One Piece: Three Devil Fruits, Beginning with Darkness

Water splashed onto Jiger's face as he suddenly erupted into a violent coughing fit. A deep flush overtook his pale skin, and for a brief moment, steam visibly rose from his body as if his very blood was boiling beneath the surface.

Ivan and the others, already on edge, rushed toward him. Ivan grabbed Jiger's arm, steadying him with concern.

"Jig, are you okay? Your body..."

Jiger didn't answer right away. He let out a slow, shuddering breath before unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the scars that crisscrossed his chest. Jagged suture marks ran over his heart, old wounds that had been crudely stitched together, leaving behind a grotesque reminder of whatever torment his body had endured.

The others inhaled sharply.

Jiger's skin was unnaturally red, veins pulsing as if something inside him was struggling to break free. Most noticeable was the area around his heart—a deep crimson hue, as though a burning sun had been seared into his flesh.

For a moment, he looked eerily similar to Luffy's **Second gear** state, but unlike the Straw Hat captain, this transformation brought him nothing but exhaustion.

Luffy's power surged through his veins like an endless fuel source, making him faster and stronger. Jiger, however, was the opposite—each time his body overheated like this, it left him weak, drained, and vulnerable.

This strange affliction struck whenever he exerted himself too much or let his emotions spiral out of control.

A curse disguised as power.

Jiger gritted his teeth and swallowed down the frustration. This was clearly a problem from the original body he had inherited, but without its memories, he had no way of knowing the cause. All he could do was deal with it.

'Damn it... No cheat abilities, and I get stuck with a built-in debuff? What kind of messed-up isekai deal is this?'

He cursed inwardly, forcing himself to endure the burning sensation. Slowly, he sank down onto the ground.

Kuma immediately sat upright, letting Jiger lean against his massive frame. Despite his own injuries, the towering child put Jiger's comfort before his own.

Ginny cupped her small hands, filling them with water from the pond before bringing it to Jiger's lips.

"Here, drink," she murmured softly, her voice thick with worry.

Jiger hesitated for a second before accepting it. As the cool water trickled down his throat, he exhaled.

Meeting these three had been an unexpected blessing in an otherwise bleak situation. Without them, Jiger doubted he would have lasted this long, let alone had any real chance of escaping the Valley of the Gods. Surviving on his own would have been nearly impossible, let alone, escape.

His only real advantage was his knowledge of the manga—he had read *One Piece* and was aware of certain key events that others had no way of predicting. But there was a major problem: the six Devil Fruits that the Celestial Dragons had placed within the Valley of the Gods were never explicitly shown or given specific locations in the original story. This meant he couldn't simply rely on memory to track them down.

Still, there was one theory he could put some faith in—the idea that *"fruits choose their owner."* If that held any truth, then following Kuma would likely lead him straight to the *Paw-Paw Fruit.* Given what he knew about the fruit's future wielder, its eventual owner had to be close by.

Out of the six Devil Fruits supposedly hidden in the Valley, two were confirmed: the *Paw-Paw Fruit* and the *Azure Dragon Fruit.* These alone were among the most powerful of their respective categories—the *Paw-Paw Fruit* stood at the pinnacle of Paramecia-type abilities, while the *Azure Dragon Fruit* was a Mythical Zoan, a class far superior to ordinary Zoan Fruits. Given that the Celestial Dragons had personally selected these fruits as prizes, the remaining ones were almost certainly just as formidable. They wouldn't settle for anything less.

From what Jiger knew, one of the other four fruits was most likely the one that would eventually end up in the hands of *Red-Haired Shanks.* This meant that, realistically, there were only five available Devil Fruits on the island at this moment.

Beyond that, he could make some educated guesses. The *Phoenix Fruit* and *Buddha Fruit* seemed like strong contenders. If they were indeed present, then that left only one remaining fruit unaccounted for. The biggest question was whether *Whitebeard* had already consumed his Devil Fruit by this point in the timeline. If he hadn't, then the final fruit could very well be the *Quake-Quake Fruit.*

Regardless of which of these five he managed to find, as long as he had even a decent level of strength and ability, obtaining a Devil Fruit would be the fastest path to power. The sheer potential was limitless.

That whole *"there are no useless Devil Fruits, only useless users"* rhetoric? Utter nonsense. Anyone with real battle experience would recognize it as nothing more than idealistic drivel.

