One Piece: Absolute Domination; Reborn as Luffy

Luffy hadn't expected it.

The Dark King, Rayleigh, had shown up here—right in front of him. And... Luffy noticed something in Rayleigh's eyes. A complex emotion seemed to linger in them.

The next moment, Rayleigh spoke.

"Luffy! Have you recovered from your injuries?"

Luffy blinked, surprised, before nodding.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm feeling better now, Rayleigh. Why? Do you need something?"

Rayleigh's face darkened just a bit. His voice grew firm as he said, "A simple injury, and it took this long to heal? Luffy, what on earth is going on with you? First, your Devil Fruit powers vanish, and now your body seems weaker than before. But most surprising of all—your very nature feels like it's changed."

A shadow passed over Rayleigh's expression.

"Luffy," he continued, "I'm starting to think... I barely recognize you."

With those words, Rayleigh took a slow, deliberate step forward. Luffy stopped what he was doing, his gaze locking onto the older man.

In an attempt to break the tension, Luffy chuckled.

"Oh, come on, Rayleigh! It's nothing serious, alright? I'm just growing up," he said, waving it off. "I'm at that age when people are constantly changing, right? It makes sense! I'm always growing and evolving, bit by bit."

Rayleigh hesitated, nodding slowly, contemplating Luffy's words. It was a fair point—Luffy had matured. Given everything he'd gone through recently, from the Summit War to Ace's death, it would be strange if he hadn't changed. Rayleigh reasoned that all this loss and trauma might indeed have reshaped Luffy's heart.

But Rayleigh pressed on.

"Fine, your personality has shifted. I'll accept that. But what about your Devil Fruit? Your strength—why are those gone too?"

Luffy was at a loss for words. He couldn't just explain about being a transmigrated soul with a strange system in his head. But he quickly cobbled together a reply.

"Rayleigh! I honestly don't know what happened. The Devil Fruit powers… just vanished. And yes, I'll admit, my body does feel a bit weaker than before." Luffy shrugged with a wry smile. "But I don't think it's anything that can't be trained back."

The simplicity of his words caught Rayleigh off guard.

Rayleigh frowned. Without warning—swish!—Rayleigh vanished.

Luffy gasped. But it wasn't that Rayleigh had disappeared. No, he—

SMACK!

Luffy was struck square in the face, the blow so hard that he toppled to the ground.

"LUFFY!" Rayleigh thundered. "Do you understand what your Devil Fruit ability represents? You know nothing! And yet you dare to speak so casually!"

Luffy lay stunned on the ground, unable to comprehend what had just happened. In his previous life, watching the anime, Rayleigh had always come across as this gentle, wise mentor. But now, confronted with this fierce and furious Rayleigh, Luffy remembered what the "Dark King" title truly meant. Rayleigh wasn't feared for nothing.

But even as Rayleigh's anger simmered, Luffy could sense a hint of regret. His chest heaved as he tried to steady his breathing, visibly trying to rein in his temper.

"Luffy," Rayleigh said quietly, "you really don't understand. There are things in this world that are far more complex than they seem. Your Devil Fruit... it's a crucial piece of something far larger than you know."

This didn't surprise Luffy. In his previous life, he had devoured every episode of the anime and knew the plot inside and out. He was all too familiar with the mysterious "Nika" Fruit and the grand implications it held.

"Luffy," Rayleigh went on, "why do you think Shanks gambled his future on you? He even lost an arm for you. And why do I hold you in such high regard? Do you think it's just raw talent? Think, Luffy. If that were all, then Ace… he was every bit as promising as you. This goes beyond mere potential."

Rayleigh's words were laced with a gravity that made Luffy pause. It was all about The Devil Fruit. Luffy knew that both Shanks and Rayleigh understood the importance of this mythical fruit.

Rayleigh's voice grew even quieter.

"There's a secret—one so profound, it changes everything. And your fruit, Luffy… it holds the key."

Luffy mused over this quietly. In his previous life, he had often wondered why Shanks, Rayleigh, and a select few others looked at him with such expectancy. His raw potential couldn't be the only explanation. After all, Ace had that same terrifying talent, and yet, Shanks and the others had always reserved their highest hopes for him. Why? It was all about the Nika Fruit. When Shanks had stolen it, he must have known the truth—its powers were the key to unlocking something monumental.

Taking a breath, Luffy finally looked up at Rayleigh.

"Rayleigh," he murmured, "the fruit… it's gone. It disappeared. Let's focus on what lies ahead."

It was all he could say, and it would have to be enough for now.

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T/N:

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