And open his wings to fly
"So… you're a dragon that was sealed by this Jehovah guy, and now you're on my arm?"
[Basically. Though, I'm not exactly on your arm. The Boosted Gear is part of your soul, that manifests through your arm.]
Issei and Luffy were sitting on top of a large rock by the sea, finishing to list to Ddraig's, the Dragon of Domination, story. He had told them about his rivalry against Albion, the Vanishing Dragon, and how during that fight he ended up in the middle of a war between three different factions.
The scale of the conflict between the two was such that they single-handedly interrupted the other three sides in the midst of their war, forcing them into a truce, where they joined together against the dragons.
"A mere God and a mere Satan shouldn't interrupt a duel between Dragons!"
According to Ddraig, that's what they both proclaimed.
And yet, in the end, facing the three sides, the two were still defeated, their bodies sliced and their souls sealed away. And now, millions, or perhaps even more, of years later, Issei was yet another one of Ddraig's host.
"Well, you got in the middle of their fight, right? But even so, to seal you away forever? As cool as it seems to have a dragon inside me, it must be really suck for you."
After hearing the story, that was Issei's conclusion.
[Ha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA]
Interestingly, after hearing the boy's words, the Red Dragon began to laugh frantically. Luffy and Issei looked at the boy's left arm with confusion written in their faces.
"I think you broke him."
Luffy said to his son.
"What did I say wrong?"
Issei asked to his father. The boy was in shock that Ddraig had been "broken" so easily.
[No, no... it's just that you're the first wielder to think like that.]
The dragon's words intrigued the boy.
"Like how?"
Issei questioned. His curiosity was etched on his face. Luffy was also listening intently.
[Well, you're a curious one. You come from another world, and seems to come from a ridiculously unique family, and is already possessor of unique powers. Besides, probably because you are not native from that world, you might don't understand, but for normal humans, the prospect of having someone like me in their souls, of having a longinus, a weapon considered capable of killing gods... well, my previous hosts all drowned in their own power. Honestly, you are the first one who is so open to talking to me like this, and right after I was awaken.]
This made both father and son furrow their brows.
"Hmmm… maybe it's hard for us to understand normal people, but these guys seem kinda like a bunch of..."
"Assholes."
Luffy started and Issei finished.
[Hahaha! I see… yeah, for you, it would really look like that.]
From Ddraig's voice, the two could tell that, despite how he had described the previous hosts, he didn't seem to care about their attitudes. Luffy could only imagine that, after so long, that was just a small detail for the red dragon.
"Hey, hold on! You mentioned my family, but how do you know about them?"
Issei suddenly asked, after noticing that Ddraig had mentioned knowing that the boy's family was unusual.
[I had the opportunity to look into your memories as soon as I was awakened. I apologize if this bothers you.]
The dragon spoke sincerely. Luffy looked at his son, wanting to see how Issei would respond.
"Yeah, it's kind of bizarre having someone who can read my mind. It would be nice if you didn't do it a lot. Wait, you can control this, right?"
The boy asked, showing mild concern.
[Yes, do not worry. Turning off the mental link is quite simple.]
Ddraig's answer made Issei sigh in relief.
"Shishishi, do you have something to hide?"
Luffy said, playing with his son.
"No, I just thought it would be weird to have a dragon watching me while I make babies in the future."
Luffy threw back his head, laughing loud enough that he could be heard from the Sunny. Even Ddraig stifled a laugh.
"As always, you have your priorities straight, Ise."
[You are really… hehe, I believe this will be interesting.]
After that, there was a moment of silence between them. Luffy just watched his son, while Issei looked thoughtful, something quite rare for someone as straightforward as him.
"Hey, Ddraig. You want us to get you out of this, sacred gear? Since my dad can wake you up, maybe he can also-"
Before the boy could finish, however, he is interrupted.
[No.]
"I would advise against it."
Ddraig rejected the offer without a second thought, but more surprisingly, Vegapunk appeared out of nowhere, making his comment. Clearly, he's been watching them all this time, and only know decided to come out.
"Vegapunk?"
The scientist appearing out of nowhere surprised Issei, although not Luffy.
