Sea Calendar, Year 1483.
In the land known as Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi, who had been oppressed since birth, knelt in a long-abandoned shrine. His ugly face trembled as he stared at the devilish fruit placed on the ground before him.
In front of him sat two withered, mummy-like elders. Both were retainers of the Kurozumi clan. The one on the left, with a face resembling an ugly demon mask, was Kurozumi Higurashi, who possessed the powers of the Clone-Clone Fruit. The other, a thin old man sitting in the corner holding a musical instrument and keeping his eyes closed, was Kurozumi Semimaru, the user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
The fruit on the ground, with its snake-like scales and purple hue, was none other than a legendary Devil Fruit—a rare Mythical Zoan-type, Hebi-Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi.
"As long as you listen to me, I will grant you power." Kurozumi Higurashi's devilish words echoed in Orochi's mind.
Power... with power...
He could take revenge on those who had humiliated him!
With power, he could make everyone in this country die in agony!
He would destroy this nation!
Madness flickered in Orochi's eyes as his trembling hand slowly reached for the fruit, eager to grasp this power...
'If I eat it, will I gain power?' Orochi held the terrifying fruit in his hand, finally getting a clear look at it. The fruit resembled an apple but was covered in scale-like patterns. At its top were eight green leaves, each pointing in a different direction.
Orochi swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the eight leaves. At first glance, they looked like small arrows, but upon closer inspection, they seemed to come alive, writhing like eight snakes dancing in the wind.
No, it wasn't an illusion—they were truly alive!
The eight leaves instantly transformed into eight ferocious snake heads. One of them shot like lightning toward Orochi's neck, while the other seven lunged at Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru!
The attack was so sudden that none of the three had time to react. The snakes, formed from the leaves, bit down hard on their necks.
At first, Higurashi and Semimaru struggled, but soon, all three fell silent, kneeling on the ground as if bowing to the fruit. The snakes released their grip and retracted, returning to their original leaf-like forms.
The three remnants of the Kurozumi clan were not dead. Instead, they knelt with their heads bowed, as if paying homage to the fruit. Upon closer inspection, the marks left on their necks were not bite wounds but strange symbols.
These were the Serpent Marks left by Dan. With these marks, the three would serve him completely, becoming his loyal servants.
And Dan... was currently the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit itself.
Dan had long forgotten how much time had passed since he transmigrated into this world. He only remembered that after his consciousness entered the fruit, he was nearly erased by the demonic will contained within.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, he awakened the power of Satan Soul, a form of Take Over magic from Fairy Tail's Mirajane, which allowed him to absorb demonic powers.
To survive, Dan had no choice but to forcibly take over the Yamata no Orochi.
Since then, he had been locked in a prolonged battle with the Yamata no Orochi. Even now, his power was only slightly ahead, and he had yet to achieve complete victory. If he hadn't sensed that Orochi was about to eat him, Dan wouldn't have forcefully used his ability to turn the three into his servants.
After imprinting them with the Serpent Marks, Dan once again found himself locked in a struggle against the Yamata no Orochi.
In truth, if it weren't for the prolonged battle, Dan wouldn't have discovered that the Yamata no Orochi Fruit, which in the original story only granted multiple lives, actually possessed many untapped abilities.
One of these abilities was the Serpent Mark, which allowed him to control others.
While this power was ineffective against true strong individuals, it worked wonders on someone like Kurozumi Orochi.
"That was close. Thankfully, I've already mastered part of the Yamata no Orochi's power, or else I would've been eaten by that disgusting Orochi," Dan sighed in relief. Although he couldn't interfere much with the outside world now, after this incident, the three would surely treat him as a sacred relic. Even if they didn't enshrine him, they would at least keep him safe.
As for what actions Kurozumi Orochi and the others would take next, Dan didn't care.
Once he fully subdued the demonic will within the fruit, he could return to his human form and master the fruit's full power—including its awakened abilities.
After all, the time he spent battling the fruit was also a form of training.
By then, his strength would at least be on par with a low-tier Warlord of the Sea, if not Yonko-level. With such power, he could do anything he wanted.
---
Meanwhile, the three marked by the Serpent Marks exchanged glances.
Kurozumi Orochi carefully picked up the Devil Fruit and placed it gently on the ground.
"Orochi, how could you place the master on the ground like this?" Kurozumi Semimaru scolded sharply, quickly reaching out to hold the fruit.
Hearing this, Orochi's face, as large as a millstone, showed a look of guilt. He immediately bowed his head, kowtowing to the ground, and said mournfully, "I deeply apologize for such disrespect! But..."
He paused, then hesitated, "There's no suitable place to enshrine the master..."
"Fool, Orochi!" Kurozumi Higurashi, whose loyalty had now completely shifted to Dan, held the fruit and walked to the entrance of the dilapidated shrine. She pushed open the door and gazed at the dark sky.
*Boom—*
A dark purple lightning bolt tore through the night.
"Isn't there a palace over there that perfectly matches the master's status?"
Higurashi's voice was hoarse and sharp.