One Piece: TWN 2: The Myth of the Primordial Dragon

Imu wasn't particularly talkative, but that didn't mean she neglected Lucifer's needs. On the contrary, her care was remarkably thorough. She kept him by her side almost constantly and personally attended to practically everything concerning his upbringing.

At first, Lucifer couldn't even identify which world he had been reincarnated into.

After all, there was nobody else in the Flower Chamber, and Imu didn't wear that ridiculously tall crown she was usually associated with. Without those familiar visual clues, figuring out his location proved considerably more difficult than expected.

Fortunately, Lucifer had another advantage besides the world's blessing.

A system.

Yes, he had a system, although calling it intelligent would have been a considerable exaggeration.

Initially, whenever he closed his eyes, he could only vaguely perceive a small point of light. By concentrating on it, he could bring up a progress bar.

Thankfully, the system wasn't entirely useless.

It took only a month for the loading process to finish. Although it lacked any discernible intelligence, Lucifer actually found that reassuring. At least he wouldn't have to deal with some troublesome artificial personality constantly interfering with him.

Its functions were relatively straightforward.

The system possessed a shop that refreshed once every year. Ordinary items purchased from it could be permanently stocked, allowing them to remain available rather than disappearing with each refresh.

However, there was also a special section that refreshed monthly. Unlike the ordinary shop, this section offered character cards.

These cards were used to initiate challenges. By defeating the characters represented by them, Lucifer could randomly obtain some of their abilities while also improving his own combat skills.

Unfortunately, there was one rather significant problem.

He wasn't even a year old yet, and he couldn't afford anything.

Still, the beginner's gift pack stored in the system's warehouse proved immensely valuable.

Among its contents was an item that allowed him to understand the world around him. Thanks to it, Lucifer quickly discovered that he had reincarnated into the world of One Piece.

The other particularly valuable item was a Bloodline Fusion Card.

As its name suggested, this card allowed a Devil Fruit to fuse completely with his bloodline, eliminating all the side effects normally associated with consuming one.

That was practically perfect.

After all, this was the world of One Piece. And considering the extraordinary blessing he had received from the world itself, Lucifer was confident that he possessed exceptional potential.

His development was equally astonishing. Within just two months, he had already learned to speak.

"Remember, your full name is Nerona Lucifer."

"Huh?"

The moment he heard that surname, Lucifer froze.

In his previous life, he had been an avid anime fan who regularly followed the story of One Piece. Although the manga's story had yet to reach its conclusion, he was already familiar with much of its history, particularly the tale of the Pirate King and the secrets surrounding the World Government.

And now, he had been given the surname Nerona?

Wasn't that one of the names associated with the Celestial Dragons?

In other words, was he actually a Celestial Dragon?

But something didn't quite add up.

For the past two months, the only person he had seen was Imu. There were no servants, no attendants, and no other members of the supposed privileged class.

This hardly resembled the lifestyle of a typical Celestial Dragon.

It was also Imu's first experience raising a child. Although she was attentive and genuinely concerned about Lucifer's well-being, there were plenty of things she simply didn't understand.

Noticing that the infant had suddenly fallen silent, she tilted her head slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that I don't think the surname Nerona sounds particularly nice."

Lucifer realised that his reaction had been a little too conspicuous, so he quickly came up with an excuse.

Imu didn't seem particularly bothered by his opinion. To her, whether a name sounded pleasant or not was hardly important.

"If you don't like it, you can change it yourself once you're stronger."

With that, she casually continued explaining matters that she apparently considered unimportant.

She told him how she had discovered him at Reverse Mountain, described the unusual circumstances surrounding his appearance, and even shared some of her own thoughts about what she intended to do with him in the future.

Lucifer was utterly dumbfounded.

Good grief!

Wasn't this the sort of information that should normally be kept secret?

Was it really appropriate to explain everything so casually to a child?

Only then did Lucifer fully appreciate the situation.

The beautiful woman who had captivated him at first sight wasn't simply some mysterious noblewoman.

She was Imu, the ultimate authority behind the World Government and the person who occupied the Empty Throne.

In other words, he had somehow ended up in the care of the world's greatest hidden ruler.

Well, at least his cheat was powerful enough to give him some confidence. Otherwise, his circumstances would have been considerably more troublesome.

What surprised Lucifer even more was Imu's straightforward personality.

She answered practically every question he asked without attempting to conceal anything. There was no elaborate deception or carefully constructed explanation. If she knew something, she simply told him.

As their conversation continued, Imu suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right. When there are outsiders present, you must address me as Imu-sama."

"Okay."

Lucifer readily agreed.

Although he didn't understand why she wanted to conceal her identity, following her instructions was hardly difficult.

Besides, he had no reason to suspect that Imu intended to harm him. If anything, she seemed almost completely unguarded in his presence.

There was a reason for his confidence.

His Observation Haki had awakened the moment he was born. Apart from certain advanced applications, such as seeing into the future, which required considerably greater strength and proficiency, he already possessed most of its basic functions.

One particularly useful aspect was his ability to perceive the emotions and intentions of others.

From Lucifer's perspective, Imu wasn't hiding anything from him. Her feelings towards him were overwhelmingly positive, and everything she had said so far was genuine.

She had even mentioned that she would willingly follow him once he grew up.

Imu was simply far too honest.

Learning about the current era directly from her also allowed Lucifer to relax considerably.

At least now, he had a much clearer understanding of his circumstances.

