Chapter 18: The Otaku Gets a Power-Up (And Accidentally Becomes a Sun)
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Three days after Gravi's arrival, Meliodas sat alone on his rooftop, staring at his system screen.
Hero Shards: 70
He'd been saving. Grinding quests. Eliminating threats. Seventy shards, burning a hole in his virtual pocket.
He scrolled through his options, past the races and companions, past the expensive Tier 4 abilities, past the things he couldn't afford.
Then he saw it.
Something he'd nearly forgotten. Something from the early updates, buried under mountains of new content.
[SUN FRUIT — Cost: 25 Hero Shards]
A Paramecia Devil Fruit that grants the ability to manifest miniature suns. Immune to fire and heat. Under direct sunlight, your overall strength increases several fold—maximum at noon. Create an artificial sun in the sky for attack or empowerment. Endless stamina under sunlight. Injuries heal more rapidly.
Note: Standard Devil Fruit side effects apply—inability to swim, weakness to water.
Meliodas stared at it.
A Devil Fruit. From One Piece. In Marvel.
His mind immediately went to every anime he'd ever watched. Every power system he'd ever studied.
'This is like... like something from a story. A character who becomes the sun. Gets stronger as the day progresses. Peaks at noon.'
He thought about it.
'If this were an anime, the protagonist would have some dramatic backstory. Some reason why the sun chose him. Some epic moment where he first unleashes his power.'
He grinned.
'Too bad I'm not in an anime. I'm just a guy who choked on a noodle.'
---
He kept reading.
Note: Standard Devil Fruit side effects apply—inability to swim, weakness to water.
Meliodas frowned.
'Right. One Piece rules. Eat the fruit, become a hammer in water. Can't swim. Weak to the sea. That's... that's a problem.'
He thought about all the times he might need to be near water. All the potential fights near rivers, harbors, ships.
'This could be bad. Really bad.'
He kept scrolling, looking for a solution.
[SANCTITY OF BODY — FREE (Already Acquired)]
Your body is protected from any and all unwanted unnatural alterations. Should you receive a power or be subjected to something that would cause changes in your form, you can choose to reject those changes.
Meliodas blinked.
'Wait. Does that mean...'
He read it again.
'If I eat the Sun Fruit, my body will try to change me. Make me unable to swim. Make me weak to water. But {Sanctity of Body} lets me reject unwanted alterations.'
He could eat the fruit and reject the side effects.
'No water weakness. No swimming problem. Just the power.'
His heart started racing.
[SNOWFLAKE — FREE (Already Acquired)]
You're truly unique. Any attempt to clone, duplicate or otherwise copy you or your powers and abilities without your consent will always fail. Furthermore, unless you wish it to be so, any scan of you will only reveal what you want.
'And no one can scan me and figure out what I am. Perfect.'
He looked at the Sun Fruit again.
Twenty-five Hero Shards. A steal.
He made his choice.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: SUN FRUIT — 25 HERO SHARDS]
A small, glowing fruit materialized in his hands. It was beautiful—golden, warm, pulsing with inner light. It smelled like sunshine and summer.
Meliodas looked at it.
'In One Piece, this would ruin me. Make me a slave to the sea for life. But here? In Marvel? With my perks?'
He grinned.
'I'm about to break all the rules.'
He took a bite.
---
The fruit dissolved on his tongue like pure energy. Warmth flooded through him—not painful, but intense. Like sunlight filling every cell of his body.
His skin tingled. His muscles hummed with power. His very soul felt like it was expanding, reaching toward something infinite.
Then the side effects tried to take hold.
A cold sensation—water weakness, trying to root itself in his being.
{Sanctity of Body} activated.
REJECT.
The cold vanished.
Another sensation—swimming inability, trying to lock his muscles.
REJECT.
Gone.
The fruit's power settled into him, pure and untainted. All the benefits. None of the drawbacks.
Meliodas opened his eyes.
They were glowing faintly gold.
He raised a hand and focused.
A miniature sun materialized above his palm—small, bright, warm. It cast golden light across the rooftop, pushing back the night.
He could feel it. The power. The connection to sunlight, to warmth, to life itself.
'I was so worried,' he thought, laughing. 'I thought this was going to be bad. Like in One Piece. Losing the ability to swim forever? That's terrifying.'
He looked at his hand, at the sun hovering above it.
'But it wasn't. It's perfect. Absolutely perfect.'
---
He sat there for a moment, basking in the warmth of his own creation.
Then a thought struck him.
'Wait. If I have sun powers... does that mean I have a "Who decided that?" moment coming?'
He started laughing.
In the anime he'd watched—the one about the seven deadly sins—the character with sun powers had this incredible moment. At noon, when he was at his peak, he'd look at his opponent and say, "Who decided that?" with absolute arrogance.
It was one of the coolest moments in the entire show.
'Am I going to do that?' he wondered. 'Am I going to have a "Who decided that?" moment?'
He grinned at the thought.
'If I ever fight someone powerful enough, someone who thinks they're unbeatable... yeah. I'm absolutely doing that.'
---
The Next Morning
Gravi found him on the rooftop at dawn, watching the sunrise.
"You're up early," she observed.
"Couldn't sleep. Too excited."
"About what?"
Meliodas turned to her, and she noticed immediately—his eyes were different. A faint golden glow, barely visible but there.
