"Haah…"
Seeing Merry break down like that, Jin sighed.
He had expected this.
After everything that happened at Sabaody, the little girl had clearly become deeply afraid of being separated from them.
But considering how dangerous Impel Down and Marine Headquarters were, Jin also knew they couldn't bring her along.
So this time…
They had to be firm.
At that moment, Luffy walked over, crouched down, and gently rubbed Merry's little head.
"Luffy…?"
Looking at Luffy in front of her, Merry's crying gradually softened, though she still sniffled from time to time.
"Merry, Jin is right," Luffy said seriously. "This time is really dangerous. I can't bring you with me."
"How can you say that? I…"
"Merry!"
Luffy looked straight at her.
"The two of us will definitely come back alive to pick you up!"
"That's our promise to you!"
"A promise…?"
"Like Brook and Laboon…?"
As if remembering something, Merry's eyes grew blurry again.
"Merry," Jin said gently, "we're different from Brook and Laboon."
"Don't forget the special connection between us."
As he spoke, Jin made the hand sign for the Summoning Technique and smiled.
"You haven't forgotten this, right?"
Merry fell silent.
That was right.
There was a summoning contract between her and Jin.
As long as he was alive, they would definitely meet again one day.
Thinking carefully, Merry also understood something.
Her strength was still too weak.
If she followed them, she would only become a burden.
They might even be placed in danger while trying to protect her.
After realizing that, Merry finally accepted it.
"I can stay here…"
She raised her tear-filled eyes.
"But… but you both have to promise me!"
"You must come back alive!"
Seeing Merry's watery eyes, Jin and Luffy exchanged a glance.
Then both of them laughed.
"Of course!"
"We'll definitely come back alive!"
They still had their promise to reunite with their crew at Sabaody.
How could they die in Impel Down?
So…
They would definitely return alive.
"Then pinky promise!" Merry said, stretching out her tiny hand.
"Alright. Pinky promise!"
Luffy and Jin smiled and extended their fingers.
Together, they made a promise with Merry.
A promise that they would return alive.
And this…
Was their vow to her.
Once Merry's emotions finally calmed down, Luffy turned toward Granny Nyon.
"Granny Nyon, I'll leave Merry to you."
"Don't worry," Granny Nyon nodded. "I'll take care of this little girl."
Come to think of it, this girl wanted one of Amazon Lily's special snakes.
Tomorrow, she could get her a snake egg.
That way, Merry would have something to do and could distract herself for a while.
Luffy nodded, then turned to Jin.
"Jin, let's go."
Merry had been settled.
Now the two of them had no more worries.
"Not yet," Jin shook his head. "I need to get a Sea King first."
Without that method of transportation, they wouldn't be able to follow the Marine warship.
"A Sea King?"
Luffy blinked.
What did that mean?
Why did they need a Sea King?
"We're using a Sea King as transportation," Jin explained. "Otherwise, how are we supposed to get to Impel Down?"
"Oh, so that's it."
Although Luffy didn't really understand why their transportation had suddenly become a Sea King, he didn't care much.
As long as they could reach Impel Down and save Ace, that was enough.
After thinking for a moment, Luffy asked, "Do you need help?"
"No," Jin shook his head. "I can handle it myself."
"Alright. I got it."
Margaret, meanwhile, stared at the two of them in disbelief.
They were deciding something this terrifying so calmly?
"Wait. Hold on," Margaret said. "Jin, are you saying you're going to capture a Sea King?"
"Yeah."
"Hiss…"
After receiving confirmation, Margaret sucked in a cold breath.
She hadn't misheard.
He really intended to use a Sea King like a ship.
No, what kind of logic was that?
Forget whether that thing could even be used for travel.
How was he so confident he could tame a Sea King?
"Jin," Margaret said carefully, "Sea Kings are extremely dangerous. Are you sure about this?"
"To you, Sea Kings are dangerous," Jin replied calmly. "But not to me."
Margaret: "…"
Was he really that confident?
"Don't worry!" Luffy grinned. "If Jin says he can do it, then he definitely can!"
He didn't know what method Jin would use to tame a Sea King.
But since Jin said it was possible, then it was possible.
"That's right, Sister Margaret!" Merry wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Jin isn't someone who brags. If he says he can do it, then he can."
"This… alright."
Since both of them said so, Margaret could only stop arguing.
Jin smiled faintly, then asked, "Where are the supplies we bought?"
Before leaving, he needed to seal all their supplies into a storage scroll.
"They're in Granny Nyon's backyard," Margaret said. "Follow me."
As she spoke, Margaret stood up from the sofa and headed toward the backyard.
After arriving, she pointed toward the supplies.
"They're all here."
"According to Luffy's request, most of them are meat."
"Oh? That's quite a lot."
Looking at the mountain of food, Jin showed a trace of surprise.
Luffy could definitely eat a lot, but…
Was there really a need to buy this much?
