The inherenter of jin mori

Chapter 7: The Forbidden Fruit

The plan was simple at least in theory.

Varro had secured a distraction. A staged fight between prisoners, perfectly timed to draw the guards' attention. Meanwhile, Yuta would slip into the storage area, retrieve the Devil Fruit, and get out before anyone realized it was missing.

But nothing ever went as planned.

The storage room was more heavily guarded than Yuta had expected. As he crept through the dimly lit corridors, his pulse pounded. He had spent weeks enduring this prison's torment, pushing his body to its limits, but now was the real test.

The first guard stood by the door, half-asleep. Sloppy. Yuta crept closer, his heart hammering. Then, with a deep breath, he moved—quick, silent. His arm wrapped around the man's neck in a chokehold, squeezing until the guard slumped unconscious.

One down.

Yuta slipped inside, scanning the room. Crates of rare goods, weapons, even stolen treasures from across the Grand Line filled the space. But his eyes locked onto a small wooden box, marked with strange symbols.

This was it.

He pried it open, breath catching as he saw the fruit inside.

It looked almost unreal—golden with fiery red swirls, its surface shifting under the dim lantern light. He had heard stories about Devil Fruits, their strange, otherworldly nature. But holding one in his hands made it real.

A Mythical Zoan. One of the rarest and most powerful types.

His stomach twisted. Was this really the right move? Could he handle it?

Footsteps outside.

No time to think.

Yuta bit into the fruit.

It was the worst thing he had ever tasted—bitter, sickly sweet, like rotting fruit mixed with ash. He forced himself to swallow, his entire body recoiling.

And then, the world shifted.

A burning sensation spread through his veins, like fire igniting inside him. His muscles tensed, his vision blurred. His body felt… lighter. Stronger.

The guards burst in.

Yuta barely had time to react, but something inside him moved on its own. His body twisted, faster than he had ever moved before. Instinct took over.

One of the guards lunged at him. Yuta dodged without thinking, his feet sliding across the floor with unnatural grace. The man swung a club—Yuta caught it. His grip was ironclad. Without hesitation, he wrenched it away and knocked the guard back with a strike that felt effortless.

His heart pounded. This power… it was real.

But something was off.

This wasn't like the Devil Fruits he had read about. He didn't feel like he had transformed, and there was no obvious ability manifesting.

He didn't know what he had just eaten.

And now, there was no turning back.