North Blue.
The vast blue sea stretched out endlessly, and a fleet of Marine battleships plowed through the waters like colossal beasts, slicing through the waves and leaving foamy trails in their wake. The sea breeze roared past, whipping the sailors' hair as cannon fire lit up the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire sky seemed to tremble beneath the overwhelming firepower. A dense web of artillery shells screamed through the air, chasing after a fleeing pirate vessel. On the sails of that ship, a smiling face emblem waved mockingly in the wind.
"Captain! What do we do?" cried the white bear Beppo in a panic, flailing his paws. "We're surrounded by the Marines! We're done for, we're all gonna die!"
"Hey, Beppo! If you've got time to scream, come help us instead!" shouted Shachi, who wore his signature boar hunting cap.
"A-ah! Sorry!" Beppo bowed deeply in apology.
Amidst the chaos, the scrambling crew was led by a calm, blade-carrying young captain: Trafalgar D. Water Law.
They were the Heart Pirates—active for four years now and already a well-known name in the North Blue. Under Law's guidance, their crew had transformed from rookies into capable seafarers. He had become a commander known for his sharp mind and unshakable calm under pressure.
Now, however, five Marine ships were closing in with linked iron nets, trying to trap them like silkworms in a cocoon. The Heart Pirates' escape seemed all but doomed.
Yet Law stood unshaken at the ship's bow, like a silent guardian.
The Marine warships had left no gaps between them?
Then he'd create one.
"ROOM."
In an instant, a translucent, spherical dome expanded outward, engulfing the area. The incoming cannonballs froze midair, suspended inside the "Operating Room"—the manifestation of his Devil Fruit powers.
Paramecia-type: Ope Ope no Mi.
Within his own generated sphere, Law was a god of surgery. He could slice, rearrange, teleport, and manipulate anything within, limited only when confronted by overwhelming Haki. That was not a question of raw strength, but rather a matter of aura—an aura so massive it warped space itself.
Boom! Boom!
The cannonballs reversed mid-flight, streaking back toward the warships. Explosions erupted across the fleet. Fire and smoke engulfed the decks, while sea spray exploded upward.
"Now! Hard to port! Full speed! Break through!"
The Polar Tang surged forward with desperate determination, cutting through the chaos like a torpedo.
"Stop them!" came the furious cry from the Marine officers. But even with their nerves of steel and iron discipline, the Heart Pirates managed to slip through the chaos and dive into the sea.
Within moments, the submarine disappeared beneath the waves—vanishing from sight.
"Damn it…" snarled the Captain, fists clenched as he watched the foaming trail fade.
"They got away again."
The Polar Tang, painted in high-visibility yellow, was no ordinary ship—it was a fully operational submarine. It was designed by the scientist who had raised Law in the nearby town of Minion Island: a former scholar and engineer with extraordinary talent.
After taking to the seas, the ship had been renamed Polar Tang.
Outfitted with high-end medical technology, it perfectly complemented Law's abilities as a surgeon and Devil Fruit user. It wasn't just a pirate ship—it was a mobile hospital, advanced beyond anything the world had seen.
Fifty nautical miles away...
Penguin peered through the periscope, scanning the ocean. Once he confirmed that there were no enemies nearby, the submarine surfaced. Its bright yellow hull emerged from the depths, and the dual masts at the bow and stern became visible. On the main mast flew the pirate flag—a grinning skull.
The ship's hull was built with precious golden brass alloys and propelled forward using adhesive propulsion.
"The sea's calm, the wind's perfect, and the air's so fresh... this is amazing," Beppo said, stretching in satisfaction.
Just as the crew began to relax and breathe easy—
"Hey, what's that? Is that… a ship?" one of the lookouts shouted in alarm.
"Huh?" Law looked up and grabbed the telescope, following the crewman's pointing finger.
Out on the horizon, under a curtain of gathering storm clouds where fog and sea converged, something was cutting through the water.
No sails.
Yet a massive white trail split the ocean behind it.
