Isaac Newton in One Piece

Kieran trudged through the dense foliage of the island, following the pull of the map clutched in his hand. The village was long behind him now, the lively sounds of the party fading into silence. The air grew heavier with each step, and the trees began to thin, revealing a clearing.

There, towering at the edge of the island, stood a massive building. Its ominous silhouette was bathed in moonlight, and even from a distance, Kieran could see armed guards patrolling its perimeter.

"What is this place?" he muttered, his yellow eyes narrowing.

As he approached, a strange warmth spread through his hand. He looked down at Chandrahas, the curved blade glowing faintly in the moonlight. The warmth intensified, and before Kieran could react, his grip tightened involuntarily.

The next few moments were a blur. His legs moved on their own, carrying him swiftly toward the guards. His body felt like it wasn't his own, driven by a force emanating from the sword itself.

"Stop!" one of the guards shouted, raising his weapon.

But Kieran didn't stop. Or rather, Chandrahas didn't let him.

The blade swung in a perfect arc, slicing through the first guard with ease. Blood sprayed across the ground as the others rushed forward, shouting orders and drawing their weapons.

Kieran's vision blurred as Chandrahas continued its deadly dance, cutting down each guard with terrifying precision. The sword moved like an extension of his body, each strike fluid and unstoppable. He felt the resistance of their bodies, heard their dying cries, but he couldn't stop.

By the time the last guard fell, Kieran stood in the center of a blood-soaked battlefield, his chest heaving. The glow of Chandrahas dimmed, and he regained control of his body. His hands trembled as he stared at the weapon, its surface pristine despite the carnage it had caused.

"What... what just happened?" Kieran whispered, his voice shaky.

The sword offered no answer, but he could feel its presence—dormant now, but undeniably alive.

Shaking his head, Kieran turned toward the building. He had come this far; there was no turning back now.

The doors creaked loudly as he pushed them open, revealing a dark, cavernous interior. The air was thick with the scent of old wood and damp stone. Torches flickered along the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced in the corners of his vision.

Kieran moved cautiously, his eyes scanning every detail. The interior was starkly different from the lush jungle outside. This was no ordinary building—it was a fortress.

As he ventured deeper, he noticed the walls were plastered with wanted posters. Dozens of faces stared back at him, some familiar, some unknown. The bounties ranged from modest sums to astronomical figures, and each poster was meticulously arranged.

"This place..." Kieran murmured, his gaze traveling over the faces. "It's a bounty hunter's base."

The pull of the map grew stronger, guiding him down a long corridor. At the end, he found a room filled with papers, maps, and artifacts. A massive board dominated one wall, covered in red strings connecting locations, names, and events.

Kieran's heart raced as he scanned the board. Whoever operated this place wasn't just a bounty hunter—they were orchestrating something much larger.

The map in his hand pulsed faintly, and he followed its guidance to a hidden compartment in the floor. Kneeling, he pried it open using Chandrahas and found a large chest inside.

He knelt beside it and used the black key to open the lock. The lid creaked as it opened, revealing its contents: piles of money, sparkling jewels, and at the very center, a peculiar fruit.

The fruit was deep blue, its surface swirling with golden patterns that resembled tiny waves. An unsettling blue aura eminating from the fruit, staring up at Kieran as if it were alive.

His breath caught. He had seen enough to know what this was. A Devil Fruit.

"What is this doing here?" he muttered, reaching out to touch it. The surface was smooth, almost cold to the touch, and the sight of it sent a shiver down his spine.

Kieran stared at the fruit for a long moment before tucking it away into his bag. He didn't know what kind of power it held, but something told him it wasn't ordinary—not that any Devil Fruit was.

Satisfied with his find, he stuffed as much of the money and jewels as he could carry into his bag and left the building. As he stepped back into the night, he couldn't shake the feeling that the sword, the map, and now this fruit were all tied together in some way.

Whatever it was, it seemed like his journey was only beginning.

…

…

Kieran emerged from the shadows of the village, his steps deliberate and his expression unreadable. The torches lining the streets cast flickering light over his figure, his bag bulging slightly with his newfound treasures. As he approached the party's main area, the suspicious villagers keeping a close watch on Nolan began to subtly back away, their whispers growing quieter.

Nolan noticed the shift immediately, glancing over to see Kieran walking toward him. "Kieran," he said softly, relief evident in his voice. "Where have you been?"

"Exploring," Kieran replied simply, though his tone carried an edge that Nolan couldn't quite place. "We should head back to the ship. It's getting late."

Nolan hesitated, looking around at the villagers who were now watching from a safer distance, their faces a mix of anger and unease. "Yeah," he said finally. "That's probably a good idea."

Together, they hoisted Mira—still passed out from her drinking spree—and began the trek back to the docks. The village seemed quieter than usual, the tension in the air almost palpable.

Once they reached the ship, they carried Mira aboard and set her down in one of the hammocks. Kieran slung his bag onto the table, drawing the attention of both Nolan and Isaac, who had just stirred awake.

Isaac rubbed his eyes and sat up, his voice groggy. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

Kieran nodded, pulling the strange blue fruit from his bag and setting it on the table. The dim lantern light illuminated its swirling patterns and the faint blue glow, causing both Nolan and Isaac to lean in for a closer look.

