1 Chapter 1: An Unfortunate Start

Bruised, cut, and barely conscious, he sat there, chained to the wall, contemplating his existence.

Aurum, the name the previous owner of this body held, he guessed it's as good as anything else he'd come up with.

He hoped he'd get a better start than this. Remember back to his time in what the powerful being had called the void between reality, he wondered if that bastard was fucking with him.

Rob, the name he decided to go with, had said he'd never seen a soul capable of surviving the void and offered to send me on an interesting adventure.

Maybe a little insane from the uncountable years spent in solitude, he decided to accept the offer, but not before haggling for two wishes.

Not knowing where he'd be sent, he went with something that should be useful no matter the location he'd send me to.

He had to convince Rob of this first wish for a while, that being something he'd remembered from a fanfiction, The Essence of the Blank, he'd only gone for it with the caveat of a small Nerf. Basically, the essence gives you unlimited potential as well as being able to learn any abilities even ones you shouldn't be capable of, and able to develop your powers beyond their initial purposes. The nerf was that, for example, he couldn't train Ki, go super saiyan and one shot the verse. So unless he'd somehow make his way into the Dragon Ball multiverse he won't be going Super Saiyan anytime soon. Still, he was more than happy with this wish.

Knowing what kind of person he was, the Rob reasured him that even with this nerf, he'd still have the potential to reach the omnipotent being's level, especially because of the oddity of his soul.

The god was right. Now knowing that all the stories he'd read were out there, he wouldn't be content unless he was one of the few standing at the top.

Not wanting to push him any further, the second wish had been to be given as much natural talent as the omnipotent god was willing to give.

Truly, he couldn't tell if I'd taken over a dying body or simply unlocked his past life's memories just now.

Still, the short fourteen years this body lived couldn't contend with the over thirty of his past life. Certainly, his core being was still the man from a world that would call the current situation a work of fiction.

Yet, he still couldn't shake off my utter rage and contempt towards the people around him.

he'd been born on a peaceful island, disconnected from the outside world until a ship flying a flag he hadn't recognized without his past life's memories. Now able to recognize the Donquixote Jolly Roger for what it was, he understood the motivation behind the invasion.

The reason? Most likely because himself and his fellow villagers seemed to be one of this world's more distinct races. With bright, metallic golden hair and similarly colored eyes, contrasted by light brown skin, these helpless villagers were far too tempting for the local slave traders.

Unfortunately for the slavers, his parents and fellow villagers decided that fighting to the end was a better option than being captured. He'd just happened to be the only child living in the village and was shoved under the floorboards before the fighting started. Now, unfortunately for himself, someone must have had observation haki or a devil fruit with a tracking ability because he'd been dragged out and immediately chained.

While wondering if Rob had given him the wishes he'd asked for, like magic, an exquisitely written note appeared hovering in the air.

Hey kid, sorry about that, so turns out your soul acted different from any previous that I'd sent on to their next adventure. Your memories and the abilities I bestowed have been suppressed until now. Again sorry for this, I'm throwing in a little consolation prize for my fuck up. 

After reading the well-timed letter it took the form of an amorphic blob before merging into his chest.

Not even needing to think about what the gift had been, he could now feel a new existence bound eternally to his soul.

Currently, a useless infant being nurtured by his own much more powerful soul, this mysterious little guy would be my most steadfast ally in the future.

He's still not happy about the whole situation but this gift would be gladly accepted. A formless soul-bound weapon that grows alongside the user, he'll be putting it to good use.

Getting back to his current situation, being a slave to an underground gladiatorial fighting ring. For the past six years, he'd been the butt of the joke down here, being pitted against random wild animals, or getting kicked around by groups of older fighters. Without having the wishes until now, a malnourished kid wasn't going to be a match for any of the other gladiators.

So the question is, how does he get out of this situation? The easy option is waiting until my soul-bound weapon matures enough to help him escape. The problem is he's never been one for sitting around, and with meta-knowledge of this world, there are a few paths he could take.

He's too weak and starved for any form of armament haki training but it has been shown that a nine-year-old little girl could wield observation haki.

Similarly, most marine techniques are out for the same reason as having a weak body, though one ability that was narrowly explored in the series could give him a significant power boost. Life return, a technique that grants the user complete control over all of their body parts and bodily functions.

Taken to the extremes of the definition, this ability could be his path to a form of biological immortality and luckily for himself, he's got unlimited potential. But more importantly for the current situation, it's his path to strengthening this pathetic body he's currently stuck with.

In summary, his first goal is to learn observation haki to further his chances of survival, attempt to get a grasp on Life Return for fixing this trash physique, and finally absorb as much combat experience in the fighting pits before he slaughters his way out of this shit hole.

…

Turns out he shouldn't have been all that worried about his survival after all, because Rob didn't skimp out when it came to his wish for talent. Five minutes into meditation while attempting to sense the surroundings he'd made a breakthrough. 

Now able to sense his fellow prisoners in the nearby cells, and even as far as a few areas that guards patrolled, Aurum hoped he'd be able to get some information about this place. 

He knew that his tribe originated from the New World, but how far was he taken? At least he could cross out the worst situation of being at Mary Geoise since he hadn't been branded nor has he seen any bubble-headed freaks around here.

The next hour was spent trying to get in tune with his body. Controlling his hair seemed like a safe enough way to test Life Return, so that's what he'd focus on for now. 

"Eat up trash, your next fight's in three days and I've got my money riding on you," a guard shouted from outside the cell, knocking him out of his meditation before kicking a bowl of less than appetizing slop under the bars.

This meant that his next fight wouldn't be against a human because no way would a guard that knows how the fights are rigged down here would bet on him. He'd most likely be going against a stray dog or two just to get the audience in the mood for bloodshed.

Now that he had more experiences in his mind than the past six years of only eating this slop, he didn't think I'd be able to get this down without vomiting.

Aurum really didn't want to make the situation worse with starvation. Deciding that he'd had enough Life return practice by waving his hair around, Aurum went back into a meditative state attempting to sense the pathways the sense of taste made from the tongue, to the brain. After finding it and in the process achieving a more thorough understanding of nerves and the interactions with the brain, Aurum flipped the metaphorical switch on his taste buds.

After scarfing down the slop, trying not to think about the odd texture, Aurum went back into a meditative state. The slop he was fed was meant to keep him alive, nothing else. Now that he had a beginning understanding of Life Return, he'd be able to draw even the smallest amounts of nutrients that previously had left the body as waste. Now grasping control of his digestive system, he quickly digested the latest meal and all other waste further down the intestines, turning it into energy his body could easily assimilate. Now with significantly more energy than a normal person could get from the food served here, Aurum had to choose where to go from here. Using the energy to quickly heal his injuries would be a little suspicious, so the best option was to regenerate his muscles and promote growth.

Aurum had grand ideas on how to evolve Life Return into something more than what was thought possible. What came to mind first was the Psyker's Biomany discipline from Warhammer 40k. He was already fantasizing about it, being able to steal life force, manipulate others' biology, and even mess around with the brain to enhance his perception. Yet, for now, he was stuck to simply enhancing current bodily function. Aurum would need to dive into research if he wanted to take Life Return to the next level, and he definitely didn't want to be the guinea pig that was being experimented on. No, there were plenty of unwilling subjects out there, waiting to be captured.