One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 3: King Engine?

The deserted island Claudius found himself on was, in a way, rather pleasant. Despite being located in the dangerous waters of the New World, this particular island was a "Spring Island." The climate was mild and temperate all year round, without the extreme shifts between hot and cold. Because of this, Claudius had an easier time surviving on the island compared to what he might have faced elsewhere in the New World.

At this very moment, a massive wild boar was desperately fleeing through the dense forest. Its eyes, which held little intelligence, were now brimming with raw terror.

Don't let the label of "pig" fool you. In reality, wild boars are formidable creatures of the wilderness. With their massive tusks, thick fur, powerful muscles, and enormous size, they often stand at the upper echelon of the food chain.

Especially the wild boar currently fleeing in fear it was no ordinary beast. This massive creature was comparable to an elephant from Claudius's previous life.

Clearly, this was another mutated creature unique to the Pirate World.

This world was bizarre, filled with exaggerated and upgraded forms of both flora and fauna. Some animals remained similar to their counterparts from Claudius's past life, while others had evolved into something far more monstrous.

For example, Sea Kings and Zunesha (the Elephant Lord) were so enormous that they defied common sense.

Even humans here had their own distinct changes.

Many of them were extraordinarily tall.

Take Claudius's cousin, Donquixote Doflamingo, as an example. If Doflamingo reached his full potential, he would be standing at a height of over three meters a height suitable for a proper Admiral, imposing and powerful.

And Doflamingo's height was not even considered abnormal in this world. Many others were even taller than him.

Claudius believed that if he trained well and developed properly, even though he was currently a fat, chubby kid, he wouldn't fall too far behind Doflamingo in the future.

But those were all considerations for later. Right now, why was this massive wild boar running so frantically?

That's because it had encountered the rampaging human "brat" who had been wreaking havoc on the island for the past two weeks, mercilessly hunting down all the top predators, like lions and tigers.

Yes, Claudius was currently chasing after the wild boar, panting heavily as he ran. In just two weeks, his formerly rotund body had slimmed down considerably. While traces of his old greasy fat could still be seen, he now had a somewhat muscular build.

The scene unfolding was indeed comical a ten-year-old boy was relentlessly pursuing a massive wild boar that towered over him. The wild boar, instead of turning around to fight, was fleeing in terror, which was both amusing and absurd.

"You stupid pig... can't you just... stop already?" Claudius gasped, cursing breathlessly as he glanced at the bloodied and battered wild boar ahead of him.

After taking a few more steps and feeling himself reaching his physical limit, Claudius gradually came to a halt. He took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

In the next moment, his heartbeat began to accelerate, a deep and resonating sound spreading out from him, almost as if a drum was being pounded in the very core of his chest.

Boom... boom... boom... boom. The intense rhythm felt as if it were echoing through the entire area around him, reverberating like the beating of war drums.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Claudius moved again. But this time, his speed was several times faster than before.

The tiny figure, leaving behind only a faint blur, sped through the forest, following the trail of blood on the ground. In mere moments, he caught up with the frantically running wild boar.

Sensing the presence of the small human once more, the wild boar's terror only grew. It had already lost too much blood, and its strength was rapidly waning. Its pace, once full of vigor, began to slow as exhaustion set in.

However, a cornered beast is always the most dangerous. Realizing that it could no longer escape, the wild boar suddenly skidded to a stop. With a surprising agility that seemed at odds with its immense size, it performed a flawless three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, kicking up dirt and debris as it spun to face Claudius.

"What the hell? Since when did wild boars learn how to drift?" Claudius thought, surprised by the sight.

The wild boar, now using all the strength left in its body, charged at Claudius with deadly intent. Its four hooves thundered against the ground as it lowered its enormous, lethal tusks, aiming to skewer Claudius.

"A final struggle before death, huh? But it's useless..." Claudius murmured, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

Just as the wild boar came crashing toward him, Claudius moved again. His feet pushed off the ground as he leaped directly toward the wild boar's head.

"Death Grip!" Claudius muttered softly.

In the next instant, it looked as if the massive wild boar had collided straight through Claudius's body, reducing him to nothing but mist.

However, something strange happened next. The wild boar, after running a few more paces, began to stagger uncontrollably. It stumbled forward, its limbs twitching and thrashing about. It tossed its head violently, as if trying to rid itself of something.

But no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't escape what was happening. Gradually, its frantic movements weakened until it finally collapsed to the ground, stirring up a massive cloud of dust.

And right then, near the wild boar's nose, Claudius's figure slowly re-materialized!

Yes, even though the original Claudius was a "mentally retarded Celestial Dragon," completely incapable of even basic survival skills, his one redeeming trait was that, in his ignorance, he had eaten the Devil Fruit that was prepared for him in the form of a fruit salad.