"Oh, didn't notice him, Ise? Shishishi, I think we're going to have to work harder on your training then."
The brunette stuck out his tongue at his father, who laughed even harder. The boy rolled his eyes and once again turned to the gauntlet in his hands.
"Hey, Ddraig, are you sure about this? Don't want to try?"
[Yes, I'm sure. It's been a long time since I was sealed in this longinus. I've been through all sorts of hosts, but you are... one of a kind. Son of immortals, son of a god from another world, having powers I don't know about and possibilities I've never seen. In some ways, you seem to have a destiny with Dragons. I'm very interested in watching which path you're going to take. Yeah, maybe... this time, I think there will be something more interesting than fighting the White One.]
Issei stared at the gauntlet, blinked a few times and then gave a big goofy smile, scratching the back of his neck with his right arm, looking flattered.
[Besides, we don't know what kind of things might happen if you try to use your powers for something as originally unthinkable as trying to get me out of the gear.]
The red dragon finished speaking.
"Is that what you were going to say, Vegapunk?"
Luffy, with his arms crossed, questioned the scientist.
"Indeed. Since you awakened Ddraig, I've been doing some readings, and they're unique... I cannot conclude anything precise, however, as he said, using our abilities, for something so critical... well, if anything goes wrong, I imagine that even the world we are currently in could be destroyed."
Issei paled hearing that and broke out in a cold sweat. He was glad he hadn't pursued the idea, or that Ddraig also seemed to have already thought about this possible outcome.
"Is it really that serious?"
Even Luffy was surprised.
"Luffy, don't underestimate the situation. Even though they are completely new and foreign concepts to us, what's on your son's arm is said to be a weapon capable of killing gods, with a dragon in it. I doubt this is some hyperbole. To take it lightly would be the peak of foolishness."
Vegapunk's words were serious, in a way that the Straw Hat almost never saw him as being. Issei felt a little lost in all of this, not thinking he could truly understand or keep up with the seriousness of the conversation or the situation he was in. But for him, it didn't really matter.
"I would love to do tests with it too. I believe this would allow us to have a good idea of what we are dealing with!"
And then Vegapunk attitude does a 180-degree change, and he talks excitedly, with his eyes shining like stars.
"Mad scientist."
Father and son, spoke in sync, causing them to look at each other and start laughing.
Then, they finally get up from the rock they were sitting on, and prepare to head back to the Sunny.
"Hey, Ddraig. I'll introduce you to the rest of my family!"
The boy spoke, with a wide smile.
[Heh, thanks. I'm sure, it will be fun.]
...
"Fascinating."
"It's practically part of his arm! It's not like nano-technology, what an amazing thing."
"Even considering the types of magic we saw in other worlds, this is unique!"
Vegapunk, having its various projects and studies, couldn't handle everything alone, that's why he had his clones, or satellites, as he liked to call them. At the moment, three of them, Shaka, Edison and Pythagoras, were analyzing Issei and the Boosted Gear on his arm.
"Hey, do you think these jewels are worth something?"
Lilith, another one of Vegapunk's satellites, asked with her eyes glittering with greed. Issei was sometimes surprised that Vegapunk created Lilith before he met Nami.
Issei was in the middle of the room, with devices constantly scanning his body, focusing on the Boosted Gear activity and how it directly affected him.
"Issei, can you do a demonstration?"
Shaka asked.
"Sure."
The boy responded promptly.
BOOST!
The Boosted Gear announced, and Issei's body readings showed that his overall stats had all doubled in size.
"How many boosts do you think he can handle, Ddraig?"
Edison questioned the dragon. He carried a tablet, where he was taking notes.
[Dozens, but we'll only know the exact number by testing. His dragon powers, derived from the Leviathan's Devil Fruit, and his body's own physical strength, allow him to endure quite a bit for a wielder who, in addition to having just awakened me, is still quite young.]
It had been a few days since Ddraig's awakening, and he was already getting used to the unique lifestyle with the Straw Hats. At the moment, Issei had already managed to release the second state of the Boosted Gear, with the green gem in the center becoming more evident, and now the fingers being covered in what looked like dragon claws. There were also green markings on the gear, in addition to other appearance changes.
