Chapter 106

Grandline, New World

"To understand the awakening you need to come to terms with what a devilfruit actually is. There are many stories on how the devilfruits came into being. Have you ever heard one?" Whitebeard asked the young man before him who was comfortably reclined on the chair before Whitebeards desk while munching on the meat he had grabbed himself.

"Let's assume I haven't. Would you mind to enlighten me?" Azul said cheekily, earning him an amused grunt from Whitebeard in return.

"It is said that there once was a powerful devil, living and ruling over the oceans and its inhabitants. Said devil had gotten into his possession a tree with gorgeous fruits on it, each possessing an ability that defied reality as we know it. He guarded that tree like it was the most precious gem in the world, never letting it out of his eyes. His treasure though did not go unnoticed by the other devils less powerful than the owner of the tree as the fruits on the tree began beckoning and calling for the lesser devils to make them their own and with the fruits powers overthrow the rule of the supreme devil that was keeping their freedom in shackles.

Thus the lesser devils came together and began forging a plan with which they hoped to steal the tree and its fruits from the supreme devil. The lesser devils knew that they could not fight the supreme devil head-on so they decided on a cunning plan instead involving another party that had become a thorn in the devils sides. Humans.

Over the years the humans had grown plenty in numbers and began building their kingdoms and cities all over the world. But in the process of doing so they continuously breached the borders of the devils kingdom, the ocean.

The humans variety with their ingrained yearning for love, freedom and all that was good caused a deep jealousy and hunger to grow and fester in the devils hearts as they never by only themselves would be able to experience and achieve such goodness and thus made them the perfect scapegoats for their plan.

And so they used their power to possess and change forms to take over a young prince of a royal family with whom they began their plot. Over the next few years they kept on observing the humans, their actions, mannerisms and through observation alone learned how to seduce and tempt the humans, appealing to their darkest d.e.s.i.r.es, the ones they themselves were most familiar with: greed and the yearning to possess.

With their cunningness they managed to seduce a young and beautiful princess of the humans while possessing the human prince and by doing so cast the veil of love over her, blinding her to the world and her own actions.After they were sure the human princess would do as she was asked the possessed human prince sent her to the supreme devils abode under the guise of being injured through an accident so that, over time, she could come closer to the devil in order to seduce him with her charms. And so she did without asking why as she trusted the prince and would do everything for him, not once believing him to be anything else then what she had been told he was.

As it so happened the young woman succeeded and one night when the supreme devil was asleep stole the tree with its luscious fruits from under his gaze and brought it back to the prince.Having achieved their goal the lesser devils were bursting with glee and thus, along with the princess and possessed prince fled to the young mans kingdom in order to harness the power of the fruits with which they would overthrow the supreme devil. Thus each consumed one and fused with it, never to separate again.

The supreme devil though, upon discovering that his most precious treasure had been stolen became furious and called for the lesser devils so that he could send them out to find whoever dared to steal from him. But, to his surprise, the lesser devils never answered his summons and soon it dawned on the supreme devil that he had been betrayed and robbed by his own kind. In his endless rage the supreme devil cursed the lesser devils into never being allowed to return into his kingdom so long as they were in possession of the fruits of his treasured tree and would die upon entrance should they still attempt to return."After Whitebeard had finished his tale a contemplative silence filled the cabin while Whitebeard drank some sake, moistening his throat.

"Is that why devilfruit-users cannot swim any longer after they consumed one?" Azul asked while the tale still played in the back of his mind.

"Possibly. As I said, it is a story. It's true that every story normally contains a grain of truth but which that is is always difficult to determine." Whitebeard replied while he wiped the sake that ran down the corner of his mouth away with his cuffs.

"Before I'll ask you what this story has to do with awakening I just wonder, where did you hear this story? It doesn't sound like something told in bars…" Azul wondered with a slight frown on his face as something about the story sounded fishy to him.

"Gurarararara! That is something you'll maybe find out some day and I'm not telling you. Who would want to experience boring adventures. I'm sure you don't gurararara" Whitebeard said with a grin on his face.

"Fine, be that way you damn geezer. So, what does your story have to do with awakening?" Azul asked Whitebeard with a grunt of dissatisfaction which caused Whitebeard to only laugh harder at the boyish expression Azuls face had taken on.

"Everything you brat. Everything." Whitebeard replied while he grinned down at the grumbling young man before him that was now starting on his second piece of giant meat.