Bright felt as though his mind had become sluggish. Thinking had turned into an exhausting task.
He had even forgotten who he was and why he had appeared here. All he could perceive was his body continuously falling, accompanied by laughter rising all around him.
Amid that laughter, an azure dragon emerged from nowhere.
Baring its fangs and claws, it circled Bright with wild abandon.
Its crimson eyes stared fixedly at Bright, and saliva seemed to drip between its sharp teeth.
It seemed to want to devour Bright.
But Bright merely stared blankly at it as he continued to plummet at high speed. He could not even make a proper response, as though his thoughts had nearly stopped.
Outside.
"Awooo!!"
Bright, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly arched backward. Then, like a spring, he shot up and let out a roar that barely sounded human.
His torso and limbs twisted into different curves. His tall body sometimes stretched even longer, then became shorter and stockier.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?!"
Outside the laboratory, a man walked in with a shocked expression. "I sensed an incredible aura!"
Ryokugyu swept his gaze around as he walked inside, then naturally fixed his eyes on Bright.
"Is that Bright?"
The man's eyes widened.
The other higher-ups of Navy Headquarters followed behind him.
Every face was filled with astonishment. Simply looking at Bright as he was now left them dumbfounded.
"This is—"
Vice Admiral Garp truly was well-informed. He could not help but say solemnly, "An awakening?"
"He's gone berserk."
Kizaru slowly pushed up the sunglasses on his nose. "When the body and spirit cannot keep up with the power, Zoan awakeners are consumed by the consciousness of their abilities."
"But it's truly hard to imagine. It would be one thing