Under the stunned gazes of the powerhouses present, [Ryokugyu] Aramaki, who had been exceptionally promoted to Admiral less than a year ago, was split in two by the Wood Human like a crushed ice bar.
Thud! Thud!
Before anyone could react, Shiryu saw the two halves of the body thrown in front of him.
Shiryu stared blankly at the bisected Aramaki before him. A few seconds later, as if waking from a dream, he snapped back to reality and looked up at Jin, who stood atop the Wooden Human like a god.
"Th-that... do you still want this?" Shiryu, who hadn't batted an eye facing the Red Hair Pirates at Marineford, found his voice trembling uncontrollably now.
Perhaps it was because, unlike Shanks and Luffy, who liked to play pirate games and would at most defeat enemies but never kill them, Jin embodied the true pirate spirit.
He killed when he said he would, without blinking. Once you were on his list, even Celestial Dragons or Marine Admirals were no exception!
"Hmm?" Jin, standing on the Wood Human's brow, glanced sideways.
Seeing the other party look down at him, Shiryu secretly swallowed saliva to ease his tension.
"Oh? I remember now, you guys are also hunting Devil Fruit users," Jin recalled something, "You have your eyes on this guy's ability, right?"
"Y-yes," Shiryu took a deep breath, not quite daring to look Jin in the eye. His military cap covered the upper half of his face, hiding his sweat-drenched visage, but his slightly trembling voice betrayed his true feelings, "Someone who commands natural power as powerfully as you should have no interest in such a lower-tier Devil Fruit. If a trade is possible, you can name a price..."
Jin thought about it.
He killed Aramaki purely because he disliked the guy. He really hadn't thought about taking his ability.
And now that the Blackbeard Pirates wanted it...
"You're right, I'm indeed not interested in this third-rate ability. But even a pair of underwear or a piece of toilet paper should serve its purpose," Jin spoke again, "Take the corpse back. But after that, tell your master Teach to meet me immediately at Totto Land."
'Totto Land?'
Hearing these words, the expressions of the various faction members present changed with shock and suspicion.
'Wasn't that Big Mom's territory? Why would Uchiha Jin want to meet Blackbeard there?'
The expressions of Katakuri and Oven, the high-ranking members of the Charlotte Family, changed dramatically. They had heard about Cracker's experience on Fish-Man Island.
They originally thought Cracker's bad temper had just provoked Jin and gotten him beaten up. But now, it seemed things weren't that simple.
'What did the God of Destruction want to do to Mama!?'
"U-understood..." Shiryu bowed his body, tucking the two halves of Aramaki under his arms, preparing to leave.
"Hey! Shiryu, you bastard! Did you forget about me!?" Pizarro, still in mummy form, shouted at Shiryu for the second time.
"My hands are full. Figure it out yourself." There was simply no camaraderie among the Blackbeard Pirates' crewmates.
Moreover, Shiryu now had his eyes on Aramaki's ability. What he needed to do now was quickly take Aramaki's corpse back to Hachinosu and have Blackbeard transfer the Mori Mori no Mi's ability to himself.
Leaving Pizarro here was actually beneficial, since he was also currently ability-less, bringing him back might lead to competition.
"Damn it! Shiryu, you bastard! I won't let you get away with this!" Seeing Shiryu really leave without regard for him, Pizarro cursed angrily.
"We can't let him take Aramaki's body!" Lucci, who had been observing until now, knew he couldn't remain idle any longer.
The death of an Admiral was already a huge loss for the Marines and the World Government.
If the ability fell into the hands of a villain like Blackbeard, the situation would worsen!
Lucci quickly caught up to Shiryu using Geppo. The latter had lost a lot of energy to the Deep Forest Emergence and was slower, so Lucci soon blocked his path.
"Hand that over!" Lucci instantly transformed into his leopard form upon landing.
Even if he couldn't handle Jin, couldn't he handle Shiryu?
Shiryu's face darkened, 'These government dogs are truly shameless! Have the guts to fight me after I recover!'
Whoosh… Boom!!!
Just as Shiryu was considering whether to drop the corpse, draw his sword to resist, or turn and run, the ground beneath his feet shook violently, and the world before him spun dizzyingly.
"What's happening!?" Lucci in his beast-man form looked around in astonishment, discovering that the ship, as large as an island, was slowly rising into the air!
"Th-that girl!" Shiryu also noticed.
At the foot of Jin's Wood Human, Konan was crouched, her right hand pressed against the floor of Gran Tesoro. The clearly bitten Fuwa Fuwa no Mi lay beside her.
"Her compatibility is very high," Jin grinned with a satisfied smile.
Just like how Sabo could use Fire Fist right after eating the Mera Mera no Mi, he never expected Konan to be able to control a ship as massive as Gran Tesoro immediately after eating the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
It fully proved that giving her the fruit was the right decision. After all, Konan was inherently a 'flying type'.
