"Hello? Is any higher power listening? Copy, please reply." He waited a beat. "Guess not. What about a system? Give me a 'ding' if you're there." Silence. "No system either? Come on, just throw me any kind of cheat! I'm really not picky."
Bardock cringed at his own one-sided conversation. It seemed whichever cosmic entity had dumped him in this world didn't believe in customer service.
He picked up the peach-shaped Devil Fruit, examining its swirling patterns closely. Its exact type was a mystery, though its faint resemblance to a monkey's head heavily suggested it was a Zoan. The soft, pulsating golden glow emanating from it practically screamed that it was something extraordinary. Either way, this specific fruit had never appeared in any of Oda's official encyclopedias.
Under normal circumstances, a person could only eat a single Devil Fruit. The one and only exception in the entire world was Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard. Back in his old world, there had been wild fan theories that Blackbeard was actually an amalgamation of three siblings, fused together by the previous user of the Munch-Munch Fruit. Three souls meant the capacity for three Devil Fruits. It was heavily theorized that Blackbeard was still hunting for a third, ultra-powerful fruit, though whether any of that was actually true remained a mystery.
'Should I really eat it?' he mused. 'History has proven that the whole "there are no weak fruits, only weak users" saying is complete garbage. I mean, look at the Whisper-Whisper Fruit. How the hell is a guy who talks to animals supposed to fight Kaido in his Azure Dragon form? Hell, even among Awakened Zoans, Rob Lucci's leopard form was completely dwarfed by Luffy's Gear Five, the Sun God Nika.'
'There are so many overpowered fruits out there waiting to be claimed,' he thought, mentally cataloging them. 'There's the Gum-Gum Fruit, a god-tier power disguised as a standard Paramecia. Then there's the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit just sitting up in Birka, Enel's hometown in the Sky Islands. Down in the South Blue, Eustass Kid will eventually find the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, and over in the North Blue, Trafalgar Law is destined to eat the ultimate Paramecia, the Op-Op Fruit.'
'Oh, right. And the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit in the East Blue... the one people joke that even a dog wouldn't want. Honestly, the Flame-Flame Fruit is insanely strong. It's just a tragic twist of fate that Ace ended up fighting Blackbeard and Akainu—the absolute worst match-ups possible for him.'
Despite knowing full well that Devil Fruits tasted like absolute garbage, Bardock couldn't help but drool at the thought of all that power. Part of him just wanted to scream, 'I want all of them!'
"Roar—!"
A deafening bellow echoed from the depths of the jungle. Judging by the sheer volume, whatever made that sound was massive. The roar snapped Bardock out of his fantasies. He focused his gaze back onto the strange fruit in his hands. It didn't matter how incredible all those other Devil Fruits were; they were completely out of his reach right now. He had to venture into that jungle eventually, whether for fresh water or better food. And based on that terrifying roar, this island was far deadlier than he'd initially thought. He needed raw power, and he needed it now.
'They say Devil Fruits have a will of their own,' he thought, steeling his resolve. 'They say they choose their users. Well, if you chose me, then I'm choosing you right back!'
He squeezed his eyes shut and took a massive bite.
"Ugh—!"
An indescribably foul taste exploded on his tongue. It was genuinely vile, but he forced himself to chew and swallow the horrid mush. He'd read once that someone described a Devil Fruit as tasting worse than actual feces. Bardock couldn't help but marvel at how broad that person's palate must have been to know that for a fact.
'Technically, one bite is enough to get the powers,' he grimaced, staring at the remainder of the fruit. 'But Buggy the Clown and Luffy both swallowed theirs whole. I refuse to lose to them! Ahh... screw it!'
With a loud, self-encouraging yell, Bardock scarfed down the rest of the fruit in three agonizing bites. He grabbed his salvaged booze, rinsing his mouth furiously before chugging three massive gulps to finally wash away the lingering, rotten aftertaste.
"I will not be outdone!" he gasped, wiping his mouth. Then, he froze. "Wait, I feel something... So it really is a Zoan-type." He clenched his fists, feeling a sudden, explosive surge of energy coursing through his veins. 'Huh... so you really don't automatically learn the name of the fruit when you eat it? No wonder the Mythical Zoan Nika fruit was passed off as the Gum-Gum Fruit for so long.'
In the blink of an eye, Bardock's body began to shift and warp. His form rapidly transformed until he stood as a fiercely imposing monkey. He was barely a meter and a half tall, yet he radiated an overwhelming aura of power. While Bardock originally had jet-black hair and dark eyes, this new simian form was covered in brilliant, flowing golden fur that seemed to shimmer with its own inner light. His eyes had turned a piercing gold, flashing with a fierce crimson light that flickered like roaring flames. It was obvious at a single glance—this was no ordinary beast.
