<><><><><><>
Two days ago, Jin had traveled in reverse, arriving at Reverse Mountain. The demonic carrier had used its Logia-like earth-based abilities to sail up the mountain.
By the next morning, he had reached the North Blue.
Crocodile's Baroque Works also had agents in the North Blue. They had found the approximate location of the Heart Pirates.
And so, he had come racing.
But he was too late.
By the time the demonic carrier arrived at the spot where the Heart Pirates had been, the submarine had already submerged.
"I wonder where I can find a submarine to swallow," Jin thought. "Then I could just flip the outer hull and dive."
He placed his hand on the console, and his Observation Haki flowed into the ship.
"He can't have gotten far."
He and the ship merged into one. In the boiler, soul crystals burned, steam surged, and a massive amount of energy was released.
The carrier's energy amplified his Observation Haki.
In an instant, Jin's senses plunged into the deep sea, spreading out like a sonar pulse, searching for its target.
Soon, he had a lock.
Nine o'clock, 1.5 nautical miles, depth 20 meters.
The demonic carrier changed course.
—————————
Underwater.
"It's here! It's right above us!" Shachi said, his voice trembling as the light from the porthole grew faint, then disappeared, as if a massive shadow had fallen over them.
"No way! It found us?"
"How?? We're underwater!"
Hakugan and Penguin argued.
Law's expression was grim. His intuition told him they were being hunted.
"Full speed ahead," he ordered. "Head east."
"Captain," Hakugan said, "we haven't had a chance to replenish our oxygen supply since the last dive. We're running low."
"How long can we last?" Law asked.
"An hour at most."
"Go. Let's see if we can shake it."
Forty minutes later.
"It's no use! It's still on us! That thing is like a shadow, just floating up there."
"Diving to our maximum depth didn't work either."
"How is it doing that?"
"I... I think I'm suffocating... oxygen... I need oxygen..."
"I think I'm dying."
"Hey! Bepo! Get a hold of yourself!"
"I... I'm sorry."
"Dammit... I'm getting dizzy too. We're burning through oxygen much faster than usual."
Seeing the state of his crew, Law made a decision. "Surface,"
"Prepare for battle!"
"Sir!"
—————————
On the deck of the demonic carrier, Jin's eyes flashed, and a smile spread across his face. "I was wondering how long you could hold your breath."
Bubbles began to rise to the surface.
The Polar Tang emerged.
The moment its hull opened, a cannon fired.
The shell landed in the water beside the carrier, sending up a massive plume of spray.
It was a warning.
But the other ship was eerily quiet. If it weren't for its pristine condition, it could have been a ghost ship.
As Law and his crew wondered what was going on, a young voice called out from their own mast.
"Trafalgar Law."
What?
Law and his crew all looked up in shock.
Standing on the mast was a young man with short, black hair and a handsome face. He seemed to be smiling. But a powerful aura, as oppressive as the deep sea, emanated from him, filling them all with a sense of dread.
He looked down at them, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall silent. The wind stopped blowing, the waves stopped rolling, as if they too were in awe of his presence.
He's strong.
Law's face was grim. He hadn't felt this sense of suffocation since he was a child, when he had faced Doflamingo.
He stared back, refusing to look away. "Who are you? I don't think we've met before."
"I have a patient in need of your particular skills," Jin said. "I've come to ask you to accompany me."
Dr. Kureha and the other doctors on Drum Island had come up with a treatment plan, but they weren't entirely confident. The difficult part was the surgery.
And Jin knew just the man for the job.
"A patient?"
So he's not an enemy?
Shachi, Penguin, Bepo, and Hakugan all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Where is this patient?" Law asked, his own tension easing slightly. "On your ship? Bring him here."
"She's in the Grand Line," Jin replied.
"The Grand Line??" the crew exclaimed.
Law was also stunned. "You're saying you want us to go with you to the Grand Line to treat a patient?"
He had another question.
Had his reputation already reached the Grand Line?
He had tried to keep a low profile since setting out to sea. The only reason the Marines were after him was because he had recently defeated a Commodore who had been colluding with pirates to extort a village.
But still...
Even if the North Blue was the strongest of the Four Blues, even if its pirates were generally strong enough to survive in the Grand Line... for his name to be known by a powerhouse from the Grand Line?
Could it be... Doflamingo?
"Could the patient be brought to the North Blue?" Law asked.
His goal was to get revenge on Doflamingo. He had a plan, and in his mind, it wasn't yet time to enter the Grand Line. They weren't strong enough.
He didn't like being ordered around, didn't like having to change his plans.
"No," Jin said. "You are only one part of the treatment. Other doctors are also required."
"And if I refuse?" Law asked.
Jin vanished. Law felt a faint breeze brush past him. He blinked, and the man was back on the mast, as if he had never moved.
He looked around. Bepo was on the ground. Shachi was down... In a single, imperceptible instant, his entire crew had collapsed.
Law's eyes widened in shock, his breathing growing ragged.
"What did you do to them??" he roared. "ROOM!"
A hemisphere of light enveloped the two of them.
"They're fine," Jin said. "Just unconscious."
"Amputate!"
Law was still furious. He drew his cursed sword, Kikoku, and slashed at Jin.
"The world is a beautiful place," Jin said, his Haki flaring, his powerful aura warping the space around them. "No need to be so angry. Take a deep breath..."
He caught the blade of the cursed sword with his left hand.
And with his right, he threw a simple, unadorned punch.
WHAAAAAAAAAM!
A sharp pain shot through Law's cheek. His world went black. A series of images flashed before his eyes. He was sent flying, crashing to the deck.
Even his ROOM dissipated.
Law, still just a pirate in the North Blue, even in the strongest of the Four Blues, was no match for Jin.
"A very nice submarine," Jin said. "Ai, swallow it."
"Gyehehehe..." With a standard villainous laugh, a black maw opened on the port side of the demonic carrier and swallowed the submarine whole.
—————————
A moment later, the deck and hull of the submarine flipped outward, and a mainmast rose, unfurling a black dragon flag.
"Germa Kingdom is still untraceable," Jin mused. "Crocodile suggested I try the Lvneel Kingdom. The four seas each have their own specialties. The North Blue is known for its advanced medicine, especially its medical equipment."
He took out the procurement list Dr. Kureha and Hiruluk had given him when they'd heard he was coming to the North Blue.
And certain goods from the Four Blues could be sold in the Grand Line for ten, even several dozen times the profit.
The ship wasn't going back empty.
"Robin, Maya, I'm leaving it to you."
"I don't think I can go ashore," Robin said, gesturing to herself. "I'll need a disguise."
She was a wanted woman.
"Simple," Jin said with a smile. "One swallow, and you'll be good to go. The fruit can alter a person's physical form for a short time."
"Swallow?" Robin said, surprised.
Jin snapped his fingers.
The demonic carrier "swallowed" Robin.
And then spit her out.
The tall, elegant Robin was gone, replaced by a short, stout woman.
"That's amazing!" Maya said.
"It's... hideous," Robin said, visibly uncomfortable. "But... as long as it's inconspicuous, it will do."
Jin also thought it was a crime to ruin such a beautiful woman.
—————————
Lvneel Kingdom.
The southern port.
A snail ship was docked, a black flag with the number "66" flying from its mast.
<><><><><><>
~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~# Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!