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Let It All Burn I
🕑 Added 2022-06-16 15:08:27 +0000 UTC.................
Chapter 9: Let It All Burn I
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Those weren't just mere passing thoughts, nor were they just a distraction from the pain... No, he was lecturing himself, learning a lesson because the darkest of times can always pass; as long as you let it all burn.
"I can't see it, but I'm close," Yovan murmured, his eyes scanning the surroundings with alertness.
It's been three days since the incident, and well, these three previous days were nothing but torture.
The waves were raging, the rain never ending, lightning never to fail illuminating, thunder under which you can never sleep.
Yovan even created a poem for his situation, one he recited for himself throughout the days, "The Sky was weeping, and Poseidon was raging as Zeus was howling because Athena was whispering."
He found himself falling off the raft so many times, more times than any normal person can handle because the coldness of the sea sought him frozen.
The waves desired to decimate him. Alas, Yovan was no mere human, not anymore, but he wasn't far off, so he wasn't able to do anything when the wrath of the waves destroyed most of his raft.
He was left with something that couldn't even be called a raft, but more like a log of wood.
It was so small he'd barely be able to balance himself on it when the sea is calm let alone when Poseidon is raging.
So in such weather, he was forced to hang on to the plank, keeping himself afloat but being nothing but a bouncing ball for the waves, throwing him wherever they desire.
His injury became bleeding once again many times as a result, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He had to hang in there without the ability to move much. Yovan foresaw such a thing happening, so he put the devil fruit in his pants before tightening it to make sure it doesn't slip away.
It certainly became far less appealing to him after that, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Losing the devil fruit wasn't worth it to him at all.
The continuous waves did their hardest to drown him which should've been easy considering his missing arm, but he had the willpower of a cockroach.
Nature wasn't entirely against him though; because most sea creatures usually swim deeper in storms.
They usually avoid the turbulent surface sea and head to calmer seas, and in such a large-scale storm, that can only be the depths.
Yovan has never been more thankful for Barometric pressure than now because it dropping was what kept him alive. It's what kept him from becoming a piece of meat for the starving.
The first two days were torture of the Gods, and the third was one of necessity because he couldn't sleep. Necessity required him to remain alert and awake.
That wasn't just to see if there is land in sight, but mostly to not die. The plank he was on was something that required balance. Sleeping was a sure way to die.
In total, he remains awake for more than three days straight, his eyes becoming bloodshot, but he preserved, keeping them wide open until he finally saw the signs.
He noticed it clearly, the water color slowly becoming lighter, the passing birds, and the change in waves. They were all signs that made him certain he was close to land.
He deduced where the land should be from all the signs and started paddling using his legs while his arm was used to keep balance.
He kept his expectations low because only that way can he keep his disappointment to a minimum, but thankfully, his worst fears didn't come true.
The land before him was certainly not an Island. He tried to keep his cool and he succeeded to a certain extent, but the increase in his paddling speed gave it away, all the relief he was feeling.
He let the plank go and hurriedly crawled to the shore, breathing heavily not because he was out of breath, but just because he was finally there.
"I... ho... Ha," Yovan found no words to describe his current feelings. He could only mumble to himself some incoherent words.
He soon put his overwhelming feelings aside and stood up from the golden sand, eyeing the surroundings.
Yovan then brought out the devil fruit, looking at it with a bit of helplessness.
'In such a world, I'd assume danger to be everywhere, and humans certainly stand above it all. Even though I don't want to give up on my ability to swim, I have to because the alternative may just be death.'
He wasn't too resistant to eating the devil fruit. The problem he had with it was that he wasn't sure about the specific of the devil fruit.
He can make assumptions all he wants, but in the end, they remain assumptions until verified. His only solace really was Limitless, he was hoping it to be what it says it was, limitless.
So without much hesitation, he took a very small bite, his expression crunching up into disgust immediately after.
"AGHH, Phaw, Tft! Go away! Fucking voodoo magic bullshit!" Some things you can only imagine, but never enough, only when you experience them yourself will you truly understand.
His willpower was what allowed him to stomach swallowing just that small bite. He then threw the fruit away.
He may not remember much about One piece, but he can recall a lot of important and interesting things, so can vaguely remember that only one bite is enough.
Well, it appears that he doesn't have much trust in his memory because he instantly decided to look at Limitless to see if anything change because he certainly felt different, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what changed.
[System: Limitless]
[Name: Yovan Night]
[Age: 23/69,69]
[Physique: 59/∞]
[Endurance: 89/∞]
[Agility: 66/∞]
[Willpower: 109/∞]
[Mind: 41/∞]
[Devil Fruit: Kakin Kakin no Mi, Model: Crow: 32/∞]
[Countdown]
"Huh?" Yovan recalled looking through Limitless not long ago, just after the end of the storm, and he noticed a lot of change, attributing it to all that he went through, but this is vastly different.
'My willpower didn't change, at least not since I last checked, but my endurance on the other hand... It's fucking ridiculous.'
He was even starting to wonder if his memory is failing him, but he was quite sure it was way lower than that.
So the only explanation would be the new addition to Limitless, an option showing his devil fruit with clear understandable words, and numbers.
Now, the numbers he was confused about, 'Why is it already 32... Is it because of the instinct I feel right now?'
It did feel a bit strange when he took the bite, but he started to feel more clearly with the passing of time, a clear feeling, almost like an instinct to spread his wings.
'Devil fruit users are born with the natural instinct to use their power, or at least I do.' He tested his assumption right there and then. it was like he has been training for it since his birth, perfectly natural.
It felt to him like a breeze as he transformed into a small crow, flapping his wings with difficulty only to fall to the ground.
He looked just like any normal crow except for his ominously crimson eyes, somewhat befitting of the nature of such menacing creatures.
Yovan still continued to flap his newly gained wings with immense vigor and excitement, trying to fly until he succeeded, albeit it was still a bit unnatural.
He then transformed back, not losing himself in the wondrous experience, 'I have a lot of doubts, the first of which is how miraculous this is, like, I still have my clothes on...'
Well, that was kinda strange, but that wasn't his main concern. The fact that his arm loss didn't synchronize with a missing wing brought him endless relief.
'It's certainly nothing special, but it's also not the worst of what I expected.' According to his knowledge, this model shouldn't be anything special, just a normal Zoan creature.
'But well, Diamonds were carbons before they became the precious and exquisite gems they are, so Limitless, do not disappoint.'
He had many doubts, so many questions, most of which he wondered about why eyeing the Nightsky in the desolation of the island. Most of which were still never answered.
'Survival. Knowledge. Power. Countdown.' Yovan recited his priorities in mind, keeping his composure because the most thing he wanted at the moment was to flare his wings and fly to the sky, but... No rest for the wicked.
