At sunrise, the current rippled gently, with brilliant rays slipping between the cracks in the rocks like shards of a shattered sun sinking into the sea.
Jin wiped away Nami's tears, then hoisted her firm and round rear, carrying her in an upright embrace as he stepped onto the deck.
Suddenly, a thunderous voice roared in response:
"Of course it is!"
The sea boiled. Waves surged to the sky.
Tap, tap, tap...
Kaya came running up onto the deck. She froze for a second at the sight of Nami and Jin, then broke into a radiant smile.
Nami had accepted help. That was wonderful!
...
Clinging to Jin's neck, Nami sobbed softly, her tears soaking his shoulder.
She'd thought through everything last night. Aside from relying on Jin, she had no other way out.
The Navy had colluded with Arlong. Even if she managed to gather enough money, it would be meaningless.
Her only hope now lay in the man before her. Otherwise...
There would be no redemption in this life.
"Nami, trust me. I'll wash away all your suffering with the blood of fish-men."
Holding her close, Jin stared into the sea, murderous intent radiating from him.
"Jin..."
Nami covered her lips with trembling fingers, trying to hold back her tears.
Her body shook as she slid down from his arms, resting her forehead gently on his sturdy chest.
Just like Bell-mère had said—
She had found a man she could rely on.
"Jin-nii! There's a fleet up ahead attacking us!"
Kaya's anxious voice called out at that moment.
"Don't be scared. I'm here."
...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!
Without warning, dark cannonballs came blasting out from the sea fog.
They exploded into towering plumes of water just a few meters from the ship.
The Merry, a small-to-mid-sized vessel, shook violently amid the powerful waves.
"Tch... running into them head-on. What luck."
Jin frowned at first but then quickly relaxed, a smile creeping across his face.
"Is that... the Navy!?"
He reached into his bulging dimensional pocket and pulled out a monocular.
When she got a clear look at their attackers, Nami visibly trembled in fear.
She cried out in panic.
In the sea fog ahead, three to four small Navy battleships had lined up in formation.
They were stationed near the Conomi Islands, clearly guarding the perimeter.
Barely visible through the mist, some sailors were adjusting their cannons—those dense, dark muzzles were now aimed directly at the Merry.
They had obviously mistaken them for pirates.
"You're courting death!"
Watching the fleet slowly approach, Jin kept his calm smile as he turned to the anxious Nami beside him. "That rat-faced Captain Nezumi is there too. Let's get you some revenge first."
"Don't—don't joke around, Jin! That's the Navy!"
Nami panicked, looking pleadingly at Jin.
She hated Captain Nezumi with a passion, but the thought of being wanted by the Navy terrified her.
"So what if they're Navy? I kill Navy."
Jin's expression remained completely steady.
As the fleet continued firing, his tone turned cold. "Listen up, Nami. My goal is to topple the world. The Navy, as the government's hounds, are enemies we must face..."
"So killing them is my responsibility. And as someone by my side, you'll need to learn to view them as ants."
This world was already rotten to the core.
Jin had wanted to dismantle the government for a long time.
And today... was the beginning of that revolution!
"Nami, watch closely. What you think of as 'power'—to me, it's nothing but illusion!"
As his voice dropped, the sky above went dark in an instant.
Violet lightning. Raging flames. Towering floods.
Disasters blanketed the heavens—under their shadow, birds and beasts cried out in terror!
The sudden cataclysmic sight left both Kaya and Nami utterly frozen.
In the blink of an eye, Jin transformed into a massive divine beast—Yinglong—his body dozens of meters long, covered in gleaming scales and jagged spines.
He stood upon clouds of fire, surrounded by natural disasters.
Majestic. Overwhelming.
"ROAAAR!!"
In an instant, the air howled as if torn apart. The atmosphere twisted violently.
A fearsome beam of crimson-purple light, accompanied by thunder, shot forward like a lightning strike.
Its target: the Navy fleet!
BOOOOM!!!
Across the sea in the distance...
Nearly a hundred Navy soldiers stared, stunned, at the monstrous creature hovering above the tiny sailboat that had just intruded into their perimeter.
They had never seen anything like it.
The sheer pressure of the beast's power left them speechless.
Then—shock turned to horror. Their pupils shrank.
Without warning, the monster attacked!
Flames wrapped in lightning came crashing toward them.
"W-what is that thing...?"
"Flames and thunder!? What kind of nonsense is this!?"
"A monster! Where did this monster come from!?"
"Jump! Jump into the sea now—we're gonna die!!"
Faced with the incoming storm of thunder and fire, the Navy soldiers went pale, scrambling to flee in all directions.
"Damn it! Why is something like that in the East Blue!?"
The beady-eyed Captain Nezumi cursed bitterly, eyes full of terror.
He was just about to jump into the sea with his men.
He'd just finalized a deal with Arlong, who told him Nami would be returning soon. He'd been lying in wait, planning to grab her and steal the 100 million Berries.
But the moment he attacked her ship... this monster appeared out of nowhere.
Screw this. He was done.
BOOM!!!
The searing heat distorted the air. The exaggerated thunderfire engulfed the entire Navy fleet, burning it to ashes and sinking every ship.
Ssssss...
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
The sky and sea alike turned a blood-red hue under the blaze.
The horrific flames looked ready to consume everything. The agonized screams painted the scene like hell itself.
The Navy was reduced to cinders.
Even the raging sea was boiling.
Whole swaths of ocean evaporated into steam, merging with the sea fog and drifting outward.
Even those who had jumped into the water ahead of time stood no chance—this terrifying thunderfire had destroyed any hope of survival.
Just one attack.
A hundred Navy personnel—gone. Not a single survivor.
Gulp...
Far in the distance, watching it all unfold—
The visual impact was indescribable.
Nami stood frozen on the deck, her mouth gaping wide enough to fit an entire oversized ham.
Beside her, Kaya was just as shaken.
Even from so far away, they could feel the scalding heat washing over them.
She broke into a cold sweat and whispered in disbelief:
"Jin-nii…?"
[End of Chapter]