Old era? New era? A ship?
Crocodile stared, thoroughly baffled. "You're a pirate? You want me to join your crew?"
A dignified Logia, recruited into a gang of brats? Hilarious. Unfortunately, with Dio (ugh) sitting on his back like a mountain, refusing didn't feel… survivable.
"Not a pirate crew," Dio said, rapping that slicked-back pompadour like it was a drum. "A secret organization. We're called New Era."
"You join, you call me big bro. Big bro protects his own." He waved lazily. "Day to day, you're free. Be a pirate, be a Marine—hell, if you want to play Celestial Dragon, knock yourself out."
Another friendly pat on the coiffed head. For a sixteen-year-old to have a captain's haircut—unserious. Still… it did have presence. (Note to self: ask Toki if she can style a proper back-slick.)
"Now then," Dio said, cheerful as sunshine, "say: Big Bro."
Crocodile's brows knotted. Calling a child big bro? His throat rebelled. The "organization" itself sounded loose—almost like a game kids play in alleys.
Smack. Another palm to the head. The kid hit hard.
"…Big bro," he ground out, humiliated.
"Good. Your turn, Hawkeye," Dio said, eyes sliding to the boy with the iron practice blade.
"I am Mihawk," the boy replied, face blank. "And I'm not interested in your organization."
"We'll circle back," Dio said sweetly.
He seemed to remember something, then slid his hand into Crocodile's collar.
"What are you doing?" Crocodile shivered. This brat better not have weird tastes. That he would never accept.
"…Flat?" Dio blinked, genuinely surprised.
On his last world, theories had swirled that Crocodile used to be a woman. Maybe… flat-chested?
Should he, uh, check lower to confirm…?
And if he was wrong… gross.
"I'm male!" Crocodile barked, panic spiking. "Don't— don't go too far— I mean— Big Bro!"
"Relax. If you're a man, I'll just make you a woman," Dio said lightly.
Silence.
Buggy and Shanks both shuddered, haunted by memories they refused to speak of. Then Buggy perked up, vindictive. "Big Bro, he's mouthy. Make him a girl!"
Dio ignored the peanut gallery and flexed the Sui-Sui Fruit's trick.
Twisted Future — Human Body Renovator!
For an instant he borrowed the Horm-Horm Fruit. Fingertips thinned to needles; one neat jab to the waist… and femininity poured in.
"What did you—" Crocodile's voice cracked—slid— softened. Adam's apple melted; frame narrowed; skin smoothed; hair spilled longer over new shoulders.
"As punishment for tailing us with bad intentions." Dio stood and admired his handiwork, delighted. "Name… Crocoda-lady? No, clunky. You look like a Sandsaki. Let's go with Shaji."
The ex-boy scrambled up, touching—checking—turning redder by the second. "You're a Devil Fruit user! You turned me into a woman?!"
Killing intent sharpened her eyes.
Dio half-lidded his own. One little snort of disdain and Shaji's brain cooled by ten degrees.
"Big Bro," she ground out, "following you was my mistake. Change me back. I don't want to be a woman."
She grabbed a handful of her new chest with a betrayed look. Excess ballast. Bad for sword arcs. Bad for sand flow. Bad, period.
"Shaji fits," Dio said, pleased with the rename. And, to be fair… she was pretty. "Don't fuss. You'll revert by tomorrow. It isn't permanent. Unless you want it to be. We could… fix it permanent."
A cup of Immortality Wine now might freeze the form… interesting experiment for later.
Shaji exhaled through her teeth, some tension easing. She very much did not want that. If she could beat this gremlin, she'd pound him flat.
A chill slid across young Mihawk's spine.
Dio looked his way. "Your turn. Say—"
"Big Bro," Mihawk said instantly.
He had no desire to wake up as a woman. Womanly bodies complicate sword practice. That was not a risk he'd take.
Dio's smile turned feline, then drifted to the kid Buggy had in a headlock.
Smoker.
Should he even recruit this one? In the original drift of time, Smoker saw the Pirate King die and chose the Marines. He'd later be Loguetown's iron-fisted Captain, Luffy's first wall—eventually a Smoke-Smoke Logia. His ceiling wasn't Mihawk's or Crocodile's, but—
While Dio weighed, Smoker blurted, "Big Bro!"
"You're also afraid of becoming a woman?" Dio asked, amused.
"Becoming a woman doesn't matter!" Smoker's eyes shone with hungry awe. "Big Bro, I want to be strong like you!"
In East Blue, Devil Fruits were legend. He'd heard the stories—never seen the miracle.
"Like me? Long road," Dio chuckled. "There aren't many at my level."
He clapped, brisk. "Fine. You three—plus Shanks and Buggy—are New Era. Time for your mark. Line up."
Curiosity beat sense; they filed in: Shaji, Mihawk, Smoker, then… Shanks, Buggy.
Dio joined index and middle finger and tapped each chest—one by one. A faint heat, a prickle under skin—done.
He stopped in front of Shanks. Considered. Lowered his hand.
"Not yet. When you've understood everything, I'll give you one."
Understood… what? Laugh Tale? Shanks had been there, read the void. Or—was it… his birth?
Shanks' brows pinched. A question he didn't know how to ask lodged behind his teeth.
"What did you give us?" Smoker asked, tugging at his shirt.
"Look."
They lifted hems.
A black pentagram magic array glowed faintly on skin.
On Mihawk and Smoker, it marked the sternum. On Shaji… lower, across the belly—because, well, geometry; the chest wasn't exactly… level just now.
"What is this?" Shaji rubbed at it; it didn't smear. It wasn't ink.
"Good question," Dio said, delighted. "A sigil. Bear it, and you're one of New Era."
He glanced toward the sunlight strip under the warehouse door, listening.
"Right now, aside from you, there's one more…"
Boots scraped the threshold.
A Marine patrol halted outside—then spread, two to the left, two to the right, one straight on.
On the balcony above the square, Somaz set down his cup. "Begin," he'd said.
On the scaffold, a rope creaked as a noose swayed in the heated air.
And in the shadow just beyond the warehouse's side window, a wind skipped the eaves—bringing with it a presence that made Shanks stiffen without knowing why.
"…and you'll meet them," Dio finished softly, lips curving, "on the scaffold."
—To be continued…
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