From that moment on, Claudius became a Devil Fruit user. Despite his predecessor's lack of education and inability to even comprehend the nature of his own powers, Claudius now had a remarkable ability at his disposal.

This fruit was a Logia-type Devil Fruit, bestowing the powers of a rare gaseous element known as the Nitrogen-Nitrogen Fruit.

Claudius's predecessor, being an uneducated fool, didn't understand what kind of gas "nitrogen" was, nor did he realize the potential of his ability. As a result, he never developed it at all.

Instead, he completely wasted it.

But Claudius was different. Having received modern education and possessing a wealth of scientific knowledge, Claudius could grasp the potential of the Nitrogen-Nitrogen Fruit immediately.

Simply put, it was an ability that allowed him to manipulate nitrogen a substance that made up a significant portion of the atmosphere, more than 78% to be exact.

Being an inert gas, nitrogen had many unique properties.

Of course, Claudius hadn't yet delved deeply into developing the fruit's full potential. For now, he was simply utilizing the basic effects of his Logia-type fruit, which was more than enough to dominate this small island.

After all, none of the beasts here had the ability to use Haki, which meant Claudius didn't have to worry about whether he could be harmed or not. By turning into his elemental form, he could avoid all physical attacks.

What's more, Claudius hadn't yet discovered any element that could restrain nitrogen. So, at least for now, he didn't have to worry about elemental weaknesses.

Looking at it from one perspective, as long as no one used Haki or other special means, Claudius's current state seemed practically invincible.

The way he killed the wild boar just now was a simple application of his Logia ability.

There was no need for Claudius to develop complex techniques. All he had to do was "grip" the wild boar's nose and release his nitrogen, saturating the air around it and displacing all oxygen. Deprived of oxygen, the wild boar naturally suffocated and died.

After ensuring the wild boar was truly dead, Claudius returned to his normal form.

He touched his chin, glanced at the massive carcass, and smiled faintly.

"All things considered, my new journey hasn't started off too badly. Although the circumstances were a bit messy, I have a genuine Celestial Dragon identity and the abilities of a Logia-type Devil Fruit...

Now, as long as I lay a solid foundation, I should be able to make some waves in this world... and reshape my fate," Claudius muttered softly.

As he spoke, Claudius drew a short sword that hung from his waist.

This short sword looked somewhat like a katana from Wanokuni, though it was much shorter about two-thirds the length of a regular sword. Despite its simplicity, the sword's craftsmanship was excellent, exuding the aura of a master's work.

The white hilt was wrapped with delicate silk threads, and the scabbard, while unassuming, was adorned with subtle patterns.

This wasn't a decoration Claudius had scavenged from the Celestial Dragons' collections; rather, it was one of the three "gift packs" he had received when he first arrived in this world.

That's right as a transmigrator, how could Claudius not have a a beginner's benefit? By some divine or otherworldly blessing, he had received some 'rewards' after arriving in this world.

This short sword was named 'Shinsō', the legendary Zanpakutō wielded by Ichimaru Gin, the captain of the Third Division in the world of Shinigami.

Now, it was in Claudius's hands. However, it seemed that during the transition between worlds, Shinsō had been altered by the forces of this world's power, making it far less potent than it had been in the Shinigami world. Even so, it was still a rare and remarkable weapon.

It retained its ability to extend and retract, but its speed was no longer the absurd 500 times the speed of sound. Through continuous testing, Claudius determined that Shinsō's current maximum speed was around three times the speed of sound.

While this was certainly impressive, it wasn't overwhelmingly fast compared to some of the terrifying abilities in this world. The speed of sound is roughly the same as that of a bullet from a musket. So Shinsō's speed was only two to three times faster than a standard bullet.

This meant that, while Shinsō was a formidable weapon against ordinary opponents, it wouldn't have the same devastating effect on true masters.

Although its power had been greatly diminished due to the world's corrections, Claudius didn't mind. An indestructible sword that could extend and retract at will was still a valuable asset. He had no intention of relying solely on the sword for combat, so he accepted its current state without complaint.

After drawing Shinsō from its scabbard, Claudius made a few clean, precise cuts across the enormous wild boar's hide, creating deep incisions that allowed blood to flow freely from the carcass.

Bleeding the meat was essential. If the blood wasn't drained properly, the resulting stench and flavor would be absolutely revolting. Claudius had learned this lesson the hard way during his early days on the island, so now he took care to bleed the meat thoroughly, even if it meant a bit of extra effort.

Shinsō was the first of his three gifts, and the second gift Claudius found highly intriguing it was an ability that allowed him to freely accelerate his heartbeat at will, a phenomenon he had come to know as the King Engine!