"Granny Ilensa, I don't wish to harm you, this lovely young lady Maya, or any of your villagers."
"As long as you tell me the location of the Seven-Star Sword."
—
Deep within Aska Island.
Near the ruins of a collapsed temple, an indigenous tribe had gathered. Today, they found themselves surrounded by Jin and his men.
Jin was not a pirate. He had no interest in skulking through the shadows to steal what he sought. No, if he was to claim the sword, he would do so openly, brazenly—before their very eyes.
"The Seven-Star Sword? What nonsense are you spouting?"
"That's just a legend. Who would believe such a tale?"
The one who spoke was Ilensa, a hunched old woman with eyes sharp as glass. Her body was frail, yet because she bore the blood of the priestesses in her veins, she was the tribe's most respected elder. Her voice was steady, but the weight of her words revealed the tension beneath.
Jin's smile was patient, almost gentle. "Come now, Granny. I came with sincerity, and I've done my homework. You and this girl, Maya, carry the bloodline of the ancient priestesses. These villagers are the descendants of guardians who have kept the blade sealed for centuries."
"You bear the burden of guarding the Seven-Star Sword. But that burden has shackled you, chained you to this land, made you endure calamity after calamity."
"Every hundred years, when the blade awakens, someone dies. That hundred-year cycle is about to turn again, isn't it?"
His gaze sharpened, like a blade unsheathed, and fixed upon Ilensa until she lowered her eyes.
"Tell me," Jin continued softly, turning toward Maya, a girl of sixteen or seventeen with sea-blue hair and eyes that were fragile yet resolute. Her features were already budding into the shape of a future beauty.
"Will it be her this time? I would wager it will. 'Gods' often prefer young, lively flesh, do they not?"
"Granny, do you really want to see her die?"
Ilensa's heart lurched. "How… how do you know these things? Who betrayed us? Which one of you spilled this secret?" Her glare swept across her tribespeople, suspicion flickering.
"That's not your concern," Jin replied, his tone calm. "What you should concern yourself with is this: I know how to destroy the sword. I can sever your curse once and for all."
"From then on, no more sacrifice. No more hundred-year tragedies. You can live free, without fear, without sorrow."
"Or… will you continue letting this tragedy repeat, generation after generation, forcing your children and grandchildren to suffer in your place?"
His words struck like arrows. The tribespeople froze, their faces betraying unease. More than a few failed to mask their longing, their secret hope.
"You… you're not lying?"
"Sounds like a trick…"
"Who are you, stranger? Why do you know so much about us?"
One by one they voiced the doubts pressing in their chests.
For generations, they had lived under the weight of this "curse." Passing down the burden like a rotten inheritance. Each one told themselves it was duty. Each one swallowed bitterness with resignation. But deep inside? Who did not resent it? Who truly wished to die for a sword?
Until now, they had no choice.
But Jin was giving them one.
Ilensa's voice was low. "You must know how dreadful the Seven-Star Sword is. What gives you the right to say you can destroy it?"
"What gives me the right?" Jin lifted his hand.
From far away, a roar erupted.
"Wuuuuhhhh…"
It was deep, heavy, a sound that shook the marrow. A shockwave spread like rippling glass, whipping the trees, scattering clouds of birds into the sky. Even the beasts of the forest fled in terror.
The air itself trembled with a crushing pressure.
The villagers gasped.
"What was that?"
"It's terrifying…"
Even Ilensa and Maya shrank back, trembling at the oppressive force.
Lowering his hand, Jin said calmly, "I possess something akin to the Seven-Star Sword. A weapon of godly might. With it, I can face the cursed blade."
"A… divine weapon?"
Their voices shook with awe.
Jin inclined his head. "Yes."
For what else were Devil Fruits but fragments of legend, pieces of godhood made flesh? And a Devil Fruit weapon? In the eyes of these isolated tribes, it was no different from the armament of a god.
He thought of Enel, the so-called "God" of Skypiea. What was he but another fruit user worshipped by primitives?
And now Jin had shown a taste of that same power.
After long, heated debate among the tribe, fear clashing with temptation, they relented.
They would allow Jin to attempt to destroy the sword.
Partly because his display of power had cowed them. Partly because, as he had said, the hundred years had nearly run its course. The disaster loomed like a storm on the horizon.
Better to take a chance than wait to burn.
——
Ilensa, Maya, and twenty strong warriors guided Jin deep into the ruins.
Jin left his crew behind—an intentional gesture of sincerity. To defeat the Seven-Star Sword, mere sailors were worthless anyway.
"The climate here is remarkable," Jin observed lightly as they trekked. "Perfect for tourism along the coast."
He glanced at the towering trees, the endless forest canopy. "But these primeval woods… they should be preserved."
Then, as if thinking aloud, he said, "Granny Ilensa, I've a project in mind. Mushroom plantations. Would you and your people like to join me?"
The old woman blinked, startled.
Maya tilted her head. "Mushroom plantations?"
"Yes," Jin smiled. "You've noticed, haven't you? Outsiders are already flooding onto this island. Ports, harbors, even a Marine base. When the Seven-Star Sword is dealt with, do you wish to stay trapped in the past? Contact with the outside world is inevitable."
"This island is your ancestral treasure. But can a tribe survive forever on fishing and hunting?"
"If you help me grow mushrooms, I will provide seeds, techniques, buyers. With your hands, you'll improve your lives, protect your island, and keep it safe from pirates."
"Picture it: no more fear. Homes of stone and timber. Granaries full. Children in schools."
He painted the vision with such skill that eyes lit up around him. Even the stoic warriors betrayed longing.
Who would not want such a life?
Ilensa herself faltered. The truth was plain: outsiders were already reshaping Aska. The old ways would not hold forever. And the young… the young were already yearning for change.
She was wise enough to know what could not be stopped.
Still, her tone was wary. "If you are not a pirate… then who are you?"
Jin stopped, looked her in the eye, and said, "I am the King of Drum Island. The sovereign of the Winterhan Kingdom."
"What?!"
"A king?!"
The tribe erupted in gasps.
Maya's lips parted in shock. The warriors bowed their heads instinctively, their gazes shifting to reverence.
To the people of this world, nobility was bred into the bone. And kings were the highest of all. For these simple tribesfolk, that word carried the weight of divinity.
——
They pressed onward until at last the ruins yawned open before them.
Here, the sword lay sealed.
The moment Jin stepped across the threshold, his senses sharpened.
He felt it—the aura.
Dark. Distorted. It oozed like a miasma, clinging to the stones, pressing cold fingers into the heart. It was like walking into a tomb, where every breath carried the weight of death.
But Jin smiled.
Yes.
It was the aura of a Devil Fruit.