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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
After a violent tremor rocked the entire ship, the Gran Tesoro was plunged into total darkness.
"Ah—!"
"What the f—?"
"What's happening??"
In the towns, taverns, and casinos, everyone still caught in the chaos was thrown into confusion, their world suddenly sightless.
"Gentlemen, ladies..."
A voice boomed from the broadcast system, echoing across the colossal ship.
"And now..."
"Your emperor has returned."
The lights flickered back on.
One after another.
Screens lit up, one after another, all linked to a massive Visual Den Den Mushi.
"Eh?"
"Emperor??"
"Don't tell me..."
People exchanged bewildered glances.
"OI, LOOK!" someone shouted.
Everyone turned.
The tables, the chairs, the very streets—they were all regaining their golden luster, beginning to gleam once more.
"Tesoro's back??" people gasped in astonishment.
"Was the news fake?"
"No way..."
After Tesoro's death, his power had vanished. The entire golden ship, a product of his ability, had "faded."
That's right—over 99.9% of the "gold" in the city of gold was "pseudo-gold," created by the power of the Gold Gold Fruit. His Awakening couldn't permanently alter matter. And so, the entire city, the entire ship, had reverted to its "ordinary" state.
This was precisely why Jin needed to make it a part of the demonic carrier.
It was the only way for it to keep shining.
Just as the confusion reached its peak, the screens flashed to life.
Jin's image appeared. "I am Jin, King of the Winter Blossom Kingdom,"
"From this moment on, the Gran Tesoro is under the jurisdiction of the Winter Blossom Kingdom and will become another of its Special Administrative Regions."
"All those who took advantage of the chaos to cause destruction—lay down your weapons, surrender, and compensate for the damages, and I will consider the matter closed..."
"For those who resist—you will be shown no mercy."
"And for everyone else... have a wonderful time."
Jin's image vanished from the screens, but his words were enough to leave everyone reeling.
The Gran Tesoro had a new master??
JIN! THE KING OF PARADISE!
How long had he even been in the New World? He was like a force of nature—an unstoppable juggernaut.
The guests murmured amongst themselves.
The King of Paradise, seizing the world's number one entertainment city—this was front-page news.
"How did he take over so fast?" the more ambitious among them lamented.
Most people knew better than to cause any more trouble.
But some continued to resist.
A few were just thugs, hardened criminals.
Others were slaves, people who had lost everything and were now trapped here under Tesoro's control.
Robin, Reiju, and Wyper each moved out.
Working with the city's guards, they began to identify and suppress the remaining pockets of resistance.
Maya was not among them. She had a special mission: to calm the two giant, agitated turtles that pulled the ship. Her Observation Haki allowed her to hear the Voice of All Things, to communicate with animals and soothe their unease.
—————————
In the core control room of the Gran Tesoro.
Jin was using the power of his Munch-Munch Fruit, combined with his Soul Gold Flame, to perform an Awakened Assimilation of the area, a modification that would allow the demonic carrier to indirectly control the Gran Tesoro.
In essence, he was turning this area into a module for the demonic carrier—a "lifeboat" in its belly.
With the Luck-Luck Fruit on his side, a "miracle" occurred.
Low-probability events became high-probability...
Everything went smoothly.
Robin, Wyper, and the others successfully quelled all resistance, and order was restored to the Gran Tesoro.
He had successfully conquered the city of gold.
Jin smiled, satisfied.
The Empress "spat out" the golden city.
It returned to the sea of clouds, to the thick fog.
A moment later, the fog dissipated.
Jin could feel the subtle connection between the core of the Gran Tesoro and the demonic carrier.
It was as if a part of himself had been separated.
Of course, maintaining this connection would consume a great deal of soul crystals.
That was why he had only assimilated the core.
—————————
Whole Cake Island.
"Mamamamamamama..."
After learning that Jin had successfully taken control of the Gran Tesoro, and after a long discussion with Streusen, Big Mom had finally made her decision.
