<><><><><><>
Cocoyasi Village.
With the cruel threat of the Arlong Pirates finally gone, the villagers welcomed a long-overdue warmth back into their lives.
They could finally sleep soundly through the night—without the fear of Arlong's men kicking down their doors before dawn.
And that king—he had been true to his word. He hadn't harmed a soul in Cocoyasi Village.
It wasn't just him, either. His crew was just as respectful.
They paid for their food, for their drinks.
It was a miracle.
—————————
"Ah, the sun feels good."
Law strolled through the streets with Wolf, soaking in the feeling of the natural world he hadn't experienced in far too long.
It wasn't just Wolf.
The craftsmen recruited from the South Blue and other regions were also given shore leave, free to explore the island and relax.
The demonic carrier was spacious, and the amenities were excellent, but it was still a ship. It lacked sunlight.
Stay inside for too long, and it starts to wear on you.
Of course, Wolf wasn't just here to relax. He was scouting for a suitable, open space to conduct an experiment.
A flight test.
After countless hours of research and refinement—and with the help of a team of dedicated craftsmen—the first One Piece version of the Me-262 fighter jet was complete.
Now, it needed to be tested in various environments to collect data for fine-tuning. The climate and conditions of this world were vastly different from Earth's, no data could be simply copied over.
Besides, this initial phase of intensive testing served another purpose: training the craftsmen. It would lay the foundation for the next generation of cargo planes and fighter jets.
To this, Wolf and his team were passionately devoted.
To fly... to soar through the sky as free as a bird. It was the dream of a lifetime.
And once they entered mass production, the barriers of the Red Line and the Calm Belts would no longer be an issue. People could travel freely between the four seas by plane.
It was a technology that would go down in history.
—————————
"The Marines! The Marines are here!"
Suddenly, someone came running from the edge of the village. "Captain Nezumi from the 16th Branch is heading for Arlong Park!"
"What?"
"The Marines are here?"
"Hmph. Where were they when Arlong and his crew were here? What are they doing now?"
"Exactly."
"I hear that Captain Nezumi is a real piece of work."
The villagers murmured among themselves.
Law heard them and raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't concerned. What was a captain from a branch base?
The king he served was no simple man. He was audacious enough to shelter even the Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma, on his ship. The Warlord Crocodile was one of his subordinates.
Law couldn't guess Jin's ultimate goal, but he knew one thing for sure: he had a Grand Plan.
Under his guidance, avenging Corazon and taking down Doflamingo was no longer just a dream.
And there was another, fatal attraction for Law.
The Calm-Calm Fruit.
Its previous user, Corazon, was the most important person in Law's life.
By extension, the Calm-Calm Fruit held a special meaning for him.
And that fruit—that power—was on this very ship.
Law felt a wave of gratitude.
Choosing to stay... had been the right decision.
—————————
"So, you're the ones who took out Arlong and his crew?"
At Arlong Park, Jin was fishing leisurely by the pool.
Captain Nezumi was shocked to hear of the Arlong Pirates' demise. His expression flickered, then he broke into a sycophantic smile. "Ah, yes! I had just heard that such a vile pirate crew was operating in my jurisdiction. I was furious! I reprimanded my men—what were they doing, allowing such scum to run rampant? As a Marine, I cannot abide the existence of pirates. And so, I personally led my men here to crush them. But it seems you've beaten me to it, Your Majesty."
Captain Nezumi declared, puffing out his chest as if he were the very model of justice.
He had already heard about what had happened in Loguetown. He knew this king was not someone he could afford to anger.
But...
His eyes darted around. He cleared his throat. "By the way, Your Majesty, Arlong and his crew... did they happen to leave anything behind?"
Jin smiled. "Leave anything behind? No, not a thing. Why? Is something the matter?"
Nezumi's mind raced. His dealings with Arlong had always been discreet. There shouldn't be any evidence. As for the treasure... he would have to bide his time. He would spread the word that this king had killed Arlong and taken his treasure.
Let them tear each other apart.
"Good, good. As long as they're all gone," Nezumi said smoothly. "I was just worried some of them might have escaped. Well then, I have urgent matters to attend to back at my base. I won't disturb Your Majesty any further."
As Nezumi and his men departed, Reiju brought Jin a drink. "You're just going to let them go?" she asked, surprised.
"What else would I do?" Jin said. "Invite them for dinner?"
"That guy was a weasel, I thought for sure you were going to take him out." Reiju said.
"I am the king of a member nation," Jin said, his expression perfectly straight. "How could I just kill a Marine captain? Even if he is guilty, it's a matter for the Marines to handle. If people found out, they might get the wrong idea."
'As if you're not a bad guy,' Reiju thought, eyeing him suspiciously.
"By the way," she said, changing the subject, "where's Ace? Doesn't he usually show up for a beating whenever he has a spare moment?"
"How should I know?" Jin replied. "It's not like I have him on a leash. Maybe he went fishing."
—————————
On his warship, Captain Nezumi was already on the Den Den Mushi, contacting other pirate crews.
The East Blue wasn't as rife with "official pirates" and "privateers" as the West Blue, but there were still plenty of royals and nobles who kept pirates on their payroll to do their dirty work. Some local Marine officers even collaborated with them, using the pirates to increase their own importance.
The East Blue was known as the "weakest" sea, but that didn't mean it was free of pirates. On the contrary, it was swarming with small-time crews.
Captain Nezumi had connections with many of them, acting as a middleman and taking a cut from both sides.
"Arlong and his crew have been wiped out... And a king from the Grand Line—he's here for the legendary treasure... The information is solid, I'm telling you... What? Smoker? He's not as righteous as he looks. He was in a panic, trying to cover his tracks with Arlong when the king showed up, and he slipped up! That's how the whole thing came to light. I'm telling you, they fooled me too. Everyone's greedy, Smoker included. Where do you think the criminal underworld in Loguetown comes from? He's the one running it! He's a cunning one, that Smoker. A real credit to Headquarters."
Back in Loguetown, a series of sneezes rattled Smoker's office.
"Are you sick, Captain?" his adjutant asked. For the past few days, Smoker had been sneezing non-stop. Whether it was from the two punches Jin had landed on him or something else, he didn't know.
"I don't know," Smoker grumbled. "But I've got a bad feeling. Like an ill wind is blowing."
<><><><><><>
~ 80 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~# Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!