What the heck? Why are you so unreasonable?! Zino cursed in frustration. Do pirates have no sense of negotiation? he thought. How can they just decide to kill someone without a second thought?
Even as he cursed under his breath, Alvida's massive iron club still came crashing down toward his head. In that moment, some he squinted his eyes, and his body moved on its own—an instinct buried deep within him suddenly kicked in.
"Tekkai!" he muttered unconsciously.
The moment the word escaped his lips, a strange sensation coursed through his body. His muscles tensed and locked in place, as if they had turned into steel. His skin darkened slightly, taking on the hardened glint of iron.
*CLANG!*
The club collided with his body—but instead of caving his skull in, it bounced off with a metallic thud. The force of the impact traveled back through the weapon, jolting up Alvida's arms. She immediately dropped the club with a loud clatter and stumbled back, her hands trembling from the recoil.
"Ugh—what the hell?!" she exclaimed, cradling her aching wrists. Her eyes narrowed at Zino in confusion and disbelief.
The entire ship fell silent.
The surrounding pirates stared with wide eyes, their mouths agape as they tried to comprehend what had just happened. Some blinked rapidly, unsure if they had truly seen a young marine boy tank their captain's iron club without even flinching.
"H-he just… blocked it?"
"No way… is he made of metal?"
"Is this kid some kind of freak?"
The whispers spread like wildfire.
But the most shocked person in the room wasn't Alvida or her crew—it was Zino himself. He stared down at his own hands, opening and closing his fists as if expecting to wake up from a dream.
"I… I just used Tekkai?" he murmured in disbelief.
It had come out of nowhere, purely reflexive. But there was no doubt about it. The sensation, the hardened body, the lack of pain—it all matched exactly how the Tekkai technique was described in the *One Piece* manga he used to read back on Earth.
As realization dawned on him, so did a flood of questions.
*How do I know how to use Rokushiki? Is it part of this body's memory? Did the marine soldier I became already know it?*
It made sense. If he had truly transmigrated into the body of a marine trainee, especially one related to Monkey D. Kong, then it wasn't a stretch to assume that he had undergone some level of elite training—even if he hadn't fully mastered it yet.
With that assumption in mind, a spark of excitement lit up Zino's eyes. He nearly forgot he was standing in the middle of Alvida's pirate ship. The discovery that he could use *Tekkai* had opened a floodgate of possibilities.
"If my guess is correct," he murmured to himself, barely containing his anticipation, "then I might be able to use all six of the *Rokushiki* techniques…"
He took a deep breath and steadied his stance. "Let's try it, then."
"*Rankyaku!*"
As he shouted the name, Zino swung his leg in a powerful arc. His movement wasn't perfect—raw and unrefined—but the moment his foot sliced through the air, a small crescent-shaped blade of compressed wind shot out from his leg. It zipped forward and struck the deck, leaving a thin, clean cut across the wooden floor. A small chunk of timber popped free and tumbled to the side.
The deck fell completely silent.
Alvida's crew stared, stunned and pale. Some took a step back in fear, while others simply stood frozen. It wasn't just what they saw—it was the *realization* that this boy, who had looked like an easy target moments ago, was anything but ordinary.
Zino stood straight again, brushing off some dust from his shoulder. His eyes slowly scanned the faces of the pirates surrounding him, his gaze cold and piercing. The confidence he exuded now was tangible, his posture relaxed yet dominating.
"So… you guys are pirates, huh?" he said slowly, his voice carrying a quiet menace. "That explains why you tried to kill me the moment I arrived."
He took a step forward, and the crew instinctively stepped back in unison.
His eyes then locked onto Alvida.
"You," he said, pointing at her. "Are you the one in charge here?"
Alvida hesitated. For a moment, her usual arrogance returned—but only for a moment. She saw no mockery or bluff in Zino's eyes. Instead, she saw danger. Real danger. The kind of power she couldn't match. That wind blade, no matter how small, was a clear sign of a skill far beyond her level.
"…Yes, I'm the captain," she admitted at last, voice lower than usual. "What do you want?"
Zino placed his hand on his stomach and sighed. "I'm hungry. Give me something to eat."
It wasn't a request—it was a command.
Alvida didn't answer right away. She remained rooted in place, tense like a wild animal facing a predator. Her eyes darted to the gash on the deck and back to the young marine. Her instincts screamed that any wrong move could lead to disaster.
She swallowed hard.
"Hurry up. I might consider letting you all go if you satisfy my hunger."
Zino's voice rang with confidence, but it wasn't loud. Still, everyone on the ship heard him clearly. The weight behind his words made it clear—it wasn't a bluff. His display of strength moments ago was enough proof that crossing him would be a mistake.
Alvida gritted her teeth and glared at two of her crew members—the same unfortunate men she had clubbed earlier for their mistake.
"You two!" she barked, her tone like a whip. "Go get him some food. Right now."
The two pirates flinched under her gaze. Though bruised and limping slightly, they hurried off toward the ship's galley, not daring to delay for even a second.
