Next Bonus, 100!!
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He was from the North Blue, a former noble whose family had fallen on hard times. He had ventured out to sea, been captured by a pirate crew, and had become their navigator. Not long after entering the Grand Line, his crew had been wiped out, and he had been stranded on Hannabal. He'd thought he was destined to live out his days in obscurity, but then Jin had arrived.
Under Wilson's administration, he had used his past experience to demonstrate a remarkable talent for management and had been put in charge of the port. When Jin's new appointee, Enru, had taken over, he had also recognized Zuron's abilities and had brought him on as an assistant. When Enru was promoted to Minister of State, Jin had promoted Zuron to mayor.
And he wasn't the only one.
In the Great Pirate Era, those who dared to venture into the Grand Line were either incredibly bold, incredibly lucky, or incredibly skilled.
There were plenty of scumbags among the pirates, but there were also many talented individuals, their potential unrecognized.
Early on, Jin had taken out large ads in the newspaper to recruit such people.
At first, people were skeptical. But as his fame grew, more and more were drawn to his banner.
Over the past few years, a number of talented individuals had begun to make a name for themselves under Jin's rule, shining in various fields throughout the kingdom.
Jin kept a detailed personnel database on all of them.
Soon, Zuron returned with the information he had gotten from the arena manager, Monet, and presented it to Jin.
Jin glanced at it.
"After the match, I want you to invite him to dinner tonight at the manor."
"Understood."
"And remember," Jin added, "be polite. If he refuses, don't press the issue."
"Of course."
One of the purposes of the colosseum was to recruit powerful individuals. A man like Issho was not someone he could afford to miss.
After defeating Hajrudin, Issho was extended the invitation.
He didn't hesitate to accept.
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The manor, which had been damaged during Jin's previous "negotiations," had been rebuilt.
Issho arrived and was graciously welcomed.
He had short black hair and a beard that framed his mouth. His eyes were closed. An X-shaped scar ran across his forehead and over his eyes. He was a tall man, dressed in a light purple kimono with a dark purple sash, and wooden geta sandals on his feet. He carried a shikomizue, a cane sword, which he used for navigation as well as for combat.
After they had eaten, they got down to business.
"Issho," Jin said, getting straight to the point, "would you be interested in joining the Winter Blossom Kingdom as Lord Admiral of the Royal Navy?"
"Lord Admiral?" Issho was surprised. He'd expected an offer, but to be offered such a high position right off the bat was unexpected.
He had been in Hannabal for nearly a year and had a good understanding of Jin's system. He knew that Jin preferred to start his people at the bottom, to have them work their way up through the ranks.
Was he making an exception for him?
In truth, Issho had misunderstood. In Jin's view, the military and the government were two different things. In a world where individual strength could change the tide of battle, it was only natural that the strong should lead.
Issho's strength was more than enough to qualify him for the position. And if someone truly had talent, like Enru, Jin would not hesitate to place them in a high position.
"But I am a blind man," Issho said after a moment of thought. "Are you not worried about the criticism you might receive?"
"A man who cannot see with his eyes is blind to only one thing," Jin said with a faint smile. "When the heart is as clear as a mirror, one can see far more than a man with open eyes."
"Are you willing to gamble on that?" Issho asked. "If you win, I will join you."
"A game of chance," Jin said. "Alright. What's the game?"
"Dice," Issho replied. "A simple game of high or low."
A servant quickly brought a set of dice and a cup.
"You are the king," Issho said. "You shall be the dealer."
"Alright," Jin said, taking the cup.
If it was a game of chance, then he couldn't use Haki or any other abilities.
He shook the dice for a moment, then set the cup down. "Make your choice," he said with a smile. "High or low?"
Issho loved to gamble. A simple game of dice... it was the essence of gambling. All up to luck. 50/50.
He didn't hesitate. He placed his teacup on the table as his bet. "Low."
Jin hadn't cheated. He didn't know what the dice were.
But... the Luck-Luck Fruit did bring a certain amount of... luck.
"Are you sure?" Jin asked.
"Once a bet is placed, there is no room for regret," Issho said calmly. "Life is the same."
Jin lifted the cup.
A smile spread across his face. "4, 5, 5. High. You chose wrong. It seems my luck is better."
"So I've lost," Issho said, unperturbed. He had been gambling for most of his life. He was long past the point of caring about winning or losing. He just enjoyed the uncertainty of it all. "Since I have lost, I must honor the bet."
"Then welcome aboard," Jin said.
"Before that," Issho said, "I have heard that you defeated Whitebeard, Big Mom, and other powerful figures in the New World. I would like to test your strength."
"Alright," Jin said. "This isn't the place for it. How about we find a deserted island?"
"Very well."
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Little Garden.
The place where Dorry and Brogy had once dueled.
Jin vs. Issho.
A burning meteor fell from the sky.
Robin and Perona watched from a distance, the fierce winds from the impact so strong they could barely stand.
"There are people this strong in Paradise?" Perona said, shocked.
"The world is a vast and wondrous place," Robin replied calmly.
Jin swung his sword, and a slash of energy shot into the sky, cleaving the mountain-sized meteor into a thousand pieces.
The fragments streaked across the sky and crashed into the island, leaving a series of burning craters, thick smoke billowing into the air.
"An attack like that won't work on me, Issho," Jin said, holding his sword with one hand, completely at ease.
Without the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, the fight wasn't as intense as his battles with the Yonko.
"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!"
Issho's expression was calm. He swung his sword, and a wave of distorted gravity shot out, crushing the ground and slamming into the invisible armor of Jin's Armament Haki.
The wind pressure and the gravity shattered everything around them, but Jin didn't move an inch.
"Getsuga Tensho!" Jin shouted, a mischievous glint in his eye.
He brought his sword down.
A crescent-shaped slash flew through the air, splitting the ground, cleaving through the rock.
It could cut through anything.
Jin's power, combined with the black blade Shusui, was immense. A casual slash could split a mountain, a warship.
The slash flew toward Issho.
He didn't try to block it. He simply leaped out of the way.
"You don't seem to have much experience fighting top-tier opponents, do you?" Jin asked.
Their fight was more of a spar, not a life-or-death battle.
"I have no interest in fame," Issho replied. "So I rarely fight. I only compete in the arena to earn a living."
It wasn't surprising. The world was a big place, but the truly top-tier fighters were all known by the major powers. If he had challenged any one of them, he would have been famous overnight.
The reason he wanted to fight Jin was to see for himself how wide the gap was between him and a Yonko.
Jin charged forward and their blades met, the immense force of the impact pushing Issho back.
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