While I napped on the beach, lulled by the sound of the surf and shaded from the sun by the palm leaves, my thoughts spiraled endlessly.
Zoro…He should have been Luffy's first crewmate. The natural vice-captain. His shadow in the light, his blade in the chaos. But here, in this world, nothing was guaranteed. There was no plot armor, no fixed fate. Only our choices… and their consequences.And above all, that nagging thought: what if he never joins us?
I let out a quiet sigh, arms folded behind my head. But then—an alert, silent and sharp, crawled up the back of my neck. A chill.My gaze drifted to the horizon. A vessel was approaching. Small, elegant… but disturbing. It wasn't the Going Merry, nor any recognizable pirate ship. A black schooner with purple sails, shimmering as if they drank in the light. Even from afar, it radiated something unnatural.
When the ship docked silently, only one man stepped off.Tall. Lean. Blood-red hair slicked back, as if the wind didn't dare touch him. He wore a long black coat with crimson trim, open over a wiry, hardened chest. His gait was fluid… almost serpentine.
And his heart…I had never seen anything like it. Black. Viscous, impenetrable black, like ink at the bottom of a bottomless well. And yet it wasn't empty… it was alive. And hungry.
I swallowed hard. My Haki screamed an immediate warning: this man… could kill me in an instant if I lowered my guard.
He moved without sound, without fear. His aura choked the air around him. I followed from the shadows, staying hidden, until he reached the cemetery beside the dojo.
He stopped in front of a particular grave.Kuina's.
A predator's smile curled his lips as his crimson eyes narrowed with sick delight."Well, well, well… what do we have here?" he purred. His voice was soft… but acidic."A young, untouched soul… soaked in unfulfilled dreams. Delicious. And even two loving hearts nearby to season the flavor. Mmm… my mouth is watering already."
Pressure descended on the air. The grass bent. The stones seemed to shiver.Zoro and Koushirou were already there. Both, previously kneeling or seated, leapt to their feet in a flash, hands on their blades, eyes locked on the intruder.
Koushirou immediately stepped between the man and the grave."Who are you, scum…?" he growled, his voice trembling with icy rage.His eyes didn't waver. He had sensed the danger. You could see it in the tension in his shoulders, in the way his grip on his sword's hilt turned his knuckles white."I won't let you lay a single finger on my daughter."
Zoro, silent but seething, drew his swords.All three gleamed in the dimming light, and his body was coiled like a steel cable ready to snap.
But the red-haired man didn't seem the least bit impressed.He spread his arms slightly, as if welcoming a feast.
"Come now… that's not fair. You're keeping such a treasure all to yourselves? A soul trapped between two worlds is an offering… a ripe fruit, ready to be plucked."
His gaze drifted over the grave, then lifted… toward Kuina's spirit. Maybe he couldn't see her, but he clearly felt her.
"But where are my manners…" he chuckled, placing a hand over his heart in a mockery of theatrical politeness. His voice oozed arrogance, like someone rehearsing a speech he'd perfected in front of a mirror."I'm no famous pirate… not yet, anyway. So you probably haven't heard of me, Roronoa Zoro… pirate hunter, isn't that right?"
He looked up at the sky, feigning thought."I prefer to sharpen my strength in the shadows, hone my fangs before making waves… unlike others who charge headfirst into the light."Then he gave a slight bow, that predator's smile still curling his lips."My name is Zachary. And I had the joy—no, the privilege—of discovering a treasure."
Then, his body began to transform.Bone cracked in the silence like splintering branches. His arms elongated, his hands grew scales of bronze. His teeth sharpened into long fangs, and his once-human eyes turned to reptilian gold, slit by a vertical pupil. His skin hardened and ridged, bony plates rising along his arms and shoulders. He grew slightly taller, his spine rippling with sinister grace.
Before them now stood a humanoid version of Ammit, the devourer of the dead from Egyptian mythology: a hybrid creature — part crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus — draped in fragments of ancient gold and sacred symbols pulsing with dark energy.
Zoro took a step back, eyes wide."What the hell is that…?"
Zachary let out a laugh, his voice now warped by a broader, more monstrous jaw."That, my dear swordsman… is the gift of the ancient gods. I ate a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. The Crocodile-Type: Model Ammit."
