Granny Tom had just opened her mouth to speak.
"This thing, you take it and—"
Before she could finish, a panicked underling burst into the room, almost tripping over his own feet.
"B-bad news, Boss! Granny Tom! Someone's here causing trouble!"
Bartolomeo froze.
"Hah? Who's got the guts to cause trouble here? Sick of living?"
"I– I– I…" The underling stammered and still didn't manage a complete sentence.
Bartolomeo kicked him in the leg.
"Useless! I'll go see for myself which bastard ate leopard guts today!"
Granny Tom didn't stop him. In Loguetown, she was the undisputed queen behind the scenes. She'd heard that the Marines had some kid called "White Ghost" who was strong, sure.
But this was the East Blue, the weakest sea. Who around here could possibly use Haki?
Downstairs in the casino, Jin stood in the middle of the hall, hands in his pockets.
"Alright, boys. Trash this place."
"Let's see how long it takes for whoever's in charge to crawl out and talk to me."
"Acting like you're kings in my town, huh…"
"You heard White Boss!"
"Hahahaha!"
The Marines were all drunk and feeling righteous. This was a mafia den; smashing it didn't even make them feel guilty.
Tables flipped, chips scattered, chairs went flying.
"Oi! Get that sign too!"
"Ha! Tell that 'Boss Bartolomeo' to get his ass down here!"
Most of the gamblers had already bolted. All that remained was a crowd of drunk Marine thugs happily demolishing furniture.
"HEY! STOP!"
Bartolomeo charged down the stairs and froze at the wrecked casino floor.
His still-boyish face twisted with rage.
"You bastards have a death wish?!"
"You don't know this is Bartolo Family territory?! KILL THEM!"
He waved his hand and his little gang of thugs rushed the Marines with knives and clubs.
Jin didn't bother to intervene.
If any of his men got killed by this level, they deserved it. It'd be embarrassing to keep them.
"Mm?"
Jango, head fuzzy from booze, saw the thugs charge and suddenly got fired up.
Usually he was the one getting his face caved in during training. Finally, a chance to show off.
He staggered forward with a weird sway, punching left, kicking right, attacks ugly as sin—but effective.
Jin glanced sideways at Kuro.
"You not going to play?"
"Not interested."
"They're too weak. It's easier than cutting ants."
"At least you have to lie down to find ants," Kuro said, cheeks faintly red from drink.
Jin laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, not bad, not bad."
"Follow me long enough and you finally start talking like a proper scoundrel."
Kuro's lips curled.
"I'd say spending time with you, a 'gangster-in-uniform,' makes staying normal feel… out of place."
"YOU BASTARDS!"
Bartolomeo had tried to rush in twice, but got flattened by casual Marine punches both times.
He half-knelt on the smashed floor, clutching his ribs.
"These guys aren't normal…!"
Granny Tom and Dezaya had come down as well, both a bit taken aback by the scene.
"Bartolo, you alright?" Dezaya hurried forward to help him up.
Bartolomeo gritted his teeth and looked at Granny Tom.
"Granny, something's off about these guys. They're all strong."
"Hmph. Of course they're strong," she snorted.
She tightened her grip on her cane and stepped into the chaos.
Bam, bam, bam!
For someone her age, she moved with surprising speed and precision, cane cracking bones and sending Marines flying.
Kuro watched the old woman carve through the crowd and flexed his fingers.
"Hands are itching. I'm going."
Jin lit himself a cigarette.
"Go ahead. Careful, though. Granny's got real skill."
"I know."
"Oi, old lady," Kuro called out as he stepped in front of her.
"Using my comrades like stones to crack is a bit much, don't you think?"
He slashed with his claws.
Granny Tom casually knocked his attack aside with her cane.
"Oh?"
"So a real fighter finally shows up?"
"Judging by your age, you must be that 'strongest brat in the East Blue' the Marines keep talking about."
Kuro sneered.
"You can guess the rest."
