The next morning, with the first light breaking over the endless blue sea, we set sail.
The battered ship creaked beneath our feet, but it held steady. Riku stood at the bow, his twin swords strapped to his back, scanning the horizon like a hawk. I manned the rudder, following the Log Pose needle as it tugged us toward adventure.
The world felt huge, wild, and dangerous — and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't scared.
I was ready.
After three days of sailing — and one storm that nearly cracked our mast in half — we spotted land.
A jagged silhouette rising from the mist, dark cliffs crowned with thick green forests. Waterfalls spilled from craggy heights, vanishing into hidden coves below. The place looked ancient — untouched.
"Looks like trouble," Riku said, grinning.
"Looks like opportunity," I corrected, matching his grin.
We made landfall just as the sun dipped toward the western horizon. Pulling the skiff onto a rocky beach, I felt the air hum with something... primal. The hairs on my arms stood on end. Even the Kirin energy inside me stirred uneasily.
This island was alive — and not in the normal way.
"Stay sharp," I said.
Riku simply drew one sword and nodded.
We moved inland cautiously, picking our way through twisting roots and thick mist. Strange calls echoed through the trees — not quite birds, not quite beasts.
It didn't take long to find our first problem.
A clearing opened before us, ringed by ancient stone pillars cracked and half-swallowed by vines. And in the center...
A monster.
At least ten feet tall, hulking and hunched, with a thick hide that shifted colors like oil on water. It looked vaguely like a lion crossed with a gorilla — claws scraping deep gouges into the ground as it paced.
It sniffed the air — and its glowing yellow eyes snapped to us.
Riku exhaled slowly. "You feel that?"
I nodded grimly. My Kirin sense was screaming.
This thing was a Zoan user.
Not a person — but some kind of ancient guardian that had fused completely with its Devil Fruit.
No time to strategize.
It charged.
Riku moved first, blades flashing in the dim light. He darted left, drawing the beast's attention with a quick slash across its flank. The creature roared, swinging a massive paw that tore through the air like a battering ram.
I surged forward, lightning crackling up my arms, and drove a punch into its chest.
Boom.
It barely flinched.
Tough hide.
Riku circled, slashing at its joints — knees, ankles — trying to slow it down. I blasted it with arcs of electricity, aiming for the gaps in its defense.
Still, it came at us, relentless.
The creature leapt, slamming down with enough force to crack the stone beneath its paws. I barely dodged, rolling across the ground as debris rained around me.
"This thing doesn't quit!" Riku shouted, dodging another wild swipe.
I wiped blood from my mouth, grinning savagely.
"Then we hit it harder."
I gathered Kirin energy — not just into my fists, but into my whole body. My skin shimmered gold. My hair lifted slightly in a halo of electricity.
With a roar, I lunged — half-shifting, hooves striking sparks against the ground as I moved faster than it could react.
I drove my knee into its gut — hard enough that the shockwave blasted dirt and rocks outward.
The creature howled, stumbling back.
Riku seized the opening. He darted in, twin blades weaving a dance of silver — slicing deep into the creature's side.
It reared back, blood spraying from twin wounds.
I didn't hesitate.
I gathered all my energy into one final punch — lightning swirling around my fist like a miniature storm.
And slammed it into the beast's chest.
There was a crack — like the sky splitting open — and the monster was flung backward, smashing through two stone pillars before it finally lay still.
Smoke rose from its body.
It didn't move again.
Breathing hard, I staggered back.
Riku sheathed his swords, shaking his head. "You get stronger every time you fight."
"So do you," I said, grinning through the pain.
We approached cautiously. The beast's body shimmered — and slowly, it dissolved into mist.
In its place, something lay glittering on the cracked stone.
A small, golden amulet — shaped like a roaring lion, embedded with a swirling green gem.
Riku whistled low. "That's no ordinary trinket."
I picked it up. The moment my fingers touched it, warmth flooded through me — the same primal energy that the beast had.
Not a Devil Fruit.
A fragment of its power.
A Beast Relic.
I'd heard stories in this world's lore — objects tied to ancient Zoan transformations, created when a user merged completely with their fruit and transcended normal limits.
This was the kind of strength the legends talked about.
And now it was ours.
Back at the ship, under the rising moon, we examined it more carefully.
"It's not just for decoration," Riku said, running a finger along the gem. "I can feel it. It's alive."
I nodded. "We're going to find more of these."
He looked up sharply. "You're serious?"
I clenched my fist, feeling the new strength humming through me.
"There are more relics. More powers. Lost islands. Forgotten fruits. And I'm going to find them all."
Riku grinned, his eyes glinting in the firelight.
"Captain," he said, raising a cup, "then let's hunt the legends themselves."
Our journey was only just beginning.
And the world... was wide open.