He could finally look forward to enjoying the privileges that came with being a Celestial Dragon.

Of course, that didn't mean he intended to neglect his training.

He still needed to become strong enough to protect himself. He couldn't simply sit around waiting for Joy Boy to appear, only to serve as a convenient stepping stone before Imu had to intervene and save him.

That would be an incredibly embarrassing outcome.

As for everything else, Lucifer hadn't formed particularly strong opinions yet.

Most of what he knew about this world came from watching the anime in his previous life. Knowing the broad outline of its story was one thing, but actually experiencing its reality was another.

Nevertheless, he was rather looking forward to experiencing the lifestyle of a Celestial Dragon.

As for any discomfort he might feel about the privileges enjoyed by the World Nobles, or some sudden desire to overthrow their established order, he certainly had no such intentions.

After all, most people who resented the privileged class did so because they weren't part of it.

Once someone became accustomed to enjoying those privileges, their perspective could change considerably. The comfort and advantages of their position naturally encouraged them to defend the system that provided them.

There were, of course, exceptions. Some Celestial Dragons genuinely opposed the established order, but such individuals were undoubtedly a minority.

The original story had already demonstrated this through characters such as Donquixote Mjosgard, whose change in outlook had been influenced by Queen Otohime. His eventual fate, however, showed just how dangerous such a transformation could be within the Celestial Dragons' rigid social hierarchy.

But Lucifer was still young.

He had no intention of worrying about such complicated matters just yet. Besides, he hadn't even had the opportunity to properly enjoy the privileges that supposedly came with his status.

For the time being, Imu was still the one taking care of him.

Although she was attentive, there were certain areas where her childcare skills left much to be desired.

More often than not, Lucifer had to tell her what he needed before she realised what she was supposed to do.

How should he put it?

Sometimes, this supposedly all-powerful ruler seemed surprisingly clueless.

Still, knowing that her intentions were sincere was enough for him.

After all, in this entire world, he might very well be the only person fortunate enough to receive such treatment from Imu.

Thankfully, children in this world seemed to develop rather quickly. Otherwise, Lucifer might have had to endure an unnecessarily long period of communicating through nothing but infantile babbling.

Fortunately, those relatively peaceful days passed surprisingly quickly.

Most of his time was spent either chatting with Imu or learning more about the world from her.

There was little else to occupy his attention, but Lucifer didn't find the arrangement particularly unpleasant.

It wasn't until he was approximately one and a half years old that their conversations finally touched upon something that caught his attention in particular.

Devil Fruits.

Imu had been explaining various aspects of their existence, especially the relationship between Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits and the myths circulating throughout the world.

According to her understanding, the existence of a Mythical Zoan was closely connected to the myths and legends believed in by people.

When a particular mythical creature was recognised and believed in, a Devil Fruit corresponding to that legend could come into existence.

This immediately caught Lucifer's interest.

"Then what would happen if I created a myth of my own and genuinely believed it existed? Would that make a corresponding Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit appear?"

"It's possible."

Imu didn't dismiss the idea.

"However, the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia is incomplete, especially when it comes to Mythical Zoans. There are many abilities and varieties that we still don't fully understand."

Her explanation was reasonable.

Even after living for more than eight hundred years, Imu couldn't claim to understand every mystery surrounding Devil Fruits.

There were simply too many unknowns.

"Then I want a Primordial Dragon Fruit!"

Lucifer's eyes brightened as he voiced his wish.

"One that can control every form of power!"

Imu didn't discourage him.

In her eyes, the possibility was genuinely worth considering. After all, Lucifer was someone blessed by the world itself, an existence unlike anything she had encountered throughout her eight centuries of life.

Joy Boy was different.

At least, Imu had never sensed that the world had welcomed him in the same way.

During their final confrontation, she had clearly felt the overwhelming rejection directed towards Joy Boy. Even seemingly insignificant things, such as stones, flowers, grass, and trees, appeared to express hostility towards him.

The entire sea seemed to despise his existence.

That rejection had even placed Joy Boy under a degree of suppression, making their final battle considerably more favourable to Imu and her allies.

Otherwise, it was difficult to imagine how many members of the original Twenty Kings would have survived.

Even Imu herself might have suffered catastrophic injuries, assuming she had managed to survive at all.

By comparison, Lucifer's circumstances were completely different.

The world had welcomed him from the moment of his birth.

Therefore, Imu genuinely believed that his wish might become reality.

Of course, Lucifer hadn't made the suggestion entirely on a whim either.

Deep down, he firmly believed in the idea.

In his previous life, he had always possessed a particular fascination with dragons. To him, they represented something extraordinary, creatures associated with immense strength, majesty, and the ability to command the forces of nature.

The Primordial Dragon was no ordinary legendary beast in his imagination.

It was an existence that stood at the beginning of everything, a creature capable of commanding all forms of power.

If such a being could become the foundation of a Mythical Zoan, then the possibilities would be practically limitless.

Whether it was wishful thinking or not, Lucifer genuinely believed that such a creature should exist.

With that thought in mind, Lucifer reached for a mango that had been placed nearby, intending to peel it.

However, the moment his fingers touched the fruit, he noticed something unusual.

The mango began changing at an astonishing rate.

Its surface gradually transformed, becoming covered in countless tiny scales. They were densely packed together, resembling the scales of a black dragon.

Lucifer stared at the fruit in disbelief.

"This... this!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.