Flames of the Sun God
A One Piece Fanfic by GreyNimbus
OP/Luffy, Mature/Luffy, EarlyDFAwaken/Luffy, NoPairing
Disclaimer:
One Piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda. I do NOT own anything One Piece related. Obviously(!)
Chapter 2 — Fuel for the Fire
Human-Human Fruit
Model: Nika
(Mythical Zoan-type)
Due to its unique nature, this Devil Fruit grants the user a baseline body with the properties of rubber, giving the user's body limitations and restrictions similar in nature to that of a common Paramecia-Type. The fruit's true power as a Mythical Zoan-type lies dormant until the user can successfully achieve an "Awakening".
After Awakening the fruit's true power, the user gains the abilities and appearance of the mythical Sun God, Nika, granting their already rubbery body more strength, freedom, and creativity and turning the user into what is known as the "Warrior of Liberation".
According to the legend that was inscribed on the ancient texts, the Warrior of Liberation was once revered as the "Sun God" by slaves from ancient times for bringing freedom and joy to those around them. Because of the nature of this legendary being, they are described as "the most ridiculous power in the world".
After reading that final paragraph out loud, Rayleigh closed the book with a hard SLAP. He and Luffy were taking their time processing all this new information that completely changed their view of Luffy's Devil Fruit.
"With this new info, we now know that your Devil Fruit powers come from a Zoan-type," Rayleigh stated, "Your body has already adapted to the belief that it's a Paramecia-type, but we can fix that later."
Luffy scratched the back of his head, "Uhh, I'm a little confused. If I've had Zoan powers this whole time, how come I've never transformed like all the other Zoan-type users I've seen?"
"It's most likely because you ate a variety of the Human-Human Fruit that makes it unnoticeable since you're already a human, to begin with. Vegapunk must've known that somehow, which is why he wrote it down in classified records. I can't tell whether he gave it to my crew by accident… or on purpose."
Rayleigh puts his books away before pulling out something else that jingled like a chain. Showing it to Luffy, it revealed a pair of Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs.
Sea-Prism Stone is a rare and unique substance that radiates the same energy as the sea, which can neutralize and drain the abilities of Devil Fruit users.
"What are those for?" Luffy asked, pointing to said handcuffs.
"They're Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs," Rayleigh answered, "We'll be wearing them while training."
"Why?"
"After our little discovery, I'm gonna have to completely change your training regiment. The first step is for you to stop using your Devil Fruit powers."
"WHAAAT?!" Luffy shouted, his eyes widened in shock, "How's that supposed to help me get stronger?!"
"As it said in the book, the only way to unlock your Devil Fruit's true potential and, by extension, yours, is to 'Awaken' that dormant power."
"What the heck does that even mean?"
Rayleigh sighed, "Here, I'll explain, so listen close; 'Awakening' is the special stage in which Devil Fruit users unlock the true potential of their fruit's power, not only affecting themselves but their surroundings too. Understand?"
"Mm-hm, mm-hm!," Luffy nodded.
"Good, you're catching on quickly,"
Rayleigh makes a swift motion with his hand. Suddenly, the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs disappeared from his hand.
Luffy suddenly felt weak. All his energy was quickly drained out of his body, causing him to slouch over the log he was sleeping against earlier. He moaned in exhaustion while noticing that the handcuffs that Rayleigh was just holding were now clamped around his wrists.
"Heeey~!" Luffy groaned weakly, "Whatcha do that for?"
"This is gonna be your training. Our first priority is getting you to completely master your Haki before moving on to your Devil Fruit Awakening. We'll be restricting the use of your Devil Fruit powers until you've mastered Haki, as well as helping you get used to the weakness of the Sea-Prism Stone. By the time you take those off, you'll have a high tolerance to its effects."
"How am I supposed to train my Haki when my hands are bound like this?" Luffy was referring to the short chain that linked the cuffs together.
Instead of getting a verbal answer, Rayleigh crouched next to Luffy before grabbing the chain with his left hand.
"Sea-Prism Stone is as strong and durable as diamonds. But once you have completely mastered Haki, you'll be able to do this!" Rayleigh's hand was suddenly clad in a shiny black coating — Hardening; the most basic application of Armament Haki. So far, Luffy had learned how to do that much.
