"There are many masters of illusion in the universe, Rachel. Many manipulators of perception. But only I am a master of reality. A manipulator of the concrete. Well, then, perhaps this is a fantasy, after all. Your fantasy. But I can make it real at any time."- Mysterious Ethereal Being
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three days.
That's how long it took for Arlo to realize that being five years old was simultaneously the best and worst thing that could've happened to him.
Best because... well, nobody questions a five-year-old spending hours in their room "playing." Worst because his body needed naps. Actual, mandatory naps. His adult consciousness would be in the middle of planning how to revolutionize Wano's infrastructure and then—bam—his body just... shut down for two hours. (He didn't Adapt his body to not needing sleep)
This is my life now, he thought, sitting cross-legged on his futon at what had to be three in the morning. Can't sleep because my mind is too active, but my body demands sleep anyway. The irony is not lost on me.
Moonlight filtered through the paper screens, casting everything in shades of silver and shadow. Sachiko was asleep in the adjacent room—he could hear her soft breathing through the walls. The estate was quiet. Perfect.
Time to get to work.
"Raphael," he whispered, though he didn't need to speak aloud. But it helps focus the intent, and intent is everything with the Codex. "Let's begin. I need a comprehensive scanning ability. Something that can observe targets from extreme distances without them being aware."
<
Arlo nodded slowly. He'd been thinking about this. One Piece didn't have magic in the traditional sense. It had Haki—willpower made manifest—and Devil Fruits, which were... honestly, Raphael was probably still trying to categorize those. But what it didn't have was a standardized energy system like mana or chakra.
Which meant he'd have to create one.
Thank the meme gods for the Codex.
"Alright, here's what I'm thinking," Arlo said, his child's voice taking on a lecturing tone that would've been hilarious if anyone else was listening. "In Tensura, Raphael's abilities run on magicules. We don't have magicules here... but we have life force. Vitality. The fundamental energy that keeps living things alive."
<
"Exactly. So what if we use the Codex to generate magicules inside me, using my life force as the base medium? Transmute vitality into magicules, establish an internal reservoir, then use my Essence of Overcoming Limitations and Adaptive Evolution to expand that reservoir infinitely."
A pause. Arlo could almost feel Raphael running calculations.
<
"Absolutely," Arlo said, grinning. "One of a kind is exactly what I'm going for. Do it."
The Codex, that star of impossible light merged with his soul, pulsed.
It wasn't painful. It was... comprehensive. Arlo felt it reach into the very concept of what he was—his cells, his DNA, his soul itself—and begin to write new rules.
His life force, that invisible energy that kept his heart beating and his neurons firing, began to... crystallize. That was the only word for it. Like liquid becoming solid, his vitality transformed into something new. Something tangible.
Magicules.
They flooded into existence within him, a reservoir of power that hadn't been there a moment ago. He could feel them, swirling in his core, denser than blood, more fundamental than bone.
<
Arlo laughed—he couldn't help it. The sound was high and childish, but the feeling behind it was pure exhilaration.
"This is insane. I love it. Okay, next step: I need a skill to perceive this energy. And not just in me—in everything. Mana Perception."
<
The world... bloomed.
That was the only way to describe it. Suddenly, Arlo could see—no, not see, perceive—the life force in everything around him. The tatami mats beneath him glowed faintly with residual energy from the plants they'd been made from. The wooden beams of the estate thrummed with decades of accumulated vitality from the tree they'd once been.
And Sachiko, sleeping in the next room...
She was radiant. A brilliant concentration of life force, pulsing in time with her heartbeat, flowing through her meridians in patterns he instinctively understood. She was healthy. Strong not physically but emotionally. Her energy was calm, content.
Holy shit, this is incredible.
"Raphael, this is working better than I thought. Can we refine it? I need to be able to scan specific targets, analyze their physiology, their techniques, their... everything."
<
"Do it. And make sure it's completely undetectable. I don't want anyone knowing they're being watched."
Another pulse from the Codex. Another skill written into existence.
<
Planetary range. Jesus Christ.
Arlo took a breath. Then another. His tiny heart was racing—whether from excitement or the sheer impossibility of what he'd just done, he wasn't sure.
"Okay," he said quietly. "Time for the real test. Raphael, I need information. What's the strongest species in One Piece? Physically, I mean. Raw power."
<
Arlo's grin widened. "Perfect. Loki's already born. That gives us two Ancient Giants to study. Raphael, prepare to coordinate all scanning and analysis subskills. We're going giant hunting."
<
"Correct. We're scanning giants. Big difference." Though honestly, 'giant hunting' sounds way cooler.
