After Arch did a self-reflection, his mental health was more stable. He no longer felt like he was a character playing and acting in this world. When he first came to this world, that is what it felt like to him, which is why desperation and greed kept running through his mind.
He didn't realize this at first, but after he did a self-reflection, his mind was now clearer and lighter. He felt like he was the very opposite of Atlas. He let go of everything; he just wanted to live and enjoy every second of it.
Now that his conviction was hard as a diamond, he was about to break the massive boulder blocking his path.
"Are you ready, Foxxy?" Arch asked the snake-fox, and the snake-fox just nodded its head.
He looked back at the bridge, he smiled, and then turned his head back to the boulder...
He approached the boulder, then pulled back his right fist. His left foot took a step forward, with his knees bent slightly, and his left hand was covering and gripping his right fist. Then he removed his left hand. With a twist of his waist, followed by his left foot, he released his right fist, delivering a strong straight punch towards the boulder.
Just an ordinary punch. No Devil Fruit ability. He started his journey with an ordinary punch, and he was ending this with his punch.
His fist met the boulder, and KABOOOOOOOMMMM!
The massive boulder finally fell and broke. The destruction started from its center, and cracks shrouded its entire body. It crumbled into pieces. When some of the cracked rocks were about to fall in his way, he just released a counter-punch, destroying the falling rocks to pieces.
Then, a blinding light enveloped the dark entrance of the underground.
When a person is in darkness and a light suddenly appears in their eyes, several physiological reactions and experiences occur almost instantly.
The person will experience a moment of temporary blindness or a bright flash as their eyes adjust. This often results in a lingering bright afterimage of the light source. The sudden change can cause a brief moment of disorientation as the brain processes the unexpected strong visual input. This is usually followed by instinctively squinting their eyes or turning their head away due to the intense brightness, which can be uncomfortable or even painful if the light is very strong.
But Arch didn't care. He knew the consequences, but his red eyes were still staring at the blinding light. He wanted to look at the light he had longed for.
A strong light blinded him for a moment, and after the intense blindness subsided, his vision began to turn back to normal. However, the scenery he was expecting was not there. Instead of an open world, what he saw was a stairwell going up toward where the blinding light came from.
"Foxxy, let's go," he said to the snake-fox, who was using its snake tail to cover its fox eyes.
The snake-fox then removed its snake tail, looked at the stairs, and nodded. They walked up slowly.
Each step they took caused excitement to run through their minds. Each step they made towards the blinding light was like a testament to their achievements and perseverance.
And finally... the final step..
Step... tap... They reached the very top of the stairwell.
What Arch saw left him speechless: a harsh, sad sight, looking like an area that has been completely forgotten. The ground was likely to be mostly dry, cracked, and dusty, with the natural vibrant green choked out by neglect. It was probably a pale, unhealthy brown or gray, showing that the soil was ruined and could not support healthy crops.
From where he was standing, he could see very few buildings. The ones that remained were dilapidated, wooden structures with missing roof tiles, faded colors, and walls that looked close to collapsing. Many areas were likely empty and abandoned, showing that people had either left to seek work elsewhere or had simply starved. The roads and pathways were broken and covered in weeds, not neatly kept as they should be.
There might be the remnants of beautiful old Japanese-style gates or shrines, but they were now weathered, leaning, and covered in moss, serving as sad reminders of the area's history. The place was simply quiet and still. The overall feeling was one of desolation, emptiness, and forgotten struggle.
When Arch saw this place, he felt a resemblance. This place looked familiar, like he once watched it in One Piece, but he wasn't really sure if that place was the one right in front of him.
Arch just muttered the word: "Kibi."
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------ to be continued------
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Image of kibi in the comment section