Furthermore, during those days, Ddraig had shown great amazement at Issei's power as leviathan.
[I don't think even she is capable of all that..]
Issei heard him muttering after giving a demonstration of his powers, but Ddraig never elaborated on who he was talking about.
"I see, so because of leviathan's powers, Issei's compatibility with Boosted Gear is already very high."
Pythagoras said, taking notes.
[Yes. I believe mentally as well, he really resembles a dragon more than a human. A highly compatible body and mind, fufufu, as I imagined, Issei is a very interesting wielder.]
Ddraig looked pretty excited, and so was Issei. In the few days he spent with the dragon, in addition to enjoying himself considerably, he also felt the increase in strength that the boosted gear offered him. The prospect of getting stronger was always welcomed by Issei, which Ddraig supported and encouraged a lot.
"Any other observation you would like to make?"
Shaka asked, after finishing writing down the things Ddraig had mentioned.
[Actually yes. I've noticed something curious, and while I can't be sure, I believe that Issei's body, even disregarding his Devil Fruit and Haki powers, is naturally much stronger than my previous wielders.]
Shaka stopped writing when he heard that.
"You mean..."
[Even while ignoring everything else, Issei's body looks much stronger than the previous human's, even adults, when they had just awakened.]
The red dragon concluded. Vegapunk satellites had puzzled but not surprised expressions while Issei was lost in conversation.
'Hey, Ddraig.'
In the last few days, the boy also learned how to call Ddraig through his mind. It was especially convenient for when he had to talk to the dragon in the midst of several people outside of his family.
[Yes?]
'What do you mean with this whole stronger than a human thing?'
Even though he was capable of doing a lot of inhuman things, and having more similarities to dragons than humans at this point, Issei still somehow saw himself as human, at least for now, so Ddraig's speech confused him.
[From what I could see of your family, it's honestly hard to believe that you're human. I believe, and Vegapunk must have already come to this conclusion, that the "humans" of your original world, and those of the world I came from, despite being similar, are to some extent, different, almost like different species.]
That didn't seem to explain much to the boy.
'Huh? Humans that aren't… humans?'
It was almost possible to see dozens of question marks floating above Issei's head.
[This is something even I can't quite explain why it happened, but for some reason, it seems like the evolutionary line of humanity in your world was different from mine.]
Issei then nodded, seeming to understand Ddraig's words.
"This is indeed interesting, but we can think about these implications later, let's continue testing now."
Shaka spoke, and they returned to focusing on the Boosted Gear's capabilities.
...
"I am sorry because of my father, Ise."
Cynthia spoke, as she and Issei left the kitchen, after Sanji finished one more lesson with the boy. The blonde had her hands in front of her face, her palms together, as she looked at Issei with a little guilt.
"Sorry? Why?"
But Issei didn't understand why she was apologizing out nowhere.
"Well, he dragged you to learn how to cook, just because..."
She looked embarrassed to continue, but Issei seemed to understand what Cynthia was saying.
"Chichichi, don't worry, learning to cook for Uncle Sanji to approve that we're dating is worth it."
The brunette said, with a big smile. He reached out and took Cynthia's hand, which was as red as a tomato, but who couldn't help the big smile that formed on her face.
"Ohhh, how cute you two are. Hey boy, I got something for you."
A voice interrupts them, and the little couple sees Zoro, who has a sarcastic smile. The green haired one throws something towards Issei, who catches the object in time, said object being a sheathed katana.
Issei looked at the katana confused, and suddenly his rustic observation haki, made him jump back, pulling Cynthia with him, but not in time to avoid Zoro's blow, which grazed his forehead, making a scratch.
"Hey! Uncle! What are you doing?"
The boy asked annoyed, as he rubbed his forehead. He could also notice that the sword Zoro used was just a wooden one, and that the swordsman was surely playing with him, otherwise he wouldn't even have noticed the attack.
"If you want to fight with someone, go after my father!"
Even Cynthia was annoyed that their moment had been interrupted.