It was moving at an insane speed.
Law blinked. Was his vision blurring from overusing his powers?
He looked again.
Closer now.
That thing, that ship, was tearing through the sea like a harpoon.
Its speed was beyond comprehension.
The other crew members no longer needed a telescope. The black speck in the distance had grown large enough to be visible with the naked eye. It was speeding toward them, leaving behind a blinding white streak.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
"What kind of speed is that?!"
As the helmsman, Hakugan—wearing his signature white mask—squinted, his eyes gleamed with disbelief.
He swallowed hard.
"Estimated speed... breaking Mach 5."
Mach 5?! Was that even possible for a ship?
No one had ever seen anything like it.
"A racing sloop, maybe?" someone guessed.
It was said that some speed-obsessed shipwrights built vessels purely for racing, sacrificing everything for speed.
"No... no way. Not at that distance."
"Wait—it's not just passing by... it's coming for us!"
"Captain!"
Though stunned, Law kept calm. "Dive! Now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Far across the sea—
Winds howled, waves towered, and the Carrier—Jin's pride and terror—charged like a missile, unleashing its overwhelming might.
Unlike the unpredictable Grand Line, the North Blue's weather was relatively mild.
This was a straight, wide-open sea.
It felt like a natural highway built for testing speed.
Jin couldn't resist.
"This... this is the Heart Pirates' Polar Tang?"
Inside the command island, Jin watched through the forward observatory as the ship's deck folded shut. They were diving.
"They're trying to escape."
"Roger, Captain! We're on fire!"
Music blasted through the ship—"There once was a ship that was put to sea..."
It was BCM's Wellerman Remix, straight from Jin's phone playlist.
He locked eyes with the retreating vessel, as massive waves rose around them.
Nine days ago, he had returned to Drum Island to formally announce a partnership with Alabasta, launching an expansion of the Ice Mushroom cultivation plan.
He left Dorry there to help.
Seven days ago, he stationed Brogy at Hannabal's outpost.
Meanwhile, using the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit, Jin began refining high-grade steel and rare metals into custom-forged weapons for both giants.
Before, Jin had focused on unlocking his own potential—his stats, his Haki.
But with the idea of building up technology, he had finally begun studying Devil Fruit applications seriously.
Here's the thing—
The Carrier could eat fruits, but only once their abilities were developed could Little Ai replicate and utilize them.
Why?
Because the carrier itself lacked "wisdom."
And Little Ai, for all its brilliance, was still an AI. It couldn't innovate—it could only use what it had been shown.
Take the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit. It looked like Little Ai developed it, but in truth, it was Jin's simulations and theorizing that brought it into use.
The execution?
Jin.
With the Munch-Munch Fruit, he had relied mostly on its "swallowing" power. But from Wapol, he'd also observed something far more unique—synthesis.
Combining iron and steel into strange, nonexistent alloys.
Turning trash into toys.
Eating his own body and reshaping his form.
Jin, after practice, had achieved basic synthesis—like forging swords and shields.
But it was unpredictable.
To create standardized gear would take calculations, refinement, and discipline.
Wapol's toys were jumbled junk. The so-called "Wapol Metal" was barely controlled chaos.
Precision weaponry like firearms would demand careful ratios and chemistry.
Still, Jin wasn't in a rush.
Once he succeeded even once, Little Ai could replicate it, consuming soul crystals to mass-produce them.
Two days ago, Jin sailed in reverse toward Reverse Mountain.
The Carrier: Huanglong used its Logia power—Earth Earth Fruit—to climb the mountain.
Late at night, they finally reached the North Blue.
After a short rest, Baroque Works agents in the region tracked down the approximate location of the Heart Pirates.
And now—Jin was here.
Racing at blinding speed.
But still... a step too late.
By the time the Carrier reached the area the Heart Pirates had been, they were already gone.
Submerged.
"Hmm... where can I find a submarine to swallow? That way, I can reverse-engineer one for undersea operations."
He grinned, eyes gleaming.
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