Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
________________________________________
Chapter 39: What I Sought Was Right In Front of Me...
Afflicted by Magellan's poison, Luffy was currently undergoing treatment. In his place, I decided to take on the mission to rescue Ace.
The person who offered to help me with this task was a man named Mr. 2 Bon Clay... no, an okama.
"You're going to rescue Mugi-chan's big brother, right!? If so, then please, allow me to help you!!"
Bon Clay seemed completely pumped and fully resolved.
To be completely honest, facing Hannyabal, Sadie, the Jailer Beasts, Shiryu of the Rain, and over a thousand guards... taking on all of that military force entirely by myself to rescue Ace was a Lunatic-difficulty, utterly impossible game. Because of that, I was incredibly grateful for the help... but still...
Even with Bon Clay, there were only two of us.
Judging by my Observation Haki, Bon Clay's combat power was... not weak, but if you asked me whether he was overwhelmingly strong, I'd say not quite.
At this rate, the two of us are just going to die in vain together. What should I do? As I was racking my brain...
"Line-chan, are you perhaps thinking I'd just be dead weight~?"
"Eh? No, I wasn't thinking anything like—"
"Ngahahaha! You've gotta be joooooking!" Poof!
"——!!??"
In an instant, Bon Clay's appearance transformed into the Straw Hat Pirates' navigator, Nami.
Eh? No, huh? W-What does this mean!?
"Ngaaahahahaha! How DO you like it? Surprised?"
In the blink of an eye, the okama had transformed into a beautiful girl...
Without a second thought, I used my Tail Copter to buzz right up to Nami (Bon Clay) and squeezed the bouncy boobs jutting out right in front of me ♡.
Squeeze squeeze, squeeze squeeze...
Hm...! Th-This sensation... They're real boobs!
"...I've seen plenty of people get surprised by my ability before, but you're the first person who's ever just silently started groping my boobs, Line-chan."
"Ability? D-Don't tell me, Bon Clay! Your ability is..."
"That's right! My ability is the Clone-Clone—"
"You're a boob-creating Devil Fruit user!?"
"You've gotta be joooooking!!?"
I'm joking.
Listening to his explanation, it turned out Bon Clay had eaten the Clone-Clone Fruit, an ability that allowed him to flawlessly transform into anyone whose face he had touched.
I see. I honestly thought that was amazing. Because that means... he can grope any girl's boobs as much as he wants, right? No, not just boobs... he can look at all the 凹凹凹 he wants, and explore erogenous zones to his heart's content!
Plus... he could even transform into a tall, handsome guy.
I'm so jealous! The Clone-Clone Fruit! ...Well, my top choice is still the Huge Huge Fruit, so it doesn't really matter. Fuhehehe.
"Wait, this is no time to be thinking about that! Calm down, me!"
"What were you thinking about just now, Line-chan? You pervert~."
Anyway, save the fantasies for later! Right now, I need to figure out how to use Bon Clay's ability to save Ace... Let's focus on that.
—————
And so...
Operation: I'll Be the Decoy While You Sneak In and Save Ace! was put into motion.
The flow of the operation was as follows:
First, I would jump right into the middle of the enemies in an incredibly flashy manner, just like a Kamen Rider's entrance scene!
↓
I would take the brunt of their combined attacks, but by pushing my Observation Haki to the absolute limit, I would somehow buy time! I just had to focus entirely on surviving!
↓
While I had the enemies distracted, Bon Clay—transformed into an appearance specialized for covert operations... in other words, "my appearance"—would rescue Ace!
And that's it! That was the plan.
And that operation was a spectacular success.
"Ngaaahahahahaha!! We did it! Line-chan! Just like you planned, while you drew their attention! I succeeded! In freeing Mugi-chan's bro! And Jinbe too~!!"
"...Thanks, Line, was it... You really saved us."
"Wahahahaha! As expected of Line-san! The shining hope of our Fish-Man race! You truly live up to your title as the savior of Fish-Man Island!! Wahahahaha!"