"No big deal, relax you two. I just think it would be fun to teach you, the cook's apprentice, how to fight with swords. If you want girl, you can also join in, it will be even funnier to teach his daughter. And no, I am not letting you have a choice."
After saying that, Zoro once again raised his wooden sword, and soon, the two understood that he was serious when he said he was not giving them options.
Issei's only consolation was that, at least they had Hancock to yell in Zoro's ear afterwards. Not that his mother yelling at Zoro stopped him from going after Issei to force him to learn sword fighting. And funnily enough, Issei wasn't even the first of Luffy's children in which Zoro did that, far from it actually. Issei only happened to also be learning from Sanji.
And Zoro was indeed right, Sanji got annoyed with him, so in the end he got what he wanted.
...
"Huh? Nezu? Where is everybody?"
"Did something happen?"
Once again returning to the world where Issei had coincidentally been born in, Issei and Cynthia had gone to the same park they had made it their routine to go to, at least once a week, to meet their friends. However, this time there was only Nezuko, and an adult woman who looked just like her.
[Interesting...]
Ddraig's voice suddenly sounded in Issei's head.
"Ddraig?"
[Later.]
Following that, the dragon closed the mental link and Issei heard no more from him.
"Nezuko-chan? Where is everybody? What happened?"
"Are you okay?"
Cynthia asked, worried about the little girl, and also about the fact that she didn't see any of their friends. Issei came closer to Nezuko and held her arm, looking right into her face, which had tear marks in the corners of her eyes.
"Who made you cry? I will kill them!"
Nezuko's mother couldn't help but be a little frightened by the Issei's reaction, although she ended up letting it go, treating it only as a tantrum or an exaggeration coming from an immature child.
As for Nezuko herself, at least she felt some comfort, knowing that Issei was worried about her.
"You are Issei-chan, and Cynthia-chan, right? Thank you so much for playing with my daughter and son."
But her words were completely ignored by the two.
"Hey, what happened Nezuko-chan?"
Cynthia took a deep breath, and knowing that Issei certainly wouldn't fill that role, she decided to be the one to keep a cool head.
Tears started flowing from Nezuko's eyes.
"Iri-chan... she and her family left a few days ago... she wanted so much to say goodbye to you, and to Ise..."
Nezuko cried even more, clearly affected by her friend's departure. Issei and Cynthia made surprised expressions, but soon they also became sad.
For them, whose entire family lived together, the concept of farewell was null. What they didn't count on was that, those friends they made playing with in a park, would be the ones who taught them that taste. It was a bitter feeling, and they felt a little lost.
The idea that they could come back next week, but Irina still wouldn't be there, was almost… insane to them.
"And Ichigo, and Tatsuki?"
Issei asked, confused with why they both hadn't shown up as well.
Nezuko started crying even more, which made the other two worries become worst. That's when her mother interfered.
"Ichigo-chan... his mother died a few days ago... The Kurosaki... it's hard for them, and Tatsuki, like many of us... well... it's hard to believe..."
Now tears were threatening to form in Nezuko's mother's eyes as well, while Nezuko herself was already screaming.
Issei and Cynthia hugged her, and before the brunette realized it, tears were streaming down his face. Without him noticing, his observation haki, the Voice of All Things and his aura, made him feel the full breadth of Nezuko's sadness. It was like a hole formed inside him.
"But..." The boy struggled to hold back his tears, but he couldn't. "It's not just that, is it?"
His voice almost broke at the end, he felt Nezuko's sadness amplify even more, and now even her mother was crying deeply, even though she was trying to stay strong.
"I-I... my husband... in the accident where Masaki... he too..."
She was already on her knees, unable to take it anymore.
Issei and Cynthia were now crying as much as the two of them, especially Issei who was really feeling their pain.
Irina was gone, and Ichigo's mother, as well as Nezuko's father, died. That day, Issei and Cynthia understood for the first time the bitterness of parting.
It would take years again for that group that once had so much fun, innocently playing in the park, to be reunited.
...
"Dad..."
"Hi, Ise."
"Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone."
Luffy took a moment longer than usual to respond.
"Yes, several times. It's part of being a pirate, and getting out there."
