An unknown island in the East Blue.
The sun blazed high in the sky, not a cloud in sight. Under its radiant glow, a lush, primeval forest seemed even more serene and brimming with life.
Boom, boom, boom… A series of heavy footsteps shattered the tranquility. A colossal lizard, so massive it defied reason, barreled through the forest. The webbing between its toes, the gills on its neck, and the shape of its tail betrayed its aquatic origins. Yet, its thick, muscular limbs granted it formidable mobility on land.
This was an amphibious Sea King.
Ancient trees, thick enough to require several people to encircle them, snapped like chopsticks before the beast's charge. Dust billowed, the ground quaked, and a flock of birds took flight in panic.
A closer look revealed something unusual: the Sea King was fleeing, as if pursued by something even more terrifying.
Suddenly, a figure burst from the dust cloud trailing the creature's rear. Clad only in beast-hide shorts, the figure's chiseled upper body glistened with perfect muscle definition. Oddly, despite his savage appearance, he wore a pair of glasses, an incongruous detail that stood out starkly.
This man was fast—frighteningly so. He steadily closed the gap with the Sea King.
"Stop running, my lunch!" Sherlock lowered his head, the lenses of his glasses glinting with two greedy flashes of light.
Perhaps spurred by primal instinct, the pitiful Sea King ran even faster.
"I said, stop running!"
Mirror Space.
Sherlock grew tired of this cat-and-mouse game. With a thought, a smooth mirror materialized beside him out of thin air. He reached out, his entire forearm vanishing into the mirror as if it were water, ripples spreading across its surface. When he withdrew his hand, he held a spear crafted from stone.
Aiming at the frantically fleeing Sea King, Sherlock tested the spear's weight, took a moment to line up his shot, and then hurled it with all his might. The force was so great that the air screamed with a piercing wail.
Compared to the massive Sea King, the half-human-sized spear was barely larger than a toothpick.
Sherlock stopped running and gestured toward the airborne spear.
Mirror Entity!
Magic Mirror, Gigantify!
A miraculous scene unfolded. Over a dozen spears, each ten times the size of the original, materialized around the first. They hurtled forward with unrelenting speed, plunging into the Sea King's body with a spray of blood. A pained roar echoed as the massive creature, invincible in the seas, crashed to the ground, carving a long gouge in the earth.
The enormous spears embedded in its body faded like illusions, their purpose fulfilled.
Sherlock approached the gravely wounded Sea King cautiously. A year on this isolated island had taught him just how fearsome these creatures could be.
"Roaar!" With an enraged bellow, the Sea King's bloodshot eyes glared. It whipped its long tail toward the tiny creature that had wounded it, the strike fueled by desperate fury. The force of the swing was so immense that even distant branches snapped under the gust it created.
But Sherlock was prepared. His expression remained calm as he raised a hand, his mind focused. A faint ripple shimmered around his palm.
Mirror Reflect!
His slender hand met the massive tail in an instant.
A muffled thud rang out. The collision defied all logic. The enormous Sea King was flung upward by an overwhelming force, flipping end over end. The ground shook violently as the beast landed, its tail severed at the point of contact with Sherlock's hand. The wound was ghastly, as if torn apart by brute force. Blood sprayed like rain, quickly staining the ground red.
Sherlock stood unscathed amidst the blood rain, pushing up his glasses with a slightly trembling hand. Two dazzling glints flashed across his lenses.
As the Sea King's roars grew weaker, Sherlock stood like a demon god.
"That was close. Almost pushed Mirror Reflect to its limit," he muttered, eyeing his lunch with satisfaction. It had been a while since he'd faced such a massive catch.
Using his glasses to focus sunlight and start a fire, Sherlock sat down, watching the flames crackle. His thoughts drifted to the past year of life on this island.
This place was a crucible of danger. The lions and tigers, relatively small compared to the island's other inhabitants, were the least of his worries. The fact that this island served as a terrestrial nesting ground for Sea Kings perfectly illustrated its terror. Yet, through over a year of battles, Sherlock's physical condition had improved drastically, and he had developed several highly practical abilities from his Mirror-Mirror Fruit.
The Mirror-Mirror Fruit's powers were extraordinary. First, it allowed him to reflect light like an ordinary mirror. He could also reflect attacks in the same way, adjusting the angle at will.
Then there was his ability to manipulate mirror images. These images were perfect opposites of their originals, like reflections in a mirror, and could be controlled freely by Sherlock's will. He could alter their size, though currently, he could only mirror inanimate objects. Mirroring himself or others was a skill still in development.
The Mirror-Mirror Fruit also granted access to a unique space called the Mirror Space, a vast dimension where he could store objects. Sherlock had tested it and found that, aside from himself, no living things could enter the Mirror Space.
The fruit also offered convenient abilities like invisibility and illusions. All in all, it was an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit.
Over the past year, Sherlock had undergone another significant change: his appetite had grown several times over as his strength increased, especially after using his fruit's abilities. The island's once-abundant food reserves were now stretched thin.
He had tried using Mirror Entity on food, but not only did the mirrored food lack flavor, it vanished when the effect wore off, leaving him even hungrier.
If not for the Sea Kings providing ample sustenance, Sherlock might have starved on this island—a humiliating way to go.
Swallowing the last piece of roasted meat, Sherlock wiped his mouth contentedly and walked to the shore. He sat on a reef, gazing out at the sea.
The boundless ocean stretched before him, and Sherlock felt a rare sense of calm. The salty sea breeze tousled his long, jet-black hair. Behind his glasses, his eyes focused intently, as if the sea held some hypnotic power.
Over the past year, Sherlock had developed a habit of watching the sea. He would sit, think of nothing, do nothing—just stare at the water. It was meaningless, but a fine way to pass the time.
Perhaps because the surrounding waters teemed with Sea Kings, the seas around this island were avoided like a cursed realm. In an entire year, Sherlock hadn't seen a single ship.
Using the stars at night, he had calculated his approximate location long ago. Though it wasn't far from where he'd been attacked, he still couldn't fathom, How did I survive and drift here? It was a question he'd pondered for a year without an answer.
Time slipped by. Just as Sherlock's stomach began to rumble, urging him to hunt for more food, a ship appeared on the distant horizon. It grew larger, clearly heading toward the island.
Sherlock's calm eyes widened. Could I finally leave this island? But the thought was fleeting. He realized the danger: the waters around this island were infested with Sea Kings. That ship might be swallowed before it ever reached shore.
As if to confirm his fears, the sea beside the ship bulged violently the next moment. With a spray of water, a massive, grotesque head emerged.
"@##¥&*!" Even Sherlock, raised with a refined education, couldn't help but curse. He swiftly activated Mirror Space, pulling out a stone spear. His mind raced, calculating angle, wind direction, and distance. With a fierce throw, he launched the spear toward the distant Sea King.
Mirror Entity!
Magic Mirror, Gigantify!