"Is that..." Nolan began, his voice trailing off.

"A Devil Fruit," Kieran finished. "I found it in a heavily guarded building on the other side of the island. There was money too—tons of it. But this," he gestured to the fruit, "this was locked away in the center, like it was the real treasure."

Isaac's eyes narrowed as he examined the fruit. "Did you take a bite out of it?"

Kieran shook his head. "Not yet. I don't even know what it does. And honestly, after seeing what Devil Fruits can do... I'm not sure if I want to take that risk."

Nolan crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful. "What else did you find in that building? It sounds like it was more than just some random hideout."

Kieran hesitated, then explained what he had seen—the wanted posters, the piles of money, and the sheer scale of the operation. "Whoever ran that place, they were dangerous. I don't know if they're pirates, bounty hunters, or something worse, but they clearly had resources. And now they know someone's been there."

Isaac frowned, his mind racing. "That means they might come looking for us."

"Exactly," Kieran said, his voice low. "Which is why we need to stay alert. From now on, we sleep in shifts. One of us needs to be awake and keeping watch at all times."

The trio nodded in agreement. Nolan took the first watch, while Isaac and Kieran settled into their hammocks. As Kieran lay back, his hand rested briefly on the hilt of Chandrahas, the memory of its strange behavior still fresh in his mind.

He glanced over at the Devil Fruit one last time before closing his eyes, wondering if it, too, held a power as mysterious—and dangerous—as the sword by his side.

The ship rocked gently on the waves as the night deepened. Nolan sat near the bow, keeping watch, the soft creaks of the vessel and the distant call of the sea birds his only company. Isaac and Kieran had long since fallen asleep in their hammocks, Mira snoring lightly in her corner.

It seemed peaceful—almost too peaceful.

Then, Nolan heard it. A faint sound, like the shuffling of feet across the wooden deck. He turned, his brow furrowing as he saw Kieran, eyes half-lidded and unseeing, rising from his hammock. His movements were strange, almost mechanical, as if he weren't entirely in control of his body.

"Kieran?" Nolan whispered, standing up cautiously.

Kieran didn't respond. His hand was gripping the hilt of Chandrahas tightly, the blade glowing faintly in the moonlight as if alive. Slowly, he moved across the deck toward the table where the Devil Fruit rested.

Nolan stepped forward, alarmed. "Kieran! What are you doing?"

The commotion woke Isaac, who blinked groggily and sat up, his eyes widening as he saw Kieran. "What the—? Nolan, what's going on?"

"I don't know," Nolan replied urgently. "He's sleepwalking, but it's like—"

Before he could finish, Kieran reached the table. His movements were deliberate yet eerie, his sword hand twitching as if the blade was guiding him.

"Kieran!" Isaac shouted, scrambling to his feet.

But it was too late. Kieran grabbed the Devil Fruit with his free hand, bringing it to his mouth. His fingers trembled slightly, but he didn't stop. In one swift motion, he bit into the fruit, its strange, otherworldly juices dribbling down his chin.

The sound of him chewing echoed unnervingly through the silent ship.

"No!" Nolan yelled, rushing forward, but Isaac held him back.

"Wait," Isaac said, his voice grim. "Something's... off."

As Kieran swallowed the bite, his body seemed to jerk violently, as though rejecting the fruit's power. The glow from Chandrahas intensified, pulsing in rhythm with his shallow breaths. His knees buckled, and he fell to the deck, gasping as his hands gripped the floorboards.

"Kieran!" Nolan knelt beside him, panic etched across his face.

Isaac watched intently, his mind racing. "It's the sword," he said suddenly. "It's controlling him... and it's somehow linked to that Devil Fruit."

Kieran's breathing slowed, his grip on the sword loosening as the glow faded. Finally, his eyes fluttered open, their usual yellow now tinged with an unnatural, swirling gold. He looked at the two of them, confused and disoriented.

"What... happened?" he rasped.

"You ate the fruit," Nolan said, his voice shaking. "You were sleepwalking—or, no, the sword made you do it."

Kieran's gaze dropped to the empty spot on the table where the fruit had been. His hand instinctively went to his stomach, and he winced. "I... I don't remember. I just felt... like I couldn't stop."

Isaac crouched down, studying him carefully. "Do you feel any different? Any changes?"

Kieran frowned, flexing his fingers. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a faint, shimmering blue aura began to emanate from his forehead. The air around him seemed to ripple, as though reality itself was bending under his will.

Isaac stepped back, his analytical mind already working. "It's starting. Whatever power that fruit had, it's yours now."

Nolan looked between Kieran and Isaac, his worry deepening. "What if the sword made him eat it for a reason? What if this power—"

Kieran shook his head, his voice firm despite his lingering confusion. "Whatever it is, it's mine now. I'll control it. Not the sword."

Isaac crossed his arms, his expression serious. "You'll need to. Because from what we've seen so far, that blade doesn't play by the rules."

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, the weight of what had just happened settling over them. Above them, the moonlight shimmered on the restless waves, as if the Grand Line itself was holding its breath for what was to come.