"The Black Dragon form can wield multiple Devil Fruit powers—still don't believe me, Kaido?"
Sharn laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.
"Nonsense!" Kaido growled. "I saw it with my own eyes—Kuma's ability is exactly like yours. You both have those strange paw-shaped marks on your palms!"
He wasn't stupid, and even Olvia had noticed the similarity. But this wasn't something she dared to question.
"And besides, unless that steel mutt is dead, no one can take his Fruit. You weren't joking that time!"
"Back in the West Blue, before Ohara—you vanished for a while, too!" Kaido's gaze was sharp as the stars reflected in his eyes.
The Sorbet Kingdom's night sky shimmered with peace.
If only there were no Celestial Dragons, no Marines enforcing their "justice," no pirates preying on the weak—
perhaps every land could look this beautiful.
"You're… like Captain Rocks, aren't you? A genetic mutation?"
Kaido's fists clenched. He'd always wondered. It was a fundamental law of the world—no human can eat more than one Devil Fruit.
Only Rocks D. Xebec had ever broken that law… and only once in centuries.
"No, it doesn't add up!" Kaido's voice rose. "Why do you have the Paw-Paw Fruit's power? Two of the same Fruit can't exist!"
The question hung heavy in the air. Even Kaido felt his logic unravel.
"See? Hard to explain, isn't it?" Sharn shrugged.
"This world is stranger than you think. Some Fruits are superior forms of others."
"My Dragon Fruit isn't just a Mythical Zoan—it's also the higher evolution of the Paw-Paw Fruit."
"Just like Mythical Zoans are superior to common Animal Fruits. It's simple."
"You're full of crap!" Kaido spat. "Forget it. We'll deal with the real problem—the enemies waiting before we reach the Grand Line!"
Sharn only smiled, closing his eyes as he sat in the church, meditating instead of sleeping.
Kaido scowled, veins pulsing on his forehead.
"Damn it! Even if he's a mutant, it still doesn't make sense!"
"A higher form of my own Mythical Zoan? And I'm the lower one?"
He groaned.
If only he knew—even Logia Fruits had superior and inferior variants.
"Fine then. Whoever stands in our way before the Grand Line... I'll make sure they die without a grave!"
Grumbling, Kaido stomped back to the church and collapsed into sleep, snoring like thunder.
Marine Headquarters — South Blue Branch
The Den-Den Mushi on the desk crackled to life.
It wasn't Vice Admiral Snagg calling—he was already at the bottom of the sea.
It was his trembling adjutant.
"The Sharn Pirates are rampaging through our territory!"
"Their captain acts like Whitebeard—taking children hostage to taunt the Marines!"
Thousands of miles away, in Marineford,
Fleet Admiral Kong (Steel Bone) rubbed his temples in exhaustion.
In the meeting room, faces turned grim at the sound of the name Sharn.
Sengoku slammed his fist on the table.
"Let me go. I'll bring that brat to justice myself!"
"Forget it." Garp yawned. "Roger's already headed toward the New World's entrance. He's more dangerous."
Garp had no patience for propaganda. He hated how newspapers twisted stories—turning Sharn's defiance into savagery.
The Eight Treasure Army's port had been destroyed by Whitebeard and Chinjao long before Sharn ever arrived.
And as for Ohara—
that blast that nearly leveled the coast had come from Sengoku's Golden Buddha shockwave, not Sharn's power.
Sengoku frowned, saying nothing.
"Zefa." Kong turned. "You just returned from the West Blue—you can handle this rookie pirate."
Zefa rose, but his answer was unexpected.
"Lately, two new recruits joined in the North Blue. Kids—around the same age as Dragon. They've shown promise."
"I plan to start a dedicated Marine training camp. A place to shape new heroes to counter this new generation of pirates."
Kong hesitated.
"You realize the High Council wants you and Garp to accept the Admiral positions, right? If you train recruits, we'll be short-handed."
"Then let Roger have his fun in the New World." Kong sighed. "We'll secure the Blues and hold the Line."
He barely finished speaking when another Den-Den Mushi rang—
a private line, marked with a black seal.
Kong answered. The voice that came through was calm, commanding, and cold.
"Kong."
"Sharn has already violated the highest taboo—touching those who must never be touched. Leave him. Our agents will deal with him."
The line cut off immediately.
Kong's jaw tightened.
That voice belonged to the Five Elders.
Which meant... this was no longer a Marine operation.
South Blue — Entrance to the Grand Line
The air was thick with tension.
Ten Marine warships gathered, blocking every route forward.
On the lead battleship, rows of men in black suits stood silently — their faces expressionless, their posture impeccable.
The full force of CP9 had arrived — their predecessors to Lucci's generation, all trained in the Rokushiki techniques.
Before Lucci and Who's-Who, they had been the pride of the Cipher Pol elite.
Every one of them had eaten a Zoan Fruit, forming an army of predators.
But even among them stood two figures above all others—
both dressed in white suits, with porcelain masks and hands buried in their pockets.
Their presence silenced even the Marines.
CP0.
The Celestial Dragons' personal assassins—the strongest branch of Cipher Pol.
"Should we strike them tonight?"
A Marine colonel asked nervously, clutching his saber.
"We weren't sent here to listen to your pathetic suggestions."
The first CP0 agent's voice was like cold steel.
His hands morphed — one into a blade, the other into a firearm.
Weapon-Weapon Fruit (武器果实) — a Paramecia that could transform body parts into deadly tools.
His partner smirked — eyes glowing faintly.
"No need for stealth. I only need one look… and they'll rot from the inside."
He was the Disease-Disease Fruit (疾病果实) user — capable of spreading incurable plagues with a blink.
The perfect counter to the Sharn Pirates' resilience.
A slow clap echoed from behind them.
Spandine, the current Chief of CP9 (and father of Spandam), stepped forward, grinning like a vulture.
"Ah, CP0's finest. The Five Elders must truly hate this man."
"Their favor is our command. The Sharn Pirates will not leave the South Blue alive!"
He spread his arms, his voice booming over the deck.
"Behold — ten warships, two CP0 elites, all of CP9, and the South Blue's finest Marines!"
He sneered toward the dark horizon.
"Rona D. Sharn… you dared to anger the gods themselves."
"This time, you'll die with no grave — crushed beneath the weight of their wrath!"
The war drums of the Five Elders' vengeance began to beat.
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