<><><><><><>
"Was that... Haki...?" Ace asked, his face twisted in agony.
He struggled, trying to get back to his feet. But a full day and night of chasing had drained his stamina. And now, with a punch that had bypassed his defenses entirely, his body was giving out.
All he could do was writhe on the ground.
Haki.
That was what Law had told him about—the power that could counter a Devil Fruit. He'd said it was a latent power within all humans, one that could only be brought out through long, arduous training.
A powerful Haki could even overcome a Devil Fruit user, allowing someone to grab fire with their bare hands, to ignore their elemental form.
"ACE!"
"Are you okay?!"
The moment Ace had gone down, Deuce and the others had rushed over in a small boat. They helped him up, checking him for injuries.
But even though he had lost, Ace was not defeated. The moment he could move, he tried to surge toward Jin again, bull-headed as ever.
It was his nature—act first, think later. And the "demon" of the Flare-Flare Fruit only amplified it.
He was a fire, burning anything that got too close.
Jin clenched his fist.
As Ace approached, he threw a single punch. Ace, unconsciously, unleashed his own awakened Conqueror's Haki, and the two forces collided, the resulting shockwave knocking Deuce and the others unconscious.
But...
THUD!
Ace hit the ground hard, cracking it, and lay there, embedded in the sand, bloody and unconscious.
Jin pulled his fist back. "Kids these days," he sighed. "So much energy."
Robin, Law, and the others, who had just arrived, were speechless. Like you're one to talk.
—————————
Even though he was just one Devil Fruit away from his next evolution, Jin didn't kill Ace.
He was the fuse for the Summit War.
And the Summit War was a conflict that would change the world.
It would shift the balance of power in the New World and, in its own way, shake the very foundations of the World Government and the Marines.
Whether Ace lived or died was of no concern to him. He just didn't want that war to disappear.
A world of One Piece without the Summit War... it was an unforgivable future.
To be safe, he would place a "mark" on Ace. It would make collecting the Flare-Flare Fruit easier, should the need arise.
Besides, he had already locked on to the final Devil Fruit for this upgrade.
On the deck of the carrier, Jin pulled out a wanted poster.
"The Eldoraggo Pirates! Eldoraggo, Bounty: 10,000,000 Berries!"
He had swiped a number of East Blue wanted posters, along with some general intelligence, from Smoker's desk.
He remembered this "sound-man" from the movie, Adventure on the Clockwork Island. He'd been impressed by the scene where he'd destroyed the port facilities with a massive sonic blast from his mouth.
And Eldoraggo was obsessed with gold. He was searching for the treasure left behind by the Great Gold Pirate, Woonan.
Capturing him would be killing two birds with one stone.
But he was a slippery one. He'd been operating in the East Blue for years and had only recently been sighted in the waters south of Loguetown.
"The sea is a big place," Jin mused, looking at the Marine chart. "It's hard to find someone if you don't know where to look. I can't just search every island."
He stroked his chin.
"Maybe... I can lure him out."
His eyes fell on a specific location on the map.
The Conomi Islands.
And a single notation: Arlong.
The Arlong from the Arlong Pirates? So Cocoyasi Village is nearby?
A plan began to form in Jin's mind.
A plan that would not only draw out Eldoraggo... But every pirate in the East Blue.
"How do I contact Smoker again? I forgot to get his number. Maya, go get me that Tashigi woman."
The clumsy, bespectacled Tashigi was brought before him, her cheeks puffed out in a pout. "My sword! Give me back my sword!"
"Ai," Jin said. He raised a hand, and a rift opened in the space above him. A sword fell into his hand, and he tossed it to Tashigi.
She caught it, her eyes wide with surprise. What was that?
"Alright. Give me Smoker's Den Den Mushi number. I have some business with him."
"What kind of business?"
"Catching pirates."
Tashigi hesitated, then glanced at her sword, Shigure, and recited the number.