This would be enough for the entire Straw Hat crew to eat for half a month.
Merry, who had already calmed down, walked over and said, "Well, Luffy eats a lot."
"Did you pay for it?"
"Mhm. Don't worry, I paid."
Jin nodded, then took out a sealing scroll and walked toward the supplies.
Under everyone's gaze, the pile of goods gradually disappeared into the scroll.
Margaret was stunned speechless.
"They… they're gone?!"
She stared in disbelief.
"Did all of that really go into that scroll?"
So many goods had been stored inside one tiny scroll?
How did he do that?
Was Jin some kind of monster?
"So this is the method you mentioned," Granny Nyon said, also looking shocked. "It really can store that many supplies…"
That much food could feed an entire ship for a week.
And yet it had all vanished into one scroll.
Amazing.
"That's right. This is what I meant."
Jin put away the sealing scroll.
"Using sealing scrolls, you can store objects inside and save a huge amount of space."
"Sealing scrolls, huh…"
Granny Nyon nodded.
"That name really fits."
Sealing objects into a scroll.
Of course it would be called a sealing scroll.
"Hm?"
Seeing Jin begin looking around her storage shed, Granny Nyon asked, "What is it?"
"Granny Nyon, can I borrow this storage shed?" Jin grinned. "That way, the two of us will have somewhere to rest."
The moment he saw the small shed, an idea appeared in his mind.
He could put it inside the Sea King's mouth.
That way, not only would they avoid detection by the Marines, they could also rest safely inside.
As for oxygen…
They simply needed to have the Sea King open its mouth regularly to breathe.
The seawater problem could also be solved.
Every time the Sea King opened its mouth, Jin could use Water Release to protect the shed and prevent it from being flooded.
"This…"
Seeing Granny Nyon frown, Jin added, "Or I can buy it."
"Brat, do I look that stingy to you?" Granny Nyon snapped. "I was just wondering how you planned to use it."
Jin immediately looked a little embarrassed.
So he had misunderstood.
"Sorry…"
"Enough. Take it," Granny Nyon said. "But can you really store this thing in that scroll?"
"This is an entire shed."
Although the storage shed was only around twenty square meters, it was different from the food.
It was one complete structure.
"Of course," Jin said. "I can even store a pirate ship. This is nothing."
As he spoke, Jin took out another new sealing scroll and clapped his hands.
Poof!
White smoke drifted out, and the scroll quickly expanded into a much larger one.
"Granny Nyon, is there anything inside that you need to move out first?" Jin asked.
Granny Nyon, who had been curiously examining the scroll, shook her head.
"Nothing valuable. Just take it all. Maybe something inside will be useful."
"Alright."
Jin nodded, then placed both hands on the ground and activated a jutsu.
"Earth Release: Rising Platform Technique!"
Rumble!
As his voice fell, the ground suddenly began trembling as if an earthquake had struck.
Then the earth beneath the storage shed slowly rose upward, lifting the entire structure from below.
"It's… it's rising?!"
Margaret stared at the scene in shock, her eyes bulging and her nose running uncontrollably.
Clearly, this was even more shocking to her than the sealing scroll.
"Another Earth Release technique…"
Granny Nyon stared at the rising ground and sighed.
"What an impressive brat."
But when she saw what Jin did next, she immediately fell silent.
Because Jin didn't just store the shed.
He also stored the foundation beneath it.
Granny Nyon: "…"
Looking at the empty spot where the shed used to be, her mouth twitched.
"No wonder you lifted the ground first. You weren't even planning to leave the floor behind."
Jin scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take the shed away intact."
If it got damaged while being dismantled, that would be troublesome.
He didn't have time to repair it right now.
"Fine, fine." Granny Nyon waved her hand. "You already took it. Just keep it."
After a pause, she continued:
"But you don't have to bring it back deliberately. If the situation doesn't allow it, just abandon the shed."
"Alright. I understand."
Jin nodded.
Under normal circumstances, though, he should be able to recover it properly.
"Alright. I'm going to catch a Sea King now," Jin said. "Luffy, wait here."
Perhaps worried that Luffy might get impatient, he added:
"Don't worry. This won't take long."
As long as he found a Sea King, he could subdue it.
"Got it," Luffy said.
This time, Luffy didn't shout about going with him.
He knew this wasn't the time to mess around.
The sooner Jin captured a Sea King, the sooner they could depart for Impel Down.
Jin nodded, then leapt over the wall and disappeared at high speed.
"The back mountain should work."
That way, even if he caused a major disturbance, it would avoid the Marines stationed near the front of Amazon Lily.
With that thought, Jin increased his speed.
Soon, he rushed out of the village and arrived near the sea behind the mountain.
Looking at the dark water surging below, Jin narrowed his eyes.
"I wonder if Sea Kings sleep at night…"
While thinking that, he stepped onto the surface of the sea and activated a jutsu.