He closed his eyes and activated Far Sight.
The world lurched.
His perspective shot out from his body like a missile, hurtling across Wano—across the ocean—spanning distances that should've taken weeks to traverse by ship. The Grand Line unfolded beneath his consciousness, a ribbon of impossible sea currents and eternal storms.
And then... Elbaf.
The island of giants rose from the ocean like a primordial titan, trees the size of mountains, villages built to accommodate beings fifty feet tall. Even from this birds-eye view, the sheer scale of everything was breathtaking.
There.
His awareness honed in on the largest structure—a palace carved from a single massive tree. And inside...
King Harald.
The Ancient Giant sat on a throne that could've served as a building in any normal kingdom. He was... massive about. Easily 220 meters tall, with muscles that looked like they'd been sculpted from granite. His skin was weathered, marked with scars from countless battles, and his eyes—even in rest—held a sharpness that spoke of a warrior's instinct. There were two massive Horns on top of his head.
But it was his energy that made Arlo's breath catch.
Through Mana Perception, Harald glowed like a star. His life force was immense, a roiling maelstrom of vitality that dwarfed anything Arlo had sensed before. And threaded through it, like veins of liquid metal, was something else.
Haki.
Not being Actively used but it was like a very strong industrial tier compressed spring. Armament Haki reinforcing his bones and muscles passively. Observation Haki creating a constant low-level awareness of his surroundings. And underlying it all, a third presence—heavy, oppressive, a king's will made manifest.
Conqueror's Haki.
"Raphael," Arlo breathed. "Scan him. Everything. Physiology, genetics, energy systems, combat style, Haki usage. Leave nothing out."
<
Time seemed to slow—or rather, Arlo's perception of it accelerated to match Raphael's processing speed. He watched as the skill dissected Harald on a level that was almost intimate.
Cell structure: analyzed. Muscle density: 16900% higher than baseline human. Bone composition: reinforced with a crystalline calcium matrix that shouldn't exist in nature but somehow did. Nervous system: enhanced reaction speeds operating 230 times faster than human standard.
And then... the energy systems.
<
<<1. Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku) - Allows perception of intent, emotions, and presence. Advanced applications include precognition and long-range sensing.>>
<<2. Armament Haki (Busoshoku) - Allows hardening of physical matter and projection of invisible armor. Can bypass defensive abilities and strike intangible forms.>>
<<3. Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku) - Manifestation of user's will to dominate. Can render weaker-willed individuals unconscious. Represents the quality of a king. At advanced level can be used enhance the attacks made by armament haki. Also possesses a very strong nullifying effect. Cannot be trained to awaken, only awakened naturally through conviction and ambition.>>
<
Arlo absorbed this information, his mind racing. So Haki wasn't like mana that depleted with use. It was more like... a muscle. The more you used it, the stronger it got. And Conqueror's Haki couldn't be trained—you either had the will of a king or you didn't.
Good thing I literally have infinite growth potential and the Codex, he thought wryly. But I want to awaken Conqueror's naturally. No shortcuts. If I'm going to stand among the kings of this world, I'll do it properly.
<
"Wait," Arlo said. "What kind of changes?"
<
Arlo frowned. "Anomalous?"
<
"Right of the Hero?" Arlo murmured. The name alone sent a shiver down his spine—and not an unpleasant one. It was like a sound of Drums. It felt... Empowering. Like when you hear the vergil's battle theme from devil may cry 5. - refer to Drums Of Liberation Theme - Epic Version by carameii
He was tempted to ask Raphael to dig deeper. But...
No. Some things should be discovered naturally. If this is important—and it definitely sounds important—I'll find out when the time is right. No spoilers.
"Add it to the replication template," he said. "Whatever it is, I want it."
<
The Codex flared.
Arlo gasped as his entire body was suddenly engulfed in that impossible light. Every cell, every atom, every quantum of his being was being rewritten and reorganized.
His bones lengthened, thickened, restructured themselves into patterns that could support immense weight and stress. His muscles compressed, fibers weaving into configurations that maximized strength-to-mass ratio. His cardiovascular system expanded, his heart growing stronger to pump blood through a body that would one day tower over normal humans.
And the Haki capacity...
It was like someone had taken his soul and stretched it to ten times its previous size. The reservoir of willpower within him—which he hadn't even known existed until now—suddenly deepened, became vast, a well that was already bottomless.
The transformation lasted maybe thirty seconds. When it was done, Arlo collapsed onto his futon, panting. Steam coming out of his body
He didn't look different—not yet. He was still five years old, still child-sized. But he could feel the changes. His body hummed with potential. Strength that would take years to fully manifest but was already there, waiting. He was already strong enough to destroy Buildings.
