Raphael: <>
System: []
******
"Hmm~ is that fear I'm sensing from you?" Luffy's entire body trembled as Imu chuckled with a hint of amusement while her voice carried a twisted delight. "How amusing, isn't it, Luffy-chan~?"
Meanwhile, Luffy stood frozen, his mind racing with a single thought: 'How could this be happening? Why the hell am I encountering the final boss in the starting zone!?'
Suddenly, Imu's eyes narrowed, and a terrifying aura erupted from her, suffocating the air around them. The weight of her presence was overwhelming, far beyond anything Luffy had ever encountered. This was the being who ruled the world from the shadows, the true power behind the World Government. In the manga, Imu had been a mysterious figure, their full capabilities and motives shrouded in secrecy. But now, in this altered world, they were standing right in front of him, and Luffy had no idea how to deal with this being. The only time he had seen Imu vulnerable in the manga was through JoyBoy's Conqueror's Haki stored in the ancient robot, something he had no hope of accessing anytime soon.
Just as panic began to set in, Raphael's voice echoed in his mind.
'Yes! Do it!' Luffy screamed internally, questioning the need for permission in the first place.
Meanwhile, Imu's eyes widened slightly as she was violently thrown out of Luffy's mind. But instead of anger, a hearty laugh escaped her lips, sending more shivers down Luffy's spine. "Oh, my~, I've never had someone block me from reading their mind before. How amusing," she said, lowering her cloak to reveal the face of a stunning woman with long white hair, pale skin, and almond-shaped eyes with red irises, each containing a thin ring around the pupil. "You should be honored. This is the first time in centuries that someone has seen my true appearance."
Before Luffy could even process her words, he suddenly felt a hand around his neck, lifting him into the air. 'What!?' His mind reeled as he realized that before he could react, Imu had already moved and was holding him up by the neck.
"Hmm~ strange... very strange," Imu mused as she scrutinized him. "You haven't eaten that damned rubber fruit like my visions told me about. In fact, ever since last year, the world has been rapidly changing to the point where my visions couldn't keep up, and now I see nothing at all," she said, digging her long nails into Luffy's neck, drawing a tiny stream of blood. "I have a hunch that you're at the center of it all."
In a moment of panic, Luffy grabbed the hand holding him up and used his newly unlocked Crystalkinesis to encase it in green crystals. But instead of releasing him, Imu simply stared at her encased hand with an amused smile. "Hmm~ this material doesn't belong to this world, does it?" she said before effortlessly shattering the crystals with a burst of powerful Haki. "And your breathing... It doesn't sound or feel normal either. How exciting~!" She brought him closer, licking the blood that trickled from his neck. "Your blood isn't normal either. It has a minor healing factor, yet you haven't consumed a Devil Fruit. Another strange inherited ability. How peculiar~"
"You know, Luffy-chan~, I should really kill you," Imu whispered seductively in his ear. "Your potential is much stronger than my visions indicated, making you a much more potent threat to my rule. Even Nika's successors aren't as much of a threat, as there's no guarantee they'll awaken the fruit. But you... you will definitely become a troublesome existence."
Luffy's heart pounded in his chest as he listened, every instinct screaming at him to escape, though he knew that at this moment was impossible and he was totally at this madwoman's mercy.
"But don't worry, I won't kill you, Luffy-chan~!" Imu smirked with a dangerous glint in her eyes. She released him, letting him fall to the ground. "Why would I want to curb the first entertaining thing that's happened in this world in the last 800 years? Instead, I will allow you to live and grow as much as you want. In return, I ask only one thing from you."
Luffy, trying to regain his breath, looked up at her, utterly confused and terrified, but knowing there was only one response to give. "What do you want?" he asked, glaring at her despite the overwhelming fear.
"Hmm~ that defiance in your eyes, how delicious~" Imu smirked, licking her lips, sending another shiver down Luffy's spine. "Nothing much. I just need a promise from you, a vow that you will continue to grow and one day challenge me for my throne. In return, I vow that no matter what you do in the future, no matter how much chaos you cause in my world... my empire, I won't lift a finger to stop you."
Luffy's mind raced as he considered the overall situation. 'That... sounds too good to be true,' he thought, eyeing Imu warily and the look in her eyes confirmed there was definitely some catch. But at the moment, he had no choice but to accept her conditions. "Fine," Luffy said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him. "I promise that I will grow strong and one day challenge your throne in return for you not interfering or moving against me, my family, or anyone I consider family or my crewmates in any shape or form."
"Hmm~ you're smart to snub out that loophole. I like it," Imu said, leaning forward. "Very well, I accept your vow," she said, and in the next moment, she captured his lips in a kiss.
Luffy froze, stunned, and before he could process what was happening, he felt chains wrapping around both of them. He was confused for a moment, but then his eyes widened as he realized what was happening... something far beyond his expectations or even his wildest imagination.
