Chapter Six: The First Awakening

Night had fallen, and all was silent. After enduring exhaustion for what felt like an eternity, they had finally managed to shake off the pursuers behind them, at least for now. When Chu Yi finished his impassioned speech, Tiger fell silent for a moment, then simply tossed the crate he’d been carrying on his shoulder to Chu Yi, found himself a cabin, and went to rest without another word.

But just by looking into his eyes before he left, Chu Yi knew Tiger was convinced. He’d gone to rest early, hoping to recover from days of flight and accumulated wounds as quickly as possible. He needed his strength—for the grand feat ahead: rescuing Hancock’s two sisters from the clutches of the Celestial Dragons.

As for Hancock herself, though she had not suffered physical torment, the cruel captivity of the Celestial Dragons’ henchmen had left her spirit utterly spent. Now, with Chu Yi to rely on, she clung to his shoulder even in sleep, as if afraid that upon waking, he would be gone. Seeing that both Hancock and Tiger had retired for the night, Chu Yi himself, having overdrawn his newly awakened Devil Fruit power, longed for rest as well.

But Chu Yi understood the urgency of their situation—time was not on their side. As the Celestial Dragons' enforcer, John surely had special ways to contact his masters. If John remained missing for even a few days, the Celestial Dragons would suspect something amiss. In that event, rescuing Hancock’s sisters would become a distant hope; even evading the next wave of pursuers would be a dire challenge.

Becoming stronger was now an immediate necessity, and awakening his Devil Fruit with the system’s help could not wait. Yet before initiating his first awakening through the system, Chu Yi couldn’t resist lowering his head and softly kissing Hancock, who slept beside him.

“Hancock, I didn’t mean to take advantage of you. The system’s time limit is only three days—I simply can’t afford to wait! If you must blame someone, blame that damned system!”

Passing the blame thus, Chu Yi’s lips barely brushed Hancock’s, but the thought of stealing the future Empress’s first kiss made his heart race with exhilaration.

The sensation was simply intoxicating.

And as Chu Yi claimed the future Empress’s first kiss, the system’s notification appeared:

“Mission complete. Awakening material successfully collected. Host has obtained Silver Awakening Material: Love-Love Fruit Material. Material stored in warehouse. Please check your inventory.”

So Hancock was now a Love-Love Fruit user. With proper training, her rare talent might soon make her a formidable force.

Moreover, the system’s ability to absorb awakening material from Hancock—but not from Tiger—suggested a connection. Was it because Hancock was a Devil Fruit user while Tiger was not? Quietly analyzing this, Chu Yi resolved to experiment in the future: when he encountered other Fruit users, would he be able to collect awakening material as well? If so, he would have mastered the method for gathering such resources.

He opened the system warehouse, where the first slot now held the material obtained from Hancock. According to the system’s explanation, awakening materials came in five tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.

Of course, Bronze wasn’t necessarily inferior, nor Diamond always superior. Just as some Logia Fruits were as useless as the Swamp-Swamp Fruit, and some Zoan Fruits as precious as the Mythical Zoan variety, the worth of the material depended on suitability, not rarity. Chu Yi understood this well, no explanation needed.

The Love-Love Fruit material, as far as Chu Yi could recall from the original tale, would most likely grant either a boost in charm or the petrification power akin to Hancock’s Medusa-like gaze.

But as his first awakening required no material, Chu Yi decided not to waste this uncertain material on the initial attempt.

Quietly circulating the Devil Fruit power that now ran deep within his blood, Chu Yi prepared to explore his Human-Human Fruit: Asura Form’s full capabilities, and to use the system for his first awakening.

In the next moment—

Boom!

As he activated his Fruit’s power, even with prior experience, Chu Yi’s skin flushed a deep crimson as the ability suffused his body. The murderous aura radiating from him was so intense it nearly woke Hancock beside him. Only by exerting control did he stifle the surging bloodlust in time.

With that lesson in mind, even though it pained him, Chu Yi gently extricated his arm from Hancock’s embrace. Once fully transformed into the Asura form, surging power welled up within him once more. He closed his eyes, feeling every change—soon coming to a conclusion.

Simply put, the Asura Form of the Human-Human Fruit provided a base enhancement far superior to most Zoan-type Devil Fruits, though still a touch below the Mythical Zoan class, and roughly on par with the Ancient Zoan types.

Its only drawback was perhaps the singular transformation—Chu Yi could only become an Asura, lacking the multiple forms typical of other Zoan Fruits.

Once transformed, Chu Yi’s strength, speed, and agility all received a tremendous boost. If Luffy from the original story served as a reference, then Chu Yi—whose base combat ability was nearly zero—became, upon transformation, equal to Luffy just as he set out to sea, with considerable room for further growth.

Since the Fruit’s power was purely augmentative, any improvements Chu Yi gained through training would stack upon his Devil Fruit enhancements, making him ever more formidable.

If his normal state one day matched early Luffy’s, then in Asura form, Chu Yi could rival Luffy at Sabaody Archipelago.

Such was the extraordinary effect of his mutated Human-Human Fruit: Asura Form.

Beyond the physical prowess, the Asura Form granted two other supreme abilities: the ferocious battle instinct of an Asura, and a regenerative power reminiscent of that legendary being.

Legends said Asuras were born in a sea of blood, fierce and warlike from the moment of their first breath—a true race of warriors. To describe their combat intuition as “battle-hardened” would be an understatement. Thus, by inheriting the Asura’s instincts, Chu Yi could leap from a novice with no experience to possessing the battle sense of a master in an instant.

The regenerative power was even more remarkable—legend had it no Asura was ever maimed, and even severed limbs would regrow. Chu Yi’s regeneration was not so monstrous; while transformed, his flesh was as strong as steel, fatigue vanished in battle, and minor wounds closed in mere seconds.

Even so, this Asura-like healing was incredibly potent.

Having thoroughly summarized his Asura Form’s abilities, Chu Yi contacted the system to use his first, complimentary awakening. He never expected, as the system’s voice confirmed the awakening was beginning, that while still in Asura Form, a searing pain erupted from his back.

“It hurts... it hurts so much!”