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"This is the place..."
Jin walked into the deep shadows, observing the layout of the room. Izaya and Maya followed him in.
They were shamanesses. They could pray to their "god" for power, to create a barrier to ward off the evil ki of the Seven Star Sword.
Especially Maya.
She was the most gifted shamaness the tribe had seen in its recorded history.
"Gods," "barriers"... it all sounded very mystical. But after seeing the powers of Imu and the Five Elders—and the eight-hundred-year-old robot that could use Conqueror's Haki.
Was it so unbelievable?
No. Not at all.
Jin saw that the sword was sealed by a triple-layered defense.
First, the outer barrier.
Second, a smaller magic circle within the room, with the three sacred jewels as its focal points.
And third, a sarcophagus made of Seastone.
Over the centuries, the markings on it had faded and become blurred.
Four years from now, Saga, while being pursued by pirates, would accidentally touch the sword with his blood, awakening the demon within and opening the sarcophagus. His Will would be consumed by the demon, and he would end up taking control of a Marine training base, nearly causing a catastrophe.
"You two should go outside," Jin said. "And stay back. I can handle this on my own."
He didn't want Izaya and Maya to be controlled by the sword if their wills weren't strong enough. That would just make things more complicated.
"Be careful," Maya said, worried.
"We will pray for you from outside," Izaya said. "If you are controlled by the sword..."
"I won't be," Jin said confidently. "Don't worry."
Even the early-story Zoro had been able to destroy the sword. And even with the power of friendship and all that other shonen nonsense, it still proved that the sword's power had waned significantly over the centuries.
After Izaya and Maya had left, Jin took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the heavy lid of the sarcophagus.
The first thing he saw was the jewel-encrusted pommel of the sword.
Then, the hilt, about a foot long, with a pattern like white snake scales.
An octagonal guard.
A double-edged, straight blade, a sharp point.
The spine of the blade was covered in intricate patterns, like a magic circle, or the strange, swirling patterns of a Devil Fruit.
This was a true "sword," not a single-edged "katana" like the ones Zoro and Mihawk used.
As a sliver of light fell upon it, the jewel in the pommel began to glow, and a faint green light emanated from the blade.
"Take it..."
A disembodied voice wormed its way into Jin's mind, trying to entice him, to make him pick up the sword.
"Idiot," Jin scoffed.
His mind was clear. His body and soul, having been infused with Spacetime energy during his journey to this world, had become exceptionally "pure."
This level of temptation was nothing.
He reached out and took the sword.
VMMMM...
A green, flame-like energy erupted from the sword, crawling up his hand, trying to invade his mind.
The "demon" Will within the sword, along with a flood of memories of resentment and pain, crashed against Jin's consciousness.
If he couldn't withstand it, if his consciousness "fainted," he would be controlled by the sword, a mere tool for its "resurrection."
Uta, under the control of the awakened "demon" of the Sing-Sing Fruit, had destroyed an entire country.
Flashes of slaughter, death, and destruction. Wails of agony, cries of pain, roars of rage.
These were the experiences of the Seven Star Sword, a reflection of the countless tragedies that had unfolded before it.
A tidal wave of negative emotions washed over him.
But...
Jin's body and mind were like a black hole, swallowing all the images, all the sounds, into the darkness.
"You want to control me?" he sneered. "You picked the wrong person."
A dark-red, flame-like energy swirled around him, the tell-tale sign of a Devil Fruit awakening.
The Paramecia Munch-Munch Fruit Awakening!
It could swallow anything.
From matter to emotions, to souls... it was a black hole that could contain all things.
After discovering his "bond" with the carrier, Jin had begun to train, to master the power of that bond and to develop the fruit's abilities.
This was his ace in the hole against the Seven Star Sword.
Awakening vs. Awakening.
The "demon" within the sword sensed the danger.
It began to tremble violently, trying to break free.
At the same time, green flames erupted from the hilt, radiating an intense heat.
"Too late," Jin said. His hand and arm turned black, coated in Armament Haki. He ignored the green flames and held fast to the hilt.
Suddenly, the blade began to stretch and twist within the green flames. In an instant, it had transformed into a giant red serpent.
It had a ferocious, crocodile-like head, with two sharp, scimitar-like white fangs. Its neck was like a cobra's hood. Its body was entirely red, covered in intricate patterns that gave off a sense of forbidden power. Its tail was like a rattlesnake's, emitting a mesmerizing ringing that could draw out and amplify one's hidden desires.
It was...
The serpent from the legends, the one that had tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
Mythical Zoan, Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Hell's Red Serpent.
The great serpent hissed.
It opened its massive jaws and lunged at Jin.
WHAM!
Jin threw a punch, his fist wrapped in Armament Haki, and slammed it into the serpent's head, knocking it sideways and sending it crashing through a wall.
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Outside, Izaya, Maya, and the other villagers saw the massive, house-sized serpent's head and were frozen in shock.
"A snake?! What's happening?!"
"What's going on?!"
They had no idea.
The giant serpent hissed, a ring of green flames swirling around it.
A dark, blood-red "Ki" began to spread out from its body.
It was entering its awakened state, becoming a being of flame and energy.
The green light spread, and when it touched one of the villagers, he shuddered, his eyes glowing red. He began to walk forward, as if in a trance.
"Kill him..." he muttered.
"Hey! Wake up!"
"Stop him!" Izaya shouted.
Jin appeared, knocking the entranced villagers unconscious with a single kick. "You need to get back, farther away! Don't come any closer!"
Faced with the ferocious serpent, Izaya and her people obediently retreated.
Jin leaped into the air and delivered a powerful upward kick. Only a strong attack, imbued with Armament Haki, could harm the "Demon."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ruins crumbled, trees splintered, and dust filled the air.
He was putting on a show, demonstrating the danger of the sword, the difficulty of subduing it.
Otherwise, someone might get the idea that the sword wasn't so dangerous after all, that Jin had gotten a great deal, and demand that he return it.
Generosity can breed resentment. Human nature was not to be tested.
The powerful aura, the violent force... everyone was in awe.
Watching the fierce battle, Maya clasped her hands to her chest and began to pray.
An invisible wave of spiritual energy spread out, "touching" the barrier, "touching" the sacred jewels within the room.
Her mind resonated with the barrier and the jewels, as if she had flipped a switch on some kind of container.
VMMMM!
A powerful "ki" erupted from the ground, forming a massive, bowl-shaped barrier that enveloped the giant serpent.
Then, the three sacred jewels floated out and shot toward the serpent.
"Stored Haki... from an ancient era?"
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