4 4. Copying the Mythical Zoan-Type; Bird-Bird Fruit; Model: Phoenix.

│3rd Person POV│

[Grand Line, New World, Sphinx, Moby-Dick…]

'No wonder! That explains how Teach got the courage to even think of breaking the only iron-clad rule of Whitebeard Pirates.

'Given the connection between Thatch and Teach, Thatch would undoubtedly grant the Dark Fruit to Teach if asked.

'However, Teach opted to kill Thatch and escape. This decision was not solely driven by personal ambition but was primarily influenced by Whitebeard's advanced age.

'If Whitebeard were twenty years younger, or even just ten years younger, Teach might not even have thought to commit murder, and seize the fruit before escaping.'

Feeling a surge of emotions, Ron surveyed the surroundings. All sixteen Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates were present.

Marco, the First Division Commander; Ace, the future Second Division Commander; Jozu, the Third Division Commander; Vista, the Fifth Division Commander; Blamenco, the Sixth Division Commander; Rakuyo, the Seventh Division Commander; Namur, the Eighth Division Commander; Blenheim, the Ninth Division Commander; Curiel, the Tenth Division Commander; Kingdew, the Eleventh Division Commander; Haruta, the Twelfth Division Commander; Atmos, the Thirteenth Division Commander; Speed Jiru, the Fourteenth Division Commander; Fossa, the Fifteenth Division Commander; and Izou, the Sixteenth Division Commander.

At this moment, they observed Thatch, Ron, and others, with particular attention on Ron.

Thatch had briefed them earlier about Ron, a new member of the Fourth Division who had consumed a unique Devil Fruit, becoming a Copy Human. The purpose of their visit was to copy Marco's Phoenix Fruit's ability.

"Pops!"

Upon reaching Whitebeard, Thatch, Ron, and the others saluted.

"Pops!"

"Captain!"

"Boss!"

...

Teach, Ron and the rest also paid their respects.

In the Whitebeard Pirates, only squad leaders and a select few recognized by Whitebeard could address him as "Pops" or "Dad" while others referred to him as "Captain" or "Boss".

"Get up, Thatch. Since when did you become so well-behaved?"

Whitebeard chuckled, glanced at Thatch, then turned his attention to Ron, saying, "Is this the new kid that you took in your division?"

"Yes, Pops!"

Thatch affirmed, standing up along with the others.

He then brought Ron forward and explained, "I encountered Ron while eliminating the invaders. His hometown was completely and all his relatives were killed, so I took him into the Fourth Division.

"But this kid is too weak. When I coincidentally acquired another Devil Fruit, I gave it to him to eat. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a unique Paramecia-type, the Copy-Copy Fruit.

"But this little guy's physique has just returned to normal levels. So, I hope he can copy Marco's ability to gain the power of the phoenix and change his situation completely."

Upon hearing this, those present nodded, as Thatch had already informed them of this information.

However, Jozu couldn't help but inquire, "Can he truly copy others' abilities? Will it affect Marco after copying, and can he do it now?"

…

When asked these questions, even Thatch and Ron were a little unsure.

After all, there was a huge strength gap between Marco and Ron. They weren't sure how exactly the owner of the Original ability would be affected after it had been copied.

Teach suddenly became the focus as Thatch, remembering something, turned to him and asked, "Teach, you have read the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, right? Does it mention any side effects or how the fruit's power impacts the individual whose it is used on?"

All eyes turned to Teach, including Whitebeard.

"Captain."

Teach felt uneasy under their scrutiny. Despite being part of the Whitebeard Pirates, he usually kept a low profile and suddenly being the center of attention was discomforting.

In a rush, he responded, "There won't be any negative impact!"

Teach had seen in an illustration that successful copying would not affect the person being copied. Moreover, if Marco fully let his guard down and didn't resist, there would be no issues with replication.

Sighing in relief, Ron thought, 'Good! Fortunately, there are no side effects. Otherwise, copying the Phoenix Fruit's power would be challenging, not to mention copying the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.'

"Gurarararara~!"

Whitebeard let out a laugh and ordered, "In that case, what are you waiting for? Go ahead Marco, Ron. Let us experience the power of this so-called copying fruit."

"Yes, Pops!"

With the green light from Whitebeard, Marco stepped forward.

He approached Ron, saying, "Little Ron, let's do this! I will fully cooperate with you, alright? You can copy my fruit's power."

"Thank you, Commander Marco."

Taking a deep breath, Ron looked at Marco with excitement and gratitude. After a deep bow, he approached Marco, touched his arm, and declared, "Copy!"

Instantly, a radiant white light enveloped Ron and Marco, creating a unique atmosphere between the two of them.

[Copy successful!]

[Copy interface activated successfully!]

After a while, an electronic voice resonated within Ron's mind.

'What's this?'

Ron was surprised, as he had already checked hundreds of times in different ways and affirmed that he didn't reincarnate with any system-type cheat.

Was this the ability of the fruit itself?

There's a chance that the fruit's abilities possessed a form of consciousness, similar to some Zoan-type fruits known for having a will of their own. It might have chosen to create a convenient pathway for Ron to develop its powers easily and potentially awaken it in the future.

'Display the Copy Interface.'

Instinctively, Ron called out in his heart.

Subsequently, a holographic panel materialized in his mind.

[[ Ron ]]

[[ Age: 14 ]]

[[ Strength: Ensign ]]

[[ Devil Fruit: Paramecia-type; Copy-Copy Fruit ]]

[[ Development Progress: 10% ]]

[[ Copied abilities: Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit; Bird-Bird Fruit; Model: Phoenix (10%) ]]

[[ Number of copies available: 0 ]]

[[ Note: Developing the Devil Fruit ability to 30%, 60%, and 90% can increase the copy count by once. Once it reaches 100% development, it can be awakened, doubling the copy count. The copied fruit's ability can be also awakened by developing them! ]]

'Success! This is the true essence of Copy-Copy Fruit.'

Ron smiled, recognizing that Teach's information was inaccurate.

According to the Copy panel, he had already copied once, and there was room for more after reaching full development.

This meant that he could gain additional chances to copy other fruit powers at 30%, 60%, and 90% development, and even double the count after awakening.

It contradicted Teach's claim of only three copies in a lifetime.

*Buzz~*

The white light around Ron and Marco dissipated.

In the next moment, the group of Division Commanders approached, eager to know the outcome.

"How was it? Did it succeed?"

"Little Ron, did you finish copying?"

"Little Ron, have you really got the power of the Phoenix Fruit?"

"Little Ron…"

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

A/N: As stated in the Synopsis, this Fanfic is a translation of a Chinese FanFic.

MTL Name: Navigation: The New King Of The Whitebeard Group, Copying The Phoenix At The Beginning.

You can find the MTL version on mtlnation.

Anyway, Shameless P@treon plug. I've got one;

👉 patreon(dot)com/ChaosWriter; [use '.' instead of '(dot)'.]

You can read up to 20 chapters ahead of Webnovel. Your support would be appreciated, but don't feel pressured to join. I'll upload stuff outside it and not keeping it behind a paywall forever.

A/N_2: The Update schedule for this Fanfic is 10 Chapters per week, with 2 Chapters on Monday, Thrusday, and Sunday. On the other days, only 1 chapter.