Next Bonus, 100!!
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A deserted island in the East Blue.
The Empress arrived.
Jin had agreed to hand over the "imposter" Sommers here.
On the surface, he was accompanied only by Issho and Van Augur. In a situation like this, bringing more men would be useless.
A warship appeared on the horizon, cutting through the sparkling sea.
Soon, the two ships were about a hundred meters apart.
Jin stood at the prow.
Garling, Shamrock, Gunko... the entire contingent of the God's Knights was here.
They had not come in peace.
Garling was a tall, elderly man, his face deeply wrinkled. His long, golden hair was styled into two unbending, horizontal spikes, and his hair and beard together formed the shape of a forward-facing crescent moon. He wore round sunglasses and a long, hooded, dark-brown coat with a thick, red collar. A famed sword with a golden hilt hung at his waist. His expression was as cold and unyielding as a glacier.
He stared at Jin. "So, you are King Jin," he said, his tone devoid of any courtesy.
"I am," Jin replied with a smile. "And you must be Lord Garling. You're looking vigorous for your age."
Compliments were free. Jin was always a polite man.
Garling was not impressed. "I hear you've fought a Yonko," he said, his voice like ice. "That you are very strong."
"I get by," Jin replied.
"I'll be the judge of that!" Shamrock roared, unable to contain himself. He thrust his sword forward, and a colossal, three-headed hellhound erupted from the blade, its roar a furious, unstoppable torrent as it leaped toward the Empress.
"Gravity Blade: Cage!"
With a clang, Issho drew his sword. A crushing weight slammed down from above, pressing the hellhound down into the sea, carving a massive crater in the water.
Shamrock, stunned, quickly pulled the hellhound back into his sword.
Garling and the others looked at Issho in surprise. Where had Jin found a fighter of this caliber?
Humiliated, Shamrock attacked again, his blade now wreathed in the black lightning of Conqueror's Haki.
He swung his sword, and a world-ending torrent of crimson light, a raging tsunami, tore across the sea, threatening to swallow the sky.
Jin threw a punch, and a golden dragon of pure Haki shot out, its roar echoing across the waves.
The two attacks collided.
In an instant, the crimson slash shattered, as if it had been devoured by the golden dragon, which then shot forward with even greater speed.
Shamrock, in a panic, raised his sword to block, the hellhound forming a shield in front of him. But the dragon slammed into them both, sending them crashing back into their ship.
The other members of the God's Knights were all stunned. Shamrock's strength was undeniable. But he couldn't block a single punch from Jin?
"Such powerful Haki," Garling murmured, his brow furrowing slightly. It was a thick, perfectly integrated Conqueror's Haki, radiating from the very core of his being.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Shamrock roared, scrambling to his feet amidst the splintered wood of the deck. The humiliation, the suppressed rage he felt for what had happened to Sommers—it all erupted in a blaze of fury.
"God's Punishment!"
He swung his sword, and a hellhound, formed from Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, and the force of the slash itself, leaped forward, a truly terrifying sight.
Jin stood at the prow of his ship and held out a single hand.
A clap of thunder, a blinding flash of light, and the sea churned.
And then, silence. The sky was clear.
Jin was still standing at the prow, completely unharmed.
"He... he took Shamrock's ultimate attack... with one hand?"
"He's a monster."
Everyone was in a state of shock, including Shamrock himself.
A direct clash was one thing. But Jin hadn't even attacked. He had just stood there... and blocked it.
The meaning was entirely different.
The former implied a contest of equals.
The latter... it meant they were not on the same level. It meant Shamrock's attack couldn't even harm him.
It was unbelievable.
"Power that surpasses a Yonko?" Garling wondered. No wonder Lord Imu hadn't acted immediately. He must have sensed something.
"I don't believe it!" Shamrock raged. He, who considered himself the equal of a Yonko, had been so utterly defeated.
"Shamrock, stand down!" Garling commanded. "We are not here to fight today."
Shamrock, as if waking from a dream, took a step back.
"The King of Paradise," Garling said, his voice now even. "You live up to your reputation. To have such power at your age... it is truly admirable. Have you ever considered joining us? I am getting old. The position of Commander of the God's Knights... could be yours."
Shamrock looked at him, surprised, but a single glance from Garling silenced him.
Garling was kicking himself. He should have never listened to the Five Elders' plan to use Jin to balance the Yonko. He should have invited him to join the God's Knights from the beginning. Under Lord Imu's control, all of this could have been avoided. And if he had refused... well, at that time, Jin was, at most, at the level of a Yonko. He never would have imagined he could grow so strong in just a year or two. An enemy of this caliber... was a real headache.
Jin just smiled.
"I prefer the freedom of the sea," he said. "The sea is vast, Lord Garling. It can accommodate all kinds of creatures. Don't you agree?"
Garling understood his meaning. You go your way, I'll go mine. The sea is big enough for both of us.
He nodded slowly. "You are right. In that case... where is Sommers?"
"On the island," Jin said, gesturing toward the deserted strip of land.
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