He raised his massive arms, clawed fingers curling like he was crushing the air."This fruit allows me to devour the souls of the dead… and extract their power. The heavier the soul, weighed with regret, the more exquisite its flavor. And trust me…"He tilted his head, a perverse grin spreading between his fangs."…I even tasted crumbs of the Pirate King's soul."
Koushirou paled at those words. Even Zoro looked shaken.
Zachary shuddered, like reliving the memory. He closed his eyes, forked tongue slipping between his teeth."An explosion of power… of ambition… of restrained despair. It was… divine."
He opened his eyes again.Black lightning crackled around him, tearing through the grass at his feet.
"And today… I've come to claim another soul. A pure soul. Strong. Still tethered to this world."
"You're dreaming if you think I'll let you do that without a fight!" Zoro roared, muscles taut with rage.
In a flash, he charged Zachary, swords at the ready."Santoryu… ONIGIRI!!!"
His three blades carved an X-shaped strike, aiming for the creature's throat, chest, and shoulder.
But the impact was violent. A metallic crash boomed like thunder.
Zoro's blades slammed into Zachary's thick, unnaturally dark scales — and at the moment of impact, two of them shattered, exploding into razor-sharp fragments under the force of Zachary's Armament Haki.
Only the Wado Ichimonji remained in his hands. He gripped it instinctively, stunned.
"Tsk, tsk…" Zachary whispered with an amused smirk, brushing aside the broken shards with a swipe of his claw. "Interrupting a top-tier monologue? That's just rude."
His reptilian eyes gleamed with malice as he stood tall, towering over the scene like an ancient god delivering judgment.
"You see, Ammit is a devourer of souls, yes… but also a judge. She weighs hearts… She can punish… or grant second chances."
He slowly extended one clawed hand toward Kuina, still intangible, her aura flickering between light and transparency.
"I've found a way to twist that power for my own gain."
His claws twitched.
"Thanks to the emotional bond you two share with this soul… I can siphon a third of your strength to give her a temporary body. Just enough to make her… delicious."
At those words, two violet tendrils of energy burst from Kuina's spectral heart. They twisted through the air like poisoned vines and plunged directly into the chests of Koushirou and Zoro.
Kuina screamed."No!! Papa! Zoro!! Get back!"
But her protests were drowned by the shrill hiss of energy being siphoned.
The two men clenched their teeth, their bodies bent under the draining force. Their legs shook, muscles contracting in a desperate struggle against sudden exhaustion.Zoro stabbed his remaining sword into the ground to keep himself upright.Koushirou collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest.
And slowly… Kuina's body began to take shape.
Her silhouette grew denser, taking on physical form. Her white training kimono fluttered in the wind, her black hair now cut short — exactly as they remembered. But now, she appeared the same age as Zoro… except her face was contorted with terror."Stop… I don't want this… I don't want to hurt you…" she cried, tears rolling down cheeks that were once again human.
Zachary spread his arms wide, exultant."Behold the main course. Innocence. Regret. Familial attachment. All the flavors of a perfect soul, infused with the strength of two warriors… What a feast!"
My blood boiled with fury, my instincts screamed in the face of the horror Zachary was about to commit. Before he could consume Kuina's soul, I summoned my darkness: four Stealths burst from my shadow, agile and silent, immediately slipping into the dying light. Following them, two Darksides rose — nightmare giants with gaping chests and exposed hearts, casting a chilling shadow across the gravestones.I also summoned three Requiems to aid the three who were still weakened.
As my Heartless rushed Zachary to distract him, I dove inward and fused with one of the shadows I'd absorbed long ago… the prehistoric crocodile.
A violent surge ripped through me, and my body expanded. My muscles swelled, my bones cracked, my back became layered with thick scales and bony protrusions. Massive fangs burst from my jaw. I could feel my density skyrocket, the earth buckling beneath every step.
Eight meters of raw power.
I now towered over Zachary in size — but not in strength.I could feel it. His aura was like a yawning maw, hungry, ready to devour me if I lowered my guard.
My Heartless charged, unleashing a storm of attacks. One Darkside raised its arm and slammed the ground, sending pillars of shadow erupting upward, while the Stealths darted around him, firing eye-beams to hamper Zachary's movements. The ground quaked beneath them, gravestones shattered into shards.