"What happened to you?"
"Power-up," he said simply. "Got stronger."
"How?"
He smiled. "Ate a magic fruit."
Gravi stared at him. "You ate a magic fruit."
"Yep."
"And now you're glowing."
"Apparently."
She shook her head. "I'm not going to ask."
"Probably for the best."
---
The sun rose over New York, and Meliodas felt it.
The moment the first rays touched his skin, power flooded through him. It was intoxicating—like drinking pure energy. His strength multiplied. His senses sharpened. His healing accelerated.
He could feel every ray, every photon, every particle of light.
He looked at his hands. They were glowing faintly—not with his own light, but with reflected sunlight. Like he was part of the morning.
Gravi watched him with narrowed eyes. "You're glowing."
"Apparently."
"Is that normal?"
"For me? Increasingly, yes."
---
Lyra arrived with coffee and immediately noticed something different.
"You're... shiny."
"Thanks?"
"No, really. You're literally shiny. Like someone polished you." She circled him. "Did you do something to yourself?"
"Maybe."
"Are you going to tell me what?"
"Ate a magic fruit."
She blinked. "That's it? That's your explanation?"
"Yep."
She stared at him for a long moment. Then she pulled out her notebook and started writing.
"This is going in the biography. 'Subject consumes mysterious fruit, gains sun powers. No further explanation given.'"
"That's accurate."
---
That afternoon, he found a target.
A demon cult—small-time, nothing like the Hand—was operating out of an abandoned church in Hell's Kitchen. Lyra had flagged them days ago. Now was the time.
Meliodas stood outside the church, feeling the sunlight on his skin. It was noon. His peak.
'If there was ever a time for a "Who decided that?" moment, it would be now.'
He walked in.
The cultists—a dozen of them, armed with knives and dark faith—turned to face him.
"Who are you?" their leader demanded.
Meliodas smiled.
A miniature sun materialized above his palm.
"I'm the guy who's about to ruin your day."
---
The fight lasted thirty seconds.
Cultists lunged. Meliodas moved. {Rush} activated, and in the slowed time, he saw everything—their attacks, their weaknesses, their fear.
{Rush ended.}
Three cultists were down, unconscious.
The remaining nine stared in shock.
Then Meliodas raised his hand and summoned a second sun.
Light flooded the church—bright, hot, pure. The cultists screamed, shielding their eyes. Their dark artifacts smoked and cracked.
"Sunlight," Meliodas said. "Apparently very effective against demon worship."
The cult leader snarled and lunged.
Meliodas caught his wrist, and for a moment, the man saw his eyes—glowing gold, radiant, like looking into the sun itself.
The cult leader sneered. "You think you can defeat me? I've been blessed by darkness itself! I am unstoppable!"
Meliodas tilted his head.
"Who decided that?"
The cult leader blinked. "What?"
"Who decided you're unstoppable? Was there a vote? A committee?" Meliodas's smile widened. "Because I don't remember agreeing to that."
He tightened his grip.
The cult leader screamed as golden light flooded through him.
"I win," Meliodas said quietly.
He tapped the man's neck. Unconscious.
The remaining cultists fled.
Meliodas let them go. They'd spread the word. That was the point.
---
That evening, he sat on his rooftop, watching the sunset.
Gravi appeared beside him. "The cult is finished. Their leader is in police custody, babbling about 'the sun god' who destroyed their operation."
"Sun god?"
"That's what they're calling you. It's spreading."
Meliodas sighed. "Great. Another nickname."
"Better than 'vampire.'"
"Barely."
Lyra appeared from the fire escape. "I heard! Sun god! I love it! This is going in the biography!"
"Of course it is."
Anastasia materialized from shadow, unable to resist the gathering. "You're glowing again."
"Sunset. Still counts."
She moved closer, studying him with those ancient eyes. "You've changed. Gotten stronger. I can feel it."
"Maybe."
"If you keep this up, you'll be more powerful than my lord."
Meliodas met her gaze. "Who decided that?"
Anastasia blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Just... practicing."
---
From her bakery, Natasha watched through binoculars.
Four figures on the rooftop now. The boy. The demon. The vampire. The mystery woman.
'He's collecting them,' she thought. 'Like Pokemon.'
She reported to Coulson.
"The target has acquired another associate. Female, unknown origin, appeared overnight. And his energy signature has changed—dramatically. He's... brighter."
"Brighter?"
"Literally. He's glowing. And there are rumors spreading through the supernatural community—they're calling him the 'sun god.'"
Coulson was silent for a moment. "Sun god?"
"That's what they're saying. He took out a demon cult today using sunlight. Actual sunlight, from his hands. And witnesses say he said something strange to the cult leader."
"What did he say?"
"'Who decided that?'"
Coulson paused. "That's... cryptic."
"Everything about this kid is cryptic."
Another pause. "Fury's going to love this."
"Tell him I need a raise."
---
That night, Meliodas sat alone, thinking about the power coursing through him.
It felt like sunshine. Like warmth. Like life itself.
He thought about the "Who decided that?" moment. How natural it felt. How right.
'If I ever meet someone truly powerful, someone who thinks they're the strongest in the world... I'm going to say it. I'm going to look them in the eye and ask who decided they were unbeatable.'
He grinned.
'And then I'm going to prove them wrong.'
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[END OF CHAPTER 18]