Tomo was still sitting on the curb, staring at the evening sky....its color resembling the wall paint of a cheap dorm: dull, hopeless, and begging for a discount.
His breathing was still shaky, like he just finished a marathon… even though he only ran because Maya's dad chased him after a terrible misunderstanding.
Out of his three romantic revenge missions today, every single one had failed.
Not just failed…
But failed in a way that was humiliating, dignity-crushing, and definitely would've gone viral if anyone had recorded it.
Holding his chest, Tomo thought hard.
Why is my life like this..?
Why does this devil fruit make me a half-finished ghost..?
Why do all girls come with a built-in anti-Tomo radar..?
But all those thoughts vanished the moment he saw something in the distance.
A huge building.
Tall.
Intimidating.
Shaped like a giant concrete box plucked from a supernatural raffle.
Its paint was faded, its windows cloudy, and its pillars stood firm like national debt: gigantic, ancient, and never quite resolved.
And above the building… something made Tomo's skin crawl.
Black smoke.
Thin, swirling smoke rising into the sky like a giant vape held by a supernatural being.
Not pollution.
Not trash burning.
But smoke that looked like it had its own personal life philosophy.
Tomo blinked hard.
or okay, rubbed his eyes.
But the smoke was still there.
In front of the building, a huge sign read:
HTR – Hall of Turbulent Representatives
"Meetings Today, Chaos Tomorrow."
Tomo nodded automatically.
That slogan was painfully honest.
More honest than exes saying, "Let's just stay friends, okay?"
The aura around the building was truly dark.
Dark to the point that even a ghost child would probably say "nope" and go home.
Tomo swallowed.
"Uh oh… don't tell me the country's problems come from there," he muttered.
He was just about to stand when someone suddenly sat beside him.
No footsteps.
No warning.
Appearing like an NPC that only spawns when you turn your head.
Tomo almost did a full backflip from shock.
---
©®™ ~ The Mysterious NPC Grandpa ~
The old man wore a prayer cap, rubber sandals that looked like they had survived three generations, and carried a transparent plastic bag filled with shrimp crackers.
His face was serious but gentle—like a professor who's patient, but whose students don't deserve him.
"Son,"
he said while staring at the turbulent building,
"you can see it too, can't you?"
Tomo tensed up.
"See what, sir..?"
"That dark aura…"
Tomo's hair stood.
Because earlier… only he had noticed that aura.
"Not everyone can see it,"
the old man continued while munching a cracker.
"Only those… who are cursed… or who recently ate a devil fruit."
Tomo almost called customer service for his own life.
Who is this old man..?
A hardcore One Piece fan..?
Oden's retired disciple..?
A spiritually awakened neighborhood chief?
"What fruit, sir..?" Tomo asked, panicked.
"The Tuyul-Tuyul Nomi."
His tone was flat, but packed with ominous future vibes.
"A fruit that drags its user into matters far messier than your romantic failures."
Tomo felt attacked.
Why was everyone today so comfortable insulting his love life?
The old man patted Tomo's shoulder.
The touch was light, but it felt like a message:
Welcome to a world that will stress you out even more.
"You've been chosen, son."
Tomo frowned.
"Chosen by who..?"
"No idea,"
the old man replied while casually eating crackers.
"I'm just the messenger. Want some?"
Tomo politely declined.
It felt rude to eat crackers while discussing a darkness that might alter the nation's destiny.
Plus, the crunching sound would absolutely ruin the tone.
The old man stood up, put his crackers away, and said in a low voice that made Tomo freeze:
"If you want answers…
enter that building."
Then he walked away.
No goodbye.
No wave.
His footsteps grew smaller and smaller, until he disappeared around the corner—along with the evening breeze, the plastic bag, and the faint smell of herbal oil.
Tomo could only stare.
---
A Call of Destiny… or a Terrible Mistake
Tomo looked at the building again.
Its dark aura seemed to twist…
calling him…
inviting him in a way no living thing should.
A strange curiosity fluttered in his chest.
The same feeling you get when a crush messages:
"Are you busy?"
Quietly, Tomo thought:
Well… it's not like I suddenly have a wedding scheduled next week.
He stood up.
His worn-out sandals made a flap-flap sound that didn't help his dignity.
But at least he walked.
Every step brought him closer, and a cold sensation seeped out from the building.
Not AC cold.
Supernatural cold.
The kind that makes your spine shake.
Like realizing you forgot to pay a loan exactly one second before the late fee hits.
When he reached the entrance, something made him want to turn around and go home to pray.
There were giant human-shaped statues…
…but their faces were empty.
No eyes.
No nose.
No mouth.
Just hollow, dark voids.
And the statues…
were trembling.
Gently.
Slowly.
As if breathing out of sync with the human world.
Tomo gulped loudly.
"Why does this feel like an economic horror movie..?"
He stepped closer.
Suddenly, one of the statues made a sound.
Soft.
Whispering.
But clear enough to hit Tomo's brain like a notification ping.
"We await… the bearer of the fruit…"
Tomo immediately stepped back three times—
a reflex only people who've been chased by debt collectors understand.
"Yeah… nope, definitely not my place,"
he declared.
He began to turn around, ready to sprint back to his normal life: odd jobs, cheap food stalls, and getting rejected by girls again.
That life suddenly felt much safer.
But before he could take a single step—
The front doors of the HTR building opened on their own.
A blast of dark light spilled out.
Yes.
Dark light.
Like light that refused to be bright.
And with it came a deep, echoing voice.
"Enter, Sai Tomo…"
"The turbulent nation… awaits you…"
Tomo froze.
His heart pounded like a marching band inside his chest.
The world felt still.
The future felt cracked open.
And Tomo could only think one thing:
This is the first time in my life…
I miss my old underpaid job…
With trembling legs and a breath that barely held steady, Tomo stepped inside—
Into the most chaotic building in the entire Kingdom of Atlantis.
Into the center of turmoil.
Into the place where even the Tuyul-Tuyul Nomi spirits would probably say:
"Bro, don't drag me into this."
And that was the beginning of a supernatural journey that would change his life.
Or destroy it.
Depending on who fills out the paperwork.