Splash!
The sea rippled.
The sudden arrival of CP agents, the Five Elders' direct call—it all took Jin by surprise.
That fast? Their claws had already reached this far?
His face darkened. But in the next moment, he broke into a smile.
"Ah, the World Government's face? Of course, I'll give it to you. After all, I am a king of a member nation. Hanafuda's a Warlord of the Sea? Why didn't you say so earlier? Then we're all family."
He clapped a hand against his own chest. "Brothers, even!"
"But…" His smile sharpened. "He wrecked my territory. I suffered heavy losses. If I'm going to let him walk away, the price just went up. At the very least, compensation in the form of a Devil Fruit. Ancient Zoan, Mythical Zoan, or a Logia. What do you say?"
The line went silent.
For the first time, someone had dared to blackmail the Five Elders.
"…I'll pay!"
The words didn't come from the snail. They came from Hanafuda himself. His face was white as bone, his body wracked with pain. But what was a fruit compared to his life?
Jin grinned wider. "Ouch, I'm hurt too. That fight left me bleeding inside and out. Add another 200 million Berries for medical treatment and emotional damages."
Hanafuda's jaw clenched. He looked like he might vomit blood a second time—but in the end, he croaked, "Fine!"
A golden goose.
"My brother Hanafuda!" Jin slipped an arm under the wounded man, helping him up with mock tenderness. "Who could've done this to you? Don't worry, I'll have the best doctors tend to you. Spare no expense—our brother here isn't short on money!"
Hanafuda could only stare, dumbstruck.
One thought burned through his mind. Shameless.
The Five Elders hung up without another word.
The CP agents moved to take Hanafuda away.
"Wait."
Jin raised a hand, smiling. "One hand with the goods, the other with the coin. Besides, our dear brother's in no condition to travel. What if some enemy attacked him en route and he 'accidentally' died? That would make me the one who lost, wouldn't it?"
The intervention of the Five Elders only deepened his suspicions.
In the original tale, Hanafuda had lost to Ace—then been killed shortly after. The details had always been strange. Who could kill him so easily?
Whether Hanafuda lived or died meant little to Jin. What mattered was how his death might be used. If the World Government chose to spin it, it could bring Kaido's wrath crashing down upon him.
Jin had no fear of battle. But he hated being someone else's pawn.
…
Pangaea Castle.
"Who would have thought that brat of Wapol's would actually defeat Hanafuda?"
"Wapol himself was a fool. For his bastard to turn out like this… was there a mistake in our investigation?"
"No matter. He's a king of a member nation now. He hasn't yet committed a crime. There's no justification to strip him of his throne."
"Next time Lord Imu calls us, we should ask for a reading of his fate. Perhaps nominate him as a candidate for the Holy Knight Corps."
"…Like Harald."
…
Hannabal.
When Jin returned whole and hale, while Hanafuda limped away with one arm shattered and his pride broken, the island erupted in cheers.
"Long live the king!"
The citizens rejoiced.
The pirates trembled.
"A Warlord… lost?"
"That's impossible!"
"Open your eyes. Do you think a man who wagered a hundred million on himself in the Death Tournament, who crushed Gasparde and others, is weak?"
"Breaking out in a sweat now, aren't you, brother?"
Wilson and the others were all smiles.
They had won.
But the joy didn't last.
"Seal the island. Investigate every corner. Everyone involved in the assassination attempt—man, woman, or child—will be executed."
…
Inside the town hall, Jin's fury raged.
"Not one but several pirate crews attempted to kill me. This was organized. And you had no intelligence?"
"You can't even control Hannabal, a single city? What were you doing these three months? Drunk on wine? Drowning in whores?"
"Until this is resolved, all officials are suspended, pay cut, rank stripped. This is your last chance. Fail again, and get out."
Wilson and the rest stood like whipped dogs, faces black with shame.
If they hadn't even caught wind of an assassination plot, then in Jin's eyes, Hannabal was slipping out of his grasp.
And in shadows, rot spreads.
Rot breeds corruption.
And corruption devours from within.
The truth was, Hannabal had been a cesspit even before Jin seized it. He had left the weeds untouched while stabilizing. But this assassination gave him the perfect excuse.
The cure was simple. One word.
Kill.
Kill until the pirates shivered.
Kill until they dared not move.
Kill until they learned the meaning of rules.
A storm demands heavy medicine.
Wilson and his men, still burning from Jin's scolding, unleashed their rage on the captured pirates. Torture chambers filled with screams.
Street gangs were swept up too. Each day, heads rolled, bodies left to hang and rot at the harbor with their crimes scrawled beneath.
Those who tried to flee found the sea locked tight. No ship escaped. The whole island was drowned in blood and terror.
For the first time, the people of Hannabal glimpsed their king's wrath.
Calm, he was the spring sea, gentle and warm.
Enraged, he was a typhoon, a storm no one could resist.
A ruler who only earns respect will never last. To endure, he must inspire fear.
And now, that fear was born.
…
Five days later, Wilson announced the case closed.
Five pirate crews had allied, plotting to overthrow the Free Port.
586 were captured, tried, and executed for rebellion.
With the decree signed, the blockade was lifted.
And to soothe the people, the government declared three days of celebration—all expenses paid.
Nearly Six hundred pirates dead.
Shuraiya stood stunned.
He had been called the "Executioner of Pirates" for his merciless hunts, for leaving no captives alive.
But Jin's purge? Jin's justice? It dwarfed him.
The bodies Shuraiya had cut down in his whole life did not add up to even a fraction of the king's sentence.
And yet, even after seeing Jin's monstrous strength, his merciless will… Shuraiya's resolve did not waver.
Gasparde was dead. His only reason to live had died with him. He had killed, hurt, scarred others in pursuit of revenge. He was no different from the man he hated.
So he wanted to die.
When Jin floored him with a single blow, he saw it in the man's eyes—the yearning for death.
Jin crouched over him, voice low as a devil's whisper.
"Your sister is alive."
Shuraiya's heart stopped. His eyes went wide with disbelief.
How… how could this man know he had a sister? Unless… unless he had seen her?
"Tell me! Tell me what you mean!"
He lunged, desperate.
Thoom!
Jin kicked him back down. "Is this how you treat the man who saves you?"
"Please… I beg you… tell me!"
Jin's gaze cut him apart. "You've lost the will to live? Then I'll give you one. You've heard of the CP organizations?"
"Join them."
"Survive in their den of knives, and I'll bring you to her."
Shuraiya's voice cracked. "No… I need to see her first!"
"You have no ground to bargain with me," Jin said coldly. "But I'll tell you her name. She goes by… Anaguma."
"…Anaguma."
The name struck him like lightning.
...............
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