"Hahaha, yes, they're finally here!" Ryota shouted, kicking his bedroom door shut with his heel.
In his hands, he held a large box wrapped in brown packaging paper.
He'd been awaiting this moment for a long time.
Ever since he'd scraped together enough money by pulling off odd jobs to buy those replicas online.
"It's about time," he muttered under his breath, shaking the box slightly.
A faint rustling sound came from inside, making his heart race.
Ryota tore the package open, digging through layers of wrapping, until he finally saw what was inside.
A gleaming black Katana lay quietly at the bottom of the box.
Just the craftsmanship alone was exquisite.
Resting beside it was a realistic replica of a Devil Fruit; its swirls and leaves were almost lifelike.
"Awesome," Ryota said in awe.
"The limited Edition Shusui and Dark Fruit replicas." He muttered with excitement.
These were his favorite items from the One Piece anime, and now they were finally his, even if they were only replicas.
He picked up the katana. The weight felt perfect in his hands, surprisingly balanced for a replica.
Ryota's grip curled tightly around the black silk-wrapped hilt as he pulled the blade from its sheath.
The katana slid free from its scabbard with a soft whisper.
"It's so beautiful," he murmured, gazing fixedly at the reddish-purple reversed wave patterns along the black blade.
Swinging it experimentally a few times, the blade cut through the air with a satisfying *whoosh*.
His grin widened as he absently traced a finger along the blade's edge.
"Ouch!" The sharp edge drew a thin red line on his fingertip.
Blood welled up quickly from the wound, dripping onto the replica of the Dark Fruit below.
"Wow, that's really sharp!" He shouted, throwing the Katana and it's scabbard on the bed.
Even though it was only a replica, it was still a functional blade after all.
Ryota clutched his bleeding finger as he bolted for the bathroom, leaving the katana and fruit replicas abandoned on his bed.
But unknown to Ryota, the blood pooling on the Dark Fruit's surface was being sucked inward like water into thirsty soil.
The swirls pulsed; a deep violet light flaring beneath the rind for a split second before settling once more.
And Shusui, the blade that had also tasted Ryota's blood, thrummed against his mattress with a resonance that shouldn't have been possible.
The black silk wrapping the hilt darkened further, across its surface, the reddish-purple wave patterns flickered slowly like a pulse.
Inside the bathroom, Ryota was blissfully unaware of the strange changes taking place in his room.
He was busy fumbling with the faucet.
The water hissed out as he finally managed to turn the tap, he quickly rinsed the cut in the cool running water.
"Stupid," he muttered, shaking droplets from his hand.
Looking up, the mirror showed his reflection.
There were only two words that could perfectly describe his appearance:
'Fat and Ugly'.
He sighed, shaking his head, he was far from being the 'Lady Killer' type.
Ryota's reflection stared back; soft jawline, pudgy cheeks, eyes that always looked slightly tired.
Even his vibrant purple irises, which were rare enough to be striking on someone else, just made him look like he hadn't slept properly.
His only saving grace was his well above-average height of six-feet three-inches, but even that felt wasted on a frame that carried more fat than muscle.
"Well, that's the life of an Otaku for you." He muttered, taking a band-aid from the medicine cabinet and pressing it over his finger.
The sting of the wound was fading, but the sting of his own reflection still lingered.
Turning away, he flicked the bathroom light off before his thoughts could spiral further.
It's not like he hadn't tried to lose weight before, it's just that nothing worked.
Diets, workouts, even starving himself for days, none of it helped.
His body seemed hellbent on keeping him fat no matter what he did.
At some point, he gave up, not bothering to try anymore.
Ryota trudged back into his bedroom, still absently rubbing his bandaged finger.
He only glanced at the replicas on the bed before flopping onto his chair with all the grace of a sack of rice.
He'd been so excited about them only moments ago, but now he had completely lost interest.
The replicas continued to lay abandoned on his bed.
"Hah, what a drag," Ryota sighed, slumping deeper into his chair as he flicked on his monitor.
The glow of the screen washed over his face, highlighting the exhaustion in his purple eyes.
Outside, the last remnants of daylight bled into dusk, casting long shadows across his cluttered room.
He reached for a bag of chips crumpled beside his keyboard, tearing it open with his teeth.
The crunch echoed loudly in the quiet room.
"I guess I'll watch the latest episode of Chained Soldier," Ryota muttered, his grin widening pervertedly.
The chip bag crinkled as Ryota shoved another handful into his mouth.
His eyes were glued to the screen where a busty swordswoman was mid-battle, decimating a swarm of Shuuki.
"Damn, Kyouka is so sexy! I wish that I could get isekai'd into that world," he mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs.
His finger tapped the spacebar to pause the anime, right when the heroine's skirt fluttered upward in *just the right way* to behold the breathtaking scenery underneath.
At that moment, the air in his room had unknowingly begun to thicken.
The Dark Fruit replica pulsed again, but this time, the violet light didn't fade.
Wisps of dark mist pooled unnaturally around its base, creeping outward like ink spreading through water.
Ryota didn't notice the darkness pooling beneath his chair.
Not until the first tendril of black mist curled around his ankle, cold as a winter river.
"The hell...?" He jerked his leg, but the darkness clung to him like tar, crawling upward with an eerie purpose.
"What going on, what is this!" He shouted, kicking at the inky tendrils wrapping around his legs.
He struggled desperately, but the darkness didn't budge, if anything, it coiled tighter, slithering up his calves like a living thing.
Ryota's chair screeched as he tried to stand, but the black mist yanked him back down with unnatural force.
His heart hammered against his ribs as the room dimmed.
The darkness was slowly warping and swallowing the light from his monitor.
Only the violet pulse of the Dark Fruit replica was able to cut through the unnatural blackness that slowly filled the room.
"Is this how it all ends? My pathetic twenty-five year old virgin life?" Ryota's voice cracked as the darkness coiled around his thighs, cold and unyielding.
The black mist didn't just cling, it pulled hungrily, dragging him down into the floor as if the hardwood had turned into a black hole.
"No! I can't give up like this; I want to live!" He screamed Hysterically as the darkness swallowed him up to his waist.
His fingers clawed desperately at the edge of his desk as he fought against the inevitable pull, but it was all just a futile attempt.
"Gah!" A muffled scream tore from his throat as he was swallowed up to his neck.
The darkness constricted around him like a python.
Every inch of Ryota's body screamed under the unbearable pressure.
His ribs creaked, his vision blurred at the edges, and his lungs burned as if he'd been plunged into the crushing depths of the ocean.
His last coherent thought was that he'd never get to see the next episode of Chained Soldier, and the beautiful female characters surrounding that wimp, Yuuki.
Then the darkness swallowed him whole.
In the eerie silence of the room, the "replicas" of the Dark Fruit and Shusui lying on the bed were slowly swallowed by the darkness, disappearing without a trace.
The monitor on the desk flickered violently as it was devoured by the darkness, the anime stayed frozen on Kyouka's mid-battle smirk before the screen shattered into static.