One Piece : Rise of Thunder King

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A deafening sound echoed across Ruskaina Island.

On one of the nine remaining mountains, Arthur's entire figure—completely coated in Armament Haki—struck relentlessly at the massive stone peak.

This mountain was about the same size as the previous one he had flattened, but its weight and hardness were three times greater.

There were ten such mountains. The first one was of ordinary stone, but each following mountain was three times as dense and hard as the previous one.

In other words, while the second mountain was three times tougher than the first, the third was six times tougher than the original, and by the time Arthur reached the tenth, it would be roughly twenty-seven times as difficult to break.

Beyond that, training would become impossibly brutal. Arthur had no desire to push himself into that level of torment—it would be like a death sentence.

It had been nearly two months since Arthur's return from the Momonosuke Principality.

Originally, he had planned to wait until the next World Summit to discuss his power grid project. However, Arthur now decided to first adapt the generators to fit this world's conditions. Once that was ready, he intended to negotiate with the various kings and quickly begin spreading the network.

With the efficiency of his robots, the power grid could cover the world within a few years.

For now, though, that task was in the hands of the Sky Island government. Arthur's priority was to prepare for the upcoming appearance of a Devil Fruit!

In a letter from Kozuki Toki, he received information on the approximate timing and location of several important Devil Fruits.

One of these was the Dark-Dark Fruit, which Arthur had been searching for.

Originally, the Dark-Dark Fruit first appeared on an island in the New World, within Whitebeard's territory.

Eventually, a merchant ship captain came into possession of it without even realizing it. Unfortunately, his ship was later raided by pirates who had no respect for Whitebeard's rules.

To maintain order in Whitebeard's territory, the Fourth Division launched an attack on this pirate crew.

Afterward, the Dark-Dark Fruit ended up in the hands of the Fourth Division's captain, where it was spotted by Blackbeard, a member of the Second Division.

This set off a series of events that many are familiar with.

But now, Arthur had foreknowledge of these events and wasn't planning to let the Dark-Dark Fruit change hands so many times. He intended to claim it quickly, avoiding any complications.

Arthur was very tempted to eat the Dark-Dark Fruit himself, as it would make him much stronger. However, there was still the mystery of how Blackbeard managed to possess two Devil Fruit abilities.

The usual explanation was that Blackbeard had an unusual body, possibly two hearts. But Arthur couldn't change his own body to be "abnormal."

Even if he had an extra heart, there would need to be space in his body to accommodate it. To truly alter his physique, he'd need the Op-Op Fruit.

But allowing someone else to modify his body would mean putting his life entirely in their hands—something Arthur would never risk.

Besides, he wasn't keen on having an extra heart or becoming a strange physical anomaly.

Time passed quickly. June was approaching fast, bringing Arthur closer to the first known appearance of the Dark-Dark Fruit, just about half a year before the main events of the original story.

Back on Ruskaina Island, the once-towering mountain of stone was now reduced to just a few meters.

Boom!

Two hours later, Arthur—breathing heavily—retracted his Armament Haki and made his way to a small house in the distance. There, Boa Hancock, wearing an apron like a caring homemaker, was preparing a meal for him.

Hearing the noise outside stop, she opened the door just as Arthur teleported to the entrance.

"Arthur~ I've prepared a delicious meal for you. You must be starving. Come in!" Hancock said, blushing as she took Arthur's hand.

"Let me wash up first—I'm drenched," Arthur replied gently, taking her hand as they walked together.

To be honest, if we're talking about the best candidate for a wife, Boa Hancock might just be the perfect fit. While she appears cold and proud to others, none of that matters when she's with Arthur. Around him, she becomes gentle and devoted.

Whatever Arthur said, Hancock would never argue or resist. Her loyalty and strength were beyond question.

"Okay! I'll get the bath ready too!" Hancock immediately stopped what she was doing after hearing Arthur's words and walked him to the bathroom door.

Inside, Arthur stood and glanced at her silhouette waiting patiently outside. A smile crept onto his face.

Whoosh~

Water poured over Arthur's strong frame. He chuckled quietly, catching a glimpse of her graceful figure through the frosted glass. She's so attentive—it's like she thinks I'm a helpless child, he mused.

After washing up, Arthur sat down to eat. He didn't even need to serve himself. Hancock handled everything with care.

Her attention to detail was unmatched. Arthur barely had to say or even think about what he wanted—Hancock would anticipate it, placing the right food into his bowl.

While Arthur stayed on Ruskaina Island, Hancock stopped her raids and stayed by his side, fully devoted. If it weren't for Sky Island providing supplies, the citizens of Amazon Lily might have gone hungry.

Three days later – New World.

On Moore Island, located within Whitebeard's territory.

It was a small but strategically important island used by many merchant ships for resupply.

Historically, the Dark-Dark Fruit appeared here, held by a fruit merchant.

Arthur walked down the streets in disguise. The Dark-Dark Fruit was too important, and its powers weren't a secret. Blackbeard had scoured the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and craved it desperately.

If Arthur were recognized while trying to claim such a powerful fruit, he'd draw unwanted attention. But Arthur planned to claim it quietly and without attracting anyone's gaze.

From a second-floor seat in a restaurant, Arthur watched the fruit store across the street.

To ensure he detected the fruit as soon as it appeared, Arthur had blanketed the entire island in a fine electromagnetic field. The densest fields were concentrated around fruit storage areas across various shops.

Although Kozuki Toki's letter indicated the fruit would first appear in this shop, Arthur didn't want to take any chances. He monitored every corner of the island with precision.

The first day passed. Arthur changed observation spots multiple times but found no signs of the Dark-Dark Fruit in any shop.

The second day came and went the same way. Arthur barely slept, determined not to miss its appearance.

On the third day, Arthur waited patiently, despite feeling anxious.

For his future plans, a few days of waiting was a small price to pay. Blackbeard had spent ten years aboard Whitebeard's ship, waiting for this fruit. A few days was nothing in comparison.

Once Arthur obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, he planned to have Nojiko consume it and begin training to master its powers.

Although the fruit wasn't ideally suited for Nojiko, she was the only one among his close companions without Devil Fruit abilities, making her the best option for now.

Arthur couldn't trust just anyone with such a valuable fruit. It had to be someone close to him.

Once Nojiko mastered it, Arthur intended to seek out other important fruits for his own use and for his allies.

There were still fruits connected to Raphael, Wald, and others that needed to be tracked down.

With the Dark-Dark Fruit in his possession, Arthur's focus would shift to finding Devil Fruits for the top commanders of his ten legions.