"Try me if you're that curious."
"Soru."
He flickered forward, claws thrusting for her chest.
Ding.
Her cane caught the claws perfectly.
"Not bad, not bad," she said calmly.
"With speed like that, you can call yourself strong around these parts."
"But you ran into me, old as I am."
Her cane slid along his guard, darting forward to jab.
Kuro crashed backwards, smashing through a gaming table and vanishing into splintered wood and scattered chips.
"HAHAHA!"
Bartolomeo puffed himself up, acting like it was his victory.
"See that?!"
"That's what you get for messing with the Bartolo Family!"
His voice cracked halfway through the shout.
"Granny Tom, kill them! Don't let any of them leave alive!"
"Otherwise every cat and dog will think they can walk all over us!"
Granny Tom cursed him in her heart.
Idiot brat.
If she could just kill them cleanly, she would've done it already.
These weren't random punks—they were Marines. She might not fear them, but once you kill Marines, you don't get to stay settled.
Her eyes flashed.
"Shut up and stop talking!"
Bartolomeo choked and bit his tongue, rage simmering.
She watched Kuro push splintered wood aside and stand up again.
"How about it, little Marine?" she asked.
"Why don't we both back off, just for today?"
"I'll have treasure sent over to… smooth things over."
Kuro wiped the blood from his lip and chuckled.
"Pathetic."
"Can't even cleanly beat a grandma and I'm already backing down?"
"I don't buy it."
"Soru."
"The hell with 'strongest brat in the East Blue.'"
"If I can't prove it here, I'm not worthy of the title."
Granny Tom's brows drew together.
"You still want to fight?"
"Fine, then I'll beat that arrogance out of you."
"Think you're invincible just because you awakened a bit of talent?"
"Let me show you what happens to kids like that."
Their weapons clashed again and again.
Cane against claws.
Tables shattered, walls cracked, chips sprayed everywhere.
The longer they fought, the more Kuro started feeling it—small gaps in her movement, subtle shifts.
I can almost… predict it.
Is this… Observation Haki?
"You're not normal anymore, brat," Granny Tom muttered.
This kid was learning during the fight. That was dangerous.
She couldn't drag this out. Her age was catching up to her.
"Hey!"
"Stay down, kid!"
Her cane thrust straight for his face.
Kuro set his claws and met it head-on.
Ding!
This time he held, feet skidding but not breaking.
He smiled, eyes cold.
"I caught it."
He shifted, and on his claws, a faint dark sheen flickered to life.
Granny Tom's pupils shrank.
"…Armament Haki?"
Faint, shallow—but undeniably there.
"Hmph."
"You think just because you awakened Haki, you're my match now?"
"Dream on."
Her cane blurred in a flurry of strikes, this time not giving him a single breath to reset.
Kuro, though, only grew more excited.
"This feeling…!"
"That's it!"
He saw it now—the flow of force, the line of attack.
He anticipated, adjusted, and pushed.
Boom!
He still got blasted away in the end, hitting the floor and sliding, coughing up blood.
But he got up again, eyes burning.
"Again."
Granny Tom was panting now.
"Tch…"
"Damn this old body…"
"Alright, Kuro," Jin called lazily.
"You've awakened Observation and Armament. That's enough for today."
"Go back and feel it."
"Learn to call it at will, in any place, any part of your body."
"This old lady's not someone you can handle yet."
"She's holding back. If she meant it, you'd already be dead."
Two Marines stepped in to help Kuro back.
Granny Tom finally had the leisure to really look at the tall young man who'd been standing there the whole time, watching quietly.
She shivered.
She hadn't sensed him at all earlier.
Damn…
Is my Observation getting that dull?
"Heheh."
Jin smiled at the old woman's suddenly tense face.
"Soru."
In a single blur, he vanished and reappeared right in front of her.
He made a finger-gun and pressed it lightly to her forehead.
So fast!
Granny Tom's eyes went wide.
