Chapter 1: The Monkey King
Apollo felt light all over, as if he had lost all his weight, and his thoughts were sluggish, like rusted gears turning slowly.
"Hehe, interesting!"
Suddenly, a soft chuckle sounded in his ear. He shivered, waking up completely.
Before he could examine his state, Apollo was captivated by the scene before him.
All around was an endless night sky—no up or down, no left or right—scattered with distant stars.
Directly opposite him sat a colossal… monkey?
Yes! A monkey!
An incredibly huge monkey! It was practically a mountain peak!
Its entire body was covered in golden fur, emitting a light more dazzling than the stars. It sat cross-legged on a golden lotus with a solemn and dignified expression, like a Buddha.
"Where is this place?"
Apollo wanted to ask, but found he couldn't speak. He then realized he didn't have a body. Shock washed over him. What's going on?
"Interesting, interesting!"
The golden monkey looked at him with great interest, then reached out and plucked a single hair. "Hehe, I'll give this to you. If you achieve something great in the future, you can come find Old Sun."
Apollo was still completely bewildered when the golden monkey disappeared. At the same time, a giant monkey hair flew towards him.
It was called a "hair," but from his perspective, it was a wall several meters high and seemingly endless!
It was too, too, too big!
Boom!
"No!"
He let out a silent wail as the giant hair crashed into him. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness…
Splash.
Apollo suddenly sat up, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his eyes wide with lingering fear.
"Damn it! That dream was too real! I almost thought I was smashed into pulp!"
His heart was still racing.
Not only the colossal monkey hair, but the mountain-like golden monkey was perfectly clear in his mind. He often dreamed, but such realistic, lucid dreams were extremely rare.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead and taking two deep breaths, Apollo gradually calmed down. Then, he realized something was wrong.
All around him, lush green grass mingled with wildflowers, presenting a vibrant scene.
In front lay an endless ocean, a deep black-blue under the sunlight. Behind him were dense jungles and low mountains.
The air was crisp. The scenery was beautiful.
But the problem was—he should be sleeping in his rented room!
Outside should be gravel roads, asphalt, and concrete buildings, not the ocean and mountains!
Could it be… I'm still dreaming?
Slap.
Apollo closed his eyes and lay down again.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, staring blankly at the clear blue sky, confusion swirling in his gaze.
It's not a dream!
This is absolutely not a dream!
So, what was going on?
Apollo placed his palm on his forehead, trying to calm his thoughts.
There were two possibilities.
First, someone played a massive prank on him. While he was sound asleep, they picked the lock and moved him from the city to this unknown island.
The problem was, who would play such a boring, expensive, and exaggerated joke on him?
Second, a supernatural event occurred.
This sounded even less realistic.
But… a strange look appeared in Apollo's eyes.
This second possibility seemed more likely.
He stretched out his palm and waited quietly for a few seconds. Suddenly, a speck of golden light appeared in his hand, growing brighter and brighter. After reaching its peak, it gradually dimmed.
Once the light dissipated, a golden hair lay quietly in his palm. It was barely an inch long, slightly curved, and entirely golden, looking like a fine needle.
"This is…"
Apollo's pupils constricted slightly. Although the size was vastly different, he immediately thought of the gift the golden monkey in his dream had given him—that colossal hair.
Just then, his expression shifted.
The golden hair in his palm began to change. It expanded at a visible rate, growing thicker and longer.
"What's happening?"
Apollo watched nervously.
If he hadn't been dreaming just now, then that mountain-like monkey was definitely an extraordinary being. The hair it gave him must not be an ordinary item!
"Always pulling these stunts… don't you know this old man has a bad heart!"
Apollo grimaced. Although nervous, he could only watch and wait for the transformation to end.
It didn't take long. After about a minute, the change stopped.
The monkey hair disappeared completely. In its place was a strange fruit, shaped like a banana but covered in spiral patterns. Just looking at it gave off an extraordinary aura.
Apollo turned it over, his expression hesitant.
From the moment this fruit appeared, a voice echoed in his mind: Eat it, eat it, eat it…
"Can this thing really be eaten?"
Apollo frowned. He thought for a moment, then brought it to his mouth and took a small bite.
This strange fruit was transformed from monkey hair, so it couldn't be poisonous, right? That giant golden monkey had a sacred aura; there was no reason for it to harm an ordinary person like him.
I'll try it first. Even if there's a problem, this little bit shouldn't…
Just as he was thinking, Apollo's expression changed dramatically. His face instantly turned purplish-red.
This was too… damn awful!
Ugh… Ugh…
His stomach cramped, and he looked at the remaining fruit with horror.
This was absolutely the worst thing he had ever eaten! It tasted like shit—no, worse than shit mixed with chemicals!
As he retched, Apollo realized something.
He seemed to recall hearing about something with spiral patterns that tasted worse than waste—items that possessed unique powers.
"Devil… Devil Fruit?"
Looking at the bitten "banana," Apollo's expression changed again.
Suddenly, dense golden fur sprouted on his body. His size began to increase rapidly. A terrifying power awakened within him.
Although nervous, thanks to his previous guess, he didn't panic. More importantly, he could feel that this power was harmless and controllable; the transformation seemed like something he could stop at will.
A few seconds later, Apollo disappeared. In his place stood a massive golden ape, over ten meters tall, covered in golden fur, with a pointed mouth, thin cheeks, and a fierce visage.
"Hmph!"
Apollo roared. He clenched his five fingers and pulled an iron staff from the void—golden at both ends and fiery red in the middle.
An endless arrogance surged in his heart. He felt a desire to fight heaven and earth, to poke a hole in the sky itself.
"That's not right."
Two minutes later, Apollo gradually sobered up. "What am I doing? How did I turn into a beast? Is this the influence of the Devil Fruit?"
A Devil Fruit. This was indeed a Devil Fruit!
Based on the information he instinctively received, he confirmed this point and even identified its specific type.
Mythical Zoan: Saru Saru no Mi, Model: Great Sage! (Monkey-Monkey Fruit, Model: Sun Wukong)
Apollo pondered for a moment. His appearance began to shift again, his size slowly shrinking. However, the golden fur did not disappear.
What finally remained was a smaller golden ape-man, just over two meters tall. His appearance was much gentler, no longer so fierce—more like a human covered in fine golden fur.
At the same time, a set of equipment manifested on his body.
On his head sat the Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown. On his body, the Golden Chainmail. On his feet, the Cloud-Stepping Boots. And in his hand, he held the Ruyi Jingu Bang—the Golden Staff.
He was none other than the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, the Handsome Monkey King!