<
Arlo let out a breathless laugh. "250 meters. I'm going to be quarter of a kilometer tall. That's... that's going to make stealth difficult."
<
"Fair point." He pushed himself up, feeling the new strength in his small arms. Even now, at five years old, he could probably punch through the wooden walls of his room without much effort. "Okay, what about Loki? He's only eighteen—still a child by Ancient Giant standards. But he's the same species. Scan him too."
His Far Sight shifted, sweeping through Elbaf until it found the prince.
Loki was... well, he was huge, obviously. Maybe 10 meter tall already despite his youth. He was training in a courtyard, swinging a hammer the size of a ship's mast, his movements were wild but they contained soo much raw physical power.
And his energy...
It was wild. Where Harald's Haki was controlled, disciplined, refined through centuries of experience, Loki's was raw potential. It churned inside him like a storm displaying his rebellious nature, flaring with each strike from hammer, subsiding between breaths.
<
"Good," Arlo said, satisfied. "That confirms the trait is inherent to Ancient Giants of Royal lineage, not just Harald specifically. Did you get everything you need?"
<
Arlo nodded, dismissing the Far Sight and bringing his awareness back to his own room. The whole process had taken maybe ten minutes. Ten minutes to cross the world, scan two of the most powerful beings alive, and steal their genetic template.
Arlo silently gazed at them without saying anything no one knew what he was thinking.
But first...
"Raphael, one more thing. I need to start developing Haki. I've got the capacity now, but capacity means nothing without control. What's the standard training regimen?"
<
<
<
"Two to three years," Arlo muttered. "That puts me at 7 to 8 years old. a year or two before orochi starts conspiring..." And when I'll need to start making moves against Orochi.
Perfect timing, really.
"Alright. Let's start with Observation. I want to sense everything in this estate. Every person, every animal, every insect. Full coverage."
He closed his eyes and pushed his awareness outward.
At first, it was overwhelming. Too much information, too many presences. Servants sleeping in their quarters. Guards patrolling the perimeter. Mice in the walls. Birds in the eaves. Even the plants in the garden registered as faint presences.
But then Raphael's Thought Acceleration kicked in, processing the flood of sensory data, organizing it, filtering it until it became manageable.
And suddenly, Arlo could feel them all. Not just their positions, but their... essence. The sleeping guard's contentment. The nervous energy of a servant worried about tomorrow's duties. The simple animal satisfaction of a well-fed cat.
This was Observation Haki in its rawest form. And with his Ancient Giant capacity...
He pushed further. The entire estate. The surrounding forest. The village beyond.
<
Arlo pulled back, panting slightly. "Right. Overdid it. Baby steps." Even with infinite potential, the body needs time to adapt.(at present as he grows the time for adaptation will decrease)
He spent the next hour practicing, expanding and contracting his Observation Haki range, learning to filter out irrelevant information, focusing on specific presences without the help of Raphael.
And then he tried Armament.
This was harder. Observation felt natural, almost intuitive. But Armament required force. It required taking your willpower and imposing it on physical reality.
He held out his small hand and pushed—not physically, but mentally. He imagined his will coating his skin like armor, hardening it, making it invulnerable.
Nothing happened.
He tried again. And again. And—
There.
For just a fraction of a second, his fingertips turned black. Not painted black, but fundamentally black, like someone had replaced his skin with obsidian.
Then it vanished.
<
Arlo grinned. "One to two months to master what takes most people years. I'll take it."
He practiced until his magicules—which had been powering the enhanced perception and processing—began to noticeably deplete. Not dangerously, but enough that Raphael warned him to rest.
<
"Fine, fine," Arlo yawned, and this time it was genuine. The mental exhaustion was catching up. "Wake me if anything important happens."
<
As Arlo settled onto his futon, pulling the covers up to his chin, his mind was still racing despite his body's exhaustion.
In one night, he'd:
Created a new energy system unique to him Developed planetary-range observation abilities Scanned and replicated the physiology of Ancient Giants Taken his first steps toward mastering Haki
And he was five years old.
This is my life now, he thought again, but this time it wasn't a complaint. It was wonder, what was his purpose why was HE here.
Outside his window, the moon had begun to set. Dawn was coming.
And with it, the future he'd been given a second chance to shape.
But for now...
Sleep.
Even overpowered reincarnators needed their rest.
End of Chapter 3
Next time: Training continues, Sachiko notices her little brother is acting strange, and Arlo realizes that having godlike powers doesn't mean you don't have struggles