Zachary, caught off guard, cursed furiously. His body still draped in parts of his hybrid Ammit form, he deflected the strikes with terrifying speed — his tail cracked like a whip, and his claws tore through the air. One Darkside collapsed with a muffled groan, its dark heart shattered. Two Stealths were crushed instantly by a monstrous swipe.
But it was enough.
I charged him, unleashing my newfound strength.
"WHO ARE YOU TO INTERRUPT MY FEAST?!" Zachary roared, froth at his lips, eyes wild with fury.His bloodshot gaze darted toward this new threat, his voice reverberating like a roar from a long-forgotten tomb.
A deep growl escaped my enlarged, mutated throat."Just a passerby… who finds you disgusting."
With a swing of my massive hips, my colossal tail slammed into him, striking him full force. The impact made the trees on the hillside tremble. Zachary staggered back with a snarl, his claws gouging the dirt as he was thrown toward the beach by the combined force of my blow and the harassment from the two remaining Stealths.
His Observation Haki was disrupted, nearly nonexistent… but his Armament Haki cloaked his body in a gleaming, dense black layer. A single misplaced hit could turn the tide against me.
"I'll tear you to shreds, you loathsome insect…" Zachary snarled, his fangs glistening with black saliva. His laughter devolved into a guttural snarl as he grabbed the massive fist of my Darkside.His claws, coated in Armament Haki, flared with an obsidian glow — and then shattered the creature's limb with a dull boom, like a beam snapping under unbearable pressure.
The Darkside let out a voiceless scream before collapsing, its chest torn open.I gritted my teeth, my throat burning.
"This is gonna be tough… but I will beat you!" I shouted, a mix of rage and desperation in my voice.
My two remaining Stealths burst from the shadows, nimbly dodging Zachary's counterattacks as they harassed him from a distance, firing concentrated beams from their warped eyes. Meanwhile, I pushed my Observation Haki to its absolute limit, every fiber of my being straining to keep up. I slipped, jumped, rolled — sometimes dodging his claws by mere inches, sometimes taking crushing blows that broke bones or ripped through flesh.
Even with my reinforced body, I was starting to break. After nearly an hour of nonstop battle, my breath was ragged, my movements sluggish, my vision blurred by pain and exhaustion.My two Stealths were taken down because of me — Zachary had baited them, using me as a lure, and they'd fallen trying to save me.
I could no longer maintain my hybrid form. In a flash of dark light, I reverted to my human state, gasping, my face smeared with blood and dust. My knees buckled under the strain, and Zachary — still in his divine hybrid form — let out a thunderous laugh.
"Well, well… turns out you're quite the celebrity. The infamous Jordan, with 80 million berries on his head," he sneered. "Taking you out will make me famous… It's not my original plan, but hey, I've got to start somewhere — and this is an opportunity I won't pass up."
He approached slowly, savoring his victory, and raised his hand, ready to crush me.
A sharp whistle sliced through the air — followed by a crisp impact.
Zachary froze. His eyes widened. Slowly, he looked down…
A bolt of pure light was embedded in his neck — right where the scales had parted from tension.
"GHAAAAAARGH!" he howled, dropping to his knees, wracked with unexpected pain.He had dropped his Armament Haki out of arrogance, assuming victory was his.Grave mistake.
I turned my head, slowly… and there, in the distance, I saw Usopp standing at the bow of the Going Merry. His magical bow was drawn, eyes locked in fierce determination.The ship was less than a hundred meters from the shore, sailing straight toward us.
I gasped for breath, my lungs barely working.
"Maybe I do have a plot armor after all…" I murmured with a raspy chuckle, barely conscious.
With a trembling hand, I cast a healing spell on myself. A soft emerald glow enveloped my wounds, closing the most urgent ones.Then, in a final burst of willpower, I slipped into the shadow of an overturned tree, vanishing into the darkness like a whisper fleeing the dawn.
Zachary roared in fury, bloodied fingers yanking the arrow from his neck — but it was too late.
The setback he hadn't planned for had just cost him his moment of triumph.
(Author's note: That's it for this week! Expect more custom Devil Fruits from me on a regular basis — I feel there aren't enough in the original series, and I've got tons of ideas. Attached here: Zachary's transformation and Jordan's new form.)