Jin lifted his hand and, under Vito's wide-eyed stare, took away the man's oversized custom revolver.
He didn't fire. Vito didn't resist.
Robin, Law, Reiju, and Maya all leaned closer, curiosity brimming. Was it true? Was there really no bullet in that thing?
"Alright then. Let's see," Jin said with a faint smile, raising the revolver. "Let's check whether there are any bullets."
He aimed into the sky and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Six shots in a row, crisp and clean, smoke curling from the barrel.
"Ah?!" Robin and the others blinked, stunned.
Vito's jaw slackened.
"You lost," Jin said calmly, flipping a coin and tossing it to him.
The gold disk clattered on the deck, ringing like mockery. "You're foolish, and worse, you think you're clever. One day, you'll die by your own 'brilliance.'"
Vito's ears buzzed. His pride curdled into raw shame.
He yanked out a spare pistol, snarling. "Heh… I've got another gun! What now? Want to tell me this one's empty too?"
Jin remained composed. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"
"Of course not!" Vito barked.
"Good," Jin answered. "Then let's bet again. I wager your gun still won't fire."
"Hahahaha!" Vito roared, aiming—not at Jin's head, but his waist. "You're finished!"
He pulled the trigger.
Click.
Nothing.
"What?!"
Vito's face twisted in horror. Sweat poured down. His limbs seized up. He couldn't move.
"What… what is this?! My body—it won't move!"
Some invisible power bound him, crushing his will.
Jin's gaze was cold and final. "I win. Your life is mine now. Kneel."
Kneel? To him? Rage flared inside Vito. Why should I kneel?
But the king's voice pressed down like a mountain. "Tell me. Where is Capone Bege?"
"…The Godfather is…"
The words spilled out before he could stop them. His teeth clenched, but the betrayal was already spoken.
Robin's eyes flickered. "Capone Bege? He's a notorious figure in the West Blue. A powerful one."
When it was over, Vito collapsed, pale and broken. To betray Bege was to sign your death sentence. The man's punishment for traitors was merciless.
"Kill me," Vito whispered. "Better to die here."
Jin shook his head. "Death is easy. But you gambled and lost your life. It belongs to me now. You don't get to choose when it ends."
Through the mark carved into his demonic warship, Jin opened his link to Crocodile.
"Capone Bege is a player in the West Blue," Jin said evenly. "Leave him to me."
Crocodile's reply came low and thoughtful. "If we control him, the Bounty Hunters' Guild will take root in the West Blue far faster."
"Oh? That important?"
"He's tied to the Five Great Families of the West. And those families are tangled with the kingdoms themselves. To grow there, we must deal with them."
Jin nodded. He understood.
…
Morning broke still and windless.
"Godfather! No, terrible news!" A Fire Tank crewman burst into the dining hall in panic.
Gotti seized him by the collar and growled, "Shouting at the table? Want to die? You keep quiet when the Godfather eats."
Capone Bege dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, calm as stone, enjoying his breakfast. He set his utensils down and looked over. "Gotti. Let him speak."
The man dropped the crewman. Bege grabbed him instead, knife and fork pressing at his throat. "Speak, or die choking on your own tongue."
The crewman swallowed. "It's Vito, boss…"
"Vito?" Bege's brows furrowed. "What about him?"
"He… he's coming back. With two ships."
"What?" Bege's eyes narrowed into cold slits. For a man like Vito to return without signals, without contact, was wrong. It wasn't his style.
"Did he bring the king?" Gotti asked.
The crewman stammered. "N-no… I don't know…"
Bege rose slowly. His voice was measured, heavy. "Then let's see for ourselves."
They stepped onto the deck.
With a spyglass, one of his men spotted Vito at the bow of a ship, waving, snake-tongue glinting in the light.
Bege's eyes chilled. "Make him stop. Send a small boat first. Check for traps."
On a nearby island, Jin stood at the prow of his warship and gave a sharp order. "Ai, full speed. Don't let him escape."
The boilers roared, steam gushed, and the colossal vessel surged to forty knots, cutting across the waves.
"What?! That speed?!"
"Impossible!"
"Fire! Stop them!"
The Fire Tank Pirates' cannons belched smoke and flame, but the Demon Carrier was too fast. Shells splashed uselessly in its wake.
The gap closed.
"Law, Robin, Maya, Reiju—prepare to board."
A siren wailed. The deck of the warship split open. Out strode Law, Robin, Reiju, Maya, and the three Vinsmoke brothers, backed by rows of clone soldiers in Germa black.
As the ships crossed paths, the Demon Carrier spat out thick globs of taffy.
Paramecia—Candy-Candy Fruit.
Sticky, stretching masses latched onto the Fire Tank ship, locking the hulls together.
"Idiots! Move your asses!" Ai shouted.
A pounding BGM blared across the deck—something loud and blood-hot. "Du-du-du-dun-du-du…"
Law muttered under his breath. Every damn sea battle, he plays music. Embarrassing at first. Now? I'm used to it.
He leapt high and landed on the enemy deck.
"ROOM!"
"Threefold Bloom!"
"Pink Venom!"
"Spark Revolver!"
"Voltage Shock!"
"Winch Strike!"
Six attacks detonated in a storm. Dozens of mafia soldiers went flying, groaning as they crashed against masts and rails.
"Bastards! I'll kill you for touching my family!" Gotti roared. The towering brute swung up his right arm—modified into a three-barreled Gatling gun—and unleashed a torrent of bullets.
Bege's rage burned too. He already understood who was coming. They had captured Vito and now dared to storm his ship. An insult.
His coat flared open.
Boom!
His torso split wide, forming a massive gate.
From within, gunfire erupted, mafia soldiers swarming out.
Paramecia—Castle-Castle Fruit.
A walking fortress, a man who could house armies in his own body. Objects shrank within him and returned to size once deployed.
A cousin, perhaps, to the Munch-Munch Fruit—but far weaker.
Jin's eyes gleamed. Interesting. What would happen if the Castle-Castle Fruit were fused with the Munch-Munch Fruit? A fusion of space and matter…
The idea thrilled him.
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