Sali looked across the gathered villagers and spoke with solemn resolve.
"If anyone comes asking about Ash, whether it's the Marines or the World Government, tell them you don't know him."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"Cut all ties?"
The village chief hesitated, his brows knitting together. "That would hurt him. That child…"
"Don't worry, Grandpa," Sali interrupted firmly. "Ash is smart. He understands what's best for everyone."
He continued without pause.
"He'll be setting sail soon, and Pini and Dicken will go with him. Ash already promised to find us an island where we won't have to pay tribute to the Celestial Dragons. After that…"
His voice trailed off, but the meaning was clear.
While Sali was laying down contingency plans in Diwen Village, alarms were screaming through Marine Base G-175 in the North Blue.
Ash stood in the center of the base entrance, surrounded by dozens of Marines with rifles leveled at him. His expression was one of pure irritation.
At his feet lay two unconscious Marines, eyes rolled back, massive bumps swelling on their foreheads.
The moment Ash had teleported to the base gate, he realized his mistake. He had forgotten to retrieve the explosive treasure chest Pini had stored in the tavern.
His plan had been simple. Retrieve the chest, explain everything, and leave.
Instead, the instant he appeared, a startled sentry shouted at the top of his lungs.
"That's him, the pirate from the Wolf-Guzzling Crew who stole the explosive chest!"
Ash's eye twitched.
He turned slowly toward the Marine pointing at him.
"Watch your mouth," Ash said coldly. "You Marines made a mistake. I never stole any explosive chest."
"And this Wolf-Guzzling nonsense," he continued, voice rising, "Lieutenant Commander Nanger, Chief Petty Officer Lai Si, and every Marine who visited Diwen Village three days ago knows I'm not a pirate."
He stepped forward.
"Yesterday, I delivered Kamberna's head for the bounty. You were on gate duty when I did it. You took the head with your own hands. And now you dare call me a pirate?"
Ash was confident he had explained himself clearly enough.
But he underestimated just how stubborn people in this world could be.
The Marine ignored him entirely, waved over another guard, and marched closer.
"You don't decide whether you're a pirate," the man sneered. "Maybe your crew turned on you and you tried to clean your name by turning in the head. Either way, you're coming with us."
He produced a pair of seastone cuffs.
That was the moment Ash snapped.
Still want to shackle me.
Still refusing to listen.
"Duang."
"Duang."
Two blunt strikes later, the situation spiraled into chaos.
"Hmph. Pirate thief, you're surrounded. Surrender now."
A Marine officer in a greatcoat strode out from the base interior. After receiving a brief report, he lifted his chin and barked orders.
From what Pini had said earlier, only two lieutenant colonels remained stationed at Base G-175. This man wore a commanding coat. He had to be the newly assigned commander.
Whatever his rank, his intelligence clearly lagged behind.
"Are you all deaf?" Ash snapped. "Can none of you understand human speech?"
His anger simmered dangerously.
He inhaled deeply, then spoke again, slower and clearer.
"I am not a pirate. If the News Coo photographed me lifting the chest, it also photographed the blond pirate who brought it."
"When you swept the battlefield, you would have found his corpse in the dockside tavern. The chest is in that tavern's storage room. I picked it up out of curiosity. No key. No profit. Only trouble."
"And for the last time," Ash growled, "I personally delivered Wolf-Guzzler Kamberna's head yesterday. I am not a thief, and I am not a pirate."
The newly appointed officer latched onto only one sentence.
"The chest is in a dockside tavern?"
He immediately dispatched several squads toward the pier district.
There were multiple taverns near the docks.
Before long, one squad returned carrying an iron chest.
"Lieutenant Colonel Siz, we recovered the explosive chest!"
Siz's face lit up with satisfaction. Recovering a lost treasure on his first day easily outweighed any pirate suppression record.
"Now that the chest is recovered," Ash said sharply, "withdraw my bounty."
Siz ignored him completely.
When Ash spoke again, Siz finally glanced at him, lips curling in disdain.
"True, without the key the chest is worthless," Siz said. "But who says you aren't a pirate?"
"Maybe you planned to repeat your old trick. I won't be fooled like Nanger was."
"Pirate or not, you will remain here until my investigation is complete. Surrender. Now."
Ash stared at him in disbelief, then jabbed a finger toward him.
"Are you sick in the head? Lieutenant Commander Nanger is dead, but Chief Petty Officer Lais is alive. Ask him. Ask anyone here who visited Diwen Village."
"You would shackle me without even asking?"
Siz's eyes hardened.
"Resisting arrest?"
His lips split into a cruel grin.
"Then we'll gun you down. You're just a pirate thief anyway."
At his command, Marines tightened the encirclement.
Some hesitated. Others obeyed.
Gunfire erupted.
Shots slammed into Ash's body and dissolved instantly into fire.
Not a single bullet touched his skin. Not a single thread of his clothes burned. The moment metal met his body, it was reduced to nothing by searing heat.
Silence followed.
A Marine officer pointed at him, hand shaking.
"Y you're a Devil Fruit user?"
Ash lowered his gaze to the spot where a bullet had struck, thoughtful.
"If I didn't have this power," he mused, "I'd already look like a sieve."
The Logia-like reaction had been automatic. He could have dodged. He simply hadn't expected them to fire.
A lifetime of kindness had dulled his instincts.
Then rage surged.
White steam drifted from his lips as he lifted his head.
His eyes locked onto Siz.
He had always known this world was rotten. He had said it the moment he arrived. That was why the kindness of Diwen Village felt so precious.
And yet even the so-called righteous Marines could be this vile.
Understanding struck him all at once.
G-175 was far from Marine Headquarters, and this was the third day since the incident. No Admiral could have arrived so quickly.
Only one explanation existed.
Emergency reassignment.
All for the explosive chest.
Or rather, the Devil Fruit inside.
It had been meant for the World Nobles. For the Celestial Dragons.
Pleasing them mattered more than truth. More than lives.
Ash smiled, eyes burning.
"So this is how it works," he said softly. "Might makes right."
"You reminded me in the most disgusting way possible."
He clenched his hand.
Siz screamed as flames engulfed him, burning with terrifying precision.
"A small gift in return."
Ash stomped lightly.
A ring of fire expanded outward, igniting every rifle aimed at him. The weapons disintegrated instantly, along with the arms holding them.
Screams filled the air.
Ash stopped himself.
Killing them all would be easy.
But it would doom Diwen Village.
He vanished in a flash of fire.
"First and last warning," his voice echoed. "Point a weapon at me again, and be prepared to gamble your life."
The Marines stood frozen.
Two lieutenant colonels dead in three days.
"Gather Lieutenant Colonel Siz's remains," a senior Marine ordered. "Help the wounded."
"Yes, Ensign Daen!"
As ashes were collected, Ensign Daen frowned grimly.
"Report everything to Headquarters," he said. "Word for word."