The moment Jin's fist was about to land, confidence filled Blueno's eyes.
For a user of the Six Powers, Iron Body was an extremely powerful defensive technique—
and Iron Body: Steel was its advanced form.
With this technique, he could even withstand cannon fire.
But the instant Jin's punch connected—
Blueno understood.
He had been terribly, absurdly wrong.
The weight behind that fist was unimaginable.
So heavy that it gave him the illusion that what struck him wasn't a fist at all—
—but an entire mountain crashing down on his body.
Bang!!
"Ugh—!!"
His nerves screamed as the overwhelming pain surged through him, so intense that his eyes nearly bulged out.
Yet he knew—
If Iron Body broke now, he would die without question.
Under that monstrous force, Blueno was pushed backward, sliding uncontrollably down the corridor, crashing straight out of the building's entrance before finally coming to a stop.
Gasping violently, his body trembling, Blueno forced out:
"Heh… s-still… noth—"
Before he could finish, his eyes rolled back.
His knees hit the ground.
Then his entire body collapsed forward—completely unconscious.
"All that's left is your tough mouth," Jin said calmly.
"If I weren't worried about killing you in one hit, you wouldn't have survived even a single punch."
Iron Body?
Please.
Even real iron would've shattered—let alone this imitation.
"You held back?" Nico Robin asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Jin nodded.
"This guy's Devil Fruit ability is special. It'll probably be useful."
A spatial-type Devil Fruit, if used properly, could create miraculous results.
"You're planning to use his ability to secure a retreat route?" Robin asked.
"That's part of it."
"That won't work," Robin shook her head.
"Devil Fruit abilities consume stamina. I don't think he has enough strength to carry us all back to Water Seven."
"And besides…"
She glanced at Blueno's unconscious body, her expression complicated.
"He's almost been beaten to death. Even if you wake him up… how much stamina could he possibly have left?"
She seriously suspected his ability wouldn't even last until they escaped the island.
If it failed mid-transport and everyone dropped into the sea—
That would truly be a dead end.
"Then he's pretty useless," Jin said bluntly.
Robin: "..."
Did this man… have some kind of misunderstanding about Devil Fruit users?
In the end, they were still just people with special powers.
If the person themselves wasn't strong, the ability could only do so much.
"It's fine," Jin waved it off.
"Even if we can't use him to return to Water Seven, he's still useful."
"For example?"
"For example—after Zoro and the others finish their fights, you guys can use him to get outside."
Jin pointed toward the Gate of Justice.
"That way, you can personally watch how I stop the Buster Call."
"And if a Marine Vice Admiral targets you… you can use him to temporarily avoid danger."
There was one thing Jin didn't say out loud—
The issue of a Marine Admiral.
If that man appeared, the crew's safety would become the highest priority.
And at that point, a spatial Devil Fruit user would be extremely valuable.
"…That does sound reasonable," Robin admitted.
"But how do you make him obey you?"
"Aren't you worried he'll suddenly dump us onto a Marine battleship?"
Jin smiled slightly.
"Then tell me—why do you think that CP9 idiot of a commander pressed the Golden Den Den Mushi button?"
Robin froze.
Then her eyes widened in disbelief.
"…You did that?"
If so, everything made sense.
No matter how incompetent Spandam was, he wouldn't deliberately destroy his own territory.
Enies Lobby had stood for eight hundred years—it was the World Government's face.
"Yeah."
Jin revealed his Sharingan, pointing at his eyes.
"I used genjutsu to control him."
"And now, I'll do the same thing again."
As for Blueno's injuries—that was easy.
A bit of medical ninjutsu later would keep him alive.
"That's… such beautiful eyes," Robin murmured.
"…Beautiful?"
Jin paused, then chuckled.
"You're the first person who's ever said that."
"To many people, these eyes represent misfortune."
The Sharingan—
A bloodline that required extreme emotional trauma to awaken and evolve.
Most who reached three tomoe had unstable minds.
He hadn't been discriminated against only because no one knew he possessed them.
Otherwise… who knew whether someone like Danzo would've targeted him.
"Why would they?" Robin smiled softly.
"These eyes are clearly beautiful. How could they represent misfortune?"
"Sounds like the people you met before simply lacked taste."
Her words made Jin's smile deepen.
"Then it seems you and I are both people of taste."
"Obviously."
"…Then I'll show you something even more beautiful someday."
Robin blinked, then laughed.
"Alright. I'll look forward to it."
She didn't know what he meant—but that didn't stop her from anticipating it.
"Come on," Jin said.
"Let's get the key off that guy first. If it happens to open your Sea-Stone cuffs, you won't have to suffer anymore."
"Mm."
Robin followed behind him with a gentle smile.
Right now, her heart was filled with an overwhelming sense of safety.
As they passed through the central hall, they noticed something leaning against the wall—
Something that looked… vaguely human.
Jin stopped.
"…What is this thing?"
Why did it feel strangely familiar?
"Yeah… it does look familiar," Robin said thoughtfully.
"…C-cough… is that… Jin and Robin?" a weak voice spoke.
It was Sanji.
Clearly, due to Devil Fruit effects and severe injuries, he was in terrible condition.
"This unidentified object is making Sanji's voice," Jin said seriously.
Though the smile on his face made it obvious—he knew exactly who it was.
"Damn it, I'm Sanji!" Sanji shouted weakly.
"You're clearly smiling, and you still pretend not to know who I am?!"
"And you've even got a beauty with you—damn it, that's unfair!"
Jin: "..."
So that was the real issue?
As expected—even beaten into this state, Sanji was still Sanji.
Shaking his head helplessly, Jin asked,
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing… just lost."
"Lost…?"
Jin frowned. Sanji wasn't weak—losing this badly so quickly was strange.
Then a thought struck him.
"…Was it the woman with glasses?"
Jin remembered Sanji's so-called knight's code.
Back in Alabasta, when Mr. 2 transformed into Nami, Sanji couldn't bring himself to attack.
Sanji said nothing—only lowered his head again.
"Figured," Jin sighed.
"Ran straight into your natural enemy."
He didn't say more.
That was Sanji's belief—it wasn't something others could interfere with.
"What Devil Fruit ability is this?" Robin asked curiously, examining Sanji.
"His whole body looks extremely smooth… like it's been polished."
"Any idea how to deal with it?"
"To be honest, without knowing the exact ability, we can't find its weakness," Robin thought.
"But… we could try throwing him into the sea."
The sea was every Devil Fruit user's natural enemy.
Maybe that would work.
"Let's try it."
Without hesitation, Jin grabbed Sanji by the leg and dragged him outside—
ignoring Sanji's protests entirely—
and tossed him straight into the ocean.
Blueno lay unconscious nearby.
After dusting off his hands, Jin lifted his gaze toward the distance.
The colossal Gate of Justice—
was slowly beginning to open.
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