Chapter Text
Prologue Arc
17 years before the current storyline, Malvolio D. Shocker was born in Foosha Village, the same small and relatively quiet island that once produced the infamous Monkey D. Luffy. From the moment Shocker is old enough to walk around the island, it is clear that his presence does not attract much warmth. He grows up as an orphan, and the villagers tend to avoid him, most out of irritation or disinterest, but some out of fear. As a child, Shocker has spiky pink hair, a simple black T-shirt, shorts, and sandals. He spends most of his time wandering the village with restless energy. Since no one gives him much attention, he decides the only way to be seen is by causing trouble. He adopts the identity of a delinquent, even though he is only a kid, because he believes mischief is the only way people will acknowledge him. His logic is simple: if people will not look at him when he behaves, then he will force them to look at him when he misbehaves.
Village Orphan
Malvolio D. Shocker
Shocker’s favorite prank involves splashing houses with green paint, partly because it bothers the villagers, but mostly because green is his favorite color. He enjoys the sight of walls covered in messy streaks of bright green, feeling satisfied when the villagers yell at him. He also writes insults on walls and storefronts, believing that if they insult him behind his back anyway, he might as well beat them to it. The villagers respond by chasing him with brooms or complaining to each other about him being a menace. Shocker would run away, smiling the whole time, considering every yell, every scolding, and every complaint a form of victory.
The only person in the village who tries to understand him is Makino, the owner of Partys Bar. She becomes a big-sister figure to him, giving him food when he has none, scolding him in a calm way instead of an angry one, and reminding him that he does not need to act out to be noticed. Whenever she sees him covered in paint or returning from some failed prank, she sighs and sits him down. She tells him he is only making more enemies. Shocker brushes her off each time, insisting that he does not care if they like him. He says that as long as his actions make them react, it proves he exists. Even though he says this, Makino can tell he wishes things were different.
Partys Bar Owner
Makino
9 years before the current time, when Shocker is 8, a major event shakes the small village. The genius scientist Dr. Vegulus Vegapunk arrives as part of his Duplication Grand Series. The tour is meant to showcase his newest research breakthrough. As he arrives by ship and undocks, the villagers gather around his display set up with excitement, as it is not often a world-famous scientist visits their tiny community. Vegapunk reveals a system designed to reproduce Devil Fruits that already exist. He explains that he extracts lineage factors from original fruit users, synthesizes them, and infuses the result into specially prepared fruit vessels. By manipulating the source DNA, he can mass-produce artificial versions of abilities. He calls the creations Duplication Fruits, shortened to Duplis. The crowd reacts with awe, and rumors spread quickly that Vegapunk may be close to changing the world once again.
World's Most Brilliant Scientist and Inventor
"Futuristic Genius" Dr. Vegulus Vegapunk
Because of his prestige, the villagers offer him a large house on a hill slightly removed from the rest of the town. Vegapunk accepts the hospitality and plans to stay in Foosha for a week. Shocker hears all of this while being shoved around by the local bullies Punkie, Bucky, and Sirius. They tell him that a real delinquent would sneak into Vegapunk’s house and steal a dupli. Shocker is torn between fear and the desire to prove himself, but the bullies keep teasing him, telling him he's lame and he could never hang with them acting like that. Eventually, the pressure gets to him, and he decides he must act. He runs toward the hill, determined to steal a fruit so he can show up the bullies and everyone else.
Reaching the house, he tugs on the door handle, only to find the house locked. Instead, he climbs through a window, dropping in silently. Inside, everything looks strange and expensive to him. On a table sit several colorful fruits, each distinct from typical produce. Their odd patterns and shapes make it easy to recognize them as artificial Devil Fruits. Shocker grabs a purple one simply because it looks the coolest. The moment he holds it, Vegapunk steps out from the dark part of the room. The scientist scolds him, demanding to know why he would steal. Shocker panics and explains himself poorly, saying he only wants to prove he is not useless. Vegapunk snaps back that nothing justifies breaking into a house or stealing, and Shocker tenses, expecting punishment or worse.
Before anything else can happen, three mountain bandits burst into the room. They immediately announce they intend to kidnap Vegapunk and hold him for ransom. Vegapunk raises an arm cannon and prepares to fire at them, but one of the bandits grabs Shocker and presses a gun to his head, ordering him not move if he wanted the kid to survive. Vegapunk pauses, forced to lower his weapon. The bandits argue with each other, guessing how much money they can get for capturing a world-famous scientist. Vegapunk glances at the fruit in Shocker’s hand and thinks through a plan quickly. He lowers his voice and motions to Shocker to eat the fruit he is holding. Shocker, confused and scared, obeys and swallows it.
The bandits continue talking, but Vegapunk raises his voice and mocks them, claiming that he is sure their intelligence levels must be low to have come up with such a feeble plan to capture him, before stating besides, they don't have the guts to kill a child. The lead bandit gets irritated and fires the gun directly at Shocker. Instead of piercing through him, the bullet bounces off his body almost like rubber, and shoots back into the bandit’s arm. Shocker stares at himself in shock, touching the spot where the bullet hit. Vegapunk then uses his cannon to blast the remaining two bandits, knocking them out easily. Shocker asks what happened to his body, and Vegapunk explains that the fruit he ate is the Gomu Gomu Dupli, an artificial replication of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Because of the dupli, Shocker’s body now behaves like rubber and is immune to bullets. Shocker is amazed to have superpowers, excited at the prospect as Vegapunk simply looks on embarrased. The young boy comments that the fruit tasted sweet, and Vegapunk smirks, saying he is sure it did.
A week passes by, and Vegapunk finishes his stay in Foosha. At the harbor, he concludes that nothing can be done about Shocker eating the dupli, and he decides not to pursue any punishment. Before leaving, he scolds Shocker one more time about stealing, making it clear that even if things worked out this time, it does not make the act acceptable. Shocker stands at the edge of the dock as Vegapunk boards his ship. He announces that he will become stronger now that he has an ability. Vegapunk looks at him and replies with calm interest, saying he looks forward to seeing how the boy grows.
As the ship sails away and Foosha shrinks into the distance, Vegapunk thinks about Shocker. He wonders what kind of path the boy will take now that he has a power that once belonged to one of the most infamous men in history. As the little island became a speck to the scientist, he wonders what sort of grand grand the boy will go on. He predicts that Shocker will shake the world someday. He does not know how or when, but he knows the boy’s future will not be quiet.