"You're a Devil Fruit user, right?"
Intending to test the power of Dark-Dark Fruit, Lan raised his hand. The darkness gathered between his five fingers suddenly generated an extremely powerful suction force.
"Dark Water."
Alvin, who was about to hurl threats, flew forward uncontrollably with a pale expression.
"What did you do to me!?"
Lan instinctively increased its output.
Watching the enemy in his grasp revert back into Human Form, the corners of Lan's mouth lifted, and a long-lost excitement flashed in his eyes.
"You'll find out very soon."
His left hand also transformed into a tide of black smoke.
Lan, who originally intended to kill with a single blow, suddenly turned his claw into a fist.
One punch sent the enemy flying.
"Captain Alvin!!"
"Captain!! Damn it, you actually dare to be disrespectful to the captain!"
"Open fire, kill this guy!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless bullets shot toward him.
Lan, however, had no intention of dodging at all.
His right leg likewise transformed into a bizarre form of surging black smoke.
He raised his foot and stomped heavily forward.
Bang!
The black tide dyed across the ground, raged and rolled violently!
"Black Hole!"
[The Dark-Dark Fruit has obtained a new trait, Black Hole.]
[Black hole: Activates the power of darkness to create an attractive force that devours targets; when activated in reverse, it can release things that were swallowed by the Black Hole.]
The black smoke tide surged upward in reverse, bursting through the roof and forming a continuously expanding black tornado!
"Tornado!?"
"Our attacks... Damn it, what the hell is that thing?!"
As the pirates roared in anger, they did not forget to reload their ammunition, then pulled the triggers repeatedly.
But whether cannonballs or bullets, the moment they touched the black tornado, they were swallowed and vanished.
"You've fired enough, right? Next, it's my turn."
Suddenly!
The black tornado transformed into a black curtain that split apart, revealing Lan within, his face carrying a mocking expression.
"Liberation."
The black curtain bubbled like boiling water.
At Lan's command, the cannonballs and bullets previously swallowed by the Black Hole began to emerge.
Trailing long streaks of black flames, they shot toward the enemies!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Watching the cannon fodder die under the attack, a flash of red light passed through Lan's eyes.
"Sneak attacks are a cat's privilege, you impostor."
Just at this moment, as the assault ended, a thought stirred in Lan's mind.
The black smoke screen around him shrank and reshaped, separating and merging in an instant, turning into several giant tigers of equal height.
The tigers were pitch-black all over, their fur resembling flowing, smoky mist.
Crimson eyes lit up in the darkness.
[The Dark-Dark Fruit has obtained a new trait: Shaping.]
[Shaping: Allows the creation of any object using dark elements.]
"Die!!!"
The high-hanging moon cast cold white light down upon the tavern.
Lan lowered his head to look at the overlapping shadows on the ground, and Alvin, who was attempting to attack him.
"I'm a great pirate who can cleave a ship in two with one strike! You... Nani!?"
Just as the great sword was about to strike the enemy's head, a massive black tiger leaped into the air.
Its jaws clamped onto the blade, sparks flashing from its mouth.
Lan raised his head, his smile playful.
"Kill him, Dark Tiger."
Roar!!
The tiger's roar echoed through the night.
Alvin, who dodged the Dark Tiger's bite, abandoned his sword and fell to the ground.
As he roared in fury, he raised his leg and kicked toward the enemy's groin.
"Dark Water!"
Lan raised his blackened hand, which happened to stand vertically in front of the enemy.
That move again!
The thought had only just surfaced in his mind when Alvin discovered that his body had once again reverted from Beast Form back into Human Form.
Lan grabbed the enemy by the throat with one hand and lifted him up, his eyes half red and half black.
Several black tigers around him stood upright, their sharp claws and fangs striking toward the enemy's vital points.
"It's time for you to go to hell, Alvin."
Without giving the enemy time to leave any last words, several pairs of tiger claws came down, and the crescent moon in the sky gained a hint of blood-red color.
"I'll use your bounty money to have a good drink."
"Captain Alvin!!"
The pirates' cries were heart-wrenching, but their speed in fleeing likewise made Lan marvel.
"Lillian, I'll go deal with those pirates and stop by the nearby Marine branch as well."
...
Autumn of the year 1518 by the Sea Circle Calendar, night.
North Blue's Marine Branch 312.
"Ah, Lan, your operational ability is truly impressive."
At the Marine Branch's front desk, a Marine handed over a small leather suitcase.
"This is Alvin's bounty, a total of 2.14 million belly. Please take it."
Smiling and nodding to the marine as a form of farewell, Lan carried the small suitcase and walked out of the Branch Base.
"That man is really terrifying. This is his third time coming to the base to exchange money this month, right?"
"Isn't that so, Ferlin?"
A marine not far away, organizing documents, sighed softly.
"Thanks to Mr. Lan's efforts, the sea area we're responsible for can be this peaceful."
Ferlin, the marine who had just handed Lan the bounty, looked left and right.
After confirming no one was nearby, he leaned closer to his comrade.
"Have you heard that news? Some time ago, headquarters specifically made contact."
"It seems Mr. Lan's actions have attracted the attention of some big shots at headquarters!"
"The night before, when I went to report work to the Rear-Admiral, I heard him addressing the person on the Den Den Mushi outside the door..."
"Zephyr-sensei!"
"Shh! You idiot, don't discuss our superiors here! We'll talk about this when we're drinking tonight!"
...
Lan did not know about the whispers within the Branch Base.
Even if he did, he would probably treat it as if he had heard nothing.
His strength in the North Blue might be considered decent, but compared to those real monsters...
Lan dared to swear on what little conscience he had that the difference between himself and an artillery cart lay only in the size of the barrel.
He did not know how strong the current Seven Warlords were, or how strong the Four Emperors were.