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Everyone knew that both Zoan and Paramecia Devil Fruits could awaken.
When a Paramecia awakened, its power could extend beyond the user's own body, altering the properties of surrounding matter and achieving effects similar to a Logia.
As for Zoans—especially Mythical Zoans—awakening brought a massive boost to overall physical ability. Recovery speed, stamina, resilience, everything skyrocketed.
Among fans of the sea, Mythical Zoans were practically worshipped. In their eyes, those fruits were overpowered. Not only did they retain the inherent strengths of Zoans, they could also command elements like fire and lightning.
Logias, by comparison, were often dismissed as outdated.
But at this moment, after pushing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to max level, Kyle realized something was different.
He didn't even know if this counted as awakening. All he could feel was an endless surge of power pouring into him from somewhere unknown, flooding every inch of his body.
His control over lightning sharpened dramatically. His awareness of his surroundings expanded. Even the manipulation of nearby matter felt clearer, more precise.
And then there was something new.
He saw it.
A pair of cold, authoritative eyes staring down at him from the void—watching him, gazing into his very soul.
It was as if the Devil Fruit itself had taken form, its essence manifesting as a shadowy, monstrous presence.
"What… was that?"
Kyle was genuinely startled.
For a fleeting moment, it felt like he had glimpsed the true body of the fruit. Blue ribbons of lightning drifted around him, flickering and swaying in the air.
"A transformation like Nika's?"
He began to understand what reaching max level truly meant.
Whether this was the natural awakening of a Logia or something granted by his mysterious cheat ability, he didn't know.
But one thing was certain—it was powerful.
Right now, Kyle stood at the peak of the world. Both Armament and Conqueror's Haki were maxed out. He wielded the all-encompassing power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
And yet… he still had a weakness.
Observation Haki.
That gap always made him just a fraction too slow in battle. Against ordinary opponents, it didn't show. But during his recent clash with Zephyr and Sengoku, he had felt it clearly.
Even with his domain amplifying his senses, without Observation Haki, certain attacks simply couldn't be avoided in high-speed combat.
"I couldn't even defeat them easily while holding back."
"I still need to grow."
He had said that to himself back then.
Now, with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit maxed out, he could clearly feel another leap forward.
Curious about this new power, Kyle vanished in a flash of lightning.
Moments later, he hovered above a deserted island.
"Let's see what this power can really do."
His eyes shifted.
His robes fluttered violently as arcs of electricity burst outward, twisting into violet-blue ribbons that coiled around his neck, waist, and legs. The color carried a strange nobility.
Across his bare chest, lightning patterns spread and locked into place, forming the image of a black qilin standing upon thunderclouds.
His black hair lengthened rapidly, cascading down to his waist, whipping in the wind as lightning danced through it.
Behind his head, a radiant violet halo of electricity appeared.
He clenched his fists.
Thunder roared. Electric arcs stretched for tens of thousands of meters.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
A deep drumbeat echoed through the sky. Four great drums inscribed with tomoe symbols materialized behind him, crackling with lightning.
Blue-violet light engulfed his entire body.
His features sharpened—colder, more refined, carrying an eerie, almost divine beauty.
His eyes radiated authority.
As if he were a god overlooking all living things, holding dominion over thunder itself.
"Thunder God."
Kyle murmured.
He understood now.
Like the awakened Nika Fruit, this form altered the very nature of his body. The essence of the Devil Fruit had awakened from within his soul, granting him command over lightning at its source.
He could reshape his form at will. The intensity of his lightning had surged to terrifying levels.
With a mere thought—
Within a hundred-kilometer radius, thunder manifested from nothing. The sky roared as bolts crashed down endlessly.
"The range… the power… both enhanced again."
"My strength, speed, and reaction time have all multiplied."
"Is this awakening?"
He flexed his hand, still unsure.
The maxed Rumble-Rumble Fruit laid the power of lightning bare before him. He had only just begun to grasp its surface.
