Chapter 17: Cole's Devil Transformation
That night, the bright sky reflected across the vast ocean, and standing atop Green Cliff, it felt as if the entire universe was within reach.
Every time he saw such a breathtaking scene, Luo Han's longing to explore the world outside grew stronger—his desire to see every corner of this extraordinary world deepened.
"Almost there... Just five more years until I turn eighteen and can finally set sail."
Luo Han muttered to himself.
By then, I should've manifested psychokinesis, right?... No, that's too late. I have to achieve it before the next Fish Scale Fruit Festival.
That way, I'll still have time to strengthen it before heading out.
"Han-ge, why'd you come up first?" Cole's heavy steps approached steadily.
Cole's bulk reminded Luo Han of Kingpin from the Marvel comics in his past life—thick, powerful legs, not the stubby ones common in the One Piece world.
"I came up early to think… and to consider how to help develop your Devil Fruit," Luo Han said casually, waving a hand. In truth, helping Cole develop his power was easy—he just had to eat more meat.
"Cole, do you remember what you wanted to do most right after eating your Devil Fruit?" Luo Han asked.
Usually, a Devil Fruit awakens the user's most primal instinct when first consumed.
"Eat meat!" Cole answered instantly.
...He didn't even hesitate. Luo Han sighed inwardly. As expected, this fruit was a perfect match for him.
"That's right. To develop your power, you just need to eat meat!" Luo Han explained. "Of course, the bigger and higher quality the meat, the better."
"Really?! That's amazing! I don't have to sit around staring at sticks like you do, Han-ge, hehe!" Cole beamed with joy.
Luo Han felt crushed… I don't want to be stuck staring at sticks either!
Oddly enough, after three years of using Observation Haki and the Mind Fruit to sense wooden sticks, he still hadn't made any real progress.
Well, not no progress—at least his Haki had improved significantly. But he still couldn't sense the shapes of the sticks.
"Han-ge, are we training Observation Haki again tonight?" Cole asked.
Ever since his combat skills had reached a certain level two years ago, Luo Han had been guiding Cole each night to awaken his Observation Haki—just like Rayleigh trained Luffy.
"Yeah, we're training. You'll be at a huge disadvantage out at sea without Observation Haki." Luo Han led Cole down from the cliff to the island's summit.
"Tonight, we're trying something different. My attacks are too slow, and your body's too strong. You can dodge my strikes easily just by using Paper Art from the Six Powers.
That's why your Observation Haki hasn't awakened yet."
Cole blinked at him with wide, innocent eyes, clearly waiting for the plan.
Better just show him. No need to overexplain. Let him be a pure-hearted boy—or kid, really.
"Tonight, you'll transform into your full-form kun. I'll throw rocks at you from afar. All you have to do is dodge them."
Luo Han explained calmly.
Cole began transforming.
To be honest, Luo Han really wanted that ability—especially Cole's Kun-Kun Fruit.
He hadn't seen Cole transform since that first time. Would he be even bigger now?
Kinda excited…
"Ungh… ungh… ungh…" Cole seemed to be struggling.
"Cole, what are you doing? Trying to transform, right? Do you need a transformation chant or something?" Luo Han was getting depressed watching Cole straining for nothing.
"How about… we try yelling a phrase?" Luo Han suggested.
"Huh? What phrase, Han-ge?"
"Uh… let me think… okay, try this: Kun-Kun Fruit! Transform!!" Luo Han announced.
Cole shouted with such intensity that his muscles started rippling all over. Luo Han got nervous and quickly stopped him.
"Alright, alright, stop! Let's try something else."
Luo Han was sweating.
What the heck? A Zoan-type Devil Fruit user who can't transform?
That's unheard of!
Triple question mark—Luo Han was stunned.
"Cole, do you remember how you transformed the first time?"
Cole blushed with embarrassment. "Uh… I don't really remember."
Figures. This guy had never seriously thought about his fruit powers. He probably didn't even remember what he ate.