Acting purely on instinct, Bardock closed the distance to a nearby tree—one as thick as a grown man's thigh—in a few quick strides. He threw a heavy punch.
Crack!
The trunk splintered and snapped cleanly in half, the top of the tree crashing to the forest floor.
"My strength is off the charts," he murmured, staring at his small, furry fist. "And that didn't hurt at all."
He tapped his chest and poked at his arms. His body felt solid, as dense and unyielding as tempered steel. He retained a perfect sense of touch, yet he felt absolutely no pain.
'Let's call this passive ability Indestructible Body,' he decided with a grin. 'I wonder how this compares to Charlotte Linlin's "Iron Balloon" physique? Kaido's dragon scales give him insane durability, too. If I ever get the chance, I definitely need to test it against them!'
Of course, having the memories of his past life kept him grounded. He knew that despite this incredible new power, he was still just a novice in this world. It would take years of grueling training to truly unlock his potential, and he wasn't about to get cocky.
'Alright, next test. Grow.'
Instantly, his monkey form began to expand, shooting up until he was five times his original size. Standing tall, Bardock flexed his arms, admiring his newfound muscle mass. He casually picked up the fallen tree he had just snapped, testing its weight in his massive hand. After a moment, he willed himself back down to his normal size and lifted the log again to compare the difference.
'So my physical strength scales with my size? Not bad at all,' he noted approvingly. 'Okay, next... Shrink.'
His golden-furred body immediately began to compress, shrinking down until he was a mere fifth of his original height.
'Perfect. I'll just call this ability Size Manipulation. And I can feel that I haven't even hit the limits yet. If I push it in the future, I might actually be able to grow large enough to touch the clouds. I could literally use the Giant Embodiment technique!'
His stomach suddenly let out a loud rumble. "Ah, I'm starving again. Time to grab some more fruit."
As Bardock peered into the dense foliage, he unintentionally discovered yet another ability. His vision had been absurdly enhanced. Not only could he see incredibly far, but everything was razor-sharp. Even the rapid beating of a mosquito's wings looked as if it were happening in slow motion. As he focused intensely, the world zoomed in so drastically that he felt like he could count the tiny hairs on the bug's legs.
"Whoa!" he yelped, vigorously shaking his head to break the focus. Thankfully, his vision snapped back to normal.
'Good, it's controllable,' he thought, letting out a breath. 'Enhanced dynamic vision, microscopic sight, and telescopic sight. Who knows what else my eyes can do now. I'll call this Fiery Golden Eyes.'
With a light leap, Bardock propelled himself into the canopy of the nearest fruit tree. He bounded effortlessly between the branches, plucking the ripest fruits and eating them on the go. If he wasn't still so unsure about the island's overall food supply, he would have loved to imitate the Great Sage Equaling Heaven in the Heavenly Peach Garden—taking a single bite out of every fruit and tossing the rest away. He was absolutely ecstatic. The fruit he had eaten was undeniably a Mythical Zoan. With this, he finally had the capital to survive and thrive in the perilous world of One Piece.
He officially made up his mind. He would name his power the Zoan-type Monkey-Monkey Fruit, Mythical Model: Monkey King.
Just as he was reveling in his newfound powers, that same terrifying roar echoed from the distance. The beast was likely patrolling its territory. But this time, Bardock felt an inexplicable surge of pride—a deep, primal instinct that took offense to the challenge. It was as if he was the rightful king of this jungle. Without even thinking, he roared back.
A majestic, thunderous bellow tore through the air. The entire forest fell instantly, deathly silent. Even the massive beast in the distance didn't dare utter a response.
"Cough, cough..." Bardock wheezed, having pushed his vocal cords a bit too hard. He kept coughing until, bizarrely, he spat out a small, fluffy white cloud. The moment the cloud hit the open air, it rapidly began to expand.
'Wait, it expands in the wind? Don't tell me this is the Flying Nimbus!'
He watched in awe as the cloud swelled to the size of a large bed before finally stabilizing. Buzzing with excitement, Bardock jumped up and landed squarely on top of it. Amazingly, it held his weight perfectly.
"This is incredible!" he cheered. Being able to fly in a world made mostly of water was an absolute game-changer—especially now that he was a Devil Fruit user cursed by the sea. "This island can't trap me anymore!"
He gently willed the cloud forward, shifting his weight to maintain his balance like he was riding a hoverboard.
'Indestructible Body, Size Manipulation, Fiery Golden Eyes, and now the Flying Nimbus,' he thought, a massive grin spreading across his furry face. 'As expected of a Mythical Zoan... No, as expected of the Monkey King! I wonder if I can use the Seventy-Two Transformations, too?'