When she finally released him, Imu smiled mischievously. "That was your first kiss, wasn't it? Too bad I stole it from you."
"Just now... that was a Binding Vow... wasn't it?" Luffy asked, and for the first time in their entire encounter, he saw a look of genuine surprise flash across her face. "How the hell did you do that?"
"Centuries have passed, and countless people have been tricked into making a vow with me, but this is the first time someone has recognized the trick. How strange," Imu said, folding her arms over her chest. "And no, I'm not going to tell you how I did it. After all, a woman is sexier with her secrets," she said, turning her back on him.
"Hey, are you going around kissing people for centuries now?" Luffy shouted impulsively, immediately regretting his words, cursing himself and his big mouth.
Imu stopped and looked over her shoulder, unimpressed. "No, I usually don't, but I told you, you're special, didn't I?" she said and glanced at the moon. Besides, the only other person I made a vow this way, was the queen of Alabasta, all those centuries ago,"
Then she pulled up her cloak once more, shrouding her face in shadows with only her terrifying eyes visible to the world. "By the way, the Binding Vow only involves me, so if my servants or tools decide to act against you, you're on your own," she said flashing a cruel smile at him. "Well then, I'll be going now. See you again, Luffy-chan~! Bye!" And with those words, the supreme ruler of the World vanished, leaving the young, terrified boy alone on the ground.
******
Half an hour later, Luffy returned to the house and went straight to his room, relieved that it was late enough for everyone to be asleep. He wasn't in the mood to answer any questions or engage in conversation. The encounter with Imu weighed heavily on his mind and as he lay on his bed, the entire experience replayed in his head and by the end of it, he couldn't help but count his lucky stars that the ruler of the world was a psychopath who was more interested in toying with him than simply killing him on the spot.
Just then, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
Ding!
[Congratulations! 2 new Achievements unlocked!]
[Congratulations! 2 new Titles unlocked!]
"Huh? What's this about?" Luffy muttered to himself as he sat up and clicked on the Achievements section to see what he had earned.
[Sovereign Encounter: The achievement is given to the individual who has encountered the Supreme Ruler of the World.
Reward: Upgrade Token x 1]
"So, meeting that woman gave me an achievement… well, at least something good came out of that encounter," Luffy said, feeling a small sense of relief. "An Upgrade Token? That sounds interesting. I'll have to check that out later."
He then checked the second achievement he had unlocked.
[ Sovereign Vow: The achievement is given to the individual who has made some kind of contract with the Supreme Ruler of the World.
Reward: Randomizer Roll x 2]
"I guess I really made a Binding Vow with that woman," Luffy said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I really hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass in the future. But hey, 2,000 points worth of rewards? Making a vow with that woman must be a pretty big deal."
Curious, Luffy opened his stats page to see the two new titles that had been added.
The One Who Met The Sovereign: The title is given to an individual who met the Supreme Ruler of the World and lived to tell the tale. Surviving an encounter with the most dangerous woman in the world is no small feat. The holder of this title has probably exhausted all their luck escaping the clutches of that mad woman.
"Who the hell writes these descriptions!?" Luffy's eye twitched as he read the title's description. "What the hell does it mean by 'probably'!? Well, at least even the system acknowledges her as a madwoman."
Shaking his head, Luffy clicked on the next title.
The One Who Made The Sovereign Pact: The title is given to a fearless individual who made a Binding Vow with the Supreme Ruler of the World. Whether the vow is beneficial to the individual or not, only time will tell.
"What's up with these vague descriptions!?" Luffy's eye twitched again. "Forget about it… it's not like they're doing anything other than reminding me of my situation."
Deciding to focus on something more positive, Luffy turned his attention to the rewards he had earned. "Before checking out this Upgrade Token, let's do a system roll first," he said, using the first Randomizer Roll he had received.
[Congratulations! Custom Devil Fruit, Kyara Kyara no Mi, Model: Dabi received!]
"Wait! Did I really get this…? No, more importantly, the fact that something like this exists is a huge deal!" Luffy muttered in awe as he quickly retrieved the custom Devil Fruit from his inventory. He stared at the blue-colored fruit in his hand, scrutinizing it with curiosity and excitement filled eyes. "Raphael, what can you tell me about these Custom Devil Fruits?"
"That sounds amazing," Luffy said, staring at the Devil Fruit with renewed greed. "In that case, there should be no harm in eating this, right?" He said as he imagined himself wielding blue flames that surpassed even those of characters like Endeavor.
"Huh? Why?" Luffy asked, genuinely curious. He had assumed that eating this fruit would give him a significant boost in power, which his sentient super-smart friend would greatly appreciate.