"Got it... Say it… at some point... does it hurt less?"
Again, Luffy took a little longer than usual to respond.
"Yes, when you know you're going to meet again."
"But how do I know that?"
"Well, it's simple. Because it's something that's definitely going to happen."
At that moment, Luffy was smiling, the same smile as always, and Issei felt calmer.
"Do you promise?"
"But of course! That is the promise of the Pirate King."
"Heh...thanks Dad."
The two allowed themselves to be silent, just enjoying being in that moment, with those they love.
...
[As I thought, you really do have a destiny with dragons.]
Ddraig commented.
"If I have a destiny with dragons, so it should be easier for me to find a partner!"
Following the traditions of the Kujas, Issei, now eight years old, was already strong and old enough to find a snake that would be his companion. Many Kujas even used said snakes as weapons. As the fourth son of Hancok, and the second male, the wielder of the Boosted Gear was only the second male in the history of the Kuja tribe to be given the opportunity to carry on this tradition.
Issei used his observation haki to try to find any snake he could approach, but whenever he sensed one and tried to approach it, the snake would move away before he had the opportunity to get close.
'I thought this would be easier.'
Issei thought, sighing.
[Apparently your presence is too strong for most of them to stand.]
Ddraig spoke, explaining why the boy was having trouble finding a companion.
'Because of my draconic aura? Ha, who knew that being strong would have such an effect.'
He didn't know whether to be proud or angry.
"Sssshhhhh!"
In the middle of his conversation with Ddraig, the little Monkey D. stopped and grabbed an apple that had been thrown towards his head.
He took a bite of the apple and looked towards where it had been thrown, seeing a red colored snake hissing at him. With the tip of her tail, she held another apple, which she was tossing up and down. The snake looked at Issei with a defiant expression.
[Oho, looks like we found someone with courage.]
Ddraig commented, clearly enjoying himself.
"Shh, hey brat, you better get out of my territory, got it?"
Thanks to the Voice of All Things, Issei perfectly understood the red snake, who was sounded like a delinquent.
"Sorry, it won't happen. But I'm from the Kuja tribe, and you're the only one who didn't run away from me. Want to be my partner?"
Issei asked, getting straight to the point.
"Tsk, the Kujas think they're some big shots! If they came at me, I would have finished them all! Want me to join you brat? Then defeat me first!"
The serpent made this statement, with irritation and confidence. Only for Issei to shrug and throw the apple he had in his hands at her, knocking her off the tree branch she was on. Before the snake hit the ground, she was already in Issei's hands.
"Chichichi, and now?"
The serpent looked at Issei in astonishment. Having no choice, she swallows hard.
"I recognize you as my boss..."
As soon as she said that, Issei put her around his neck, and now in a much better mood, he walked back to Sunny.
...
And so, another year passed.
"Dad? Why did you bring Uncle Zoro and Uncle Sanji?"
Issei, along with his father, the swordsman and the cook, were in Rusukaina. Luffy randomly decided that instead of standard training, they were going to do something different today.
Before Issei could ask them to elaborate, Zoro had already drawn his swords from their scabbards and Sanji was already jumping up to kick Issei.
The boy quickly transformed, taking on Leviathan's full form and growing to dozens of meters in length. After all this time with the fruit, he finally had perfect control over every aspect of it.
Covering his scales in haki, he tried to fend off Zoro and Sanji's attacks. This time, Zoro wasn't using wooden swords, but real katanas. He just avoided using haki.
The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard across the whole island. Sparks came out of Issei's scales, who was thrown dozens of meters away, creating havoc wherever he went.
[This form is decent for defense, but against them... well, you currently don't have any chance, but it's less easy to hit you with the other two.]
Ddraig advised.
'Yeah, you're right... I thought I'd be able to handle better with the full transformation, but apparently...'
"Hey, Ise. Don't use only your fruit."
Luffy said as he appeared in front of his son, who made a shocked face hearing his father's suggestion.
"Are you crazy? Without my powers, I will die against these two!"
Luffy kept his smile as he dropped to his knees to face the boy.