"But…"
"With this power, if I fought Admiral Sengoku or Instructor Zephyr again…"
"I wouldn't die a second time. And I could defeat them easily."
He smiled.
He suspected that the true limits of a fully developed Logia extended even further. It would take time to uncover.
In a flicker, he dissolved into lightning and vanished.
When he returned to G-18 Fortress, he could already feel the charm of this new strength.
"Faster."
"I've reached the true limit of lightning."
Eating a Devil Fruit didn't instantly grant perfect mastery. Just like any power, it required time to adapt.
Take Borsalino, for example. Though he had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit, his current speed was nowhere near what it would become twenty years later.
"I still need to master Observation Haki."
"Once I have it, combined with my expanded domain, nothing will escape my sight."
He let out a soft sigh.
Observation Haki had been his sore spot for years. He had talent everywhere else—except there.
Before long, he saw a warship docking.
Vegapunk entered the base, accompanied by Saul, Crocodile, and others.
Soon after, the great scientist hurried off to meet the scholars of Ohara.
He and Professor Clover quickly fell into animated discussion.
Curious, Kyle tried eavesdropping.
He gave up within minutes.
Every word was familiar. Put together, they made absolutely no sense to him.
"Let professionals handle professional work."
He comforted himself.
He had gone to great lengths to save the scholars of Ohara and recruit Vegapunk for exactly this reason.
In this world, science was power.
Especially Vegapunk's research into the Lineage Factor, which would shine brilliantly in the future.
Time passed peacefully within the base.
Crocodile and Douglas Bullet continued leading daily training drills.
Kyle quietly reviewed the strength under his command.
"Top-tier combatants: Crocodile, Bullet."
"Mid-tier: Saul, T-Bone, Evans, and the others."
"Nine members of a weakened Six Powers squad."
"And thirteen thousand elite marines—the strongest in the West Blue."
"Special talents: the scholars of Ohara and the great scientist Vegapunk."
After tallying it up, he frowned.
"Still too weak."
"I need to recruit stronger high-end fighters."
"And the scholars' new home, Vegapunk's new lab—those need to be settled soon."
There was plenty to do. Fortunately, he had time.
For now, what mattered most was news from Marine Headquarters and the World Government.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
On that day, a warship slowly approached G-18 Fortress.
At the bow stood a burly man wearing a dog-head cap.
He was snoring.
Standing up.
The guards at the gate froze when they saw the ship—and the figure at its front.
"Vice Admiral Garp!!"
"The Hero of the Marines!"
The news spread through the base at once. His adjutant, Ivya, rushed to Kyle in a panic.
"This is bad, sir!"
"Vice Admiral Garp is here!"
Kyle smiled calmly.
"I know."
In truth, he had sensed the warship the moment it entered a fifty-kilometer radius.
And instantly, he had guessed what the Marines and the World Government were thinking.
"Aren't you nervous?" Ivya asked, her voice trembling.
"Nervous about what?"
"He's my teacher."
Kyle chuckled.
Then he stood and walked outside.
A short while later, the warship entered the inner bay and came to a steady stop at the harbor.
The Marines of G-18 Fortress stood stiffly in place, eyes locked on the ship ahead. No one spoke.
They were afraid—afraid that their commander would clash with that living legend.
A man's reputation carried weight. And Vice Admiral Garp's name was every bit as heavy as their own commander's.
If the two of them really went at it, no one could say who would come out on top.
After a moment, the figure at the bow stretched lazily and let out a huge yawn.
"Brat, what? You expect this old man to come pay you a visit personally?"
Suddenly, the man at the prow roared.
He bent his knees slightly. To everyone's horror, the front half of the dog-headed warship sank sharply under the force while the rear end tilted high into the air.
The next second, the square-faced, middle-aged man launched himself like a cannonball, soaring hundreds of meters into the sky.
