Chapter 158: Rebirth of the Heart
God Valley, in the mountains behind the former great palace, on a flat ledge halfway up—"Luo Han " floated in midair, with Ellis still seated on his chest, her hands continuously channeling emerald-green energy into his body.
In response to Cole's question, Ellis gently nodded and then said solemnly, "It's about to begin. It might get a little loud, so make sure no one disturbs me."
"No problem, Lady Go—uh, I mean, leave it to us!" Whitebeard said a bit awkwardly, standing up and putting away his wine gourd.
"Don't worry, Lady Divine Tree! I won't let anyone come near, even if it costs me my life! Just focus on saving Han-ge!" Cole said with unwavering resolve, his eyes sharp with determination. No matter who came, he wouldn't let them through.
Ellis smiled warmly. "Then I'll count on you two." She paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, by the way, I've given myself a name. I'm Ellisdine—Huan. Huan as in 'ring.' Remember that. Just call me Ellis from now on."
"Got it, Lady Divine Tree!" Cole replied quickly, clearly not realizing anything was odd about the sudden name change.
Uhh... Whitebeard's mouth twitched. He nodded in acknowledgment, then glanced sideways at Cole, more speechless than ever. That was fast...
Ellis —no, now Ellis—placed her hands together, and a ripple of invisible energy spread out from her body, quickly sweeping through the mountain forests. It expanded outward until it enveloped the entire island of God Valley.
"My friends, I need your help. Please, lend me a bit of your light," Ellis whispered in her heart.
A moment later…
"What is this?" Cole and Whitebeard stared in surprise.
All around them, trees began to glow with soft, green light—some faint, some bright. One by one, the lights gathered ten meters above Ellis, merging into a massive emerald sphere that grew larger with every passing second.
Only now did Cole and Whitebeard realize what she meant by "it'll be loud." At this rate, the entire island would notice. Who knew what sort of trouble this might stir up?
...
In a world of total darkness, a shapeless consciousness began to take form. It felt like an eternity passed… or perhaps only a moment. Eventually, that formless awareness shaped itself into a human figure.
"Where… am I?" Luo Han looked around curiously—but of course, he couldn't see anything. This was a world without senses.
His consciousness had just awakened, but he wasn't alarmed. In fact, he was calmly observing this strange space.
"So this is… the world of the mind," Luo Han muttered after some time, understanding where he was.
With a thought, a screen of light appeared in the void, playing scenes from his past and present lives.
Luo Han watched silently.
"It's the life of an ordinary person. No earth-shaking deeds, just a typical college grad, a regular job, living numbly.
"But every night before bed, he'd fantasize about entering a world of anime or novels—imagine becoming a genius, or working hard to become one. Surrounded by beauties or deeply in love with just one. These thoughts helped him sleep soundly every night.
"And then… he actually did transmigrate, landing in the world of One Piece, reborn as a baby on a remote island. At first, he was thrilled—surely he was the protagonist. But then he realized he had no cheat powers. His brain wasn't any sharper either. He was still just… normal.
"As he grew up, he began to fear. His body wasn't special either—completely ordinary.
"Once he could walk, he started behaving differently. He always wandered alone to the island's only outward-facing cliff, hoping to find some hidden destiny. But there was nothing. Maybe he wasn't the protagonist after all.
"But he didn't give up. During that time, a chubby kid often followed him around—not by choice, but because his father made him.
"Two years passed. He finally accepted he was truly just a regular kid. Maybe out of fear, or stubbornness, he started trying to act mature—pretending to be wise beyond his years. He told the chubby kid he'd go to sea one day, become a great man, live a life of grand adventure. Because that's what a protagonist would do, right?
"Finally, at age ten, thanks to his unique behavior, an elder gave him a Paramecia Devil Fruit. It felt like all his 'effort' had paid off. That night, he had a wet dream about a beautiful woman. That alone showed how ordinary he truly was—no self-control at all. But he didn't care. He believed he was now following the path of a true protagonist.
"Things went well. His strength grew rapidly. He saved his island and his loved ones. Protagonist status: confirmed. Then came Rocks. He forced himself to act bold and fearless, as a main character should. Even awakened 'Conqueror's Haki'—though it was really just the effect of his Mind-Mind Fruit. He didn't know that. Everything pointed to him being the protagonist.
"He joined the Rocks Pirates. His power soared. In under two years, he could fight both Garp and Roger simultaneously. That sealed it—he was sure he was the main character.
"Then came the God Valley battle. He knew how powerful Rocks was. He knew what happened to the CP0 commander and former admirals. But he still believed in his plot armor. He deliberately killed Rocks' crew—and smugly said, 'They were in the way.'
"Rocks came. He told himself it was to purge inner demons. But that was just an excuse. He knew he couldn't win, but forced himself into the fight anyway—because that's what a protagonist would do: find an enemy's weak spot mid-battle, break through, and win.
"The result? He didn't even get a proper hit in. The enemy didn't talk much. Four attacks total—he dodged three. The fourth one landed. Game over.
"And thus, the boy named Luo Han , who thought he was the protagonist… died."
The screen vanished. Luo Han 's awareness sat in silence.
Then, he let out a roar: "So what, I've seen all that—am I supposed to have some kind of epiphany now?! Am I suddenly wise? Colder? Smarter?!"
There was no answer. Just Luo Han , talking to himself.
Eventually, he calmed down and said quietly, "I'm still me. I'll just be… my normal self. No need to force anything."
Silence returned.
Then—a glowing green sun suddenly appeared in Luo Han 's mindscape. Wherever his consciousness drifted, it followed, steadily growing brighter.
"What's with this green sun?!" Luo Han complained. "I don't even have a girlfriend, and my head's glowing green like this? Seriously?"
What he didn't know was that, outside, the appearance of that green sun had already caused a massive commotion.
(END CHAPTER)
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