Fenrir dragged the mop across the deck for what felt like the hundredth time, his arms already aching from the repetitive motion.
This definitely wasn't the heroic beginning he'd imagined when fantasising about reincarnation, but every legend had to start somewhere, right?
The day crawled by with mind-numbing labour, such as organising cannonballs, scrubbing the latrines, which were somehow more disgusting than he thought they would be, and enduring the casual cruelty of his new crewmates.
He made a note of every snide remark, every casual shove, every mocking laugh in his mental notebook for future payback. He wasn't the forgiving type.
As the sun began to set behind the vast ocean horizon, Fenrir finally finished his assigned chores.
The evening meal was as disappointing as he thought it would be. Stale bread, questionable meat, and water that tasted like it had been stored in rusty barrels for months. But it was food after all, and after a day of backbreaking labour, any food tasted great.
It was not like there wasn't decent enough food. But it wasn't just available to him, only to higher-ranked officers.
Exhausted and sore, Fenrir made his way to his crew quarters, a cramped section below deck where lots of hay was placed down in the name of a makeshift bed.
The air was thick with the smell of unwashed bodies and stale alcohol, making him gag. He was a typical NEET who never knew what hard labour was; this was his first experience. He somehow regretted asking to be reborn in the One Piece world now.
Maybe he should have asked to be reincarnated in some other world, like a world where gender roles are reversed or DxD or something. What was worse, there was absolutely no sign of his cheat code that was promised by God. Maybe he was scammed, and there was no cheat code after all.
Just as he was thinking such blasphemous thoughts, an object came crashing in front of his eyes, growing bigger and bigger in size, until-
BAM!
Something heavy crashed down onto his head, sending stars exploding across his vision.
"Ow! What the—" Fenrir rubbed his head, looking down to see what had nearly killed him.
Sitting on the floor beside his bed was an ornate treasure chest, its brass fittings gleaming despite the dim lighting.
He glanced around nervously to see if anyone noticed, but all the other pirates seemed oblivious to the mysterious appearance of the chest.
A few were snoring loudly, and others were engaged in quiet card games or drinking contests.
'Where the hell did this come from?' Fenrir wondered as he carefully lifted the chest onto his lap. It was surprisingly light for its size, and when he opened the latch, the hinges moved without a sound.
Inside, on top of a red velvet padding, lay a peculiar-looking fruit covered in swirling patterns and what appeared to be a folded piece of paper. The fruit was roughly the size of a melon, with a red, black and gold colouration that seemed to shift in the lamplight.
Ignoring the fruit, Fenrir picked up the note and unfolded it, squinting to read the elegant handwriting under the dim lights.
{Surprise! Your divine patron here~ As promised, here is your devil fruit.
It is a Mythical Zoan Fruit, called 'Saru Saru no Mi, Model: Battle God'.
It gives you higher healing ability and higher battle sense, as well as a few other abilities. You figure out the rest yourself. Won't be too fun if I told you everything about it now will it? Anyways, for maximum effect, you need to eat the ENTIRE fruit. Yes, the whole thing! Don't be a wimp about it. If you don't, you will get only half the abilities.
P.S. - It's going to taste horrible. Enjoy~
Signed: Your Favourite God }
Fenrir stared at the note, then at the fruit, then back at the note again. Eat the entire thing? Most Devil Fruits only required a single bite to grant their powers, but if the God said he needed to eat it all, he would. How bad can it be anyways?
He picked up the fruit while thinking so. Taking a deep breath, he bit into it.
Then he projectile vomited.
"Bleh! Oh God, that's—" He doubled over and vomited onto the floor, the chunks of his dinner mixing with fruit juice in a nauseating puddle. It was as if someone had mixed rotten eggs, spoiled milk, and bitter medicine into the most concentrated form of awful possible. His entire face scrunched up in disgust as the horrible flavour coated his tongue and throat.
Several nearby pirates stirred at the sound, one opening a bleary eye. "Oi, what's all that noise? Some people are trying to sleep here!"
"S-sorry," Fenrir gasped, wiping his mouth. He looked at the partially eaten fruit in his hand, its bite mark seeming to mock him. He felt like vomiting again just by looking at it, let alone finishing it. But he didn't want to lose his powers.
So after steeling himself, he took another bite. Then another. Each one felt like torture, his body instinctively trying to reject the horrific taste, but he forced himself to continue. Bite by bite, he literally inhaled the entire Devil Fruit, tears streaming down his face from the horrible taste.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he swallowed the last piece. His stomach churned violently, but he managed to keep it down this time.
'There, ' he thought weakly, 'I did it. I ate the whole damned-'
He glanced back at the note and nearly screamed in Anger.
Without him paying attention to it, the words on it changed. The Elegant writing had arranged itself into a new message.
{"PSYCH! Got you good, didn't I? It's common knowledge that Devil Fruits work after just one bite, you absolute fruitcake! You just ate an entire Devil Fruit for no reason at all!! Maybe except for my personal entertainment.
The look on your face right now is PRICELESS! Serves you right for doubting me, ya brat.
Keep this paper safe. You'll need it to communicate with me later. Try not to lose it like you lost your dinner just now.
Signed: Your Trolling God}
Fenrir's eye twitched as rage and embarrassment warred in his chest.
'That absolute bastard.' He wanted to crumple up the note and throw it far into the ocean so he never has to speak to him again, but something told him that God wasn't joking about needing it later. With a frustrated sigh, he carefully folded the paper and tucked it into his vest pocket.
Almost immediately, he felt something change within his body. It started as a warm tingling sensation in his chest that spread outward through his limbs. His senses felt sharper, his muscles more responsive. When he flexed his fingers, he could swear he felt a faint energy humming beneath his skin. He heard the sound of his pants tearing up, as he looked to see a furry little tail coming out of his tailbone.
'A Saiyan tail? Damnit, I am fucked'.