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Asuka Island.
"Granny Izaya, I have no desire to harm you, this lovely Miss Maya, or any of these villagers," Jin said calmly. "Just tell me where the Seven Star Sword is."
In the forest, near a collapsed ruin, a small, indigenous village was now surrounded by Jin and his men.
He wasn't a pirate. He wasn't going to sneak around and steal the sword. If he was going to take it, he was going to do it openly.
"The Seven Star Sword??" the old woman said, her voice a low growl. "What are you talking about? That's just a legend. Who would believe in a legend?"
Izaya was a stooped old woman. As a descendant of the ancient shamaness, she was held in high regard by her tribe.
Jin smiled. "Granny, I've come in good faith. And I've done my homework. You and Miss Maya here both have the blood of the shamaness flowing through your veins. These villagers are the descendants of the ancient guardians. Your people are bound by a sacred duty to protect the Seven Star Sword, but you are also trapped by it, forced to endure its curse. Every hundred years, when the sword awakens, someone has to die. And the hundred-year mark is fast approaching, isn't it? Who will it be this time? You?"
Jin's gaze was sharp as a knife, and he didn't blink. Izaya was forced to lower her eyes.
He then shifted his gaze to Maya, who was about thirteen or fourteen years old.
Beneath her sea-blue hair, her eyes held a mixture of fragility and strength. Her features were delicate, and she was already showing the promise of a great beauty.
"Or her?" Jin continued. "My guess is it's her. The 'God' probably prefers a young, vibrant vessel, don't you think? Do you want to watch her die, Granny?"
Izaya's heart sank. "How could an outsider like you know about these things? Who told you?" She looked at her people, suspecting a traitor in their midst.
"That doesn't matter—"
Jin said. "—I have a way to destroy the sword. I can help you break free from this heavy fate. From now on, you will no longer be tormented by the curse. You can live a free, happy, and carefree life. Or... do you want the tragedy to repeat itself every hundred years? Do you want your children and your children's children to suffer??"
Izaya and the other villagers were stunned. Many of them couldn't hide the hope that flickered in their eyes.
"Are you... are you telling the truth?"
"Hey! He's probably lying!"
"Who are you, anyway? How do you know so much about us?"
One of the villagers voiced the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Can you really do it?"
They had been bound by this "curse," living on this land for too long. It had been passed down from generation to generation.
Although each of them saw their duty as a sacred mission, who among them didn't feel a sense of resentment? Who was truly content to be chained?
Before, they had no choice.
But now, Jin had given them one.
"Since you've done your research," Izaya said, "you must know how terrible the Seven Star Sword is. What makes you think you can destroy it?"
"What makes me think so?" Jin raised a hand.
"Woooooooooom..."
A deep roar echoed from the distance, sending a visible shockwave through the air, whipping up a fierce wind.
Countless birds and beasts scattered in terror. An invisible pressure descended upon the island, filling everyone's hearts with a sense of dread.
"What was that?"
"It sounds... terrifying."
Izaya, Maya, and the other villagers were all trembling with fear.
Jin lowered his hand.
"I have a 'divine weapon' of my own," he said. "One similar to the Seven Star Sword. It can defeat it."
"A divine weapon?!" Izaya and the others were shocked.
"That's right," Jin nodded.
Devil Fruits were already mythical powers in their own right. And a Devil Fruit weapon... in a primitive, ancient tribe, something that supernatural would naturally be revered as a sacred weapon.
It was no surprise.
The so-called "Gods" were most likely just Devil Fruit users, deified because of their immense power.
Like Enel, the self-proclaimed "God" of Skypiea.
After Jin had demonstrated his "divine power," Izaya and her people had a long, heated discussion.
In the end, they agreed to let him try to destroy the sword.
On one hand, his power had them all terrified.
On the other, as Jin had said, the hundred-year mark was approaching. The disaster could strike at any moment.
It was as if they were all sitting on a powder keg. And suddenly, someone had come along and said he could extinguish the flame and destroy the keg.
Who wouldn't want to give it a try?
Izaya, Maya, and about twenty of the strongest warriors from the tribe led Jin through the ruins, deep into the island's interior.
The crew wouldn't be of any use against the sword, so Jin had come alone as a show of good faith.
"The climate and environment on Asuka Island are really something else," he said. "The outer areas are perfect for developing a tourist resort. As for the interior... it's a vast primeval forest. It would be a shame to destroy it."
"Granny Izaya," he continued, "I have a business proposal for you. I want to build a mushroom plantation. Would you and your people be interested?"
Izaya was surprised.
"A mushroom plantation?" Maya asked curiously.
"That's right..."
Jin said. "You must have noticed. Outsiders are starting to flock to this island. After the Seven Star Sword is dealt with, are you going to continue living like primitives? Contact with the outside world is inevitable. Asuka Island is a treasure your ancestors have given you. But can you really sustain your tribe's development by just fishing and hunting?"
"—From now on, you'll help me grow mushrooms. I'll provide the seeds and the technical support, and I'll handle the sales. You can use your own two hands to improve your lives and protect Asuka Island from the threat of pirates. Just think... you won't have to live in fear. You'll have houses, food in your larders, and your children will be able to go to school..."
Jin painted a beautiful picture of the future, and the eyes of the villagers began to shine with hope. Who wouldn't want a better life?
Izaya was also moved.
Her tribe was no longer the only inhabitant of Asuka Island. Outsiders had built a dock, a port town, a Marine training base...
Her people had come into contact with them and had begun to learn about and yearn for the outside world.
The older generation was still alive. The old customs and traditions were still in place.
But the future belonged to the young. They were changing. Could she stop them?
She was a wise old woman. But this was a momentous decision. She had to be cautious.
"You're not a pirate," she said. "Who are you, really?"
"I am the king of the Winter Blossom Kingdom!" Jin declared.
"EH?"
"A KING!!!"
Maya and the other villagers were stunned. They looked at Jin with a newfound sense of awe, their words and actions becoming more reserved.
Kings and nobles were born to be respected. This was a common value in the world of One Piece, and even more so for an indigenous tribe like theirs.
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As they spoke, they arrived at the ancient ruins where the Seven Star Sword was sealed. The moment he stepped inside, Jin's senses were filled with a strange "Ki."
A dark, oppressive atmosphere enveloped them, like stepping into a cemetery at midnight. The chill he felt went deeper than skin—it was something that reached into his very soul.
Having experienced the awakened Munch-Munch Fruit's domain before, Jin couldn't help but smile.
So it really is a Devil Fruit...
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