Skill Tree Chronicles: One Piece

After successfully eliminating the pirates from Long Ring Long Land, Shen Yuan set his sights on something far grander.

He glanced at the Devil Fruit in his hand—the Goro Goro no Mi, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a Logia-class fruit known for its devastating power. But before he could make up his mind, he turned toward Qiong and Enel, who stood side by side.

"Come here, you two."

The two approached. Their eyes locked, and in that moment, both saw the same blazing hunger reflected in the other's gaze—power.

"This fruit," Shen Yuan raised it up, letting sparks dance across its skin, "is the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. A true Logia. Lightning incarnate. So—who wants it?"

Enel stared at the fruit, then at Shen Yuan, and instead of answering the question, stepped forward solemnly.

"Brother," he said with uncharacteristic seriousness, "I want to become your disciple."

Shen Yuan nodded, pleased. "Once you're on my ship, you're one of mine. I don't tolerate dead weight. If you follow me, you grow—or you die."

Enel grinned, eyes gleaming with ambition.

June, who had remained quiet until now, stepped up nervously. "Captain... can I have the fruit?"

"Of course," Shen Yuan replied casually, tossing the fruit toward her.

June didn't hesitate. She took a bite without ceremony.

Crunch.

Her face instantly twisted in pain. Her entire expression collapsed.

"Ugh—what is this taste?! This is—this is evil! I've never tasted anything like this, not even back on Skypiea!"

Indeed, Devil Fruits were never known for taste.

As the initial wave of nausea passed, sparks of electricity danced across June's fingertips. Her small frame shuddered as powerful arcs began wrapping around her, crackling wildly.

Boom!

A surge of lightning exploded from her body, gouging a hole in the rocky terrain.

"This power—hahaha!!" Her pained expression was replaced with wonder and madness as bolts of thunder rippled through the air.

Shen Yuan grinned. "Well, I guess we won't need a campfire anymore."

Just then, one of the scouts came running up, face pale.

"Sir! Urgent news! A Marine Vice Admiral is en route. Seems word of the island incident has already spread!"

Shen Yuan's grin widened. "Nice work. Now die."

He raised a finger—and a focused beam of Armament Haki-laced energy pierced the scout's skull.

Thud.

The body hit the ground, still bearing a look of panic.

Elsewhere, near the coast, a Marine stepped forward. His uniform was tattered from the wind, but he stood tall, katana strapped to his waist.

"I am—" the man began.

"What's wrong with you?" Shen Yuan asked mockingly.

"I am..."

"You are Vice Admiral Flying Squirrel," Shen Yuan cut in. "So, what brings you to my hunting ground?"

The Vice Admiral hesitated, unsure of Shen Yuan's intention. His grip tightened on his sword.

"What does the infamous 'Reaper' Shen Yuan, now worth 630 million Berries, want with the Marines?"

Shen Yuan blinked. "My bounty went up again?"

The Flying Squirrel tossed a fresh bounty poster at him. The picture was the same, but the number had jumped by 100 million.

"Nice," Shen Yuan said, tucking it away. "Now, hand over the Mera Mera no Mi, or I'll kill you and dig through the wreckage myself."

The Vice Admiral glared, raising his blade. "Over my dead body."

A flash.

Suddenly, the Flying Squirrel's body doubled over. Blood burst from his mouth as he was launched backward by a devastating punch, smashing through a boulder and skidding to a stop.

"You still think you can arrest me?"

He coughed, trembling. "No... I know where the Flame-Flame Fruit is. I'll take you."

Three minutes later, Shen Yuan emerged from the naval base, holding the Mera Mera no Mi with satisfaction. He paused to glance back at the unconscious Marine.

"I told you to behave. Why so naughty?"

With that, he and his group vanished into the forest, leaving devastation behind.

The wounded Flying Squirrel struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his lips. "Report... report this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku... immediately!"

The other Marines saluted and scrambled back to the base. Just saying those words made the Vice Admiral nearly black out.

"Blegh!"

He vomited more blood. His insides felt as if they had swapped places from that one punch.

Meanwhile, aboard Shen Yuan's ship, he stared at his Log Pose, frowning.

"Is this thing broken?"

He gave it a shake—hard enough to nearly crack it.

"No," Rayleigh said, tapping it. "It's a magnetic storm. The entire region is unstable."

"Magnetic storm?" Shen Yuan raised a brow.

"Yeah. A burst in magnetic fields—like an electrical typhoon. In the Grand Line, these distort your compass."

Rayleigh's lecture dragged on, and most of the crew began dozing off.

"Okay, okay, skip the Baidu article," Shen Yuan groaned. "Let's just get moving. This junk ship's falling apart."

Foxy's former pirate ship had already sunk into the sea. The treasure it carried had been hauled off earlier by Smoker's men.

Later, as Shen Yuan lounged in his recliner, he turned to the brooding Marine captain.

"Smoker, have you made your decision?"

"I..."

His voice wavered, full of conflict.

"I suggest you return to Marine Headquarters," Shen Yuan advised. "Show off your growth, aim for Vice Admiral. That's your future."

He turned to Tashigi. "As for her, she'll keep training with me. She's not ready to go back."

Tashigi adjusted her glasses, blushing faintly but said nothing.

"Report everything to Sengoku," Shen Yuan added. "He'd find out anyway."

Smoker paused. "Even the... incidents?"

"Especially those."

Smoker recalled the weeks he had spent under Shen Yuan's orders—the absurd missions, brutal training, and endless ridicule.

His expression darkened, but then… he nodded.

"I'll do it."

Shen Yuan smirked. "As my first disciple, I'll leave you with a technique. Master it, and the heavens will bow before you."

Smoker's eyes lit up.

"Here," Shen Yuan said, tossing him a handwritten notebook.

Smoker opened the cover. Four large characters greeted him:

"Sunflower Manual."

He flipped the page.

"To master this art, you must first castrate yourself."

Smoker's face went pitch black.

After weeks aboard the Reaper's ship, he had been thoroughly tainted. He forced a smile, though inside, he was cursing Shen Yuan to hell.

"Hahahaha!" Shen Yuan laughed shamelessly.

"Fine," he finally said. "That one's a joke. Here's the real one."

He handed Smoker another book. This one was serious—filled with Shen Yuan's insights into Haki, Rokushiki techniques, and even the Awakening branches of Logia fruits.

It contained analysis on how to move while using Tekkai (Iron Body), how to blend Soru with Geppo (Moon Walk), and most importantly, a conceptual skill tree for awakening—a technique hinted at in ancient texts from the Void Century.

Smoker bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Master. I won't let you down."

He turned to leave, but Shen Yuan called out again.

"Hey—before you go, how about helping move all these treasure crates?"

Smoker: ...