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Inside a large office building purchased by the Bounty Hunters' Guild.
Jin and Crocodile met.
"Everything went smoothly?" Jin asked.
"Capone Bege is a valuable bargaining chip," Crocodile said. "He knows a lot of secrets. He's been throwing his weight around the West Blue for years and has made plenty of enemies. They were more than happy to see him fall. He tried to escape a few times, but failed. He's in a warehouse at the docks now, under Mr. 1's personal guard."
"Good."
"By the way," Crocodile continued, "there's a banquet at the Marine base tonight. All the local bigwigs have been invited."
He briefly explained the situation.
Lunia was facing a change of command, which was why Headquarters had sent someone to assess the situation.
"So, Rear Admiral Enru is hoping his son will inherit his position? Turn Lunia Port into his own little family kingdom?"
"More or less."
Jin wasn't surprised. Did people really think nepotism was unique to pirates? The Marines were no different. The practice of father passing the torch to son had been going on for ages.
You could argue that the later years of the pirate era had become a game of "Who's your daddy?"
When it was revealed that even a certain rookie was Rocks's son, there weren't many fathers left for Buggy.
But Whitebeard had been the craftiest of them all. He'd taken both Rocks's son and Roger's son and made them his own.
Was there some kind of perverse satisfaction in hearing those familiar faces, those spitting images of his rivals, call him "Pops"?
"The Bounty Hunters' Guild wouldn't have been established so quickly without the help of that father-son duo," Crocodile said. "You pay them, they get things done. I'm worried that if there's a change of command, and Headquarters sends in some hard-liner, it will affect our operations. You know my situation. I'm still a Warlord. A Vice Admiral like Gion won't be pleased to see me here. So..."
Crocodile looked at Jin.
"You want me to feel out Gion's position, to get a read on Headquarters' stance, so we can be prepared."
Crocodile nodded. It was refreshing to deal with someone intelligent. He didn't have to spell everything out.
"Alright," Jin said. "I'll go meet with her."
The Bounty Hunters' Guild was one of his ventures. When it needed his support, he couldn't just stand by.
"One more thing..." Crocodile produced an exquisite wooden box. "A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit."
"Oh? Which one?"
"The Kilo-Kilo Fruit."
Jin raised an eyebrow.
Miss Valentine's fruit?
According to her, after eating the fruit, she could freely manipulate her weight, from one kilogram to ten thousand kilograms.
It sounded... weak.
The powerhouses of the pirate world could lift warships with ease. Kaido could lift the entire island of Onigashima, which weighed millions of tons.
Ten thousand kilograms—ten tons—was nothing.
But... was that really all there was to it?
The Kilo-Kilo Fruit. The name itself suggested a power to control weight. In theory, its upper limit should be infinite, and its lower limit should approach zero.
The ten-thousand-kilogram limit was probably just a reflection of its user's weakness.
"Excellent. I'll absorb it," Jin said with a smile. Only two more Devil Fruits, and the demonic carrier would be ready for its third evolution. He couldn't wait to see how much it would change, what new functions it would gain.
After taking the fruit, Jin was very pleased with Crocodile's performance. "Crocodile... interested in a second Devil Fruit power?"
Crocodile froze. "A second Devil Fruit?"
"Hey, eating a second fruit will kill you, right? Or are you saying..."
Crocodile's mind flashed to the warship. It had already displayed the powers of more than one Devil Fruit. And Jin was still collecting them, still interested in the powers of others...
His expression turned deadly serious.
"Don't tell me... you've found a way to use two fruits?"
His eyes began to burn with a fervent heat.
One Devil Fruit was powerful enough. But what if you could pair it with another that covered your weaknesses? A Logia with a Zoan, a Paramecia with a Zoan...
Or two fruits that complemented each other.
How strong would that be?
Jin smiled faintly. "I don't know how to eat two fruits. But... I can give you a second fruit's ability."
Crocodile's mind raced. "Can I choose the ability?"
"You can," Jin replied. "But the options are limited. Right now, I have the Mushroom-Mushroom, Candy-Candy, Hell's Red Serpent, Calm-Calm, Bomb-Bomb, Spring-Spring, Kraken-Kraken, Castle-Castle."
Jin deliberately left out the Munch-Munch Fruit—that power was his and his alone to develop.
The Triceratops fruit had been given to Kuma.
Crocodile considered the options.
To be honest, none of them were particularly appealing.
What fruit would best complement his Sand-Sand Fruit? What combination would unleash its true power?
"I'll have to think about it," Crocodile said.
"Alright," Jin said. "If you have a specific fruit in mind, and you can find it, let me know. Actually, I think the Bomb-Bomb Fruit would be a good fit. Your massive sandstorms... imagine if every grain of sand was an explosion... Total annihilation."
A glint appeared in Crocodile's eye. It was an intriguing idea.
"I'll wait," he said. "I'll consider the other options first."
If he could have a second ability, and he could choose it, he was going to be greedy. He was going to find the one that was perfect for him.
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Night.
With Crocodile's arrangements, Jin successfully gained entry to the Marine base and the banquet being held in Gion's honor.
He brought Reiju with him as his date.
Robin was a wanted woman.
Not suitable.
Maya was still too young.
Kuma? Putting aside his bounty, his sheer size would be enough to make most people uncomfortable. It would be... an acquired taste. After all, a man like Gaban, who had dared to challenge his own preferences and marry a giantess, was a rare breed.
Reiju's age and status made her the perfect companion.
And, having received a royal education from Germa, her aristocratic bearing and graceful demeanor were far superior to Jin's.
As expected, the moment she entered, clad in a magnificent gown, she captured the attention of all the local nobles.
Her beautiful, medium-length pink hair framed a delicate face. Her skin was fair and flawless. A pale pink dress cinched at her slender waist, her curves alluring and graceful. Her long legs ended in a pair of pink high heels. Her smile was sweet, her eyes like a painting, her movements elegant—the very picture of a princess.
And she was, in fact, a princess.
The princess of the Germa Kingdom.
Jin had used his real name to attend the banquet. He wasn't a pirate. He had no reason to hide at a high-class gathering like this.
On the contrary, it was Rear Admiral Enru and his son, along with a retinue of minor nobles, who were tripping over themselves to curry his favor.
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