Water Release: Dance of the Swimming Fish.
Sizzle…
As the jutsu activated, a thin membrane appeared once again over Jin's body, allowing him to move underwater for long periods.
With a faint smile, Jin sank swiftly and rushed into the depths.
No large Sea Kings nearby…
After scanning the waters around Amazon Lily, Jin didn't find any large Sea Kings.
That made him a little curious.
Is it because of Amazon Lily?
That didn't seem right either.
People in the market sold Sea King meat, which meant Sea Kings did appear near the island.
But now, there were none.
Had they all gone deeper to sleep?
Thinking this, Jin turned his gaze toward the deeper waters and vanished from where he stood.
Soon, several nautical miles away from Amazon Lily, Jin found a suitable target.
This is… a husky?
Looking at the gigantic Sea King with the head of a husky, Jin's eyelid twitched.
In front of him, the several-hundred-meter-long husky-type Sea King was lying in the water with its eyes half-closed, snoring quietly.
It really looked like it was asleep.
You'll do.
Jin grinned.
After finding such a familiar-looking creature, it would feel wrong not to take it.
But before Jin could make a move, the Sea King suddenly twitched, as if startled by something.
Seeing that, Jin immediately prepared to act.
To his surprise, however, the Sea King didn't wake up.
It merely shuddered once, then became quiet again.
Jin: "…"
What was that?
Was its brain unsure whether the body was dead or alive, so it sent out a vibration signal to check?
He had only read about that kind of thing when he was still in school.
Shaking his head, Jin arrived above the husky's head and activated Susanoo.
Whoosh…
A pale golden skeletal frame appeared around Jin, firmly protecting him inside.
Then the skeletal arm rose and slammed down toward the husky's head.
BANG!
"Woof!"
Feeling the pain, the husky Sea King instantly opened its eyes.
Then it noticed the strange creature standing on top of its head.
"WOOF!"
The husky glared furiously at Jin.
Its expression seemed to say:
Bastard! Were you the one disturbing my sleep?!
Looking at its angry face, Jin smiled.
If this were any other time, he might actually have played with this creature for a bit.
But now…
He didn't have that luxury.
Thinking that, Jin looked directly into the Sea King's eyes and unleashed a Mangekyo Sharingan-level genjutsu.
The next instant—
The husky Sea King's vision changed.
A pair of special blood-red eyes appeared before it.
They grew larger.
And larger.
Until finally, the rotating Mangekyo Sharingan hung high in its world like a pair of crimson moons.
Clang!
The several-hundred-meter-long Sea King was completely controlled.
The visual power of the Mangekyo Sharingan was far beyond anything it could resist.
Looking at the pattern reflected in the Sea King's eyes, Jin thought quietly:
So this is what my Mangekyo Sharingan looks like.
The pattern resembled a three-leaf clover.
But above the clover-like design, there was also something similar to an hourglass.
Heh. Interesting.
…
Meanwhile—
"I never thought the curse on the backs of the three sisters would truly be healed…"
Calamis spoke in disbelief.
"Just who exactly is that man named Jin?"
Thinking back to what Lady Snake Princess had just said, Calamis still felt deeply shocked.
A doctor from outside the island had actually cured the curse on the backs of the three rulers.
That was unbelievable.
What kind of person was he?
"I don't know," Ran said, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. "But at least it's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Now the three sisters no longer have to suffer from that curse."
"That's true."
That hateful curse had finally disappeared.
"Thank you, Lord Jin!"
"That's right! Thank you, Lord Jin!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Hancock's face slowly revealed a smile.
Looks like it's just as I expected…
Then she looked toward her two younger sisters.
"Speaking of which…"
"How long has it been since the three of us bathed together?"
Sandersonia and Marigold exchanged a glance.
"More than ten years, probably."
Ever since they returned to Amazon Lily, the three of them had never bathed together again.
After all…
Someone always had to stand guard outside.
They had to make sure nobody suddenly entered.
That was not only to protect themselves.
It was also to protect their people.
"More than ten years…"
Hancock sighed softly.
"That really is too long…"
In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed.
If not for Jin, she might never have had the chance to bathe together with her sisters again.
Thinking of that, Hancock silently thanked Jin once more in her heart.
"Yeah. Too long," Marigold said.
"But starting today, we no longer need to worry so much."
"That's right."
"All of this is thanks to Jin."
After exchanging a glance, the two sisters laughed together.
A smile also appeared on Hancock's face.
She picked up the water beside her and took a sip, her expression more relaxed than it had been in years.
But she also knew there wasn't much time to enjoy this peace.
She still had to go with Jin to Marine Headquarters.
Thinking of that, Hancock stood from the bath and glanced at her two sisters.
"Alright. It's time for me to leave."
"While I'm away, I'll leave Amazon Lily to you."
"Yes!"
"Leave it to us, Big Sister!"
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