But what the Rubber-Man didn't recognize was that Rayleigh's hardened hand was now emanating a green, flowing aura. Next thing he knew, the chain link was completely crushed under the old man's grip. Pulling his hand back, the broken chain was now detached, leaving only the cuffs that were still around Luffy's wrists.
Luffy may have been weakened, but he couldn't take his eyes off the amazing feat that his mentor had just demonstrated.
"That was so cool! What was that?!" Luffy asked cheerfully, despite the effects of the Sea-Prism Stone.
"That…" Rayleigh began explaining as he deactivated his Haki, "...was a more advanced type of Armament Haki, known as Internal Destruction. I learned it in the New World. I was able to emit my Armament Haki, making it flow into my target's body and destroy it from the inside out on contact. This technique can deal devastating internal damage, bypassing any defense, no matter how strong or durable it is."
"Hey, wait a minute…!" Luffy interrupted, "... Is that what you did when you removed Camie's slave collar back at Sabaody?!"
"That's right," Rayleigh answered, "I'm surprised you were able to put the pieces together. Looks like we found something you're interested in."
"Of course I'm interested! I have to get stronger so I can protect my friends! I'll do whatever it takes to become the strongest!" Luffy sat up, eyes filled with the fires of determination.
Rayleigh smiled proudly, knowing he found just the right motivation he needed to pull through his upcoming training regiment. Even more proud of the fact that Luffy was already resisting the effects of the Sea-Prism Stone without even noticing.
He barely had them on for 2 minutes, which slightly scared the retired pirate.
"I admire your determination, Luffy. You've proven yourself to be a reliable leader to your crew. They must be proud of you."
Luffy nodded with a smile.
Rayleigh looks up at the moon through a gap in the jungle's thick canopy, "The sun will be rising soon, so get some rest while you can. Tomorrow's training is gonna be even tougher."
"Right. 'Night, old man." Luffy lays back down to make himself more comfortable, "Oh, and Rayleigh?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks."
The next morning, Luffy had a bit of trouble waking up since he slept with the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs stuck to his wrists. Rayleigh neglected to mention to the boy sooner that he didn't have the key for them, or that they were the only pair of cuffs that he had on his person.
But with a whack to the head from a Haki-infused wooden club, Luffy was now wide awake and with a comical bump on his head.
After getting ready, the teacher and student made their way to a clearing with enough space to not harm the island's ecosystem if Luffy ever got out of hand with any collateral damage.
"Alright, Luffy," Rayleigh said, "You've almost mastered the Hardening stage of Armament Haki, so you're gonna be sparring against me next. Since you can't use your Devil Fruit powers, you'll have to get used to moving around in that fragile body. This training is designed to help build up your muscles at a much faster rate than you ever had back when you were made of rubber. Be warned, though, this training will put you under a lot of stress and pain, but all your hardships will be rewarded with developing your Observation Haki. So while we're sparring, I'm not gonna hold anything back. And I want you to do the same. Now, I know this may sound unfair since you're the one with the handicap, so I'll do my best not to kill you."
"Sounds good to me!"
Luffy didn't seem scared in the slightest. If anything, he actually looks more serious than ever.
"Good. Your first lesson will be to defend yourself from my attacks. But before that…"
Rayleigh walks behind Luffy and ties a blindfold around his eyes.
"You rely far too much on your vision, so we'll need to prevent you from doing that in the future.
"Huh? I can't see!" Luffy struggles to get a good feel of his surroundings and starts waving his arms around, trying to get his bearings.
"Leave that on for a while and let yourself get used to it."
"Uhh… okay."
Luffy takes a couple of slow steps forward before he quickly trips over a small rock in his path. Luckily, he stopped his descent by swiftly putting the other foot forward.
"Dammit, this is gonna be tough," Luffy complained, standing back up straight, "How do you even sense rocks?"
"This is training," Rayleigh reminded him, "You have to use all of your senses, not just your eyesight. No matter how good your eyes may be, you'll never see everything. Enemies that can move at the speed of sound must be detected through other methods. Once you develop your Observation Haki, you can intercept their attacks."
After carefully processing Rayleigh's teachings, Luffy slams his fist into his palm, "Right! I'm ready, so let's do it!"
Luffy stands completely still, arms to the side, legs spread, and fists tightened. He focuses on the sound around him. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees, the birds chirping, and the cries of the distant animals.
But his main focus is his sparring partner.
"There!"
*BONK*
"OWW!"
"Grr… Everything hurts like hell…"
"It's like I told you; pain is the most effective teacher when mastering Haki."
After many hours of bone-breaking abuse and soul-crushing discipline at the hands of his merciless mentor, Luffy made little, yet noticeable, progress in today's training. Even after the countless bruises and bumps he suffered, Luffy didn't let up for even a second, nor did he ask Rayleigh to let him catch his breath. He almost couldn't believe how much endurance Luffy had, even when the added durability that came with his Zoan fruit had been restrained along with his powers.
That fire in his eyes never went out.
Today's training session seems to have turned up the heat. This development did not elude the attention of the Pirate King's first mate.
After giving Luffy some first-aid, the two were now sitting around a campfire, with Luffy eating a huge chunk of meat right off the bone, like he hadn't eaten in days.
"Slow down, you're gonna choke yourself. Remember, your rubbery powers are disabled right now."
Luffy didn't respond, and instead just kept on devouring the source of protein. Back when he was just a kid, Luffy used to eat when he was upset. A habit that won't end anytime soon.
Before he could take another bite, Rayleigh asked his student a serious question, "Luffy, you were behaving a little differently today. What changed?"
Luffy froze. He slowly puts his half-eaten carcass back on the spit. An act of manners that Rayleigh thought he would never see out of the Rubber-Man.
"When I think about all I've been through, all the battles I've fought, there's only one thing that I've learned from all of that…"
Rayleigh waited patiently for an answer, which first came in the form of Luffy's flames of determination burning in his eyes.
"There's always someone stronger!"
The old man was slightly shocked at how much more mature Luffy was becoming. When the two first met at the Human Auctioning House at Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh's first impression of Luffy was mostly based around the straw hat he wore, reminiscing about the times when his former crewmate, Shanks, used to wear that exact same hat. But he neglected to see what was beneath that until he started training Luffy and getting to know him better.
Now he was seeing Luffy in a whole new light. A light that was brought to life by the fire in Luffy's eyes.
"I made a vow to my brother a long time ago that I was going to get stronger than anybody! But in the end, he died because I wasn't strong enough to protect him. But no more! I've lost more than I could stand! And If I can't even protect my crew and their dreams, then how could I call myself their Captain? I need this training, I can't afford any setbacks! No matter what I have to endure, I need to be the strongest before I meet up with my crew! Even stronger than Roger! I won't accept anything less!"
Rayleigh, full of pride for his student's new-found motivation, smiled.
"So, your strength comes from protecting your friends, is that it?"
"Yeah!"
"In that case," Rayleigh pointed two fingers in the direction of Luffy's glowing eyes, "keep that fire burning in your eyes. Never let it snuff out. Keep your friends close to your heart at all times. Let those images fuel your flame, and keep rising higher, Luffy!"
Luffy felt more determined than ever after that. The thought of his friends and the memories they made together was washing over his mind like a maelstrom.
"You're thinking about them right now, aren't you?" Rayleigh asked as if it was obvious.
"Uh-huh," Luffy answered, "I just wonder what everyone's up to…"
"You still have something left in this world to treasure, don't you?!"
The encouraging words of Jimbei echoed in his thoughts.
"I still have my crew~!"
Luffy whispered to himself, "Zoro…" Luffy's first mate and Swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates. A muscular man of average height in his late teens with lightly tanned skin and moss-green hair. He always carried around three swords for the sake of his Three-Sword Style. Before joining Luffy's crew, he was a renowned and feared bounty hunter who was known throughout the East Blue for his expertise in hunting down wanted pirates, thus earning him the name "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro.
"While I'm with you, the only thing I dedicate myself to is fulfilling MY ambition — to be nothing less than the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"I solemnly swear… from this moment forward... that I will never lose again! Until the day comes... when I defeat him and take his title... I will never... NEVER be defeated! Is that okay… King of the Pirates?!"
"Usopp…" The crew's Sniper and resident liar. A slim tan-skinned teenager with medium-length black curly hair and a very long nose. Usopp was known cowardly fella, known for his constant lies and tall tales that he enjoys telling to both friends and strangers alike. Despite his disposition, he strives to become a great pirate as well as better himself, working hard to keep his crew safe and help them accomplish their dreams as well as his own. Luffy welcomed him aboard his newly acquired ship, the "Going Merry", after helping him save his village from the devious Captain "Kuro of a Thousand Plans" and his crew, the Black Cat Pirates.
"Usopp!"
"I am… I am the Captain of the Usopp Pirates… A brave warrior of the sea! And mark my words… you will never set foot in that village!
"Get on already."
"Huh?
"We're friends, right? So, get on."
"I… I'm really a pirate Captain now!
"Don't be stupid, Usopp! I'M the Captain!"
"Nami…" The Navigator, and self-imposed Treasurer, of the Straw Hat Pirates. A slim young woman of average height with short orange hair. If Luffy weren't so oblivious to womanly charm, he would consider her to be very attractive. She has a blue tattoo on her left shoulder, which represented tangerines and pinwheels, a reminder of her hometown. Before joining the crew, Nami was a thief who specialized in robbing pirates of their treasure.
"Luffy… Help me…"
"HE'S GONNA PAY~!"
"Luffy…"
"NAMI! YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY FRIEND!"
"...Yeah."
"Sanji…" A highly-skilled Cook and womanizer. He's a slim, muscular, long-legged man with blonde hair which he keeps brushed over to one side of his face. Sanji's most distinctive feature is his spiral-shaped eyebrows. Luffy met Sanji at the floating sea restaurant, Baratie, where Sanji worked as the Sous Chef. The owner and Head Chef, Zeff, was a former pirate who sacrificed his left leg to save Sanji from starvation when they were both marooned on a rock outcropping, high above sea level. Sanji takes great pride in his culinary skills, resorting to using only his legs to fight, for he cannot risk any harm to come to his hands - a Cook's most sacred tool.
"Say, have you ever heard of the All Blue?"
"Your dream is foolish. Then again, so is mine. Now's as good a time as any. Why not start my quest now? I'll be joining your little crew… on your journey to be King of the Pirates. You hear me? I wanna be the Cook on your ship."
"CHEF ZEFF! Thanks, you geezer! I'll never forget your kindness! I owe my life to you, old man! So, thank you!"
"...and Chopper, too…" The ship's Doctor. Chopper is a toddler-sized human/reindeer hybrid with a blue-nosed who ate the Human-Human Fruit, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, granting him the ability to talk and walk upright like a human. He was trained in the art of medicine by his parental figure, Dr. Kureha. He used to be extremely timid towards unfamiliar humans before he met Luffy, with whom he later found out had a lot in common. Luffy accepted Chopper for who he was and convinced him to become a pirate with him.
"Even if I don't have friends, I can still fight for something I believe in!"
"You do have friends! I'm your friend, reindeer! ME~!"
"Okay, maybe I do wanna be a pirate. But I can never be one of you, I'm not human! I'm a monster!"
"SHUT UP! LET'S GO~!"
"Robin…" The Archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates, and user of the Flower-Flower Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, granting her the power to willing reproduce any parts of her body on any surface. She's a tall, slender young woman with shoulder-length black hair. Having nowhere else to go after the Straw Hats stopped a civil war in the desert kingdom of Alabasta, she held Luffy responsible for saving her life when she had given up on it. She temporarily left the crew after being captured by the World Government covert assassins, CP9, at Water 7, and escorted to the judicial island, Enies Lobby, where she suffered continuous torture at the hands of Spandam, CP9's chief. She was soon rescued by her crewmates after Luffy encouraged her to keep on living, despite the fear she had of losing those she cared about to her enemies.
"There's no place for me to go or return to, so I've decided that I'll join you."
"WHAAAT?!"
"Those pirates… just declared war against the World Government!"
"Robin! There's still something I wanna hear you say! TELL ME YOU WANNA LIVE!"
"I WANT TO LIVE~! TAKE ME WITH YOU! TAKE ME AWAY FROM HERE!"
"...and Franky…" The Shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates, creator of the crew's current ship, the "Thousand Sunny", and former ship dismantler and face of Water 7's underworld. Franky of a self-modified cyborg at a height of at least seven feet. His forearms were massively enormous with star tattoos on them while his biceps were comparably small, and a full-toned chest. He has bright-blue hair and a prosthetic iron nose. Franky used to run a gang of ship dismantlers and bounty hunters called the "Franky Family", named after their founder and leader until he stole ฿200,000,000 (Berries) from the Straw Hat Pirates. He later kidnapped Usopp and the severely damaged Going Merry, after Luffy's crew retaliated against the Franky Family while the boss himself went shopping on the black market with their stolen money. After getting tangled up in the same situation that got Robin captured, he was also taken to Impel Down to be interrogated by Spandam on the whereabouts of the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon "Pluton", which Franky inherited from his old ship-building master, Tom. Franky burnt the blueprints so that the Ancient Weapon could never be built. While fighting through and escaping Enies Lobby with the Straw Hat Pirates, they eventually patched things up until Luffy eventually invited him to join his crew after building the Thousand Sunny.
"If you want your undies back, then you're gonna have to join my crew!"
"You got the finest vessel on the sea and no shipwright? What can I say? You don't leave me much choice. I gotta take care of my masterpiece, after all. So, set sail! I'm joining the crew!
I'm gonna SUPER miss you all!"
"...and Brook…" The Musician of the Straw Hat Pirates, and former member of the Rumbar Pirates. An extremely tall reanimated skeleton with a large black afro with strong roots that was brought back to life after dying, thanks to the powers of the Revive-Revive Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, which grants the user a second chance at life. Brook once sailed the seas with a pirate crew of musicians until they were annihilated by another stronger pirate crew. Unable to steer the ship, Brook's soul found itself lost in the thick fog of the Florian Triangle. By the time he reunited with his body again, all that was left was a well-dressed skeleton, but he was still able to get a second chance at life to fulfill a promise he and his crew made to an Island Whale named Laboon, whom they told to wait for them at the entrance to the Grand Line. Determined to stay true to that promise, he accepts Luffy's invitation to join the Straw Hats in hopes of seeing Laboon again.
"I'm glad to hear that Laboon is well and still waiting for me. My shadow has returned, and we're leaving the Devil's Sea. Every day on that boat was difficult. Frankly, I had given up all hope. But, Luffy, you know what? I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO STILL BE ALI-HI-HI-HI-HIVE~!"
"Sooo, does the offer to join your crew still stand?"
"Yeah, welcome aboard!"
"WHAAAT?!"/"FOR REAL~?!"/"NO WAAAY!"
Luffy cares about his crew more than anything, and he knew they felt the same way about him. They were now his sole reason for getting stronger. His crewmates are much more than just his friends, they were also his source of strength. His lifeline.
He thought he lost them for good after they got into a fight with Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Seas. They were hopelessly overpowered by the enigmatic titan, who then went on to separate the Straw Hat Pirates individually with the powers of his Paw-Paw Fruit, a strange Paramecia-type Devil Fruit which gives the user paw-shaped pads on their palms that can repel anything they touch with tremendous force and distances. Kuma sent Luffy's friends flying to unknown corners of the world, himself included. Since he was able to land safely on Amazon Lily, he assumed the rest of his crew were still alive.
Not knowing their whereabouts, Luffy sent out a secret message that only his crew could decipher in the local newspaper. Their original plan on the Sabaody Archipelago was to wait three days for Rayleigh to finish coating their ship, making it worthy to travel safely underwater to get to Fishman Island, their last destination before going to the New World. With the whole crew separated the world over, it would've been impossible to meet back up at Sabaody in just three days, so Luffy decided to give his friends two years to hone their skills and increase their chances of survival in the New World. Thus, Luffy purposely went back to the war-scarred island of Marineford to get his photo taken, as well as pay his respects to Ace's grave. The photo that was published showed Luffy with his eyes closed and holding his straw hat up to his chest after throwing a bouquet of flowers into the rubble, bowing his head in silent prayer.
He successfully got his message across with a tattoo on his right arm, which showed the initials "3D2Y", with the '3D' crossed out.
The message translated to 'See you at Sabaody in two years'.
Being able to read Luffy like a book throughout the time they've known each other, Rayleigh easily predicts what his student was thinking right now.
"That's why… I have to get stronger, so I can protect my friends, so I can fight to make their dreams come true, just like they do for me."
"Who knows, maybe your friends are thinking the exact same thing? Perhaps they all want to get stronger, just like you."
"Yeah," Luffy sighed, finally feeling satisfied with his current mindset. With his goals now on a straight path, he was prepared for what was to come during the remaining 21 months of training.
No matter what challenges await him, Monkey D. Luffy will rise above it all.
(Meanwhile, somewhere out in the waters of the Grand Line…)
"Which of the Government Dogs lives closest to here? Let's meet 'em."