One Piece : Rise of Thunder King

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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Bartolomeo, the rookie pirate from One Piece, didn't have his Devil Fruit abilities when he first appeared.

As for the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, Arthur clearly remembers its powerful defensive abilities. Based on its performance in the series, its defense is top-notch. Even a strong opponent would need some effort to break through it.

Originally, Arthur didn't plan to keep this fruit for himself. It was meant for Wald, the leader of the Kamui Army. However, since the research on how to transfer Devil Fruit powers into objects hadn't been completed, he decided to hold onto it for now.

Arthur considered using the Barrier-Barrier Fruit himself, thinking it might be a better choice. Besides, Wald could always choose a different fruit.

After months of waiting, Arthur's patience finally paid off. The research confirmed that Devil Fruit powers could be fused with non-living objects equipped with AI. This meant Arthur could bypass AI entirely and control the fruit's abilities directly with his own mind.

Once Arthur made the space ring, his next thought was to acquire the results of Judge Vinsmoke's research—the battle suit and the bloodline factor.

The battle suits in One Piece seem to pay homage to superhero costumes from movies and TV shows. Instead of copying the design, Arthur improved on it by creating a summoning device in the form of a belt.

For Arthur's own use, the belt design was the best fit. It was convenient and could be used at any time.

On the moon, where the combat uniform research team was based, Arthur entered the lab. The scientists greeted him respectfully and stepped aside as he approached.

Arthur saw the black, high-tech belt lying on the table. For someone over two meters tall, it looked just the right size.

Before Arthur arrived, the belt had already been fused with the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's powers, so the item was complete.

"God," said Morse Eddie and Tom Cork, nodding to Arthur in respect.

Arthur nodded back and asked, "How does the armor perform?"

Morse Eddie, the project leader, answered. "God, the armor design is based on your specifications. It's very ergonomic."

"The material is the strongest alloy synthesized by Wapol. Its hardness even exceeds that of Poneglyphs. The flexibility is impressive too, though testing it fully is difficult due to its extreme toughness. We could only measure it indirectly.

"Additionally, it's a memory metal—it can restore its shape automatically."

"As it stands, this armor is top-tier in defense, like the supreme-grade swords are in their category. And, of course, it incorporates the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's power."

Arthur couldn't hide his satisfaction. Armor tougher than a Poneglyph? That's no joke! Even the strongest fighters in the world would struggle to damage it.

Like the space ring, the belt also had intelligent AI assistance. When Arthur picked it up and connected to it using his brainwaves, the AI responded.

"Hello, Master. Susanoo is at your service. If you wish to use any of Susanoo's functions, simply control the belt with your brainwaves, and Susanoo will assist you."

The belt's AI introduction was nearly identical to that of the Space One AI, except for the name.

Arthur removed his current belt and put on the Susanoo belt. He began testing it.

Using the belt felt just like controlling the space ring. It was as if his brainwaves had gained an extra extension, granting him new abilities.

A cyan, glass-like hexagonal barrier, thick and about the size of a palm, appeared in front of Arthur.

With Arthur's control, the small barrier started to grow larger and larger, eventually reaching a size of thirty or forty square meters. Thankfully, the research room on the moon had plenty of space. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to hold such a massive barrier, which was about five or six meters in both length and width.

Once the barrier reached its full size, Arthur concentrated. With the help of Susanoo, the barrier began to change shape. After a short while, he molded the barrier—now less than forty square meters—into the form of a giant upper body.

Standing inside the barrier giant, Arthur looked like a member of the Uchiha clan controlling Susanoo in Naruto.

Thanks to the AI's high computing power, the upper body of the giant was perfectly crafted, resembling a warrior clad in battle armor. Since this form was directly shaped by the Devil Fruit's power, the giant was entirely hollow. It looked like a transparent outer shell with no internal structure, such as muscles or bones.

Guided by Arthur's thoughts, the giant began to move. He controlled it to turn its head, clench its fists, and stretch its arms. Each movement was smooth and precise. Arthur found that he could easily command the giant to perform any action he wanted.

This level of control was only possible with the AI's assistance. Without it, even though Arthur could shape the giant using the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, it wouldn't be as flexible unless he had developed the fruit's powers to near-awakening or full awakening.

Around the test area, dozens of scientists watched Arthur's demonstration with awe. For them, this was a groundbreaking moment. They had never imagined Devil Fruit abilities could be used in such a way.

