"Big Brother Sali, what do we do now?"
As the Marines surged forward to clash head-on with the pirates, only Sali, seven young men from Diwen Village, and Ash were left behind.
"At least I am not in handcuffs this time," Ash muttered silently, his expression calm despite the chaos.
Pini, Youki, and the others all turned toward Sali, waiting for his decision.
Sali's expression was grim. "Did you not hear clearly? The pirates who slaughtered our village are working with them."
Pini's eyes burned with fury. Youki gripped his weapon tightly.
"Then what is there to discuss?" Pini shouted. "Let us go too, Big Brother Sali!"
Sali inhaled deeply, then spoke in a low, firm voice. "That is right. We came here to collect bounties. If the Marines are wiped out, we will not walk away clean."
He raised his voice.
"There is nothing more to say. Brothers, let us go together and wipe out these damned pirate scum."
With that, Sali and the others charged toward the battlefield, their resolve no weaker than the Marines'.
Ash watched them rush forward, then let out a quiet sigh.
Rather than joining the front lines, he smoothly moved away from the clash, carefully avoiding stray bullets and arrows.
Survival first.
Scanning the nearby intersections, Ash chose a random direction and moved quickly.
"If I can just find water, that will be enough," he thought. "I have not had a proper drink all day."
They said that when someone was unlucky, even drinking water could choke them.
Ash believed it.
He had barely escaped one battlefield when fate immediately tried to throw him into another.
As he left the main road, several groups of pirates emerged from the dock area, each pushing small, wheeled cannons. They moved in pairs or trios, clearly intending to flank the Marines and bombard them from behind.
They had been hiding near the docks all along, waiting for the fighting to begin.
One of those groups ran straight into Ash.
"Where did this kid come from?"
A pirate with rotting teeth and an afro stared at Ash in confusion.
Another pirate, wearing a headscarf and sporting mismatched eyes, narrowed his gaze.
"He looks clean. Soft skin too. Could he be a noble?"
Ash cursed inwardly.
Without hesitation, his body moved before his mind finished processing.
He turned and ran.
"Should we grab him and hand him to Captain Kamberna?" the afro pirate asked. "If he is really a noble, that is a lot of Berries."
"Forget it," the other pirate snapped. "If we chase him, we miss the ambush. The Captain will skin us alive."
"Then shoot him first."
Their careless conversation carried clearly through the air.
Ash's heart sank.
The battlefield was ahead, the cannon was behind him, and both sides of the street were lined with tightly sealed shops.
He would not make it to cover before the cannon fired.
Swish. Swish.
Two arrows screamed through the air, brushing past Ash's head with terrifying precision.
He turned just in time to see both pirates collapse, arrows embedded cleanly in their bodies. Neither even had time to scream.
"Hey, kid! Stop running around like a headless chicken!"
That irritating voice again.
Ash looked up and spotted Pini crouched on a nearby rooftop, bow still raised.
"Do not wander around," Pini shouted. "There are pirates blocking almost every intersection. Find a room and hide."
With that, Pini leapt across the rooftops, already hunting for the next target.
Ash exhaled slowly.
Saved again.
Despite the man's foul mouth, there was no denying it.
Ash glanced in the direction Pini disappeared, silently committing the favor to memory.
Not far past the pirate corpses, Ash spotted a tavern. Its doors were shut tight, with several wine barrels stacked outside.
"Well, at least fate has some manners," Ash muttered.
He knocked on the door out of habit.
"Anyone inside? If not, I am coming in."
There was no response.
After forcing the lock, Ash slipped inside.
The bar counter faced him, with rows of liquor bottles lining the shelves behind it.
The scent of alcohol filled the air.
"Later," Ash told himself firmly. "Survival first."
After searching, he finally found two large barrels of clean water beneath the counter.
He drank deeply, his parched throat finally relieved.
Only then did he take the time to examine the tavern.
His gaze stopped on a wooden door deeper inside.
What caught his attention was not the door, but the mirror hanging on it.
Earlier, both villagers and Marines had referred to him as a kid.
"A twenty-eight-year-old kid?" Ash scoffed quietly.
Curiosity won.
He stepped in front of the mirror.
The reflection stared back.
The face was undeniably his.
Still sharp. Still handsome.
But younger.
Much younger.
"This is interesting," Ash murmured. "Fourteen or fifteen at most."
He paused, then smiled.
"Actually, that is good news."
His height and build had not changed much, but in a world where humans could be several meters tall and giants towered over ships, his proportions made sense.
Youth meant time.
Time meant power.
Just as he accepted this reality, the tavern door creaked open.
Ash's scalp tightened instantly.
He turned, gripping the door handle behind him.
The battle outside was raging. Anyone entering now would not be a civilian.
A yellow-haired pirate stepped inside, slanted eyebrows, an earring dangling from his right ear, a curved saber at his waist.
In his hand was a familiar iron box.
The explosive treasure chest.
Ash's pupils contracted.
"How did it end up with him?"
The pirate's gaze swept the room before landing on Ash, his lips curling into a disgusting smile.
"So that is why those idiots died," the pirate chuckled. "I just wanted wine and to bring the Captain's treasure back. Instead, I found something better."
He stepped closer.
"Such a cute little brother. Wandering into a battlefield is dangerous, you know. Want big brother to protect you?"
Ash did not answer.
He turned and ran.
The door slammed open.
Backyard.
No exit.
"Dead end?" the pirate laughed, advancing slowly.
Ash's mind raced.
Weapon. Anything.
Swish.
An arrow pierced the pirate's chest.
Pfft.
The pirate stared down in disbelief, grabbing the shaft.
"This… how…"
He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
"Be careful, kid," Pini's voice called out. "I cannot save you every time."
Ash looked up and saw Pini already turning away.
"Thank you, Uncle Pini!" Ash called.
"What uncle?" Pini snapped. "I am only twenty, you brat!"
Ash laughed softly as the man disappeared.
Only then did he remember.
The treasure chest.
He rushed back inside.
There it was, sitting atop a barrel near the entrance.
Ash lifted it.
The moment his fingers touched the metal, a flood of voices exploded inside his mind.
[Devil Fruit detected]
[Devil Fruit energy absorbed]
[Devil Fruit Editor activated]
[Host Panel unlocked]
[Insufficient energy to access advanced functions]
[Within system rules, design and edit Devil Fruits freely]
Ash slowly narrowed his eyes.
A smile spread across his face.
"So this is it," he whispered.
"My cheat."
____
🌙 TO ALL OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS WISHING YOU ALL A WONDERFUL EID!
MAY ALLAH'S BLESSINGS BE WITH YOU TODAY, TOMORROW, AND EVERY DAY
MAY TODAY BRING LAUGHTER, DELICIOUS FOOD, AND JOY