The air was thick with salt and fire-orange light as Kenji's feet thundered across the rugged cliffside path, his breathing rhythmic, controlled, yet fierce. Thirty days ago, this trail had nearly killed him. His legs had trembled with every step. His heart had threatened to burst. And now?
Now he ran with power. Precision. A quiet fury in his eyes.
Sweat streamed down his face, but it wasn't weakness—it was proof. Of his grind. His discipline. His will.
Waves crashed violently below the cliffs, the ocean roaring like a beast far beneath. The setting sun painted the horizon in shades of gold and crimson, casting a warm glow over his worn clothes and hardened frame.
He could see the grove now, just ahead—the one with the tree he'd punched on Day 15. The bark had dented back then, leaving a scar in the wood and in his memory. A mark of how far he had to go.
Now, it was time to leave a new mark.
Kenji slowed to a stop before the tree, chest heaving, limbs buzzing with exhaustion and energy. He stared at the familiar trunk.
No hesitation.
With one smooth breath, he wound back his fist and slammed it forward.
Crack.
The sound split the air like thunder. The tree split in two, right down the middle. Splinters exploded in all directions. A clean, brutal break.
Kenji stood there, hand still extended, golden sunlight washing over him as he smiled faintly. He had made it.
A blue screen flickered to life before his eyes:
[System Task Completed – Path of the Madman] Daily challenge achieved for 30 consecutive days. Rewards Applied: +6 Strength | +4 Constitution | +2 Agility
Strength: 6.6 Constitution: 5.3 Agility: 2.8
"You have proven your resolve. The path ahead will only grow harder—but now, you're ready."
Kenji dropped to the grass, laughing—loud, shaky, and real. His arms burned. His legs screamed. But he laughed anyway.
He had pushed through every ounce of weakness. Through soreness, fatigue, and even doubt.
He had earned this.
But then—a second ping. Sharper. More intense.
[Constitution Threshold Met – 5.0+] The Taiyō Taiyō no Mi (Sun Sun Fruit) is now viable for consumption. Warning: Consuming this fruit is irreversible. You will lose the ability to swim. Elemental transformation will begin.
Do you wish to consume the fruit?
Kenji froze. The wind seemed to still with him.
This was it.
The reason he didn't quit. The image that kept him going through every miserable pushup, every drop of sweat that soaked his clothes.
He reached into his satchel and pulled it out—a golden-orange fruit covered in flame-like ridges, its skin warm and pulsing like a second heartbeat.
He didn't hesitate.
"Hell yes."
The first bite was hell.
Scorching bitterness flooded his mouth. His throat felt like it was swallowing liquid fire. He coughed, gagged, nearly dropped the thing—but forced it down.
And then it hit.
A detonation of heat surged through his core, as if the sun itself had burst inside his chest. His vision blurred into gold. His skin prickled, then glowed. Every nerve screamed, not in pain—but in rebirth.
He dropped to one knee, clutching his ribs, heart hammering like war drums. The ground beneath him felt distant, unreal.
Then—stillness.
He opened his eyes.
A flicker of golden flame danced across his fingertips. It crackled softly, harmlessly, like a warm breeze from a dying campfire.
[Taiyō Taiyō no Mi – Logia-type Devil Fruit Consumed] You have become the embodiment of solar fire.
Kenji stared at his hand in awe. It didn't burn. It felt right.
He was no longer just a man. He was sunlight made flesh.
Night was creeping in, but Kenji didn't stop.
He retreated to a small clearing in the woods nearby—his training zone. The place he'd bled, crawled, and sweat. Now it was time to see what he'd become.
He clenched his fist, channeling the heat inside him—just a little. With a shout, he lunged at a thick nearby tree and drove his fist into it, thinking of flame.
A shockwave of fire exploded from his hand, turning the tree into blackened ash within seconds. Not even embers remained.
His eyes widened. That wasn't fire. That was pure solar destruction.
Next, he crouched and focused on the soles of his feet, picturing jets of flame propelling him upward.
It worked.
Flames erupted beneath him—and his body rose off the ground, hovering shakily at first, then steadier.
He laughed aloud. It felt like flying. And weirdly—his clothes were fine. Not a scorch mark in sight.
He landed gently and unsheathed his katana—Stelix. The blade he'd bought for 15,000 berries.
But something felt different now.
The moment he held it, a subtle hum vibrated in his grip. Like the sword was alive. Awake.
[System Alert: Weapon Detected – Stelix possesses Hard-Hard Fruit properties]
Kenji froze. A sword with a Devil Fruit ability? He'd heard rumors. Myths of objects eating Fruits, but it was rare. Almost unheard of.
He tightened his grip and focused. The blade shimmered, growing denser. Harder. Like pure obsidian reinforced by steel.
He slashed downward toward a massive boulder.
The boulder split clean in two, silently and smoothly. The blade hadn't even dulled.
This was like armament haki… without using haki.
He inhaled deeply, channeling his solar energy into Stelix. The blade glowed—first orange, then red-hot, then nearly white with heat. But the sword held, its Hard-Hard nature enduring the fire.
He held it above his shoulder, charging power for a full twenty seconds. The air around him shimmered. The grass burned.
Then—he slashed.
A blazing horizontal arc of solar energy screamed forward, tearing through the clearing like a flaming crescent wave.
Trees exploded into fire. The ground boiled where it passed.
Kenji stood in shock, sword trembling in his hand.
He had just unleashed a technique worthy of a Warlord.
He wasn't just powerful now. He was dangerous.
The final scene brought him back to the cliff.
He stood there, at the edge of the world, golden flames gently flickering from his palm as the real sun dipped below the sea.
He gazed out over the water, eyes calm, mind racing.
That old world? It was gone. And good riddance.
This world—the world of pirates, Marines, legends—this was his now.
He belonged here.
He had the power.
He had the will.
No crew. No crown. But soon?
Everyone would know his name.
"This power… I'll use it. I'll rise to the top. No crown. No mercy."