"You pull something this big, and you think I won't teach you a lesson, you unfilial punk?!"
Suspended perfectly midair, he drew his right fist back, gathering power.
Crack.
Lightning flickered through the air.
Kyle stood in the corridor outside his office, watching Garp's raised fist. A faint smile curved his lips.
"This is bad!"
"Vice Admiral Garp really came to arrest you, Commander!"
Alvida cried in panic.
Not far away, Crocodile and Bullet stared grimly at the figure in the sky.
In the next instant, Garp punched.
The air pressure above the base shifted violently. A gust of wind swept across everyone's faces.
Then Kyle vanished in a flash of lightning.
He reappeared directly opposite Garp in midair.
His right hand clenched into a fist as well, black-red lightning coiling around it.
"How could your disciple dare, Teacher Garp?" Kyle called out lightly. "I was just about to come welcome you."
With that, he threw his punch.
Two fists collided in the sky.
Boom!
Electric arcs stretched and twisted between them. A ring of violent wind burst outward, roaring over the heads of everyone below.
"You little brat. You've gotten stronger again!"
Garp narrowed his eyes and grinned.
"No wonder you managed to beat those three kids senseless—and leave Sengoku and Zephyr unconscious to this day."
He dropped from the sky and landed solidly on the dog-headed warship.
Kyle flashed back down as well, touching down at the harbor, standing right before him.
"Welcome to G-18 Fortress, Teacher," Kyle said with a bright smile.
This was the man who had reached out and saved him when he was cornered with no way out. The man who had trained him, guided him, forged him into who he was today.
The one he respected and felt most grateful toward.
"Brat," Garp snorted.
"You've really made something of yourself."
He leapt off the ship, strode up to Kyle and smashed a fist down on his head.
"Ow! That hurts!"
Kyle immediately clutched his head and yelped.
"Cut the act."
Garp couldn't help but laugh. "Find somewhere quiet. I've got things to talk to you about."
With Kyle's current strength, that punch couldn't possibly have hurt him.
"Yes, sir!"
Kyle popped back up, grinning.
A while later, deep inside the base, in a luxurious estate.
Master and disciple sat cross-legged on the floor. Between them rested a teapot and two cups.
Ivia stood to one side, body tense, dressed neatly in loose but well-fitted clothes, carefully pouring tea.
The smile had faded from Garp's face. What remained was seriousness—and weight.
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice.
"Well done."
Kyle blinked in confusion. "?"
"Saving Ohara. Beating up those three brats, plus Sengoku and Zephyr."
"Making those five old fossils at the top so mad they were blowing their beards and glaring—but still had to swallow it."
"And now they're even doing their best to help you cover the whole thing up."
Garp grabbed his teacup and drained it in one gulp, then burst into laughter.
"You did damn well, kid!"
Only then did Kyle understand.
"Heh."
"So, Teacher… does that mean you support what I did?"
Garp shot him a glare at once. "I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth."
But the smile in his eyes betrayed him.
Kyle smiled faintly. "Then who do you represent by coming here?"
With perfect timing, Ivia stepped forward and refilled Garp's cup to seven-tenths full.
"The World Government."
"Which means those five old geezers sitting at the top."
Garp spoke bluntly.
"If Kong hadn't hounded me for half a month, I wouldn't have bothered coming to your place."
Kyle chuckled. "And what did they say?"
At that, Garp fell silent.
Several breaths passed before he looked up at Kyle.
"They asked me to tell you about your origins."
Kyle froze. "My origins?"
"Yes."
"In your Marine Headquarters file, it says you're from the West Blue. Hometown: Ohara."
"But not long ago, a letter from King Nefertari Cobra of the Kingdom of Alabasta to the World Government changed that."
"In that letter, your true background was clearly stated."
Garp took a deep breath, his gaze steady and grave.
"Kid, you're a Celestial Dragon."
"Your name—Nefertari Kyle."
"..."
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