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At the port.
Dalton was supervising the loading of a shipment of Ice Mushrooms.
In the distance, Biera and his men were training on the steam-powered warship.
The crew Jin had taken to G-3 had returned and were now dispersed across the three islands, training the new militia recruits.
Of course, Jin had made some changes to their training regimen, to better suit his own aesthetic.
Military improvement is not an overnight affair.
And even grunts have their uses.
The appearance of a massive Hiking Bear caused a brief panic, but Maya quickly intervened, telling the guards to lower their weapons.
She explained that this was an intelligent "Bear King," a new crew member, just like Chopper, who had joined at the king's request.
The king's orders?
Then there was no problem.
Inside the bear costume, Kuma could feel the trust the people had in their king from their words and their relaxed demeanor.
It really was a happy country.
And after hearing from Chopper about Drum Island's past, about how King Wapol had been just as absurd as King Bekori... and how the new king had descended from the sky, killed the old king, and established a new order...
Kuma now had a deeper understanding of the words Jin had spoken to him that day. He hadn't just been talking.
Jin had actually done it. He had killed a king. He had given the people a new life. He created wealth for the nation—and made their lives better.
In that moment, Kuma was filled with a profound sense of admiration.
He couldn't do it, but Jin had.
So that path... it was possible.
"He's a powerhouse, just like Dragon," Kuma thought as he boarded the demonic carrier.
The moment he stepped on board, he was enveloped by an invisible pressure.
The ship felt... alive. For a fleeting moment, Kuma thought he saw a massive, drooling mouth, ready to swallow him whole.
"Hm??" Kuma was startled.
"Easy now," Jin said, appearing at the rail and patting the ship's side, calming the demonic carrier.
Kuma's Devil Fruit was a powerful one. It was only natural that it would trigger a reaction from the other fruits.
"This ship..." Kuma said, confused. "Is it... alive?"
"Yes," Jin said with a smile. "It's special."
He waved a hand, and a massive door opened in the hull. He gestured for Kuma to go inside.
Though he felt a sense of unease, Kuma stepped through the doorway.
He found that the space inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside. Even for a man of his size, it didn't feel cramped.
"A Devil Fruit?" Kuma wondered.
Outside the door, Jin looked at Kuma. 'Should I do it now? Kill him and take his fruit?'
He sighed.
No. He wasn't that kind of person.
Besides, a good general is hard to find.
It was just a fruit. And if he gave the Paw-Paw Fruit to someone else, they wouldn't be as strong as Kuma.
The compatibility between a fruit and its user was a crucial factor.
"Master, you could try assigning one of the carrier's positions to him," Ai suddenly suggested.
"Hm?"
"There are three positions: Boatswain, Gunner, and Cook," Ai explained. "Once assigned, they will be bound to the carrier. It's possible his fruit will be integrated into the ship."
Jin's eyes lit up. "Let's try it."
He stepped through the doorway.
"A position?" Kuma asked.
"Yes."
Kuma hesitated. "Can I be the cook?"
As timid as ever.
Jin sighed. "Can you cook?"
"Yes—" Kuma replied. "—When I was a pastor in the Sorbet Kingdom, I often cooked for the elderly."
"Alright then. Cook it is. But... if something strange happens in a moment, don't resist. I need my ship to accept you."
Kuma was confused, but he nodded.
Jin immediately opened the ship's interface. In the "Cook" position, he entered the name "Bartholomew Kuma" and, at the same time, focused his will on him.
"Woooooooooom..."
The demonic carrier let out a long, low moan. The steel plates and pipes around them transformed into a writhing, organic wall, enveloping Kuma.
He instinctively raised his hands, tense, but Jin's warning echoed in his ears: "Don't resist."
Kuma relaxed and allowed himself to be swallowed.
Then, Kuma's information quickly appeared in the "Cook" section of the interface.
——————
[Position: Cook]
[Name: Bartholomew Kuma]
[Permission Level: 3]
[Height: 689cm]
[Ability: Paramecia Paw-Paw Fruit]
[Lineage: Buccaneer]
[Haki: Armament, Observation]
[Composite Doriki: 24,000-58,000]
[Evaluation: Buccaneer lineage, exceptionally powerful physique. Fruit mastery at its peak, one step away from Awakening. A top-tier combatant. Pacifistic and submissive nature makes him susceptible to manipulation and prone to trouble.]
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"He's strong," Jin marveled at Kuma's stats.
He was at a minimum, on par with a Yonko commander, with the potential to reach the level of a Yonko.
If only he wasn't so timid...
"Assigning a position—is that all?"
Jin glanced at the Biological Matter requirement. It was still "1/10." Kuma was bound to the carrier, but his fruit had not been integrated.
The writhing cabin returned to normal.
Kuma opened his eyes.
It had been a strange experience.
"How do you feel?" Jin asked.
"I feel... comfortable," Kuma said. "At ease. The sense of unease I felt when I first came on board is gone. And... something has entered my body."
Kuma pulled open his bear costume and the clothes underneath, revealing his chest. A crest had been branded onto his skin.
It was a circular crest, with the stylized character for "King"—and a strange "Dragon" in the center.
When the crest appeared, Jin's eyes flashed.
He could now sense Kuma's thoughts, his emotions, his location... He could even speak to him through the crest.
'What the—??' Jin was stunned.
Isn't this Imu's ability? The relationship between Imu and the God's Knights... it must be something like this.
"And—" Kuma said, placing a hand on the cabin wall, "I feel a connection with this ship."
Jin immediately sensed a wave of Armament Haki flowing from Kuma's body and into the ship's hull.
Then, Observation Haki.
Both were now coiling around the ship, tempering it.
And his Devil Fruit ability.
It could now be channeled and released through the ship's hull.
But... it wasn't a complete fusion. The carrier could use it, but Jin couldn't.
Even so, it was a significant power-up.
"Excellent!" Jin laughed.
Since Kuma was a self-proclaimed pacifist, he would have him spend his days tempering the carrier with his Haki.
Black Blades?
He was going to forge a Black Ship!
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With the supplies loaded, the demonic carrier set sail, still disguised as an ordinary sloop.
Although its hull was large, it was surprisingly light. The Devil Fruit had turned its interior into a sub-space.
In essence, the hull was just a thin shell.
"The next upgrade requires 2,000 tons of refined steel," Jin mused. "It seems there will be some changes."
He couldn't help but look forward to the day when the demonic carrier would evolve into a ten-thousand-ton warship, a hundred-thousand-ton behemoth.
"But, so many materials... a small island won't be able to provide them."
Jin picked up a Log Pose.
"Alabasta."
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