so rapidly. Looking at the massive golden pillars, Rowen’s eyes also held a hint of a smile.

Gold wasn’t just a pirate’s romance—as someone from Earth, he had a particular fondness for it. These massive golden pillars—which Luffy and his crew missed out on in the original story due to leaving prematurely—now truly belonged to them.

This gold would make them one of the wealthiest pirate crews on the seas! At least from now on, they wouldn’t have to worry about money at all!

“You are too kind,” the Shandian Chieftain and the others smiled back. These things couldn’t express even a fraction of the gratitude in their hearts.

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“By the way… For your future training—I won’t need to use Haōshoku Coating to hit you anymore. And Vivi, Robin—spiritual power can also be infused into you. Looks like I need to find two more candidates for Conqueror’s Haki,” Rowen chuckled.

Previously, he could only transmit spiritual power by physically striking them with Haōshoku Coating because his own Conqueror’s Haki hadn’t reached Apex Gold, meaning he hadn’t fully mastered control over spiritual power—

Now, he could directly transmit it via the spiritual channels established with his comrades through the System. Rowen had no strange quirks about needing to beat up Zoro and the others.

And this also meant Vivi and Robin could begin learning Haki!

Time to hunt down two more Conqueror’s Haki users!

Vivi’s eyes lit up with excitement.

She yearned to help Rowen; Conqueror’s Haki—Vivi certainly desired it!

Robin also pressed her lips together, her beautiful eyes shining.

“As for Nami, Usopp, and Chopper—I’ll try to infuse it more slowly. How much you can digest—will be up to you,” Rowen said, fondly patting Nami’s head, then looking somewhat helplessly at Chopper and Usopp.

Though he could perfectly infuse spiritual power, their inherently timid natures made it difficult for Nami, Chopper, and Usopp to assimilate it, even if they received it.

How much they could improve depended entirely on themselves.

“But Rowen… if you use Haōshoku Coating on us… our physiques will also grow stronger, right?” Zoro suddenly asked.

“Of course. You three have rather special physiques,” Rowen nodded.

Zoro had Demonic Physique—Sanji had his gradually awakening Modified Exoskeleton.

Being struck by Haōshoku Coating could also accelerate their physical evolution.

“Then bring it on!” Zoro and Sanji both grinned fiercely.

“Excellent. But before that…” Rowen suddenly adopted his ‘villain’ expression.

“Gulp!” Gan Fall and the Shandians all swallowed hard.

‘What is Mr. Rowen planning to do?’

“OF COURSE, WE HAVE A FEAST! YOU BASTARDS!” Rowen roared with laughter.

“OOOHHHH!” The Straw Hat Pirates instantly erupted in joyous laughter as well.

A pirate victory—naturally called for a feast!

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