'This is all because of them,' Alvida thought bitterly. 'If those fools hadn't brought a marine onboard, none of this would've happened…'
Within a few short minutes, the two pirates returned, struggling to carry an assortment of food and drink. Roasted meat, steaming rice, fresh fruits, and pitchers of clean water were all laid out before Zino with utmost care—as if they were serving a noble.
Zino eyed the spread with satisfaction. "Thanks. You may go now."
He waved his hand dismissively, expecting them to leave.
But no one moved.
The pirates stood frozen, unsure whether leaving would anger him further. Their eyes darted between Zino and Alvida, looking for any sign of what they should do.
Zino, however, didn't press the matter. He simply sat down cross-legged on the deck and began eating without another word. One bite after another, he devoured the food like a starving beast—but with clear enjoyment. The pirates watched nervously, still standing awkwardly around him.
"Mmm~ This is delicious!" Zino grinned between bites. He could finally eat his fill after days of exhaustion at sea.
"This meat is so juicy… and the rice, perfectly cooked." He nodded to himself, appreciating the quality. "Even the fruit is—"
He paused, eyes narrowing as he reached for one of the fruits.
"…huh?"
Zino slowly brought the strange fruit closer to his face, staring at it with growing recognition. His playful expression vanished, replaced by deep concentration. The fruit was oval-shaped, its skin marked by an odd swirling pattern.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Is this…"
He turned it over in his hand, confirming his suspicion. The texture, the color, the pattern—it all matched.
"The Sube Sube no Mi…" he whispered in disbelief. "The Smooth-Smooth Fruit?"
He remembered it clearly. Back on Earth, in the world of the One Piece manga, this was the Devil Fruit eaten by none other than Alvida. The fruit that made her body smooth, beautiful, and immune to physical attacks. And now, it was here—right in his hands.
But… why hadn't Alvida eaten it yet?
His eyes flicked up toward her.
'This means… this is before she consumed the fruit. Interesting.'
Zino's lips curled into a thoughtful smile.
Has this fruit always been on Alvida's ship?*
Or did it appear here recently as a result of a butterfly effect?
Zino couldn't be certain. His mind raced with possibilities. Was this how fate worked in this world now that he'd been transmigrated? The appearance of the Smooth-Smooth Fruit—*before* Alvida had eaten it—wasn't something he remembered happening in the original One Piece timeline. So either this was always here and just never mentioned… or his very existence was starting to cause ripples in the world around him.
A butterfly effect.
He shook his head lightly, setting the thought aside for now.
"A Devil Fruit?" Alvida muttered, her eyes wide as she recognized the strange pattern on the fruit's surface. The moment she saw it, a jolt of shock ran through her. She hadn't realized something so valuable had been hidden on her ship all this time.
Zino raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you've heard of them?"
"Yes… I've heard the legends," Alvida said, still stunned. "They say if you eat one, you'll gain a mysterious power… but lose your ability to swim."
"Well, that part's true." Zino nodded. "Though they're much more than just 'mysterious' powers."
His tone was casual, almost teasing. Then, without warning, he held the fruit out toward her. "Do you want it?"
Alvida blinked. "What?"
"I said—do you want it?"
Her eyes widened slightly, and for a second, she didn't speak. But Zino noticed the faint glimmer in her gaze—the barely restrained hunger and ambition in her heart.
"So… you *do* want it." He smirked. "Figured as much. Actually, I could just give it to you."
"You would?" she asked, wary.
"It's useless to me," he replied, twirling the fruit in his palm. "I already have a Devil Fruit power."
Alvida stiffened at that revelation. Her instincts screamed danger. No wonder the club hadn't worked on him. No wonder he could perform strange techniques no ordinary marine should know. He was a Devil Fruit user.
'Thank god I didn't go all-out earlier…' she thought. If she had fought seriously and angered him, she might not be standing right now.
"What's the catch?" she asked, choosing her words carefully.
Zino's tone turned inquisitive. "Tell me something first. Did you… happen to capture a boy named Koby?"
"Koby?" Alvida paused. "...Yes. He's been working in the kitchen."
"I see." Zino nodded.
He then leaned forward slightly, his tone casual but curious. "How about this—have you seen a kid wearing a straw hat?"
Alvida's expression changed immediately. Her eyes flashed with recognition.
"Ah! You know him?!"
Zino chuckled. Her reaction confirmed it.
"So, he *was* here. Interesting." He smiled faintly. "What a perfect coincidence."
Alvida fidgeted. Just a short while ago, she had tossed that very same boy overboard—he was likely still wandering the nearby forest.
"Do you… want me to find him?" she asked, carefully.
Zino waved his hand. "Nah. Forget it. Let him be. That rubber boy will manage just fine on his own."
Alvida exhaled a breath of relief when she saw that Zino doesn't really care.
"Now," Zino said, brushing crumbs off his hands after finishing his meal, "let's talk about my conditions."
The pirates tensed. Alvida narrowed her eyes but kept her silence.
"First of all," Zino continued calmly, "I want all of your ships moved away from this island. I don't want a single one anchored here."
"What?" one of the pirates blurted out. "Why?"
"Just do as I say," Zino replied sharply, his gaze narrowing. "No questions. Just move them."
Though they didn't understand the reason behind the order, none of them dared to question him further. The display of strength earlier had burned itself into their memory.