One Piece : Rise of Thunder King

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

---------------

After obtaining another piece of equipment powered by a Devil Fruit, which greatly boosted his combat abilities, Arthur continued his intense and grueling training.

By late September, only three of the ten stone mountains Arthur used for training remained intact.

Aside from his tough practice sessions, Arthur spent most of his time focused on two things: developing his Hammer Mountain technique and enhancing his mastery of the Devil Fruit-powered equipment.

Occasionally, he would pay attention to Straw Hat Luffy, but his main focus remained on his training and those he deemed important.

Arthur also kept a close eye on a few rising pirates. Among them were Eustass Kid, who had eaten the Magnetic Fruit (possibly granting electromagnetic powers), and Trafalgar Law, who wielded the powers of the Op-Op Fruit.

Additionally, there was a mysterious Devil Fruit user who could alter her own or others' ages at will. Although the exact nature of her powers wasn't clear, Arthur was certain that her fruit was related to time manipulation.

These three fruits were of great interest to Arthur, especially the Op-Op Fruit, which Trafalgar Law possessed.

Arthur hadn't tried to steal the Op-Op Fruit yet, despite its incredible value, because it was under the watchful eyes of too many powerful groups. As far as he knew, three major factions were monitoring it: the Celestial Dragons, Doflamingo, and the Marines.

On top of that, many underground organizations and influential individuals were secretly keeping an eye on this legendary fruit. The Op-Op Fruit was so coveted that even the kings of the underworld, with their extensive information networks, likely knew about its immense potential.

In such a situation, where so many "wolves" were waiting for the right moment, no one dared to make a move lightly—including Arthur. If Trafalgar Law were to suddenly disappear, a massive hunt would ensue. Arthur was waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity.

When that chance came, Arthur wouldn't hesitate to act. His determination wasn't just about the fruit's power—it was personal. Trafalgar Law had been one of Arthur's favorite characters when he watched One Piece. But the Op-Op Fruit's ability to grant immortality was too significant to ignore.

Even though Arthur already had an extended lifespan of tens of thousands of years thanks to pure gold, it wasn't true immortality. That's why, years ago, Arthur had secretly begun laying the groundwork for his plan.

He ordered the Sky Island government to establish a school and secretly adopted orphans, training them to be absolutely loyal to him. These "dead men" were raised to become experts in medicine and other skills that would one day serve Arthur's grand plans.

All of this preparation was for the Op-Op Fruit's ultimate ability: the Immortality Surgery. Only these brainwashed followers, willing to die for him without hesitation, could Arthur trust to carry out such a critical operation.

Once Arthur acquired the Op-Op Fruit, he planned to use its powers not just for himself, but for his entire family.

With Nami's existence (or someone like her), he believed the fruit's power could be reproduced repeatedly to grant immortality to his children, grandchildren, and future descendants.

Arthur's long-term goal wasn't focused on himself—it was about building a god-like race, a family that would surpass all others. Everything he had done, and all his plans, were dedicated to this vision.

However, Arthur didn't want his descendants to become like the Celestial Dragons: spoiled and weak, relying on their status without working for it. To ensure this, he would carefully execute his plans, step by step.

In Arthur's plan, only Devil Fruits with average or low potential would be given to his subordinates. The truly powerful and rare Devil Fruits would be reserved exclusively for his own family.

Anyone familiar with stories about powerful clans would recognize the concept of family heritage. In Arthur's vision, these top-tier Devil Fruits would become a legacy passed down through his family, ensuring their superiority for generations.

Over time, Arthur had gathered more and more information, leading him to believe that possessing two or more Devil Fruit abilities was not just a myth—it was indeed possible.

Among the Devil Fruits Arthur had his eyes on, the Op-Op Fruit was, of course, at the top of the list.

Next was the Devil Fruit likely related to time manipulation, eaten by Jewelry Bonney. This ability was incredibly important, and even if Arthur couldn't obtain it, he would make sure no one else could either.

Another fruit Arthur sought was the Retrograde Fruit, eaten by Ain, a former student of Zephyr. This fruit was also on his list of high-priority targets.

Most intriguing, however, was a fruit directly tied to time: the Time-Time Fruit, eaten by Toki Kozuki 800 years ago. This fruit allowed her to travel into the future and send others decades ahead in time. Arthur felt a chill at the thought of a fruit that could warp time to such an extent.

Just considering the possibility was enough to realize how much this fruit could have influenced history.

Arthur suspected that the final mysteries of the One Piece world—the downfall of the World Government, the truth about the Celestial Dragons, and the void century—were likely connected to Toki and the Time-Time Fruit.

Oda's storytelling wasn't random, Arthur thought. Momonosuke might be disliked by many fans, but the amount of focus he received in the story hinted at his importance to the ultimate conclusion. The significance of the Time-Time Fruit couldn't be overstated.

