Early Grand Line — the waters around Maran Island.

The Stevenson Pirates’ flagship had just plundered a tiny kingdom known as the Kingdom of Mora.

A nation like that didn’t have the wealth to pay the Heavenly Tribute. Without the ability to pay, they weren’t recognized as a member state of the World Government.

And for the World Government, such kingdoms were nothing more than illegal regimes—whose people weren’t even considered human in the eyes of the law.

For slavers and pirates, these places were open hunting grounds. Raiding, looting, even enslaving the population—none of it would draw a single Marine warrant. The World Government would simply look the other way.

Stevenson’s crew knew this well. They always chose their prey carefully.

— — —

On the George, the Stevenson Pirates’ flagship—

A portly pirate with a scarf around his neck and a katana at his hip came jogging out from below deck, face alight with excitement.

He hurried to the bow, where his captain, Amison Stevenson, stood with the wind whipping at his back.

Lowering his voice, the man reported with barely-contained glee—

“Captain! We’ve struck gold!”

Stevenson turned his head slightly, curiosity in his eyes.

“Oh? And what exactly have we found?”

“In the Mora treasury… I found something. A Devil Fruit! I’ve already stashed it in your personal chest.”

“…Is that so?” Stevenson’s eyes glimmered with interest. “Do you know what kind it is?”

The fat man scratched his head.

“Not exactly… but the shape looks like a Paramecia. I’ve seen something similar in a book once.”

Hearing that, Stevenson’s excitement dimmed.

As a swordsman, he’d never eaten a Devil Fruit—not because he couldn’t, but because he was waiting.

His aim was to find a Logia, or at least a high-tier Zoan—something that could truly sharpen his blade in combat.

A Paramecia? Unless it was a perfect match, he wasn’t interested. Taking the wrong fruit would mean two new weaknesses: the inability to swim and vulnerability to Seastone.

Still… before making any decision, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

“Show me,” Stevenson ordered, stepping back toward the captain’s cabin. The fat man followed closely behind.

— — —

Inside the treasure hold, the Devil Fruit sat on a bed of deep crimson velvet.

Its skin was mottled and covered with intricate swirls, like some strange hybrid of pear and durian—distinctly unnatural, unmistakably a Devil Fruit.

But even Stevenson didn’t recognize the type.

Devil Fruits were scattered across the world, but detailed knowledge about their categories and abilities was never made public.

The World Government was the only entity that truly understood them—Marines themselves only received fragments of that knowledge.

So it wasn’t surprising that Stevenson had never seen this one before.

The fat man, however, had his own theory.

“Captain, it looks a lot like the Ito Ito no Mi—the legendary String-String Fruit.”

Stevenson narrowed his eyes.

“…Wasn’t that one already eaten? I heard rumors a few years back.”

In this world, the rule was simple—no two identical Devil Fruits existed at the same time. Once a user died, the power would reincarnate into a random fruit somewhere in the world.

If this was the Ito Ito no Mi… then its previous user was dead.

“…If it really is the String-String Fruit, it’d fit me perfectly,” Stevenson murmured to himself.

Indeed, for a swordsman, the ability to manipulate threads could be a deadly complement to close combat and battlefield control.

But whether this fruit was truly the Ito Ito no Mi… no one on the ship could say for certain.

— — —

Three days earlier — aboard the Blue Dragon

Amos closed the receiver of his Den Den Mushi, his expression grave.

After a moment of hesitation, he stepped out from the office onto the sunlit deck.

There, Tachibana Kyūjō lay stretched out on a deck chair, eyes closed.

Amos straightened, his voice sharp.

“Vice Admiral Seiryū! We’ve just received an emergency call from the Kingdom of Mora. They report being attacked by the Stevenson Pirates—their defenses are nearly wiped out.”

He paused briefly before adding—

“To make matters worse, the Mensa Pirates seem to be moving in as well.”

Kyūjō’s eyes opened, his expression suddenly serious.

“In my eyes, there’s no such thing as ‘member’ or ‘non-member’ nations,” he said quietly. “If they’re pirates committing crimes, they’re to be captured.”

He sat up and gave his order.

“Set course for the Kingdom of Mora. Full speed.”

Amos saluted sharply before hurrying off to relay the command.

— — —

Outskirts of Mora Castle

The Mensa Pirates had already surrounded the main keep.

At the castle gates, two towering beasts hammered relentlessly at the reinforced doors—

a five-meter-tall black gorilla, and a three-and-a-half-meter crimson baboon.

Each thunderous blow rattled the very air between the mountains.

Inside the grand hall, King Yasis paced in agitation, his face pale.

“First Stevenson, now Mensa… has the whole world gone mad?” he muttered.

Suddenly, the captain of the guard burst in, breathless but elated.

“Your Majesty! The Marines are here! We’re saved!”

The king froze.

“You’re certain? You’re not joking?”

“It’s true, Your Majesty! They’re from G2 Headquarters! Right now they’re engaging the Mensa Pirates outside the walls!”

— — —

Outside the Castle

Tachibana Kyūjō stood calmly on the battlefield, his gaze locked on the two massive simian forms ahead.

Slowly, he exhaled—and drew the Thunder Dragon Blade, Rairyūken.

Among the crew of the Blue Dragon, no one but him could take these monsters one-on-one.

So he stepped forward himself.

His footwork slid soundlessly across the ground. In an instant, his form blurred—disappearing into a streak of motion faster than the eye could follow.

Two arcs of lightning flashed across the field.

No clang of steel.

No roar of beasts.

Just two cuts, too fast for sound to catch.

By the time Rairyūken returned to its sheath, Kyūjō was already speaking over his shoulder—

“Hina, the rest is yours.”

And then he was gone—vanishing as though he had never been there.

A heartbeat later, a heavy, echoing thud rolled across the field.

The gorilla and baboon fell in unison, their massive frames cleaved cleanly at the waist.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep