The first thing I feel when I regain consciousness is the pain all over my body, my heavy head weighing on my whole body.
"Hmmmm"
I see nothing but a blur when I open my eyes.
"Fouhhh" I take a deep breath, calm myself, and try to stand up.
My vision clears, and when I'm on my feet, I realize I'm in a forest.
I look around and confirm that I am indeed in a forest.
'( What the…?) ' unconsciously, I try to take a step, but my mind is completely disoriented, and my leg gives out. I fall again to my knees. Dirt, mud, and gravel covering my hands, scratching my palm.
"Fouhhh" I take another deep breath, and I repeat the process. Gradually, over the minutes, I feel better; my mind and my vision become clear.
I take a few more minutes and then stand up for the second time.
"Alright, where am I? What's going on?" I murmur to myself.
I observe my surroundings, trees, and edges populated with stones.
I look up at the blue sky , it's daytime early in the morning a priori.
I continue to observe the area and notice a path. I decide to follow it.
'( This doesn't seem like a tropical forest. The air is humid but not wild. there propably be human people not too far away.) '
'( There should be a town nearby, )' I finally deduce.
'( But what's worrying is that I don't remember how I ended up here, and my memories about myself are hazy. )' I continue venturing through the forest, meditating on my situation.
'memory disorder, dissociative fugue... ?' my steps stop by themselves, my heart skips a beat
'( What the fuck is going on…) ' I try to delve into my mind,
"AAARGHHH !!! "and a pain explodes through my skull, a scream leaving my mouth.
for the third time, I end up on the ground on my knees, my hands gripping my skull as if trying to open it to let out all this pain.
"Huuumg" I hold back the scream in my throat,
The seconds flow, and finally two minute pass, and the pain fade away.
'( Fuuuuh…) '
I calm my breathing
'( Panick wont help me..) ' I stay on the ground for a few more seconds, seeking strength, and I finally get up even though I'm not ready to face the reality of my situation.
I start walking again, concentrating on the path I am following and the trees that line it.
After few minute, I reach a clearing and sit on a flat stone. I close my eyes and dive into my mind.
'( ok let's start again for a new try )' I take a deep breath.
"Fuuhhh...' i close my eyes.
'( Softly…) ' I feel myself approaching my mind, probing it like a caress.
I imagine arriving like a place where my memories, my identity, would be stored.
few second pass, i stay focusing in this idea.
And I feel transport, finding myself in a room filled with fog, chaotic and indistinguishable.
I wait, calming my breathing even more...
"Fuuhhh..."
and gradually the fog dissipates...
Revealing the room before me. It looks like a kind of white house, or rather a ruin, with broken furniture scattered on the ground, the place appearing abandoned.
I take a moment to look, around , see the place.
'( Is this my mind, my identity...? )' the place is broken, maybe even injured.
'( What that mean...? )' my eyes scanning the pathetic scene that seemed to be my essence.
'( What a mess... )' I do what seems wisest and begin to tidy up.
As I pick up shards of broken glass, I instinctively know where the other pieces are, and just by placing the pieces together, the object restores itself.
The same goes for the furniture; I collect all the pieces, bring them closer, and they magically fuse together.
I also instinctively know where to put everything, ensuring each item is in its place.
I continue organizing the place, and with each repaired item, each placed piece of furniture, images, a piece of experiences appears to me.
'( Huuum I'm a 24-year-old man… )'
and I move on to another object,
'( Who, after falling asleep one evening, woke up here… )'
and as I rebuild the decor, my life comes back to me
'( woke up in this new 17-year-old body. )'
I remember most of my previous life, but it appears that personal memories like my name, family, and others are not here.
'( What that mean...? )'
My personal life have been erased; all memories related to these elements are blank.
All i get now is this body, called Landon Kirby, an orphan.
And that's all the useful information I have.
'( It seems I've been reincarnated in this place, in this new body… )'
Grimacing in spite of myself,
'( What kind of situation is this? )', to been erases, and then been throws in another place, in the body of the first comer.
'( No, there must be something else, it's not possible, i will not just be a toy of some strange existence or organization… )'
I look around the white room in my mind , the place is tidy, cleaned, it is now a sort of white house furnished with decorations. there is nothing left to repair or fix, it is complete.
but it is empty, without souls, not tainted by memories, experiences or emotions...
Looking at this sad place, symbol of my new existence, I am taken by surprise noticing something.
I notice a door...
I approach and it is indeed a door, I look at it, the door was made of wood, with several grooves, a bit like the old ones, a sort of door made of plank, a completely ordinary door if it weren't for the pattern engraved on it.
It looked like a sort of egg made of feathers..., no it was more like a bird curled up on itself with a symbol on its feathers, a simple cross with a crescent moon at the bottom of the cross.
I stand there frozen for a few seconds, without a sound, standing, looking at the door.
I look down, and slowly I reach out to the lock, I turn my wrist...
And I hear a little click, the door opens in front of me, not expecting it to be so obvious.
The door opens slowly, giving way to a new landscape.
A clear blue sky populated with white clouds, and below, there is no ground, just an infinite expanse of dark blue water,
And right in front of me, a board at my feet about ten meters long and leading to a ship, a wooden boat.
Standing still, my eyes widen,
'( Ok )' I thought calmly
A gentle current of cool air caressing me as my gaze was fixed on this landscape of a new world.
'( Now what does that mean...? )'
Looking at this beautiful scene in front of me, I understood a simple truth, I knew instinctively that my new life was going to be strange and restless.
I lower my eyes to look at the board at my feet, following the board with my eyes which creates a path for me to the boat,
I took a step forward, strangely it seemed impossible to me that I could fall into the water, if an accident or a misstep happened on this little board,
I did not know where this certainty came from, maybe from my subconscious but I would reach the boat without problem if I wanted to.
Step by step, suspended by a simple piece of wood above this sapphire blue ocean that seemed endless, I advanced calmly...
I finally reached the boat, As I set foot on this sailboat of the seas, feeling the boat capsize with the waves, I felt a strange feeling, a very light familiar well-being, as if I felt at peace, at home.
I closed my eyes for a moment, immersing myself in this feeling, perhaps the only vestige of my identity.
the sound of the waves followed by the movement of the boat which remained afloat, the gentle cool breeze on his face.
I spend a minute quietly relaxed, I opened my eyes and decided to visit the boat, it is a small sailing boat of about thirty meters, at the top of the mast a flag, a cross and a crescent moon
[The symbol here]
I look around, obviously no soul on board except me, I go around, the empty barrels, the tables with nothing on top, the cannon balls on the sides of the ship.
'( There is nothing here… )', I turn around and head towards the inside of the ship, and I find only one door, the captain's cabin. There is nothing on the walls, no decoration, no painting, no treasure, nothing.
'( It seems that if there is something, it is behind this door… )'
I opened the door, and the first thing I saw was a room filled with a soft light blue with golden touches, a sound like a rustling flame, I looked down and saw something on the floor.
some kind of jewelry or sculpture that shone with this azure-golden light
I look at it and realize it's not an object.
It looks like a sort of magnificent blue and gold fruit with strange patterns...
I approach it, pick it up, and examine it. It's a fairly large fruit, about the size of a watermelon, but surprisingly light.
I felt a gentle warmth igniting my palm, like a warm flame.
I devoured it by the eyes with wonder what I had in my hands, and something lit up in my mind
'( It seems familiar... )' I say to myself.
I delve into my memories, and after a few seconds, I recall something about colorful fruits with strange patterns that match the one I'm holding.
'( A Devil Fruit, like in One Piece? )' I'm surprised by the realization.
The demon fruits were fruits that gave the one who ate them abilities, all kinds of abilities, powerful ones, destructive ones, strange ones.
'( Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, those who reincarnate often have a cheat or system to assist them. Could this be mine...? )'
I look at the strange fruit in my hand and decide to eat it.
'( Whatever happens, happens. )' I take a bite, and it tastes absolutely horrible.
The fruit caught fire in my hands and gradually becomes illusory, for finally disappears,
I receive images, memories.
I just ate the Tori Tori no Mi: Phoenix Model, the fruit of a certain Marco from the Whitebeard Pirates of the one piece world.
A flood of memories comes to me, and it seems that I not only ate Marco's fruit but also received his memories, his experience, his knowledge.
'( It's all of Marco's heritage… )' I realized.
I exit this mental space and stand up from the rock I was sitting on.
And I immediately feel a difference; I feel stronger, faster, able to sense, see, and perceive things from dozens of meters away.
'( My senses have sharpened. )' I realize.
I extend my hand, and a blue-gold flame appears on my palm. With a thought, the flame flares up and engulfs my entire hand.
But thanks to the memories I just received, I don't panic. When the fire calms, it's not a hand and arm that reappear, but a wing made of blue-gold fire with claws like those of eagles.
'( It's beautiful… )' This flame is breathtaking, not just because of its beauty but also because of what it represents: a flame that symbolizes life.
The fruit that I ate is part of the category of the rarest fruits in the world of pirates, the fruit of a mythical beast, from legends, a mythological creature, anchored in the beliefs of people, mysteriously shaped by their imagination and their desire to be more than they are, and that this world is more than what it seems to be...
And the hope that this legendary creature exists and grants them its blessing, its immortality
I think about all the powers I now have. The Devil Fruit alone has given me great strength, endurance, a superhuman physique, and heightened senses. Then there are the blue-golden flames, which are slightly hotter than regular flames, but their primary purpose is not to burn, hurt, or attack, but to heal, soothe, and restore not only myself but others as well.
Next, there are the forms of my Devil Fruit. there are only two: the hybrid form, which transforms me into a human-Phoenix, allowing me to fly by turning my arms into wings of flames, and it also turns my hands and feet into talons.
i become a hybrid of human and phoenix, my mouth even changes into an eagle's beak.
I can also reduce the transformation to limit it to just a wing or claws.
I must admit, this form is beautiful. I look like a harpy, but with blue-gold wings and blue-gold mane both made of azure colored flame, and a golden beak.
[Picture here, it's the old cover image of the story]
And then there's the full form, which transforms me into a complete Phoenix made of blue-gold flames, 3.5 meters long and 6 meters wide with the wings spread out. This form is the most powerful but also the least practical due to its large size.
The principal power of the phoenix are his blue flame of Regeneration that allow, a high regeneration to the user who which causes it to heal almost the worst wounds almost instantly at the cost of the user's stamina. These same flames can also burn or heal others depending on the user's will, but in this case the healing is less effective than when the user heals themselves.
Above that, both forms multiply the user's strength, physical ability, and endurance. multiplication depends on the form and mastery of the devil fruit.
Marco had a tattoo on his chest, but it seems I didn't inherit it.
Besides the Devil Fruit powers, I also have this power called Haki, a sort of strange energy of willpower.
It exists in two forms: Observation and Armament. Observation allows you to perceive everything within a certain range around you. It's particularly useful for sensing muscle and nerve movements in a fight, allowing you to predict an opponent's actions. It can also read people's intentions as well as presence and aura.
there is a another one mysterious form which allows to assert domination over the humans around you and over your environement, a domination as a rebellion against the world, but this immensely rare form belongs only to those who have the soul of a conqueror...
There are also deviant forms, like future sight, which allows you to see a short distance into the future, and heart and mind sight, which lets you read people's thoughts and, if you touch them, their memories.
However, these two forms are extremely rare, and only the first form can be acquired through training; the other is a gift by birth.
Then there's the Armament form, which is simply like a black metallic coating that you apply to your skin at will. It provides great defense and attack power. In the world of One Piece, it was also one of the few powers that could counteract the abilities of Devil Fruits.
There's also a higher-level form that, when striking, can bypass the outer layer of the skin and attack the body's interior, including the organs. This evolved form is called internal destruction, and it can be acquired through training.
However, neither of these powers is easy to train.
'( Hmm )' An interesting idea suddenly comes to mind. I take a few seconds to search the ground for a flat stone. I find one, place it on my thumb, and throw it in the air like a coin. The stone flies into the air, spinning on itself.
'( Fouuuu )' I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and focus on the stone. I sense its presence with my heightened senses; my nose picks up the gravelly scent from the stone, and my ears easily catch the sound it makes as it spins through the air.
But I want more than that, i concentrate hard on the stone and after a few second i manage to 'see' it. It's strange, like it's in black and white, but I can still perceive colors. I can even see inside the stone, the tiny crevices and imperfections that make it up.
Gradually, the stone slows down, and I see it spin more slowly as if time itself is slowing down.
'( No, it's my perception processing this information frame by frame. )' I realize.
The stone continues to slow until it moves very slowly, and just by willing it, I can speed up or slow down my perception of it. I analyze it with my Observation Haki and clearly distinguish its rotation speed, air resistance, distance from the ground, and how fast it's falling. And I know perfectly well which side the flat stone will land on.
I open my eyes, release my Haki, and time resumes its normal flow. After a few seconds, the stone is back on the ground.
'( So this is Observation Haki… )' I think with a smile.
I do feel a slight discomfort in my head, though.
'( I'll need to train… )' I say to myself.
Next, I focus on my arm and try to manifest my willpower onto it. I spend a few minutes imagining my arm covered in black skin, holding this image firmly in my mind.
After a few minutes, just as I'm about to burst a vein on my forehead, I feel a slight chill and briefly see a litlle part of my hand turn black for a second before disappearing just as quickly.
'( Hmmm..., Not surprising. )' I relax my arm and ease up. Armament Haki is harder to sense than Observation Haki.
'( Phew, in any case, the future looks interesting… )' I smile to myself.
'( Still, I need to find out where I am… )' I look around, and with my new senses, I head in the direction that, based on the smells, sounds, and a few clues, will lead me back to civilization.
I resume my walk in that direction. And as I walk, my thoughts return to my situation.
'( This is a complicated scenario, isn't it? A man dies and finds himself in a new body with just an identity and a name, but by chance, he gains the heritage of a powerful character from another world. )'
I am confuse by the strangeness of the situation, before simply laughing and letting it go.
Eventually, I arrive rather quickly at a hill that offers a view of a city.
'( It's a modern city. )' I immediately notice, ruling out the possibility of being in the One Piece world.
I look at the city, and thanks to my new physical abilities, I descend the hill in record time, reaching the city entrance in less than a minute.
And I read the name on the sign: Beacon Hills.