Even though Toki's letter to him didn't reveal the secrets of the Celestial Dragons, the void century, or the Will of D., Arthur had his own theories—though he couldn't be certain they were correct.

Among the three rising pirates Arthur was observing, Eustass Kidd, who wielded the Magnetic Fruit, was another focus of his attention.

Arthur's interest in Kid was simple: Kid's magnetism powers could potentially complement Arthur's own abilities with the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Fruit). For Arthur, powers like magnetism, electromagnetic fields, electric fields, and even gravitation were natural extensions of his thunder and lightning abilities.

Although these abilities weren't directly part of the Thunder Fruit, Arthur had developed them as offshoots of his Devil Fruit powers. However, he knew that these extensions had their limits and could never truly surpass the core potential of the Thunder Fruit itself.

If Arthur could combine Kid's magnetic powers with his own lightning-based abilities, it would result in a massive boost to his overall strength.

The synergy could amplify the electromagnetic field, electric field, magnetic field, gravity, repulsion, and even heat-related powers to unprecedented levels.

This combination wouldn't just be a small improvement—it could multiply his power several times over, possibly even by tenfold or more. It would be a game-changing advantage, effectively doubling or tripling Arthur's strength.

Currently, Arthur had acquired a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit for himself, which he referred to as the Battery Fruit. He wasn't yet certain if it would function as he expected, allowing him to store massive amounts of electrical energy.

In addition, Arthur was searching for other Devil Fruits, such as the Gravity Fruit, Repulsion Fruit, Magnetic or Electromagnetic Fruit, and the Zushi Zushi no Mi (Gravity Fruit) eaten by Fujitora.

He was also interested in the Momo Momo no Mi (More-More Fruit) wielded by Byrnndi World, a pirate imprisoned in Impel Down's Eternal Hell.

These Devil Fruits were essential to Arthur's long-term plans. If Tom Kirk, who was researching lineage factors and Devil Fruits for Arthur, could figure out how to make multiple Devil Fruits compatible with a single person, these fruits would be distributed according to Arthur's strategic priorities.

With such powers in his possession, Arthur believed he could become the strongest being in the world.

Even if the Celestial Dragons had hidden weapons or secret advantages, he would be unstoppable. He envisioned storming Mary Geoise, the Holy Land, and wiping out the Celestial Dragons entirely.

However, for now, this vision remained a distant possibility. Arthur didn't know how long it would take to make it a reality.

Still, Arthur could afford to wait.

Even if his plans couldn't be achieved in the short term, what did it matter if it took ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, or even a hundred years? With his lifespan stretching into the thousands of years, patience was a luxury he had plenty of.

Apart from Lord Im, who might be truly immortal, Arthur didn't see anyone as a real threat.

October had passed, and by November, less than one-third of Arthur's eighth training mountain remained standing.

In seven months, Arthur had completed his grueling training regimen, destroying eight massive stone mountains in the process.

As a result, Arthur's mastery of Armament Haki had reached an exceptional level—among the strongest in the world.

In the first stage of Armament Haki, known as hardening, Arthur estimated that while he wasn't quite at the level of Garp, he was close.

In the second stage, called "emission" (or "Sakura" flow), Arthur had nearly perfected it.

In the third stage, where Armament Haki is driven internally into the target, Arthur had already mastered the technique. Now, he only needed to refine it further. He believed that in six more months, even this challenging third stage would be nearly flawless.

Once he reached that point, Arthur planned to explore how to develop Armament Haki to even greater heights. After all, Haki still had room to grow.

Arthur had a strong sense that Armament Haki might go beyond just three stages—there could be a fourth, fifth, or even more advanced stages waiting to be discovered.

At the end of the first half of the Grand Line lay the Chambord Archipelago, close to the Red Line.

After nearly six months of adventure, the Straw Hat Pirates had finally arrived at this island.

And just like in the original story, it seemed fate was leading them toward a dangerous encounter.

This reckless crew was about to clash with the Celestial Dragons, the arrogant and oppressive rulers who dominated the island.

However, in this timeline, Blackbeard—Marshall D. Teach—had not yet obtained the Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit). For now, he remained quietly within the Whitebeard Pirates, biding his time.

Without Blackbeard's betrayal, his captain, Portgas D. Ace, had no reason to be captured or executed. Without Ace's fateful battle, there would be no Summit War at Marineford, no public execution to spark chaos.

The events of the original story, including the epic battle at Marineford, seemed to have vanished entirely.

So, what would happen to the Straw Hat Pirates, who were about to provoke the wrath of the Celestial Dragons?

No one could say for sure—not even the author had decided how these events would unfold...