"Captain, I'll eat it!"
"Good. You're gonna like this one." I handed Benson the fruit. "Head a little farther from camp before you bite in. Zoans can trigger a full beast-out the first time."
"Big bro, you've gotta finish the whole thing for the power to take properly, okay?" Ellie reminded him, all serious.
(Yeah… this girl really does have a tiny, mischievous demon living in her heart.)
Benson tromped to the treeline, chomped it down in a few bites…and made the same face everyone makes—the "this tastes like death" face. Ellie nodded in perfect sibling sympathy.
The change hit fast. His body swelled, bones creaked, and in the next breath a towering longhorn rhino—well over ten meters tall—snorted steam at the sky.
"How's it feel? Can you control it?" I called.
"Captain—I think I can!"
"Try the hybrid. For Zoans, hybrid is king."
He shifted smoothly: a six-meter-tall rhino-man, dense muscle plated over with stony hide and those brutal sweeping horns.
"Nice. Get used to it first."
"Yes, Captain. I feel…strong. Really strong!"
"Remember—Fruit power is just a tool. Haki is what crushes everything. Don't slack on that."
"Understood!"
Lucky haul: an Ancient Zoan, one step shy of Mythical. Not bad for a stroll.
At dawn, my "favorite" chore: milking.
My niece wakes before sunrise, hungry every time, and if the bottle's late, she banshee-screams. Rouge pushes her into my arms the second the wail starts. Headache city.
"Ann, you'd better treat your uncle super nice when you grow up," I grumbled while filling bottles. "I literally raised you with my own two hands."
She answered with a giggle. …Couldn't even stay mad.
Once Ann was fed and happy, Ellie shuffled out, rubbing her eyes. "Karl-nii, I'm hungry too."
"Bread first. I'll cook later. Gotta finish feeding Ann."
"Oh. Okay…"
We rested two days on the island, then shoved off. Four days later, Tiger Roar Island finally came into view.
We nosed into the harbor. People tensed, weapons out.
"Who are you lot? We don't welcome strangers! Turn around!"
That voice—I knew it. Captain Dylan.
"Captain Dylan! Uncle Ed! It's me—Karl!"
"Karl? You're back? Did you find your sister?"
Rouge stepped forward. "Captain Dylan! Long time no see."
"Rouge? You've grown… Is that—your child?"
"Mhm. My daughter. Her name's Ann."
"Good, good. Go on—get home. Your parents have been worried sick—especially after Karl up and vanished too."
"We're going now!"
We hadn't even reached the house when my parents came running.
"Karl! You little brat!" Mom swatted tears away and scolded me all at once. "Grow up and you forget your mother? Do you have any idea how worried I've been—sneaking off like that! If something happened to you, what would I do?"
I hugged her hard. "I'm sorry, Mom. I really am. I left without asking. I'm sorry."
"But I found Sis. And… you're a grandma now."
Dad and Mom looked past me at the woman holding a baby and crying. Of course they knew.
"Dad, Mom… I'm home," Rouge whispered.
Dad's eyes went wet. "Home is home. …And this little one's my granddaughter?"
"Mm. Portgas D. Ann—she carries my name." Rouge passed Ann to Dad.
"Home is home," he repeated, cradling Ann like treasure.
"Mom… I'm sorry." Rouge hugged her, both of them crying and laughing in the same breath.
"Doesn't matter—so long as you're safe. We're finally all together again. Come on, let's go home."
That night we piled the table high. I dragged Darren over too; the old man had aged, more gray in his beard. It hit me harder than I expected.
"I heard the Pirate King was executed," Darren said between cups, "but left 'One Piece' behind. You're not tempted?"
"Uncle Darren, One Piece isn't that simple. And it's not just us against the world—we still don't have the base to stand against the World Government."
"Worse, the Navy's got ships that can cross the Calm Belt now. If they ever find Tiger Roar Island, they won't ignore us."
"Ships like the one you brought back?"
"Similar tech. Cost a fortune, needs piles of seastone. Only the WG can mass-produce them."
"Then we really are in danger," he muttered. "CP dogs aren't saints. I'll talk to the mayor tomorrow."
"I'll come too. Got something to pitch."
Next morning, we met the mayor, laid everything out. His face went tight.
"Mayor," I said, "Darren and I propose recruiting about a hundred strong teens into a town guard. Darren will take them into the forest for hard training."
"And I've got Rokushiki manuals," I added. "Even learning one or two forms jumps combat power fast."
"Whom to pick is your call," I finished.
"This is the best path we've got," he agreed. "I'll gather everyone now. Darren, with me."
No one here is a fool. Even if most have never left the island, the trade ships bring news and papers. People know the sea's changed.
"Karl-nii," a voice piped up behind me—Adrian. "Is the outside world really that amazing? I heard everything."
"It's amazing and deadly," I said. "Especially now. Pirates everywhere. One misstep and you die."
"I'm not afraid. If you sail again… will you take me? I want to see it."
"Didn't you plan to join Captain Dylan's fleet? He's been grooming you as successor."
Adrian hesitated. "I'll talk to him. I've realized I'm not cut out to bargain with merchants. He'll understand."
"Convince your grandpa first. If Grandpa and Captain Dylan both agree, I'll take you."
"I will! Thanks, Karl-nii!"
"Then train with the guard these next two years. I won't sail right away. I need to get stronger, too. There are monsters out there."
"Yes, Captain!" He bolted off to argue his case.
Dreaming kids everywhere. Then again, I'm only twenty. Still a kid myself.
Back home, Mom—now a doting grandma—couldn't stop cuddling Ann. Rouge's spirits had lifted a lot. Everything was trending right. Good.
"Benson. Ellie. With me."
"Coming!"
"Where to?" Ellie asked, eyes bright.
"You'll see."
We entered the forest.
"Woaah—these trees are huge! There must be rare herbs everywhere!"
"Captain," Benson said, practically vibrating, "I can feel tons of massive beasts."
"This is the Tiger Roar Forest. Lots of big predators. The old king was a huge dinosaur. Now… the king is me." (Kinda miss that dino. Wonder if his tail ever grew back.)
"Then why's it called 'Tiger Roar'?" Ellie asked.
"You'll know soon. See that peak? That's the Sacred Mountain. Every year, all the forest beasts go up to worship—even the dinosaur."
"That's so far! Climbing that will kill me…"
"Ellie, from today you train your body. Otherwise you don't sail with me. Your poisons are nasty, but plenty of people can drop you before you use them."
"...Fine. I'll train."
"Good. Starting tomorrow, both of you learn Rokushiki with me. It's brutal in close combat."
Two-plus hours later we reached the summit—delayed mostly by Ellie's snail pace.
"Woooah," she gasped. "That tiger statue is gigantic! No wonder it's called Tiger Roar Island!"
"Not a tiger," Benson corrected, dead serious.
"Right—not a tiger," I said, smiling. "It's Bi'an—an ancient divine beast."
"And the Devil Fruit I ate is the Cat-Cat Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Bi'an Model."
I stepped forward—and let the transformation roll through me. In a heartbeat, I was a twenty-meterBi'an, horns crowned in blazing cloud, eyes burning, an aura that made the mountain itself hold its breath.
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