Rumble-Rumble Fruit

The wind of the Cloud Sea howled past Rock's back, tearing at his clothes and stretching his figure into a racing black shadow.

His footsteps beat out a rapid rhythm between the Cloud Grass and white earth. Every landing was light yet powerful, as though the wind guided him and fate gave chase.

The shadows of the jungle deepened. Layers upon layers of cloud-tree branches and leaves blocked out the sky, leaving only specks of starlight to spill through the gaps and flicker as Rock darted past.

His breathing was slightly rushed, but he had no intention of stopping.

Kai's words still echoed in his ears—

"Sometimes, strange-looking fruits fall down..."

"Sometimes, corpses drifting up from the lower world appear."

"Recently, the village chief has heard inexplicable thunder several times."

Inexplicable thunder.

Strange-looking fruits.

Unknown things drifting up.

Those clues rapidly came together in Rock's mind. His heart beat steadily in his chest, growing louder and louder.

It was not fear, but a trembling anticipation.

Rock suddenly accelerated, and the Cloud Grass behind him flattened in swathes like rice stalks crushed beneath a gale.

At last, he reached the fork where the "thunder" had been heard.

Rock stopped, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes.

Observation Haki spread out in an instant, surging from beneath his feet like a rising tide. Trees, terrain, the sound of the wind, even hidden creatures—all of it was mapped into his mind.

Ahead... there seemed to be something.

And that "static" was even stronger than before, as though it could tear open the air at any moment.

Rock opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade.

He tightened his grip on his short blade and carefully stepped into the darkest depths of the dense forest, guided by his senses.

He pushed aside branches rattling in the wind, and his view suddenly opened up.

The next instant, his pupils contracted sharply.

Ahead, a protruding red stone stood among the trees. Resting quietly atop it was an exceptionally dazzling yellow fruit.

It lay there silently, yet seemed to occupy his entire field of vision.

The fruit was pear-shaped, its surface covered in twisting, winding lightning patterns.

Lightning-shaped spikes extended outward from its peel, as if they could split the air apart at any moment.

Even from more than ten meters away, Rock could feel the faint electric current released from within, rising and falling like a heartbeat.

Rock's heart gave a violent boom at that very moment, and he froze.

With one glance, he recognized it. This was the embodiment of lightning.

—Logia: Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

As a veteran One Piece reader in his previous life, there was no way he could mistake it.

This was one of the most terrifying and tyrannical powers among the Logia fruits.

The true "embodiment of thunder."

Once mastered, it was a power capable of easily destroying an island.

His breath involuntarily caught for a moment. Everything before him felt too unreal, yet was undeniably real.

But Rock was not swept away by joy. His instincts—

No, his Observation Haki was screaming madly!

Danger... was right beneath his feet!

Rock reacted instantly, violently retreating backward!

"Boom—!!!"

The cloud ground seemed to be torn apart from within by immense force, exploding into an exaggerated crack. Shattered cloudstone and white earth were hurled into the air by the blast, scattering everywhere.

The surrounding leaves were swept into spinning clusters by the shockwave, whirling wildly as if shredded by a storm.

The next second, a gigantic creature roared as it burst from the fissure!

A heavy shadow blotted out the sky, while thick clouds churned wildly around its body.

"Hiss—!!"

A gigantic shrimp, crimson from head to tail and seemingly clad in metal armor, burst through the ground. Every movement carried enough force to shake the clouds.

Its enormous claws snapped together in the air with sharp, grating clicks, like blades striking against each other.

Its dark green compound eyes stared fixedly at Rock, carrying the savagery of a natural predator.

Rock instantly understood what it was.

—White Sea Express Shrimp!

It lived in the upper White-White Sea, a terrifying beast renowned for its speed, ramming power, and hard shell.

They could glide across the surface of the Cloud Sea at unimaginable speeds. It would not be an exaggeration to say a single charge could destroy half a village.

Express Shrimp that had fallen from above the White-White Sea had caused trouble before, and hunting one usually required the elite warriors of the entire Birka Village to join forces.

But now—

It had appeared alone.

And... it was staring at him.

Worse still—

As the ground shook violently, the dazzling Rumble-Rumble Fruit rolled off the stone and lodged perfectly in the gap between the Express Shrimp's breastplate and shell!

The yellow fruit was wedged between the dark red armor, half exposed. It trembled slightly with the monster's roars, yet showed no sign of falling free.

It was as though nature had maliciously "protected" it.

Rock stared at the fruit—the treasure that could change his fate—caught in the gap of the monster's shell.

His eyes instantly turned cold.

"...That won't do."

He slowly raised his short blade across his body. His breathing immediately became calm and even, and he regained a warrior's composure, like a black panther poised to strike.

Facing a monster of this level alone, he should have turned and run.

That was common sense, and the survival wisdom of every Sky Islander.

But the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was right before his eyes.

Just one more step forward, and the distance between him and a "god" came down to a single choice.

Rock took a deep breath and lowered his center of gravity.

"I'm not letting this chance slip away."

The next moment, the Cloud Grass beneath his feet exploded with a bang, and a black shadow shot forward!

He was so fast that even the air was sliced by a piercing whistle.

The Express Shrimp let out a shrill hiss, and its massive claws snapped shut!

"Crack—!!!"

The air was cut apart as though slashed by blades, forming two visible tears as killing intent crashed down from every direction.

Rock darted swiftly through the attack without retreating an inch!

Man and beast collided like thunder in this Sky Island jungle!

The view slowly rose, passing over the swaying canopies of cloud trees and gradually moving away from the center of the battle.

From deep within the jungle came the Express Shrimp's mad, savage impacts—

The sharp cracks of trees snapping and the muffled, thunderous roar of cloud earth being blasted apart intertwined into chaos.

The sounds continued for several minutes before suddenly—

"Boom—!!!"

A colossal bolt of lightning, dazzling enough to illuminate the entire Cloud Sea, descended from the sky and blasted the forest into a blaze of electric light.

Beneath the Lightning Roar, every sound instantly fell silent.

As the smoke and dust dispersed, a figure slowly emerged from the depths of the forest.

Rock slowly walked out of the black smoke, each step leaving an imprint behind. The remaining Cloud Grass beneath his feet was lightly split apart by electric currents.

Fine electric arcs coiled around his body, while gold-blue lightning danced across his skin as though celebrating its new master.

His eyes were no longer merely dark; they now faintly glimmered with lightning.

Behind him lay the towering corpse of the Express Shrimp, its shell blackened and fractured, electric currents still crackling within the cracks.

Rock stopped and raised both hands.

Lightning gathered, boiled, and surged through his palms, crashing through his veins as though alive. Every pulse brought new strength.

He took a deep breath, feeling the violent, surging power of thunder within his body.

A confident curve slowly rose at the corner of his lips.

"Looks like..."

Rock murmured softly, his voice carrying a sharpness it had never possessed before.

"I've gotten my ticket into the world of the strong too..."

Electric light burst from his fingertips, illuminating his resolute and excited face.