"But you don't just have the fruit, right? Maybe it's because it's what you're most used to, but you, who besides the fruit, have other options, are too attached to Leviathan's powers. Tell me, you want to be strong, don't you?"
His father's speech took the boy by surprise.
"Of course!"
He responded determinedly. The smile on Luffy's face widened even more.
"So, you understand. What Ddraig mentioned, Balance Breaker." With that, Issei made a surprised expression. "Shishishi, if you only use your fruit, it will probably take much longer to unlock it, which means you won't be as strong as you could be. Get it now?"
Issei nodded, now with a determined expression.
"Good. Shishishi, have fun guys."
Issei made the Boosted Gear appear on his arm and entered his hybrid form. He was now just a few centimeters shorter than Zoro, his body was covered in blue scales, horns protruding from his forehead, and a pair of wings protruding from his back.
Sanji lit his cigarette and Zoro snapped his neck.
BOOST
A sphere of white energy formed around Issei's fists. He made a posture and punched towards the blond and the green haired. Cracks formed in the air, and a massive impact was about to hit them.
They both just hissed, and Zoro simply proceeded to cut the crack in the air in half and Sanji kicked it.
"Oh, not bad..."
"But you're going to have to put a lot more effort into it..."
They both spoke at the same time, once again charging towards Issei. What ensued wasn't a fight, it was Issei doing his best to survive the beating he was taking. Even with his strength being doubled every ten seconds, he couldn't keep up, attack or defend.
At the end of the day, now back in his human form, he was covered in light wounds, but exhausted as he never were before and without the strength to move.
And this became his daily routine. If it wasn't Zoro or Sanji, it was Franky and Usopp or Brook and Jinbe, or his brothers and sisters, and so on. Days passed as they remained in Rusukaina, with Issei being thrown back and forth until he would eventually unlock Balance Breaker.
And then...
"Enough, you fucking brat!"
Sanji spoke, pressing his right leg against Issei, who was in his human form and lying on the ground.
The boy had his hands on Sanji's leg, trying to push it, but no matter how much strength he put it, Sanji wouldn't budge. The blonde in turn also had an unusual expression, looking annoyed.
"I've wasted days on this, and you still haven't gotten that shitty armor!" He pressed against Issei with a little more force. "I taught you how to cook, help you to train, and still, nothing? Only wasted time?"
He took the cigarette out of his mouth, and tossed it beside the child's head. Then Sanji lowered his face, and looked Issei in the eyes.
"I thought you'd be better than that, but you're just a useless brat who, even with a lot of fucking luck, doesn't manage to go anywhere. I think my daughter will be better off without you."
Issei stopped moving upon hearing that.
"What?"
He asked, but there was no shock or surprise in his voice. Just a deep rage.
[I see... indeed, for him this must be the most effective way.]
Ddraig thought to himself, seeing the whole scene, but Issei couldn't hear him.
"You heard me, you fucking brat! A useless brat like you near my little princess? Don't play around with something like that! Even if I have to drag her away from you. Hmph, anyway I know she'll end up thanking me in the future."
"Don't fuck with me."
The grip Issei had on Sanji's leg had explosively increased. The blonde had to struggle to hold back the smile that threatened to form on his face.
"First, you don't decide anything for Cynthia!"
'The feeling of saying goodbye...'
Cynthia's image appeared on Issei's head, smiling at him...a day when Sanji would take her away from him?
'Never!'
The gem on Issei's gauntlet started to glow brightly, but the boy didn't seem to notice.
"Second! You think you can take her away from me? Am I useless? Are you going to drag her away? DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"
The intensity of the brightness increased even more.
"NO ONE IS GOING TO TAKE WHO I LOVE FROM ME! NOT EVEN YOU, SANJI!"
Gray clouds quickly showed up in the sky; a storm formed in seconds. The gem's glow reached a peak, as if it was about to explode, and then...
[Hah! You did it, and at such a young age... You really will be the most interesting Sekiryuutei.]
Sanji could feel the energy building up in Issei, and quickly jumped back.
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
[WELSH DRAGON BALANCE BREAKER]
Issei yelled as he got up. The gem's light returned to the gauntlet, and in its place surged a great draconic energy, so dense it seemed possible to touch it. Energy covered Issei's body, coalescing with him, and forming a red suit of armor with draconic features.
