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Cipher Pol's infiltration.
Jin realized that the World Government—while appearing to be lenient—was secretly monitoring and controlling its member nations. He had to find a way to turn the tables on them.
Shuraiya, with no known living relatives and no deep ties to Jin, was the perfect candidate.
The festival ended, and a semblance of peace returned to Hannabal Island. The memory of a fish is only seven seconds long. A human's isn't much better. Life had to go on.
Wilson privately approached Jin and asked to be replaced as the head of the administration. He was a fighter, not a manager. The near-disaster of the assassination attempt was a result of his inexperience, and he was filled with self-reproach.
Jin refused.
For now, Hannabal Island didn't need a brilliant administrator, it needed a loyal leader. After the purge, Wilson's job would be much easier. And who else could he put in his place?
After reassuring Wilson, Jin summoned the former boss and put him in charge of Hannabal Island's black market, including intelligence gathering. It was what he had done under Gasparde, a return to his old profession.
The man was overcome with gratitude.
As for the blonde girlfriend he had "Gifted" to Jin, but Jin hadn't touched her. He had her assigned as the former boss's second-in-command. They had once been a couple, but now... they would undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on each other.
And his "brother" Hanafuda had come through. A single phone call, and one of his subordinates had delivered a Devil Fruit, along with 250 million Berries in cash.
Why the extra 50 million? Hanafuda's medical bills weren't free, were they? And he had received the best medicine.
Lying in his sickbed, watching his medical bill double every day, Hanafuda was learning a hard lesson about the cost of healthcare. His heart ached more than his body. He was going to have to sell a kidney.
So, the moment the ransom was paid, he didn't even stick around for the dinner Jin had invited him to. He and his ship were gone in the middle of the night. He was afraid that if he stayed, a single shrimp would cost him a million Berries.
A total rip-off.
"My brother Hanafuda—" Jin said, toying with the Devil Fruit in his hand, "—What a generous, magnanimous soul."
Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Model: Triceratops.
Not a bad trade.
Maybe Hanafuda, in his anger, would come back with more men and give him another chance to extort an Ancient Zoan.
With the affairs of Hannabal Island settled, Jin set sail for Drum Island.
Dalton called. A heavyweight was waiting for him.
The Tyrant. Bartholomew Kuma.
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"He's huge," Jin said, looking up at the massive, bear-like figure of Kuma.
He wore a thick cloak and a trapezoidal white hat with brown spots. And he had two bear ears, which added a touch of "cuteness" to his otherwise imposing frame.
Beneath a mop of black, curly hair, his face was stern and unsmiling. He wore rimless glasses. He had on a black jacket with a crosshair pattern on the front, and brown gloves on his hands.
Due to his ability, the palms of his hands had soft, paw-like pads.
He held a book with "Bible" written on the cover.
He wore white pants with brown spots and brown boots.
"You're the king of the Winter Blossom Kingdom?" a voice piped up from beside Kuma. It was a child in a hooded cloak, with a look that said, "don't mess with me."
"I am," Jin replied.
The child held up a newspaper and pointed to a corner. "This recruitment ad... it was you, right?"
Kuma had brought Bonney to Drum Island under the pretext of looking for a job, a place to settle down.
The doctors had told her that the Sapphire Scale disease was fatal by the age of ten. Bonney, in her innocence, had interpreted this to mean that her illness would be cured when she turned ten.
Kuma, not wanting her to live in fear of death, had gone along with the lie. And one lie had led to another.
Jin glanced at Kuma and nodded. "Yes. Are you here to apply for a job? What are your skills?"
"I am a pastor," Kuma finally spoke. "I can take away people's pain."
"A pastor? I see. I'll need to conduct a private assessment of your abilities."
This was exactly what Kuma had been hoping for. He had been wondering how he could get away from Bonney to explain his situation to the king.
"Alright..." Kuma said.
"Chopper!"
Chopper, who had been peeking at Kuma, his head half-hidden, jumped. He had never seen such a huge human before. He looked like the hiking bears on the island. He even suspected that, like him, this was a bear who had eaten a Devil Fruit.
Hearing Jin call his name, Chopper, who had thought he was well-hidden, spun around in a panic and tumbled out into the open.
He scrambled to his feet, scratching his head and laughing foolishly. "Eh? Hehe. Were you calling me? What is it?"
"A talking deer?" Bonney said, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Hey! I'm not a deer! I'm a reindeer! A reindeer!" Chopper instinctively retorted.
"A reindeer?!" Bonney's eyes lit up. "So fluffy! So cute!"
Chopper blushed and squirmed. "You bastard! Even if you call me cute, it won't make me happy!"
"I wonder what he tastes like," Bonney mused.
"Taste?!" Chopper yelped. "I'm not food! You can't eat me! Don't look at me like that!"
"Eh?" Bonney said, disappointed.
"What are you disappointed about?!"
Jin interrupted their bickering. "Chopper, take her out to play. I need to talk to him."
"Okay," Chopper said, eyeing Bonney warily. "Come with me. I'll take you to the snow park. We can go down the ice slide."
Bonney looked at Kuma. He nodded.
He had been on Drum Island for a few days now, and from his interactions with the townspeople, he'd learned that this king was different. Not a tyrant like the one in the Sorbet Kingdom. That's why he had been willing to wait.
Bonney, because of her illness, had often been ostracized. She was overjoyed to have found a fun, strange new friend, and she happily followed Chopper out.
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After they had left, Jin smiled.
"Alright. Bartholomew Kuma. A great pirate, wanted by the World Government. What is your real purpose in coming to my kingdom?"
Kuma's eyes glinted. He looked at Jin for a long moment, a mixture of surprise and resignation in his gaze.
"You know I'm wanted by the World Government," he said. "Aren't you afraid?"
"Why should I be?"
"I am the Tyrant—" Kuma said. "I started a one-man revolution. Any king who recognizes me would report me to the World Government."
"Heh," Jin laughed. "The news reports... are they really the truth? Are you the oppressor, or the oppressed? What is the truth? I've heard a little something about the incident in the Sorbet Kingdom. And I think... you were wrong. Your mistake wasn't in fighting back. It was in not fighting back hard enough. You should have just killed King Bekori."
Kill the king?
Kuma was stunned.
The thought had never even crossed his mind.
Even in his rage, when he had stormed the palace and faced the king, he had only driven him out. He hadn't killed him.
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