...Somehow, he didn't just rescue Ace, but also a Warlord of the Sea named Jinbe...
Well, whatever. He didn't seem hostile. I'd heard a fair amount about Jinbe's character from Arlong. He shouldn't be a bad guy.
"The, th-th-the Invisible Phantom Thief is... two people!? Eeeeeh!?"
Seeing Bon Clay disguised as me, Hannyabal was in an absolute state of panic. Well, of course he'd be surprised if a 1-billion-Berry bounty head suddenly duplicated. For now, he was full of openings, so...
"Tontatta Combat: Tail Hammer!!"
"Buheeegh!?"
DOOOOOM! I swung my tail down directly onto his crown, knocking him out cold in a single strike. That takes care of the enemy commander.
"Alright! Let's press our advantage! Ace! And Jinbe! Sorry for the sudden request, but follow my lead! First, we take out Shiryu!"
"Got it!"
"Understood, Line-san!"
"Guh!? To think I'd fall... in a place like this...!!"
A coordinated attack from me (1-billion-Berry bounty), Ace (550-million-Berry bounty), and Jinbe (former 250-million-Berry bounty) was simply too much for even Shiryu to handle, and we successfully brought him down through sheer, overwhelming brute force.
"Guhaaah...!!" Thud.
"Vice Warden Hannyabal and Head Jailer Shiryu were defeated!?"
"T-This is bad! We're the only military force left!"
"If they break through here, Impel Down is finished! Defend this place with your lives!!"
"No, no, no! Without Warden Magellan, it's impossible!"
"What are we supposed to do all by ourselves!?"
The only enemies remaining were the thousand-man Bazooka Unit. Frankly speaking, they were small fry. Furthermore...
"Don't run away...!!" Vwooom!!!
" " " "——!!?" " " " Thud.
Shockingly, Ace unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. A special Haki said to be possessed by only one in several million people... which overpowers and knocks out opponents.
With that, "roughly 70%" of the Bazooka Unit instantly collapsed, unconscious.
So strong! Ace is so strong! He was already a monster for having the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit, but he has Conqueror's Haki too!? His specs are way too ridiculous! Why the heck is his bounty lower than mine!?
"Tontatta Combat!"
"Fire Fist!"
"Fish-Man Karate!"
"Okama Kenpo!"
After that, it was just a clean-up job. With this lineup, annihilating the remaining enemy forces of less than 300 took under a minute.
—————
"Alright, that takes care of that!"
For the time being, we gathered up the defeated guards and tossed them into the cages on Level 6. There were over a thousand of them, so I wondered if they'd all fit, but this was the world's greatest prison. There were plenty of cages, and with a little squeezing, they all fit perfectly.
"Well, for now... case closed, I guess. I'm just glad everything worked out."
Even so, that coordinated attack from Shiryu and Hannyabal genuinely gave me a scare. I somehow managed to avoid any fatal blows, but I got nicked and scratched all over, and it actually hurt quite a bit.
I plopped down on the floor and pulled a handkerchief out of my hat to wipe away the sweat and blood. Just as I was relaxing with a "Fuhe~"...
"...Line. Thank you for freeing us. Let me properly thank you."
"Line-san! I will never forget this debt for the rest of my life...! I am truly grateful! Truly grateful...!!"
Ace bowed deeply to me, and Jinbe... prostrated himself in a deep dogeza, his eyes literally sparkling. No, wait, a dogeza...? I never even intended to save you, Jinbe, so direct your thanks to Bon Clay.
Hearing that, Ace chuckled.
"Hahaha, my bad, Line. This guy really idolizes you."
"Huh? Idolizes? Me? A Warlord of the Sea? ...Why?"
"The Warlord title means nothing! When it comes to the Invisible Phantom Thief... there isn't a single person on Fish-Man Island who doesn't know your name! You're that famous! And now! Seeing you in person! I am completely certain! Line-san, you truly are the savior of the Fish-Man race! A man worthy of me laying down my life!"
