One Piece: Lightning's Heir

On the vast ocean, there was no faster path to power than the Devil Fruits.

Ordinary fruits didn't interest Arthur. Even if he had one, he wouldn't give it a second glance.

People spouted nonsense, saying things like, "There's no such thing as the strongest fruit, only the strongest user." It was complete rubbish.

Imagine two geniuses, both with the same effort and talent. Give one a stronger fruit, and that person's starting line is instantly ahead. Where's the fairness in that?

Of course, developing a Paramecia fruit took more than just talent. It took a creative mind, a certain spark.

So, Arthur had a plan. He either wouldn't eat a fruit, or he'd eat the strongest one. And, being familiar with the One Piece story, he knew just which fruits were the strongest.

His top choices were two: the Dark-Dark Fruit, which hadn't appeared yet, and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Both were Logia-type.

The Dark-Dark Fruit's power was gravity. It could pull everything into nothingness. But it had a fatal flaw: it couldn't turn the user into their element.

However, any damage could be absorbed, converted into double the pain.

What if the pain exceeded the brain's limit? Only one outcome: the user would pass out, becoming easy prey.

The biggest issue? Arthur had no idea where it was.

In the original story, it appeared before the year 1520, when Luffy reached the Alabasta Kingdom. It was found by Thatch, the 4th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Then, Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard, killed him for it.

Right now, it was 1493. The most infamous fruit was either in the New World or hidden somewhere in the Four Blues.

His second choice was on Sky Island: the strongest Logia, not yet eaten by Enel - the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!

Arthur knew where it was. He also knew its terrifying power.

First, lightning was almost as fast as teleportation. It was better for travel than Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit.

Light travels in a straight line. One wrong move, and Kizaru could end up miles away. That's why he used the Yata no Kagami, to reflect light for directional movement. (Realistically, Kizaru couldn't reach light speed. If he could, pirates wouldn't stand a chance.)

But the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was different. Lightning could change direction.

Then there was electromagnetism. With training, it could be like Shiki's Float-Float Fruit or Fujitora's gravity fruit, maybe even stronger.

Don't forget, lightning generates heat. Just like Charlotte Oven of the Big Mom Pirates, Arthur could use heat to attack.

The extreme heat of a lightning strike could reach ten thousand degrees, ten times hotter than magma.

With its destructive power, it could easily destroy an island. Its electrical waves, combined with Observation Haki, could cover an entire island. And it had piercing and cutting power.

This fruit could do the work of several. Arthur coveted it. It was his, as long as Enel didn't get to it first.

Based on the timeline, Enel wouldn't eat it for a while. Arthur had time to get there first.

Enel destroyed his home, Birka. He drove out the God, Gan Fall. He took over and became the new God in the year 1514!

This fruit was nearly flawless. It had top-tier destructive power, speed, and Haki amplification. Only someone like Arthur could truly unlock its potential.

So, after his family's ship sank, he wasn't afraid of this lawless island. He was excited.

Blackbeard hid for twenty years on Whitebeard's ship, all for a slim chance at the Dark-Dark Fruit. Why couldn't Arthur stake his life on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?

Arthur was just as ambitious as Blackbeard. He knew the timing of the sky current was near.

He'd waited five years for this. He might be smashed to pieces or he might reach Sky Island and claim the fruit he craved.

No one starts at the top, not even Gods. But the throne in the sky was waiting. The Pirate King would be born in three years. The tide of the era was coming. And Arthur would rise to the very top!

Life or death, it was up to fate!

...

Jaya wasn't a large island. Centuries ago, a sky current had ripped away half of it.

Originally, the island was skull-shaped. The missing part was the top of the skull. What remained were the teeth.

It had two towns: Mock Town, a pirate haven, and a small village nearby with a few hundred people.

The small village survived because of one man, a pirate from the village with a bounty of over one hundred million Beli in the New World. His reputation kept the outlaws of Mock Town away.

Bounties in this era weren't inflated. They were earned with blood.

...

A dense forest split the island. The villagers of the small village made their living by fishing and hunting. They weren't rich but had enough to eat and wear.

In the forest, Arthur leaped between branches, swinging from thick vines.

He moved like Tarzan.

He was multitasking, thinking about the information he had gathered from the villagers.

According to village legend, the sky current was caused by a giant sea dragon turning over in its sleep.

The timing of the dragon's movements was unpredictable, but there was a pattern. Arthur had figured out from the pattern that the current was coming soon.

He didn't believe in sea dragons. He thought it was a giant Sea King or maybe an earthquake. It was just a natural phenomenon.

He reached the beach in front of the village and sat down, taking off the homemade fishing net he carried.

Moments later, a gruff voice broke his thoughts. "Arthur, quit daydreaming! Time to go!"

Arthur stood up, straightening his posture as he brushed the sand off his pants.

In five years, he had integrated into the village, persuading the fishermen to take him to sea.

Of course, he had to contribute. He couldn't expect them to carry a useless burden.