Chapter 5: Four Abilities
The nameless hill in Syrup Village had completely lost its former tranquility.
The ground was riddled with potholes, covered in footprints of varying depths and cracks of all sizes, with scattered rocks and broken wood everywhere, as if it had suffered a natural disaster, leaving a scene of utter desolation.
In the center, a figure flickered rapidly, leaving trails of afterimages, and the explosive sound of air being torn apart echoed periodically.
Ripples of air surged, sending sand and stones flying, and it was a long time before the area finally settled down.
Apollo stood proudly in the middle of the unrecognizable clearing, his toes three feet off the ground, suspended in mid-air. He wore the Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown on his head, Golden Chainmail on his body, Cloud-Stepping Boots on his feet, and held the Ruyi Jingu Bang behind his back.
After a few seconds, he slowly descended. The Jingu Bang, crown, and other items disappeared one by one, and the monkey fur on his face gradually receded.
Once he returned to his human form, Apollo's face revealed an uncontrollable joy.
The Mythical Zoan was even stronger than he had imagined!
So strong that it made him question reality—how were others supposed to compete?
He now suspected that this specific Mythical Zoan fruit, transformed from a strand of Sun Wukong's hair, was extraordinary even among its kind.
Although he hadn't encountered other Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit users, he felt it shouldn't be this overwhelmingly powerful.
After testing, this Saru Saru no Mi, Model: Great Sage granted Apollo the following abilities:
First, an extremely powerful physique.
Whether in human, giant ape, or ape-human form, his physique was terrifyingly strong, with no weaknesses in speed, strength, or defense.
The only differences were that the human form was the weakest (relatively speaking), the giant ape form possessed the greatest raw power, and the ape-human form was the most agile.
Second, an indomitable will to fight against heaven and earth, coupled with powerful combat instinct.
Or rather, combat intelligence.
Having power is one thing; being able to wield it effectively is a talent in itself.
That warlike, courageous will had birthed extremely outstanding combat talent within him.
Of course, this might also be something he inherently possessed but hadn't had the opportunity to discover before—though that possibility was almost zero.
Third, and most importantly, an ability that, in his opinion, even surpassed the physical enhancement: "Magic Power."
This was the name Apollo gave it himself.
It could also be called spiritual energy, aura, or essence, but since the Mythical Zoan fruit originated from the Great Sage, he felt that "Magic Power" was more appropriate.
Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, in addition to the standard transformation abilities of the Zoan type, often come with unique supernatural powers.
For example, Marco's Phoenix Flames, Kaido's Blast Breath, or Sengoku's Shockwaves.
This power is often closely related to the creature's mythos.
Apollo's fruit also possessed this power—the magic energy flowing within him.
This was an extremely mysterious power with many incredible uses.
Of course, because it hadn't been fully developed, the true potential of this magic power remained shrouded in mist. He had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg: increasing speed and strength were merely the most basic uses. With the help of magic power, he could even briefly float in the air.
Although it wasn't sustainable flight yet, it was flight.
For a "landlubber" who couldn't swim, flight held immense strategic significance.
Given time, he believed he could develop true, unrestrained flight capabilities.
Apollo had tested it, and all three forms could use magic power.
The difference was that the human form was the most obscure, making it difficult to mobilize the energy.
The giant ape form's magic power was violent and hard to control, only suitable for broad, sweeping attacks, not precise operations.
The ape-human form was relatively perfect in all aspects; currently, aerial flight could only be achieved in this form.
Clearly, the ape-human form was the most suitable for combat, capable of unleashing the strongest fighting power.
Finally, the four pieces of equipment: the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the Phoenix Crown, the Golden Chainmail, and the Cloud-Stepping Boots.
They were not mere decorations.
These four pieces of equipment all had extremely strong magic power conductivity; they were the only things he had seen so far that could channel this energy.
When infused with magic power:
The Phoenix Crown enhanced mental focus and willpower.
The Golden Chainmail drastically increased defense.
The Cloud-Stepping Boots boosted agility and speed.
The Ruyi Jingu Bang could change in size and increase attack power.
It was worth mentioning that the weight of the Jingu Bang was not fixed; it changed with its size.
All of these were discovered by him in just half a day, and there were certainly more effects waiting to be developed.
Apollo was now very certain that he could truly swat Kuro to death with one hand.
Their strengths were not on the same level at all.
Even with less combat experience, his speed and strength were already overwhelmingly superior.
"Should I go and swat Kuro to death right now?"
Apollo stroked his chin and thought for a moment. "Forget it, killing him now is meaningless. Not only will I not get Kaya's gratitude, but I might even scare her or provoke her hostility. It would be a thankless task."
In his mind, Kuro was merely a tool to test his strength and gain Kaya's favor.
If he eliminated him when neither of these effects could be achieved, it would be a blatant waste!
After resting for a while in a clean spot, Apollo was fully recharged. "Alright, let's continue training!"
He had no intention of changing his plan.
The East Blue was the weakest sea, and being strong there didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.
Kuro, placed in the Grand Line, would just be a small fry.
Moreover, the East Blue wasn't without strong individuals—for example, a certain Marine Vice Admiral who occasionally returned home to Windmill Village.
He wanted to continue leveling up in Syrup Village.
Preferably until he was invincible the moment he emerged.
Stability was the secret to a long life!
After training all afternoon and eating dinner at a small restaurant, Apollo went to bed early.
Starlight streamed through the window, scattering across the floor.
He was slightly lost in thought.
In his previous world, due to light pollution, such a clear starry sky was rarely seen.
The air here was also exceptionally fresh.
These ubiquitous differences constantly reminded him that he was no longer in his original world.
As the initial excitement gradually faded, an uncontrollable complexity arose in his heart.
He had no sense of belonging.
This might be a common affliction for transmigrators.
Even though he was an orphan, he still had many attachments in that world.
Teachers, classmates, friends... and a lover.
Of course, there were also takeout, express delivery, the internet, mobile phones, computers...
Thinking of this, Apollo suddenly had a thought: "Fortunately, my phone and computer didn't contain anything that couldn't be seen by others, otherwise it would be social death."
He immediately found himself between laughter and tears, and his complex emotions were greatly diluted.
"Perhaps there's still a chance to go back."
"I transmigrated physically. Since my fragile body could cross over, then traversing worlds might not be as difficult as imagined."
"And the Great Sage... was the place I met him a gap between worlds? He said that if I could achieve something in the future, I could go find him. Did he mean when I could leave the One Piece world?"
"Does he know where my original world is?"
"Oh, right, why did the Great Sage give me his monkey hair?"
As his thoughts drifted, Apollo unconsciously drifted off to sleep.