"So strong…" Jinbe muttered, staring at Shiro's unmoving frame. His admiration was genuine, but his fighting spirit hadn't dimmed.
Slamming his palms to the ground, Jinbe willed the seawater to rise. It surged into his hands, twisting into a writhing serpent of liquid power.
"Take this!"
The water serpent swelled to several meters long before crashing down toward Shiro like a wrestler hurling an opponent.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu: Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!" Arlong gasped from the sidelines, eyes wide.
Everyone knew seawater was the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users. Even the strongest ability-user could be reduced to a helpless puppet once engulfed.
But Shiro's expression never wavered. At the last instant, his eyes sharpened, and the Paw-Paw Fruit's power surged to life.
Ripples shimmered in the air. A three-meter radius around him warped, sealed as if enclosed in invisible glass. Jinbe's grip on the sea vanished; even the moisture in the air fell beyond his command.
"Now!"
Shiro launched forward, foot driving into the sand. His Armament-coated fist punched through the barrier—
—and buried itself in Jinbe's unguarded stomach.
"Ghuh!"
Jinbe's body folded, flung backward like a sack of sand. He carved an arc through the air before slamming into the beach, scattering sand in a violent spray.
"I yield…"
Coughing blood, Jinbe forced himself upright. His broad shoulders shook, fists trembling with frustration. Now he understood—between himself and the top tiers of the sea still yawned a chasm.
"You did well," Shiro said gently, offering a hand. His smile was warm as he pulled the fishman up.
"Jinbe, I recognize you."
At those words, the gloom lifted from Jinbe's face. Joy lit his expression, his broad features scrunching with unrestrained relief.
"Truly?!"
"Not so fast, Jinbe," Fisher Tiger's deep voice cut through. Authority weighed in his tone as he stepped from the crowd.
"Big brother Tiger?" Jinbe blinked in confusion.
Tiger's gaze dropped to the bruise spreading across Jinbe's belly. His voice rumbled with gravity.
"I taught you Fish-Man Karate. If you lost so easily, then the fault is mine. Today, I'll teach you its ultimate secret technique—Fish-Man Karate: Vagabond Drill."
Jinbe's jaw dropped, tail twitching uncontrollably.
"You mean it?! You'll really teach me?"
Tiger smiled, clapping his shoulder. Then he turned to Shiro with a nod of approval.
"I was waiting until your basics were complete. But clearly, the time has come."
Jinbe's excitement overflowed, spinning in place like a child.
"I've heard it said this technique can pierce a battleship's armor with a single blow!"
Shiro's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He remembered the pages of the "original story"—
In Wano, Jinbe had unleashed Vagabond Drill to shatter the defenses of the "Iron Balloon," Charlotte Linlin herself. The force of that strike had been enough to awe even emperors.
In the days that followed, Jinbe trained ceaselessly under Tiger's guidance. Sweat poured as he honed the art—compressing every ounce of strength into his bones, fusing it with mastery over water, then releasing it in a single, devastating impact. A blow to shatter whales, to tear open the seabed.
While Jinbe trained, Shiro wandered Fishman Island with Issho, dismantling slaver crews who dared sneak into its streets. Neptune himself, moved by their deeds, hosted feasts in Dragon Palace to honor them.
Half a month later, the training grounds shook with Jinbe's roar. His fist slammed forward, and a massive boulder by the shore split apart under his strike.
At last, he had mastered the Vagabond Drill.
That day, the second crewmember of the Virtue Pirates, Helmsman Jinbe, officially joined.
But their ship was still under construction, two months from completion. With time to spare, Shiro set sail with Jinbe and Issho for the Sabaody Archipelago.
The bustling grove of giant bubbles welcomed them with its strange beauty. People of every race mingled in its streets.
Shiro led the way with practiced ease, heading straight for a certain bar.
The "Rip-Off Bar."
He knew this place well. After the Roger Pirates disbanded, Silvers Rayleigh had taken to hiding here, living as a coating craftsman and passing the days with drink.
Pushing open the door, the chime of a bell rang.
There he was—Rayleigh, slouched on a stool, idly rolling a rum bottle between his fingers. Across from him sat none other than the famed "Most Beautiful Woman in the World"—Shakky.
Her chin rested on one hand as she listened, a smile touching her lips, the lines at her eyes carrying gentle warmth.
"Long time no see, Rayleigh-sensei! Shakky-san!" Shiro greeted cheerfully.
Both turned at his voice. The instant Rayleigh saw him, his weathered face broke into a smile, wrinkles unfolding with joy.
"Shiro! What brings you here?"
Sliding onto a stool, Shiro's tone brimmed with excitement.
"After saving Captain Roger from the Navy, he told me this:
'Don't stop sailing. Keep seeking comrades who can shake the seas. Because twenty-four years from now, we'll all need to stand together in the storm to come.'"
His words hung heavy with meaning.
Then Shiro snapped his fingers, the crisp sound cutting through the lazy jazz drifting in the background.
"Shakky, three glasses of your strongest rum—on ice. For me and my new crewmates."
Shakky arched a brow, lips quirking as she reached for the bottles.
"Well, well… Shiro's finally brought home a crew of his own."
Her eyes swept over Issho—calm and bowing with quiet dignity—and Jinbe, whose arms folded across his chest radiated an aura of unshakable strength.
T/N: If you would like to read up to 20 chapters ahead for all my works, check out my P@treon: patreon.com/GhidorahWriter
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