Uncle Witt, what were you thinking—never letting him use his power in training?
"Cole, do you remember what kind of Devil Fruit you ate?"
Cole tilted his head and looked blankly at Luo Han. Yep. He had no idea.
Sigh Luo Han held his forehead. Just earlier, this guy had yelled his transformation chant so earnestly…
"Kun-Kun Fruit"... all for nothing.
"You ate the Kun-Kun Fruit. It lets you turn into a kun—a massive flying fish," Luo Han patiently explained.
"There are flying fish?!" Cole gasped.
"You missed the point. You are the flying fish. Or rather, your Devil Fruit power is."
Cole was somehow more clueless than usual tonight. Luo Han had never realized how adorably dense he could be.
"Cole, focus on remembering how the Devil Fruit tasted. That flavor must've been unforgettable."
"…Yeah! I remember now, Han-ge!" Cole nodded. The taste had been unforgettable indeed.
He began recalling how it felt that night, gradually reaching out to the power within him.
Slowly, Cole started transforming into a kun—bigger and bigger...
A strong gust of wind blew by, forcing Luo Han to shut his eyes.
When he opened them again, a massive 300-meter-long kun was floating in the sky before him, wings spanning 200 meters. Its gigantic mouth took up its entire head, filled with rows upon rows of shark-like teeth.
Its black skin was streaked with deep blue lines, giving it a mysterious appearance.
"Han-ge! Can we start Observation Haki training now?" Cole asked cheerfully.
As he spoke, a spray of drool soaked Luo Han from head to toe.
Standing in front of that enormous maw, Luo Han's legs trembled.
Terrifying! That gaping mouth… he couldn't even see the end of it.
"Y-You'd better change back for now. You're way too big for this kind of training," Luo Han said as he peeled off his drool-drenched clothes. A bath was definitely in order.
"And I can't do anything like this right now either. Let's think of a different training method for tomorrow."
Thunk! Thunk! Two figures landed beside them.
Uncle Witt and Uncle Kate had arrived on the island's summit, both wide-eyed with shock.
They'd been resting at home when they suddenly sensed a powerful presence atop the island. Thinking it might be a Sea King or something worse, they rushed over to check on Luo Han and Cole.
To find… a giant floating fish.
Seeing that this was Cole's Devil Fruit form, the two men exchanged a smile, visibly proud.
Their decision back then had been the right one. Cole would one day be strong enough to protect Ring Tree Island in this cruel world.
"Alright, Cole—change back for now. You'll scare the islanders. I'll explain everything to them tomorrow. After that, you can start training with your Devil Fruit." Uncle Witt called out loudly.
The reason he hadn't let Cole train with his fruit earlier was because, back in the Navy, he'd heard that developing certain Devil Fruits too early could cause unstable effects.
Cole had been too young, and Uncle Witt didn't want to risk it.
Seeing his father and Uncle Kate, Cole slowly reverted to human form. Thankfully, he still remembered how to change back.
Looks like that's it for tonight.
Luo Han still had a long way to go before mastering psychokinesis.
Cole was becoming more terrifying by the day. His Devil Fruit transformation gave him such a massive form, and yet he could shrink back to human size with ease.
Of course his body was insanely strong! No wonder the future Yonko Kaido was called the world's strongest creature on land, sea, and air.
Thinking back, Luo Han had first learned from Uncle Kate three years ago during a conversation on Green Cliff that Pirate King Roger hadn't even set sail yet.
Back to the main point…
Transforming into such a massive dragon-like creature and shrinking back into a human body must create incredible physical compression.
That meant tremendous durability and recovery potential after awakening.
"World's strongest creature" wasn't an exaggeration.
Seeing how Cole might become such a monster one day, Luo Han felt even more desperate to manifest his psychokinesis.
This was a world where only the strong had freedom.
And all Luo Han wanted…
Was to live freely.
(END CHAPTER)
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