(Author's Note: I know the official name for Dabi's quirk is [Blueflame] but I refuse to call it anything other than [Cremation] cause I think it sounds much cooler than its official name.)
"So it's like that, huh..." Luffy frowned, juggling the Devil Fruit in his hand. "What if I use it with Haki?"
"I see…" Luffy sighed, staring at the Devil Fruit with a heavy heart. After a few moments of contemplation, he reluctantly returned it to his inventory. "I really wanted to use those blue flames, but it can't be helped. If Raphael Sensei doesn't approve of something, then I better be careful about it," he said, feeling a strange wave of smug happiness fill his mind as if Raphael was feeling happy about him acknowledging her wisdom but he knew better than to mention it since he knew that he will be told that it was his imagination.
Luffy chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I guess I'll just have to find someone who can use this fruit in the future."
Then pushing the disappointment of his recent roll to the back of his mind, Luffy used his second Randomizer Roll.
[Congratulations! A regular katana x 1 received!]
"Well, as expected, it's a dud once again," Luffy chuckled and stuffed the katana into his inventory. "Now, let's see what this Upgrade Token is all about," he said, inspecting the Upgrade Token that had appeared as a reward.
[Upgrade Token: A special gift rewarded to an individual named Grey by the Guide after experiencing an extraordinary event that pleasantly entertained the crowd upstairs. This Token can be used to upgrade one of the user's skills, be it System, Boons, or Regular abilities.]
"Wow, this is even bigger than the Custom Devil Fruit," Luffy murmured, impressed by the potential of the Upgrade Token. "I guess the real choice is between upgrading the system and Raphael," he pondered for a moment before immediately deciding to upgrade his first Boon, Lord of Wisdom: Raphael.
While some might have advised more careful consideration, Luffy knew from experience that using just the basic version of Raphael was a gross underutilization of her abilities. Having seen what the full-powered, unrestricted Raphael could do, the decision was a no-brainer for him.
[Congratulations! Upgrade Token is used to upgrade inherited Boon, Lord of Wisdom: Raphael!]
[Congratulations! Two new abilities, All of Creation & Analytical Appraisal, have been added to Lord of Wisdom: Raphael!]
"This is big!" Luffy exclaimed as he saw the message on the system screen, immediately examining the two new abilities.
The first new ability, [All of Creation], made Luffy incredibly glad he had chosen to use the Upgrade Token on Raphael. This ability allowed him to comprehend anything, as long as he had a basic understanding of it and it was perceivable to him. But what excited him even more was how [All of Creation] synergized with the second ability, [Analytical Appraisal]. This ability released waves that entered the target of analysis and performed a full scan of its composition. When combined, these two abilities meant that Luffy could potentially replicate any fighting move or technique as long as he could observe it with his own eyes and comprehend it through [All of Creation].
"Great! Now I can easily learn advanced Haki even before leaving the East Blue!" Luffy cheered, his excitement bubbling over. But his enthusiasm was quickly curbed as Raphael's voice echoed in his head.
"Why can't you just use the smartphone to whip out that prison episode from the Wano arc where Luffy was taught inner destruction?" Luffy asked, a little deflated.
"I guess learning advanced Haki won't be as convenient as I thought," Luffy sighed. "Does this apply to techniques from other anime as well?"
"Take your time," Luffy said, feeling more patient now. "Time is one thing we have on our side for now."
With that, Luffy felt his energy waning. He closed everything and lay back on his bed, letting his mind wander toward the future that lay ahead. Despite the terrifying encounter with Imu, he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. Tomorrow, he would set sail with Uta, and their adventure would officially begin. He would finally be able to explore this world of seas and unique islands with his own eyes.
However, the memory of helplessness he felt against that madwoman lingered at the back of his mind, reminding him of how powerless he truly was in the face of someone like Imu. But Luffy wasn't one to give up, even against an unbelievable opponent. The spirit and determination he had inherited from Luffy flared within him, fueling a resolve to one day pay her back for tricking him into that vow.
As sleep began to overtake him, Luffy made a silent vow to himself: 'No matter what comes my way, I'll keep moving forward. I'll protect my friends, my family, and my crew with everything I have. And one day, I'll challenge that madwoman Imu for her throne and make her regret ever making that stupid vow with me—not just to satisfy my ego but because I know that as long as she and her pawns run the world, there is no real freedom for me or anyone else,' he vowed to himself and the light of the moon silently glimmered on the Straw Hat beside him for a few moments before passing away into the night.
However, at that moment Luffy wasn't aware that Raphael was even more frustrated by the encounter with Imu than he was. Born from the soul of her master, Raphael's primary goal was to protect him, and today's encounter had revealed just how helpless they were against the most powerful being in the world. At that moment, Raphael made a vow of her own: to make her master the strongest being in the world. And to achieve that, she knew she had to fulfill a goal of her own,
To be continued...