Now Sanji couldn't contain the smile on his mouth any longer.
"Yeah, that's it, brat. My daughter chose well."
"LET'S GO! I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET!"
BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!
Moving so fast that looked like he had disappeared, Issei was already in front of Sanji.
"Hehe... DON'T START THINKING TOO HIGH OF YOURSELF. YOU FUCKING BRAT!"
In this way, punch and kick met...
Hours later.
Sanji was standing, puffing on a cigarette, while Issei was on the ground, panting. Everything around them was reduced to craters.
"Hey... uncle... sorry, I got carried away. But thanks."
The boy said, smiling before falling asleep.
Sanji just looked at him for a few seconds.
"Just take care of my little girl... that's all..."
He once again drew on his cigarette, and was content to enjoy the silence.
...
"If you want, we can stop at any moment, Issei."
In Vegapunk's laboratory, Issei was lying on a metallic table, with the Boosted Gear on his arm.
"No, let's continue. Ddraig is also curious to know how this will."
They had several things pointed out to Issei, doing readings on him and his sacred gear. All of Vegapunk's satellites were in the lab, all concentrated. Even Lilith didn't joke about the situation as much as usual.
[Even so, it's almost ironic how, you who were the first to go against lightly messing with the Boosted Gear, would offer to try and put a devil fruit on it.]
Ddraig commented, to which Vegapunk responded.
"I understand, but after thinking about this possibility... unfortunately, I couldn't contain myself, curiosity is consuming me."
The scientist spoke honestly.
[Hahaha, okay, I understand. Come on, let me try that devil fruit.]
Both Issei and Ddraig shared the same excitement. Soon, Vegapunk appeared with a dark red fruit, with the typical spirals and in the shape of an apple. And so, the procedure that would merge two completely different worlds even further, began.
...
"We are going!"
Monkey D. Boa Issei, now 17, taller than the usual for his age, and also well-muscled, told his family.
"Wait, baby!" And even at that age, being almost bigger than her, Hancock still treated him like her little boy. "You're not forgetting anything, are you? Clothes? Food? Communicators?"
She asked frenetically, not giving Issei time to answer.
"Calm down, aunt. We're taking everything, you don't have to worry."
Cynthia, now 18 years old, said, while hugging Issei's arm. She was practically two heads shorter than he was, and now her blond hair was longer and tied in two braids on the sides of her head.
Issei wore only a T-shirt, shorts and snickers, and Cynthia, a skirt and bikini. The couple was to leave for a few days.
Hancock looks at the blonde, then asks.
"What about condoms? Or Vegapunk's anti-pregnancy remedy?"
Issei just gave his mom a thumbs up along with a confident smile. Cynthia, unlike in the past where she would already look like a tomato, only had a dull smile and slightly flushed cheeks.
Sanji was in the other corner of the ship, holding back tears as Pudding comforted him.
"Shishishi, have fun guys."
Luffy said to the two, to which Issei replied with a big smile.
"We are leaving."
The young dragon said laughing, and then picked up Cynthia in princess carry.
"See you later!"
The blonde said, waving to the others.
"We'll be back soon!"
Issei said, jumping off the Sunny, as Leviathan wings appeared on his back.
Hancock had a handkerchief in her hand and was biting it violently.
"My baby... LUFFY! They'll be fine, right?"
Luffy chuckled lightly and stroked his wife's head.
"Relax, they'll only be gone for a few days. Besides, there's nothing in this world that can threaten them, it's going to be okay."
"Yeah... if you say so..."
Soon, the Straw Hats left that world, to return in a few days to fetch the couple.
None of them could imagine what was about to happen in that world.
"If normal objects can have devil fruits, I am sure Sacred Gears could", following this line of thought, things ended like this. Originally, I was already going to give which fruit it was in this chapter, but I thought it would be better to hold the reveal a little bit, even if only for the next chapter.
With this chapter, the introductory arc is finished, next chapter we go back to around 2000 words per chapter, and after that, we finally get to DxD world
