Chapter 7: Divine Powers: The Celestial Titan
"If you want to know what happens next, tune in for the next installment."
Apollo clapped the table, concluding his storytelling for the day.
What he told was naturally not the original work; although he had read it, he didn't have the ability to memorize the entire text verbatim.
Based on his memories, he blended the novel and the TV series to create his own version.
The story of Journey to the West was captivating enough to make Kaya's eyes sparkle with wonder.
"The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, is so cool!"
Kaya, still wanting more, couldn't help but say in a pleading tone, "Teacher, can you tell a little more!"
Apollo "coldly" refused, "No, it's time for you to rest!"
"Teacher is so mean."
Kaya immediately puffed out her cheeks.
"Don't worry," Apollo chuckled, "I'll come over often."
Kaya was overjoyed, "Then I'll give you more money, Teacher."
"No need for more money, it's useless for me to have so much."
Apollo waved his hand.
If he wanted to earn money, he might as well go hunt pirates; the bounty on a great pirate's head was worth decades of his income as a tutor…
Subsequently, Apollo lived a life that was both boring and fulfilling.
Every morning was spent in training, and in the afternoons, he sometimes went to tell Kaya stories; if not, he continued to train.
The result was a rapid increase in his strength and a quick warming of his relationship with Kaya.
It's worth mentioning that Kuro didn't cause any trouble during this time, and his attitude towards Apollo became extremely good when they met again, seemingly having completely forgotten the unpleasantness of that day—truly the demeanor of a schemer.
Apollo stood at the foot of the cliff, facing the sea, and softly shouted, "Celestial Titan!"
Whoosh.
His body rapidly expanded, and in the blink of an eye, he became a ten-meter-tall giant.
It was not a giant ape transformation; he was completely in human form at this time.
With a thought, golden monkey fur began to grow on his body, and the four pieces of equipment—the Phoenix-Winged Purple Gold Crown, the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and others—also began to manifest.
The ape-human form.
Apollo tapped his toes, soaring into the air, his body instantly transforming into an afterimage.
The massive ten-meter-tall body flew at high speed, yet it caused no air disturbance, almost like a ghost.
This was one of the marvelous uses of Ki: reducing air resistance, creating a state of merging with the air.
A few seconds later, Apollo's figure reappeared.
"Transform!"
He let out a low growl, and his body began to change again.
His mouth protruded, his canines elongated, and his appearance became increasingly ferocious.
His body also expanded again.
When the transformation stopped, what appeared was a hundred-meter-tall golden giant ape, holding a Golden Staff that was one hundred and fifty meters long and over three meters in diameter.
"Mountain Collapse!"
Apollo roared.
His grip remained unchanged, but the other end of the Golden Staff swelled several times. He swung his arm, smashing it down heavily.
Boom.
A deafening roar echoed throughout Syrup Village, startling many people who thought an earthquake had occurred.
At the cliff, shattered rocks flew and dust billowed; the previous cliff had completely disappeared, leaving behind only a messy rubble field.
"Not enough!"
Apollo shook his enormous head, and his body began to shrink.
This move, "Mountain Collapse," was a new technique he had developed; seemingly simple, it actually combined complex applications of Ki with techniques of weight, shock, and others.
According to his vision, if this move reached mastery, it should be able to pulverize an entire mountain.
A moment later, he returned to his human form, Ki flowing around his body, condensing into a black tight-fitting suit.
Transforming would tear his clothes, but after returning to human form, his Ki would automatically condense an identical set.
This seemed to be a passive skill.
Apollo only discovered it after multiple transformations.
He had been studying this technique but had yet to make any progress.
Usopp cautiously approached, his eyes wide as he looked at Apollo, "You, you, you… you monster!"
"Why are you so surprised? Haven't you seen it before?" Apollo chuckled.
Some time ago, he hadn't paid attention during his training and was coincidentally seen by Usopp.
Of course, this was mainly because he hadn't been particularly careful about keeping it a secret.
Since then, Usopp had often come to watch.
Thus, their relationship was also quite good now, not as close as with Kaya, but he was the second most familiar person to him in Syrup Village.
"How can that be the same?"
Usopp seemed very excited, "Before, you were just fast and strong, but this time you shattered a mountain! And you turned into a hundred-meter-tall monster! Are you really human?"
"I told you long ago, that's the power of a Devil Fruit! As for the hundred-meter-tall giant ape…"
Apollo's lips curved into a smile, "This is a new technique I've researched, or rather, a Mythical Ability, called Celestial Titan!"
It could be said that this was his greatest gain in the past six months!
The Celestial Titan was a true Mythical Ability.
Its current effect was to increase his body size tenfold, while also greatly boosting his speed, strength, and other attributes.
Even though he appeared very large when using the Celestial Titan ability, his speed was actually faster than when he was smaller!
Of course, in the Celestial Titan state, Ki would be continuously consumed, and at an extremely fast rate!
However, to be precise, this ability was not created by him, but rather developed.
It was like an inherent ability of a Mythical Zoan fruit, deeply hidden within his bloodline. As Apollo's strength continuously developed, its mysteries gradually revealed themselves, until today, it fully took shape.
What was exciting was, if this time it was… Celestial Titan, could other Mythical Abilities also be developed?
For example, the Flying Nimbus? The Seventy-Two Transformations?
Whenever he thought of this, Apollo's heart burned with excitement, and he longed to shout aloud, "The Great Sage is mighty!"
Usopp snapped out of his shock, wiped his nose, and patted Apollo's shoulder, "Hahaha, not bad, not bad, you're almost catching up to Captain Usopp."
"You really are talking nonsense with your eyes closed."
Apollo was speechless, "Let's go, someone will be here soon."
The commotion just now was so loud that it would surely attract the attention of the people in Syrup Village.
He was too lazy to explain, so he simply avoided meeting them.
"Are you going to class again?" Usopp quickly followed.
"Mm."
"How boring!"
"Boring? Then let's go to sea, there are many thrilling things on the high seas."
"Going to sea, huh…"
Usopp looked back at the sparkling sea, a hint of longing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by fear, and he chuckled dryly, "Haha, that's a good idea, it's time for the world to witness the prestige of Captain Usopp. By the way, are you coming with me?"
"Of course…" Apollo's tone shifted, "Not!"
The happy expression that had just appeared on Usopp's face suddenly froze. He abruptly clutched his chest, "Ha, haha, I suddenly contracted a disease where I'll die if I go to sea, so I have to temporarily abandon this plan."
Apollo glanced at him playfully and said indifferently, "Suit yourself."
Anyway, in another half a year, the man destined for you will arrive.
However, without Kaya in the picture, would they still end up together?
They should… right?
Forget it, why think so much? Things will sort themselves out!
Apollo irresponsibly pushed the question to the back of his mind.