One Piece: Mountain of Steel

"Ugh... What happened?" Groggy, I choke out a mouthful of seawater. Tastes disgusting. The memories come flooding back. 

"The Buddha... it seems he has given me a second chance," I murmur a quiet prayer in thanks. 

"But where am I?" Stamping my feet, the vibrations echo out and return to me, carrying information with them. It is comforting to know my sense of touch has not faded in the slightest. 

A beach. I had never seen one in my previous life, for obvious reasons, but Giyu told me stories of it. The vibrations match his description perfectly. Endless water, going out further than even my tremors can reach. 

My body seems to be the same as it was before I fought Muzan. Flexing my bicep, I watch as the muscle twists and turns, flexible as rubber and stronger than steel. 

But there is something different. Something...unique. I turn and begin punching trees with all my might, felling trees with a single punch. 

Time passed quickly, and soon enough, the entire forest, around 500 trees, was cleared in just a few hours. Sawdust lay everywhere, and the wood lying on the ground could fuel a campfire for many decades.

For me, this was normal. 

But what wasn't normal was my improvement. I could feel my tendons straining, feel the familiar pain of my muscles ripping and improving that I hadn't felt for so long.

"MAHAHAHA!" My laugh ripped through the crushed forest I had just destroyed. Even though there was pain in my calloused hands, it was easy to ignore. Something in the atmosphere healed me incredibly fast, fixing my shredded muscles and repairing the torn skin.

"I have to test this out!" My excitement only intensifies when I grab a sharp branch nearby and slice my skin open. The blood flows, but in only five minutes, the wound scabs over, leaving only pink and tender skin. 

"This...This is incredible!" I scream my heart out towards the heavens. Though I never make many expressions, the special occasion allows me a bit of leeway. 

With this power, I can build my strength like no other! I can protect everyone! I can do anything I want!

And so, with a grin on my face, I began my training. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Two Years Later

"Stone Breathing, First Form"

My lungs inflating, I breathe in deeply. 

"Serpentinite Bipolar"

Launching my handmade flail and axe at a boulder, I spin the chain connecting them furiously, creating a deadly rotational force. Like being struck by a massive drill, the boulder is pulverized into dust. 

Pulling my weapons back quickly, I spin into the next form. 

"Stone Breathing, Second Form"

Launching my flail behind me and my axe toward the boulder, I smash down onto the chain, rebounding the spiked ball over my head and straight into the boulder. 

'Upper Smash'

As the dust slowly falls to the ground, I suck in yet another massive gust of air. 

"Stone Breathing, Fourth Form"

Swinging my flail and axe in a massive pronged attack, I strike at the third boulder lined up. 

"Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest"

"And that makes twelve," I mutter under my breath. 

Two years had passed, and the gift the Buddha had given me had improved my physique by leaps and bounds. 

What was previously a mortal body had now evolved into something godlike. 

The fruits I found on the island were juicy and filled with nutrients, but they should not have been enough to boost my abilities like this. The rocks I just destroyed? They were all at least three times larger than the boulders I pushed in my previous life. 

The gift did not just end there. My height had also shot up by two feet. Before, I was considered a giant with my 8 feet of height, but now, I would be a behemoth. 

I had never seen myself in a mirror before, but I knew my body better than a piece of glass could ever show. Every tensed muscle, every tightened tendon, I knew their full potential and how I could access it. And now, my strength had more than tripled

I picked up a cloak made of wool from wild sheep, draping it over my shoulders. Emblazoned on it in dark ink were words that would define my new life. 

Death is Repetance

My strength was now sufficient. 

And when I crushed all evil in my path, their trampled faces would see the words proudly displayed on my back. 

And they would smile, because now, their souls would finally be saved.