Can't win.
"Granny!"
"Granny Tom!"
Bartolomeo and Dezaya both panicked, the weight of Jin's killing intent slamming down on them like a wave.
Dezaya's knees buckled and she collapsed, trembling.
Jin looked down at Granny Tom, towering over her.
"Old lady," he said softly.
"You're not a good person."
"And I'm not one either."
"Three conditions."
"You satisfy all three, and the Bartolo Family gets to keep existing in Loguetown."
"You don't…"
He smiled.
"Well."
"You can guess."
"…Speak," Granny Tom finally said, sweat beading on her brow.
"That's more like it."
Jin dropped his hand and stepped back.
"First."
"I don't care if you run your little kingdom."
"But don't do anything too disgusting."
"Human trafficking. Children. Slaves. That sort of filth."
"If I find out, I'll get very, very angry."
Granny Tom thought it over and nodded.
"That much I can promise."
"Second," Jin went on.
"I want thirty percent of your monthly take."
"But…"
"You don't get to use my name."
"I'm the type who wants money but doesn't want responsibility, understand?"
Granny Tom's face darkened.
So he wants the benefits, but no strings attached?
"Fine," she said stiffly.
Jin's smile widened.
"Smart."
"Look, even if I wipe out the Bartolo Family, someone else will just pop up in your place."
"That's how it works."
"So I'd rather leave one group I can at least talk with."
"Right, old lady?"
Granny Tom's heart sank.
"You're right," she murmured.
She could feel it clearly now—this young, terrifying man was the infamous Marine "White Ghost".
And he was only just getting started.
A chorus of low snickers floated up from behind Jin.
"Hehehe, White Boss is getting more and more manly…"
"He never used to care about this kind of thing at all…"
"Hehehe…"
Kuro just smiled faintly.
He'd done things like this himself for years—there was nothing surprising about it.
Granny Tom took a breath.
"…And the third?"
Jin leaned down, speaking right in her ear.
"I know you've got a Devil Fruit tucked away."
"I want it."
Her eyes blew wide.
"How did you know?"
"I never told anyone about that!"
Jin's smile was pure mischief.
"Don't worry about how."
"You don't give it, and I 'clean up the streets.'"
"You do, and as long as you don't go overboard, I'll pretend I don't see you."
He blurred again.
In the blink of an eye, he was behind Bartolomeo, finger pressing into the back of the boy's head.
"You should think this through carefully."
He flashed a devilish grin.
"NO!"
Granny Tom's voice cracked.
Dezaya and Bartolomeo didn't dare move a muscle.
When he'd flashed past just now, the crushing killing intent had nearly made them black out.
Dezaya couldn't stop trembling on the floor.
"Don't move."
"I'll… bring it," Granny Tom said hoarsely.
Jin nodded.
"Good."
"Smart people live longer."
"You go alone."
"You and I both know neither of us trusts the other."
"Fine," she muttered.
She bit down hard on her frustration and slowly climbed the stairs.
Jin called lazily after her.
"Hurry it up, yeah?"
"My patience is limited."
"If you're too slow, I might just go get it myself."
"…Damn brat."
"Damn monster…"
Behind him, the Marines started whispering.
"Hehehe, White Boss is so cool when he threatens people…"
"Yeah, yeah, he's so stylish…"
"Shut up, idiots," Jin snapped without looking back.
"Embarrassing."
"You got rolled by an old lady and you're still laughing?"
"B-but White Boss, that grandma's really strong…" one of them mumbled.
"We weren't her match…"
Jin glared at them.
"You're weak and you blame her?"
"You ever try looking at yourselves?"
"Where did all your training go? Into the dog?"
"Remember this."
"In this world, the only truth is the size of your fist."
"Otherwise next time you die, you won't even know what killed you."
"Starting tomorrow, double training load for everyone."
"Yessir…"
The Marines sagged.
Getting beaten by a grandma was shameful enough.
Now this.
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