As Arthur continued testing, his control over the belt and the giant improved rapidly. This was partly because he had already advanced the development of his Thunder-Thunder Fruit, giving him prior experience with refining Devil Fruit abilities.

Moreover, the Thunder-Thunder Fruit had enhanced his brain, boosting his reaction speed, control, and processing power. These improvements made it easier for Arthur to master this new equipment.

Feeling the room was too small, Arthur dismissed the barrier giant. He turned to the scientists and said, "I'll test this outside. You all keep working on the transformation armor."

"For the ten major legions, customize armor for the main and vice commanders based on their unique traits and Devil Fruit abilities. For the rest of the squads, create standard armor tailored to the specific needs of each corps. As for the squad leaders, give them enhanced versions of the standard armor.

"Finish this project as soon as possible. Let me know what resources you need, and I'll make sure they're delivered."

Without waiting for a response, Arthur left the testing ground.

Outside the lunar city, in a wide, empty space, a flash of lightning signaled Arthur's arrival. Standing still, he decided to test the transformation function.

Focusing his thoughts, Arthur controlled the belt with his brainwaves to activate the transformation. He refused to shout any transformation phrases—even though no one was around—because it felt far too embarrassing.

With a burst of light, a blue-purple suit of armor appeared on Arthur's body, reminiscent of the armored warriors from Some island.

The light flickered behind him as the transformation completed, and a cloak materialized at the end. This armor was based on a design Arthur had created, inspired by his favorite game from Earth, Honor of Kings.

Once fully equipped, Arthur noticed that some moves could now be activated directly through the armor. He no longer needed to control them manually as he had done before.

In addition to enhancing his control over the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, Arthur noticed that his mastery of repulsion, gravity, and electromagnetic fields had also improved by about 1% to 3%.

Though it may seem small, even a 1% improvement at Arthur's level was significant. This minor boost provided him with better precision and strength.

After testing the armor, Arthur decided to further experiment with the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.

Previously, he had created a barrier covering an area of over 30 square meters during testing. Now, with more familiarity, he was able to generate a barrier more than 60 square meters in size—more than double the original. This time, he shaped it directly into the form of Susanoo.

A ten-meter-tall blue-purple giant materialized, with Arthur floating inside its chest. Unlike earlier, when he only tested the upper body, Arthur now gave Susanoo a complete lower body and began to move it.

Starting with basic movements like twisting its feet, he gradually advanced to walking, retreating, squatting, and even jumping. After more than half an hour of practice, Arthur was able to control Susanoo as smoothly as a normal human body.

"Hmm... it's powerful, but something's missing," Arthur muttered, floating inside the barrier giant. He frowned, feeling that Susanoo's current design wasn't quite complete.

"Yes!" Arthur suddenly had an idea. "It needs special effects! I can combine the Thunder-Thunder Fruit with it to enhance the attacks."

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Arthur activated his Thunder-Thunder Fruit powers, causing his entire body to surge with lightning.

The originally blue-purple, transparent giant began to glow with a blue-violet light, transforming into a luminous lightning giant. Arthur adjusted the barrier around the eyes, shaping it into a concave-convex lens. In an instant, the eyes of the giant became brighter, with beams of light concentrated and focused.

Floating inside, Arthur touched his chin, still refining the design.

The current Susanoo was completely sealed, which was unnecessary. This design restricted air circulation, and as the oxygen inside was used up, it could become a problem.

To fix this, Arthur adjusted the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, creating small holes in Susanoo's body that wouldn't affect its appearance.

These vents allowed the lightning within Susanoo to escape, crackling and glowing as it burst from the openings. The addition gave Susanoo a more dynamic and futuristic appearance, reminiscent of the Susanoo in Naruto, but with a unique flair.

As Arthur continued testing, time flew by, and before he knew it, an entire day had passed. His initial excitement had faded, so he deactivated the Barrier-Barrier Fruit and the battle armor, deciding to head back to Rusukaina Island.

The belt-based Susanoo and the space ring powered by the Barrier-Barrier Fruit and Castle-Castle Fruit respectively would require long-term training to master. Arthur knew he needed to make them as natural to control as his Thunder-Thunder Fruit.

With these additional abilities to train, Arthur now had his hands full. Between sharpening his Armament Haki by hammering the mountains and developing his two Devil Fruit powers, he had reached his current limit.

However, Arthur wasn't worried. Even though manpower had its limits, time was on his side. With a long life ahead, he had plenty of time to perfect his abilities.