Take Luffy's *Gum-Gum Fruit*, for example. Initially, it was just a simple rubber ability, unimpressive on its own. But in the end, it had to evolve into *Nika*, because a plain rubber ability simply wouldn't have been enough at the highest levels of combat. The writers had to upgrade it just to keep up with the power scaling.

Similarly, comparing a regular bird-type Zoan to a *Mythical Phoenix* was ridiculous. No amount of skill could make an ordinary bird's abilities rival the regenerative, flight-enhancing power of a *Mythical Zoan*.

And then there was Lucci. He had turned the *Leopard Fruit*, an ordinary Zoan, into a deadly weapon, but that was only because his foundation as a fighter was already rock solid. His skill, discipline, and mastery of combat made up for the fruit's limitations.

But now, imagine if Lucci had consumed the *Azure Dragon Fruit* or the *Buddha Fruit* instead. The power boost would've been on an entirely different level. Those fruits granted overwhelming physical enhancements, defensive capabilities, and devastating offensive abilities—far beyond anything a simple Leopard Zoan could provide.

Since Jiger had been thrown into the *One Piece* world, securing a Devil Fruit wasn't just a goal—it was a necessity. He had no overpowered system or golden-finger cheat to rely on. If he wanted to stand a chance of surviving, then acquiring a top-tier Devil Fruit was the only way forward.

With this realization weighing on his mind, Jiger slowly lifted his head, his expression hardening as he locked eyes with Ginny.

Ginny, sensing his intense gaze, unconsciously straightened her posture. A hint of nervousness flickered in her eyes as she hesitated before asking,

"W-what is it, Jiger…?"

Jiger's expression remained serious as he spoke.

"Ginny, are you absolutely certain the information about the high-tier Devil Fruits here has been sent out?"

At his question, Ginny's momentary tension melted into confidence. A smirk spread across her slightly dirt-streaked face, and she patted her chest proudly.

"Don't worry, Jiger! This is my specialty. I can guarantee that as long as someone out there can receive signals, they already know about it!"

Hearing her firm confirmation, Jiger exhaled softly, a small sigh of relief escaping his lips.

His biggest concern was that his very presence in this world had caused a butterfly effect, disrupting the natural course of events. If the Rocks Pirates and the Marines failed to arrive in the Valley of the Gods as they were supposed to, then their situation would turn from dangerous to outright hopeless.

Without those two warring factions, the Valley would remain a quiet hunting ground, and they—the scattered, powerless few—would be nothing more than prey.

Right now, they were frighteningly weak.

Kuma was the only real fighter among them. The rest? They could barely handle an ordinary adult in a fight, let alone fend off slavers or guards. If they wanted a real shot at obtaining a Devil Fruit, the Valley needed to descend into chaos. That was the only way to create an opportunity.

Since Ginny had sent out the message, the storm was bound to arrive soon.

By his estimate, Rocks should already be on his way. The number of slaves in the Valley had been dwindling rapidly—if Rocks didn't act now, he would be too late to claim his prize.

Tomorrow might mark the beginning of the battle.

Jiger narrowed his eyes, mentally reviewing his plan once more.

At the heart of his strategy lay the *Paw-Paw Fruit.*

This Devil Fruit was an absolute necessity—his best and only guarantee of escape.

It wasn't just powerful. It was *god-tier*. A Paramecia ability that brushed against conceptual manipulation, capable of instant teleportation, deflecting anything with a touch, and storing kinetic energy for devastating counterattacks.

If he found it, he wouldn't hesitate. He'd eat it on the spot.

The *Azure Dragon Fruit* was an incredible option as well, but it still fell short in comparison. It granted immense physical strength and flight, but what use was flight when the battlefield would be filled with *monsters*?

With his current weak body, he wouldn't be able to fly fast enough to escape the grasp of top-tier fighters. A long-range Haki-infused attack would cut him down before he even got a chance to take off.

More importantly, he had other people to consider.

Kuma. Ginny. Ivan.

They hadn't known each other for long, but bonds forged in life-or-death situations were stronger than most. He understood their personalities now—they were people he could trust.

The most efficient, surefire survival strategy would be to eat the *Paw-Paw Fruit* and escape alone, leaving them behind.

But as Jiger glanced at Kuma, his eyes lingered on the crude bandages wrapped around the arrow still lodged in his back.

He exhaled quietly, shaking his head.

A person could be selfish.

But they couldn't be heartless.