I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

The Ice Mass drifted on the relatively calm sea, freezing the splintered wood within it.

As the day wore on, the sun reached its peak, with no shade on the vast sea, the heat becoming increasingly oppressive and irritating.

"Thankfully!" 

Liam dropped his backpack, which was grabbed by 'B.I.B.' and placed on a frozen splintered plank nearby. He lay on the Ice Mass, exhaling, "The ice created by that Marine's Devil Fruit power is tough to melt even under this intense sunlight... It really saved us!"

Shanks adjusted his straw hat with one hand as he glanced back at the dark ghost, and chuckled, "Indeed!"

With that, he drew his famed blade, "Griffin."

Clang...

A flash of cold light flashed as the sea surface exploded with a splash, causing the Ice Mass to shake and causing Liam to sit up abruptly, "What's happening?"

He saw Shanks slash through the sea surface, and soon, blood spread beneath the water. Before long, a massive sea fish, nearly the size of a full-grown human, floated up, its white belly torn open, with guts spilling out.

"You hungry?"

Shanks swung his long blade behind him, sending a powerful gust of wind that pushed their wooden plank and Ice Mass towards the dead fish. With a flick of his blade, Shanks lifted the fish onto the blade's tip.

"I am definitely hungry," Liam rubbed his belly, sighed, and tore a piece of fish meat off the big fish resting on Shanks' blade. He sniffed it, detecting a slight fishy smell, and took a tentative bite. It was indeed a bit fishy...

"Hahahaha!" Shanks finally burst out laughing as he spoke, "Are you an idiot? Why are you eating it raw?"

Liam spat out the fish, holding the fishy piece before he spoke. "What else can I do?"

Even if Shanks had a lighter, there was no fuel here. Tearing apart the wooden plank for fire was not an option; if the Ice Mass melted, they wouldn't want to swim in the sea.

"Do you think I've survived on the sea by eating raw fish?" Shanks grinned.

He deftly gutted the fish, rinsed it briefly in the seawater, and then, with a flick, balanced the entire fish on his blade.

In just a blink of an eye, Liam saw Shanks' blade turn pitch black— coated with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki).

Suddenly, the area where the blackened blade touched the fish began to sizzle.

Boom!

Shanks' black blade ignited in a burst of orange flames!

Sizzle...

...A Yonko grilling fish with his blade?! Liam's mouth hung open as he saw this scene, and words completely failed him.

He instantly recalled many things.

Foxfire Kin'emon, who ate a fruit that allowed him to "cut flames" and "extinguish flames"...

Luffy, who despite eating the Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-Gum Fruit), was immune to Enel's millions of volts attack, suggesting that his fruit couldn't easily generate high temperatures or ignite from lightning strikes or friction, yet in later arcs, he used "Fire Fist Pistol"...

Luffy's "Elephant Gun" clashing with opponents, often accompanied by sparks and "lightning"...

And all these flame or lightning-infused techniques had one thing in common.

They were all enhanced with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki).

Soon, a mouth-watering aroma wafted from Shanks' flaming black blade.

Shanks grinned, "How about that?"

"Tch!" Liam pouted, "Can't I just have sashimi?"

He frantically scrubbed the fish meat, still reeking of a fishy odor, in the seawater. After thoroughly rinsing it, he tossed it onto the relatively clean Ice Mass, rubbing it around. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he closed his eyes and threw the piece into his mouth, chewing with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Mmm, so fresh, so springy and tender," Liam declared, trying to sound convincing.

Shanks, looking unimpressed, commented, "No need to keep up appearances to this extent..."

"You're right. It's not the same without wasabi," Liam sighed. "Cooked it is, then."

He laughed heartily and joined Shanks, reaching for the grilled fish. The seafood in the One Piece World was undeniably delicious, even when simply grilled without any seasoning. It was incredibly tasty.

Actually, the sashimi wasn't that bad either...

"Shanks, your sword..." Liam asked while munching, "How does it catch fire?"

Shanks, eating as well, replied, "It's a little trick, really."

He sucked on his fingers, smiling in reminiscence, "I once saw someone who could summon lightning with a swing of their sword."

Was he talking about Silvers Rayleigh, the Pirate King Roger, or Kozuki Oden, or perhaps that dashing swordsman with a ponytail... Liam's curiosity was piqued. The Pirate King's crew was filled with legends!

"But how? What technique makes a metal blade catch fire?" Liam was genuinely curious, "And why does your sword turn black? What's that about?" This last question was more for show.

Shanks paused, perhaps not used to such inquisitiveness from a young person. However, being easygoing and good-natured, he didn't mind explaining. He raised his other hand, and a layer of pitch-black rapidly covered his palm, with faint, flame-like black energy swirling around it.

"This is called 'Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki).'

"Creating flames is one way to utilize Busoshoku Haki."

"By the way," He added, retracting the Haki from his hand and pointing to his eyes and then to Liam's dark armor, "The ability to sense your 'ghost' is thanks to 'Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki).'"

"Haki..." Liam swallowed his fish, pausing in amazement, "That's really impressive."

Shanks laughed heartily.

"Can I learn it?" Liam asked eagerly.

He motioned for 'B.I.B.' to approach Shanks and reached out his hand. Shanks looked curiously at the ghostly hand entering his own body...

Reaching out, Shanks couldn't touch the ghost's hand. Frowning, he entwined his hand with Busoshoku Haki and this time grasped 'B.I.B.''s arm, pulling it out.

Liam explained, "That Marine used this... Busoshoku Haki to defeat my ghost."

He scratched his head, "It's really annoying! So, I want to learn it too..."

"You're quite something!" Shanks remarked, looking at the blurry, dark ghost retreating to Liam's side. He couldn't help but be impressed, "With such a power, ordinary people wouldn't stand a chance against you. They can't see your ghost, nor defend against it... Now I understand why Kuzan personally took you in, kid!"

...

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