Next Bonus, 100!!
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Jin smiled. "Trust built on a lie?"
Jinbe was silent.
He had his reasons.
The experience of the Ryugu mission in Hannabal.
His conversations with Jin, the way his words had moved him.
What he had seen upon his return to the Fish-Man District.
Witnessing Hody's "darkness."
All of it had pushed him to this.
And the premature rise of Hody and the New Fish-Man Pirates... that too was the result of a confluence of factors.
Arlong's early death.
Whitebeard's "defeat," his hold on the world shaken.
Prince Fukaboshi's visit to the Winter Blossom Kingdom, and the stories he had brought back.
All of it had been a catalyst.
And not only that.
The "seeds" that had been scattered by the flapping of Jin's butterfly wings were now taking root all over the world.
Some were beginning to sprout.
Others were still gestating.
Jin hadn't intentionally tried to change anything, but the entire world of One Piece was already changing because of him.
"Jinbe," Jin said, "trust bought with a lie will always be exposed. Only sincerity is a true 'killer move'."
He raised his hand and opened a door in the air.
"I don't necessarily agree with your methods, but I can see your conviction. Your desire to change things. Have you ever considered... joining my crew? The truth is, I really can heal you. Including your arm."
Jinbe was surprised.
After a moment's thought, he nodded.
Jin grabbed him, pushed him through the door, and turned back to Robin. "I'll be right back. Be careful."
Robin nodded.
Jin took Jinbe through the "Door-Door Fruit" portal, back to the demonic carrier, and into the dark space within.
As Jinbe looked on in amazement, Jin opened the ship's interface and, under the "Helmsman" category, typed in the name "Jinbe."
Then he locked onto him.
"Don't resist."
In Jin's voice, Jinbe seemed to hear a deep, soul-shaking whale song.
And then, in his mind's eye, he saw a warship, wreathed in golden flames, rapidly enveloping him.
Jin stood on the deck, a roaring phantom, surrounded by layers of fire, as majestic and terrifying as a god.
Even the world-weary Jinbe's eyes widened at the sight.
He bowed his head with a reverence he had never felt before.
The warship rushed toward him.
Jinbe watched, stunned, as he was set ablaze, and then... he was absorbed into the kaleidoscopic vision.
Jinbe's information appeared on Jin's interface.
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[Position: Helmsman]
[Name: Jinbe]
[Authority: Level 4]
[Height: 301cm]
[Ability: None]
[Race: Whale Shark Fish-Man]
[Haki: Armament, Observation]
[Composite Doriki: 18,750 - 32,810]
[Evaluation: Possesses monstrous strength. Master of Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu. Reaches maximum power in the water.]
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Jinbe's Doriki was slightly higher than Hancock's. He was older, and his strength had likely peaked. And in the water, he was even stronger.
In the sea, Jinbe could trade blows with Big Mom.
On land, his power was reduced by a third.
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[Analysis: Helmsman has sustained residual damage from a Devil Fruit ability. Consume soul crystals to repair?]
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"Repair."
Currently, Level 4 authority didn't allow him to grant a Devil Fruit, but in other respects, it was no different from Level 3.
This was why Jin had said he could heal him.
Jinbe looked at himself in disbelief. Golden flames were engulfing his body. His wounds, his severed arm... they were healing.
"What is this power?"
The "repair" function would leave the recipient in a weakened state for a period of time, depending on the severity of the injuries. For something minor, like removing Hancock's tattoo, it was barely noticeable.
But Jinbe was seriously injured.
When the repair was complete, he was completely exhausted.
Jin used the Castle-Castle Fruit to create a room for him and had a high-energy meal of meat prepared.
Jinbe was still reeling from the shock when Jin began to display all sorts of other "divine" abilities.
He was numb.
His mind was blown.
But he was worried about the situation outside, so he pushed his questions aside and began to eat, replenishing his strength.
As he ate, he asked, "You said before that Captain Tiger and Queen Otohime had their limitations."
Hody and the "evil" of the Fish-Man District had given him much to think about, but he couldn't seem to make sense of it all, so he decided to ask Jin.
"Yes," Jin replied. "Everyone, because of their upbringing, their experiences, their personality—including myself—has their limitations."
"I'd like to ask... what was wrong with what Captain Tiger and Queen Otohime did?"
"Ask?" Jin said. "Let's discuss. I'll just give you my opinion. Tiger, as a former slave, chose the path of armed revolution, of overthrowing the existing system. He wreaked havoc on Mary Geoise and founded the Sun Pirates, liberating countless slaves. As a leader, he was competent. He understood that the main conflict was between the system of slavery and oppression, and its victims, not between different races. That's why he strictly limited who his crew targeted, forbidding them from killing or harming the innocent. Rescuing Koala was a perfect example of this. But he could never escape the prison of his own hatred. He only saw the need to regulate that hatred, not to extinguish it. His refusal to accept human blood was the epitome of his limitations. And so, he wasn't just killed by humans. He was killed by the limitations of his own ideology."
Jinbe thought about it. It was true. If Captain Tiger had accepted the blood transfusion, he would have lived. But...
"And Queen Otohime?"
"Queen Otohime was a progressive... or rather, a progressive appeaser. She chose to submit to the existing order of exploitation, hoping to gain the recognition of the Celestial Dragons from within the system. She chose to gather signatures from her entire country and petition the Celestial Dragons for the liberation of the merfolk and Fish-Men. But that path was just self-deception. It was doomed to fail. First, the internal problems. Otohime and her faction were only concerned with superficial harmony. They united the well-to-do residents of the Fish-Man island, but they ignored the lower-class Fish-Men living in the Fish-Man District, and the hatred that was festering and growing within them due to their inability to meet their basic material and spiritual needs. As a result, Hody, fueled by that hatred, killed Queen Otohime and grew his power, spreading that hatred even further."
During his fight with Hody, Jinbe had demanded to know who had killed the queen, and Hody had admitted it himself. At the time, when Hody had insisted it was a human, had Jinbe not had his doubts? No. He had wanted to believe it was a human. It was only after learning the truth that he had begun to doubt.
"Second, the external problems..."
Jin continued. "Let's say Queen Otohime hadn't died. The Fish-Man Island delegation successfully obtains the petition and formally proposes the liberation and equal status of merfolk and Fish-Men at the Levely. Do you really think that the Fish-Man island could have been truly liberated under the current world order, ruled by the Celestial Dragons? What if the proposal had passed? Even in the best-case scenario, the Fish-Man island would have received the protection and a promise from the World Government. They would have launched a special crackdown on the trafficking of merfolk and Fish-Men, reducing the crime to a level where only a few of the most powerful nobles and the Celestial Dragons could engage in it. But at what cost? A heavier burden of Heavenly Tribute. Perhaps even having to offer up mermaid slaves to the Celestial Dragons. The Fish-Man island would have faced even harsher oppression and exploitation."
Jinbe was deep in thought.
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