Devil Fruits few things in the seas of legend carried more mystery and allure. Within the tales of pirates, they were spoken of with equal parts reverence and dread. Bite into one, and you were forever changed. Wings might sprout from your back, flames could burst from your hands, or you might soar through the skies as naturally as you once walked upon the earth.
But there was always a price.
The ocean itself would reject you. For most Devil Fruit users, touching seawater meant their body would grow heavy and weak, their powers snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Some never lived long enough to regret their choice.
Yet the one now offered to Luffy was different.
This Devil Fruit came as a gift from the strange system that had bound itself to him, and unlike the cursed fruits of old, this one carried no drawback. He would never again need to fear the crushing weight of seawater or the betrayal of his own powers.
That thought alone made Luffy's heart race.
He lowered his head, deep in thought, weighing the fruits he might choose. So many of them promised impossible things. Some could wrench a soul back from the land of the dead. Others could gift a surgeon the power to grant immortality itself. There were even those that bent the spirits of the departed to their will.
If only he could have them all.
But he couldn't not yet. He had to choose carefully.
First, he dismissed the Zoan fruits, the animal-type abilities. Powerful, yes there were mythical forms that could grant the might of dragons themselves. But those gifts demanded time and mastery. A dragon's fruit might yield the power of Kaido… or leave him with the humiliating fate of Momonosuke. Worse still, Zoan fruits sometimes carried the will of the beast within them. If he failed to awaken it properly, the result could be monstrous.
The image of Impel Down's hulking beast-guards flashed in his mind, and he shivered. He wasn't about to gamble his future on ending up like one of those.
That left two choices: the Paramecia the fruits of strange, singular abilities or the Logia the fruits of nature itself.
It didn't take him long. His grin widened.
"System, I want the Glint-Glint Fruit."
The system fell silent for a moment, as if nursing its own wound.
[Are you sure, Host?]
Of all the fruits in its catalogue, Logias were already expensive, and the Glint-Glint Fruit stood at the very top of that hierarchy. It was a jewel among jewels, a treasure that could command the system's highest price.
But complaints wouldn't stop the inevitable. The system sighed, swallowed its imaginary pain, and conjured the fruit into existence.
A flash of gold filled the cabin.
Before Luffy floated a fruit shaped like a spiny pineapple, its skin glowing faintly as though it contained sunlight itself.
"This is it?" he whispered.
The stories said Devil Fruits were the most revolting things ever created. Luffy narrowed his eyes, curious to see if the legends were true. He wasn't stupid he knew he didn't need to eat the whole thing. Just a bite was enough.
He tore away a piece of skin and placed it on his tongue.
Instantly, a wave of nausea crashed over him. The taste was indescribable like rotting garbage mixed with unwashed socks forgotten in a locker for weeks. His stomach lurched, his body begging to spit it out.
But he clenched his jaw and forced himself to swallow.
If he lost it now, he'd lose everything.
"Ugh!" He gagged and coughed, bending forward as his body quaked. Thankfully, he hadn't eaten dinner otherwise he might have painted the floor with more than regret.
After what felt like hours, the burning in his throat faded. He raised his head, a trembling smile tugging at his lips.
"Did it work?"
He raised his hand.
Light blossomed in his palm, blindingly bright, golden and pure.
His eyes widened. His laughter burst out, boyish and unrestrained. "I did it! I really turned into light!"
With a thought, his body dissolved into shimmering particles. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the cabin, reappearing outside on the train's hull. The stars stretched around him, dazzling in their endlessness.
"Not bad at all," he said, nodding in satisfaction.
It was no wonder Admiral Kizaru had risen so high with this fruit. The power was terrifying. Even now, Luffy could sense it the speed of light at his fingertips, the destructive brilliance of lasers waiting to be unleashed. The only drawback, for now, was his lack of mastery. His return to human form had taken a heartbeat too long.
But that was fine. With practice, he would be unstoppable.
[Would you like me to upload Kizaru's techniques into your mind? It might speed up your training.]
The system's voice hummed in his ear.
Luffy crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "No need. I'm a veteran fan. You think I don't already know Kizaru's moves?"
[Is that so? Then tell me, what techniques does Kizaru use?]
"Easy. First skill: Wind Release Rasenshuriken. Second: Nine-Tails Chakra Link. Ultimate move: Tailed Beast Planetary Rasenshuriken!"
[…What?]
The system stammered, its digital face paling.
"That's Kizaru, right?" Luffy asked proudly.
[I… suppose technically that's also a 'Yellow Monkey'…]
The system had no words. Somehow, Luffy had confused a Marine admiral with a shinobi legend, and yet his conviction left no room for argument.
[Still, perhaps you should focus on the actual light-based moves instead of pretending to be a ninja.]
Luffy tilted his head. "Fine, fine. But hey, that reminds me system, if my body is made of light now… doesn't that mean I'm just like an Ultraman?"
[Excuse me?]
"I mean, Ultramen are beings of light, right? And now I'm made of light, too. So that makes me Ultraman!"
The system froze, utterly defeated by the sheer audacity of his logic.
"Listen, system," Luffy continued, his grin blazing brighter than the fruit itself. "Kizaru's power is impressive, but he still has limits. And me? I refuse to stop there. If there's anything I've learned already, it's this: to surpass a Devil Fruit user, you must go beyond the fruit itself."
[And what exactly are you saying?]
"I'm saying…" Luffy clenched his glowing fists, light bursting from his body, "…I won't just be Kizaru. I'll be something greater. I'll be an Ultraman!"
The system could only groan. The Pirate King of the Cosmos had officially lost his mind.
But perhaps, just perhaps, that madness was exactly what would carry him further than anyone else.