Jin called Smoker.
The moment he heard Jin's voice, Smoker felt a headache coming on. "Where's Tashigi?!"
"Captain Smoker! I'm here!" Tashigi quickly said.
Smoker's anger subsided slightly. "That guy... he hasn't done anything to you, has he?"
"Eh? N-no."
Tashigi had been locked in a room ever since she'd been brought on board. She had no idea what was going on.
"Alright, that's enough catching up," Jin said. "Listen, Smokey, I need your help with something. I need you to spread a rumor for me."
"And why would I do that?"
"We have a common goal: eliminating pirates. Is that not enough?"
Smoker was suspicious. "You're a king from the Grand Line. What are you doing in the East Blue, eliminating pirates?"
"Because I've had a dream since I was a child," Jin said. "I want to be a good person, to punish evil and reward good wherever I go."
Smoker was silent. "...What do you want me to do?"
"Cocoyasi Village, on the Conomi Islands," Jin said. "It's where the Great Gold Pirate, Woonan, lived out his final days. He hid a massive amount of gold there. The Arlong Pirates are squatting there right now, searching for that gold."
"Is that true?" Smoker asked, surprised.
"What do you think?" Jin replied. "You've marked Arlong on your chart. You already know. But because of his connection to the Warlord Jinbe and the World Government... I'll take care of them for you."
"What's your angle in all this?" Smoker asked, still suspicious.
"I told you, I'm a good person. You don't believe me? Fine. I just think it'll be fun. You believe that?"
Fun?
"I believe it," Smoker said. "A man like you would do anything for a bit of fun. By the way, the commander of the Marine base on the Conomi Islands, Captain Nezumi... I think he's dirty."
"You know, and you haven't done anything?" Jin asked.
Smoker sighed. "He's a Captain, I'm a Captain. We're the same rank. Besides, I have no concrete evidence. I'm from Headquarters, he's a branch commander. One wrong move, and it could cause a rift between the two. The internal politics of the Marines are more complicated than you think."
"Got it," Jin said. "You take care of your end, and I'll twist his head off and give it to you to use as a soccer ball."
Smoker's hands were tied by his position. He needed evidence.
Jin didn't. He just needed a name.
Worst case scenario, he'd just have to give the Celestial Dragons a few more "Dream" mushrooms.
—————————
Dusk. Cocoyasi Village, Arlong Park.
Arlong and his officers were drinking and celebrating.
Suddenly, a deep roar echoed from the sea, and a strange chill ran down the spines of all the Fish-Men.
"What was that?"
"Momoo?"
"Idiot! Momoo doesn't sound like that!"
Arlong set his drink down. "Kuroobi, go check it out."
Kuroobi dived into the pool and swam out into the sea.
Soon, a warship with a black dragon flag came into view. It was "flying" across the surface of the sea at an incredible speed, heading straight for Arlong Park.
'So fast!' Kuroobi thought, amazed.
The ship was moving at least forty or fifty knots. By the time he realized how close it was, it was too late to warn the others.
He swam toward the bottom of the ship, intending to scuttle it, when a harpoon, attached to an iron chain, shot out from the hull and pierced him through.
He was too close. He had no time to defend. Who would have expected a harpoon, imbued with Armament Haki, to shoot out from the bottom of a ship?
Blood stained the water. The harpoon was retracted, pulling the body into the ship.
A little contact with seawater wouldn't negate a Devil Fruit user's powers.
CRASH!
The demonic carrier slammed into the entrance of Arlong Park. A massive fire erupted, and the sounds of battle filled the air.
"Fire Fist!"
"ROOM!"
It wasn't even a fight.
Before Jin even had to move, it was over. Ace, Law, Maya, Robin, Reiju, and Tashigi had taken care of everything.
As he lay dying, Arlong's last thought was: Who did I piss off? Where did these monsters come from?
<><><><><><>
~ 80 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!