Citing Katakuri's repeated defeats and his failure to protect the Tea Party, she stripped him of his title as a Sweet Commander.
The news sent a shockwave through her many children. They thought their mother had gone insane.
But under the weight of Big Mom's long-standing tyranny, no one dared to defy her.
They did, however, plead for him.
They thought it might work. But a furious Big Mom simply beat them for their insolence.
She then ordered Katakuri to be thrown in the dungeon. And to make an example of him, she declared that she would take fifty years of his lifespan.
Anyone who pleaded for him would be considered equally guilty and would suffer the same fate.
In an instant, a strange, tense atmosphere fell over Totto Land.
This internal affair was then reported by the World Economic Journal, drawing the attention of powers all over the world.
"Hey, Linlin! What the hell are you doing?" Kaido couldn't believe it. Getting rid of Katakuri, the most perfect creation in Totto Land, her strongest subordinate?
Had she lost her mind? He called to ask her himself.
"Mind your own business, Kaido," Big Mom growled. "I hear you've been clashing with that Red-Haired brat a few times."
"Shanks," Kaido grumbled. "That meddling bastard is just like Roger. I hate him."
—————————
On the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco read the news, completely bewildered.
An internal conflict in the Big Mom Pirates?
But his own crew wasn't in much better shape. Their territories were in chaos.
Although the commanders had managed to suppress the unrest, as long as Pops remained out of sight, the tension would only continue to grow. It wasn't just external threats; the people on their islands were also growing anxious.
Fortunately, Ace was already on his way back with that doctor, Law.
The Whitebeard Pirates had no energy to spare for the outside world.
—————————
The World Government and the Marines were also paying close attention to the matter.
Unfortunately, Whole Cake Island was crawling with Homies. Other than Stussy, who was a close friend of Charlotte Linlin, it was nearly impossible for intelligence agents to gather information.
And Stussy's report confirmed that it was most likely true.
"Jin caused a huge scene at the Tea Party," her report read. "Big Mom didn't react at the time, to save face in front of her guests, but she was undoubtedly humiliated. Furthermore, Katakuri and the others lost six Devil Fruits to Jin in a series of defeats. It's unforgivable. It's possible that after the fact, Big Mom's anger festered, triggered her eating disorder, and in a fit of rage, she did this. She's done plenty of crazy things before. Who knows what goes on in that twisted mind of hers?"
An internal conflict in the Big Mom Pirates was good news for the World Government and the Marines. It relieved some of the pressure.
But they had no spare energy to get involved. The Revolutionary Army and Kuma had just caused a major incident on the Tequila Wolf bridge.
And for some reason, over the past year, the Revolutionary Army seemed to have undergone a significant change. They were now more actively spreading their revolutionary ideas in countries not controlled by the World Government, and among the common people, with the slogan of creating a "world without oppression, without exploitation, a world of freedom and equality." They had broken into smaller, more clandestine cells, making them much more dangerous. Cipher Pol was stretched thin just trying to keep up with them.
And with the emergence of more and more new pirates, the Marines were also at their wit's end. Even with the reorganization of the G-5 base and the appointment of a new commander, it would be difficult to intervene in Big Mom's affairs. The new commander's first priority was to clean up the mess at G-5, establish a foothold, and train a new generation of elite soldiers.
It was because of all these other problems that the World Government chose to remain silent on Jin's takeover of the Gran Tesoro. From their perspective, Jin and the Four Emperors were in opposing camps. He had taken on Whitebeard, then challenged Big Mom, dealing a "heavy blow" to both.
He was a fast, sharp blade!!
Besides, they had just been promoting him. As long as he remained obedient and cooperated with the World Government, certain... transgressions... could be tolerated.
Did they not know about what Doflamingo was doing in Dressrosa, about his underworld persona?
What Jin was doing was no different. He was just pursuing his own interests. And he knew his limits. He was careful not to cross the World Government's line. He was maintaining his strategic value.
In the eyes of the Five Elders, Jin was more useful than some of the Marine Admirals who were all talk and no action...
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