"Ah!?" However, at that moment, Konan, testing her new ability, stumbled and was about to fall. Luckily, Nami was quick and caught her in her J-cup 'cafeteria'.
Boom-
Gran Tesoro, with its island-like volume, rose dozens of meters before plummeting down abruptly. The resulting impact can be imagined. Hundred-meter-high waves rose in a ring, soaring into the sky.
The splashing seawater blotted out the sky above Gran Tesoro, as if the sky had been pierced. Pale blue water fell, covering the sun.
"Wood Release: Hobi Technique." Jin clasped his hands together.
The earth trembled violently. Two wooden shields, each the size of a football field, erupted from the streets on either side of the entertainment city and joined together mid-air, forming a fierce demon-faced shield that protected everyone underneath.
"S-sorry, Jin-nii, I-I don't seem to be able to control this power skillfully yet," Konan said apologetically, drenched in sweat.
"You're already amazing, you know~," Jin jumped down from the Wood Human and used his sleeve to wipe her sweat.
Comparing Konan to Sabo wasn't fair to begin with. Firstly, the stamina requirements for the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi and the Mera Mera no Mi for their users weren't on the same level.
Secondly, expecting a twelve-year-old middle school girl to immediately master a top-tier Paramecia power was asking too much.
"Captain Rin! These World Government dogs want to steal the Aramaki corpse you gave me! Could you please lend a hand and deal with these lackeys?" Shiryu called out to Jin.
To be honest, hearing a murderous maniac like him use such formal language was oddly chilling.
Lucci felt utterly screwed, 'Damn, calling for backup when you can't win?'
"Oh~ Didn't see you there earlier. The government's number two bootlicker after Aramaki, Rob Lucci, isn't it?" Jin walked over with a smile.
If Aramaki was the World Government's brainless supporter, then Lucci was even more of a heavyweight. After the Enies Lobby incident, the government issued a kill order on them. After barely escaping with the CP9's members, just when everyone thought they would go independent, form a pirate crew to retaliate against the World Government, or join the Revolutionary Army, they actually ran back to continue being the World Government's watchdogs.
'Your master discarded you, yet you still wag your tail and go back to lick their boots? Truly, 'of course I choose to forgive him'.'
Lucci's face darkened, but he didn't dare retort. The reason he dared to act defiantly towards Sakazuki was because 'even when beating a dog, one must consider its master'. Sakazuki, though rigid, wasn't that rigid.
As long as one didn't directly oppose the World Government, his master, he could get away with some attitude.
But the one before him was different! A full-fledged Marine Admiral was killed just like that! Lucci had no doubt that if he spoke to Jin with the same attitude he used with Sakazuki, he would end up like the bisected Aramaki in Shiryu's arms in the next second.
"Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard. Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Giraffe. Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Wolf. Awa Awa no Mi..." Jin's gaze swept over the CP0's members, naming their respective Devil Fruits. Finally, his face was full of disdain. "All useless abilities." (T/N: Cat-Cat Fruit, Ox-Ox Fruit, Dog-Dog Fruit, Bubble-Bubble Fruit.)
The strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons?
To be honest, when Jin saw the World Government recruit these guys, who were defeated by Luffy, as the heads of the highest intelligence agency, the Five Elders in his mind were already equated with the word 'clowns'.
"Wh-what are you going to do to us?" The way Jin looked at them like mice that could be crushed at any moment made Lucci both angry and fearful.
He chose to speak up, braving the pressure. Rather than being slaughtered like fish on a chopping block, it was better to strive for negotiating rights.
However, Lucci was clearly overthinking. Once you're already 'fish on a chopping block', what qualification do you have to negotiate with the 'butcher'?
"I have no particular issue with you guys, so there's no reason to kill you," Jin stated truthfully.
Lucci and his group liking to be bootlickers was their own business… it had nothing to do with him.
Upon hearing this, Kalifa, Kaku, Jabra, and others instinctively showed signs of relief. Even though Jin had insulted them as worthless, at least they could survive, right?
However, Jin's next sentence sent them from heaven to hell.
"But I don't seem to have a reason to let you go either, do I?"
The expressions of Kalifa and the others changed dramatically.
"I don't play pirate games." As these words fell, Jin turned and walked away. Then he waved his hand, saying to his subordinates, "Apprentices, practice time."
Hearing this, the three lolis stepped forward with familiarity.
Since coming to the One Piece World, whenever Jin encountered opponents so weak that fighting them himself would be embarrassing, he would use them as practice punching bags for the three girls.
The New Fish-Man Pirates led by Hody on Fish-Man Island, and now these former victims of Luffy, were all treated the same way.