"Hiiieeeh!?"
Teary-eyed and sparkling. ...I didn't really get it... but I definitely understood that Jinbe was harboring some intense adoration for me. I was pretty sure Arlong had told me a fair bit about Jinbe... Isn't he acting completely out of character right now? This guy. ...By the way, what's this about a savior?
Well, whatever. For now, as long as I get Ace and the others up to Level 5.5, where Luffy is, my mission will be accomplished.
And so, just as we were about to leave Level 6...
"Hey! Let us out too!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"It ain't fair to only let them out!!"
"Gehehe, if you let me outta here, I'll become your underling!"
"M-Me too! Me too! I'll be your underling, so let me out!"
"Oh! Then let me out too, nyaa."
"Toputoputopu... Then let me out too..."
"Kuhahahaha...!"
The Level 6 prisoners locked inside their cages suddenly started causing a massive racket. Hearing that, I...
"Yeah, no way in hell I'm letting you out."
Refused them normally.
The prisoners locked away in Level 6 were the absolute worst, maximum-atrocity criminals. I'd bet my life on it. If I let them out... they would definitely betray me. They definitely wouldn't listen. They would definitely cause problems. They were definitely bad news.
If letting these guys loose meant... that my precious people could potentially be harmed... the mere thought of it sent a shiver down my spine.
"Listen up! I only came all the way down here to save Ace! That's it! Jinbe gets a pass... but I have zero intention of letting any of you other criminals escape! Got it!?"
"Don't be like that, let me out~! I ate the Tire-Tire Fruit and became a Fatigue Human! I'm sure I can be of use to you!"
"Ah...! Then I ate the Gori-Gori Fruit and became a Gorilla Human! Leave the heavy lifting to me!"
"I am a Friction Human who ate the Friction-Friction Fruit...! I'll definitely be useful...! So let me out...!"
"I ate the Poop-Poop Fruit~! Look at this! Look at this ass!"
...Somehow it had turned into a Devil Fruit presentation... but no matter what you guys say, I am absolutely never letting you out of your cag—
"Ah, I ate... the Huge Huge Fruit... I'm a Colossal Human, see... haha..."
..............................Huh?
Eh? Did he just...
The giant man with a face like a chestnut, locked inside a giant-sized cage... eh?
"You... w-what did you... just say?"
"Eh? What? Are you gonna let me out?"
"Just answer the question!! What was the name of the Devil Fruit! You ate!?"
"Ah, the Devil Fruit I ate... is called the Huge Huge Fruit... see? My name is Sanjuan Wolf. Hey, are you gonna let me out? From the cage, I mean? Are you gonna let me out?"
"The, Huge Huge... Fruit?"
In that instant, I...
"————————~~~~~!!!! Gah."
Forgot how to breathe and collapsed heavily onto my knees. A chill violently tore down my spine. My head felt completely weightless.
No... no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!!
"Line-chan!?"
"Line!?"
"W-What is the matter!? Line-san! Are you alright!?"
Bon Clay, Ace, and Jinbe were calling out to me with worried voices, but my brain completely failed to process them. No, it couldn't process them.
My brain, my heart... everything was trying to reject the current reality...
"Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa...!!! Cough! Gah... aga...!? Geho, gaho!Grrrrrrrrnd...!!!"
I frantically clawed at my head, scratch, scratch, scratch. I slammed my tail against the floor, BAM, BAM, BAM.
"Line-chan! What's wrong with you!? Here, calm down! Hee-hee-hoo, hee-hee-hoo!"
"Fu... he...! Hi... ah? AAAAAAAAHHHH!! AAAAAHHH!!?"
"What in the world is wrong!? Line-san!! Take a slow, deep breath!"
Devil Fruits... there can only be one of the same fruit existing in the world at any given time.
Which means... the fact that a Huge Huge Fruit user already exists in this world...
Means that the Huge Huge Fruit... no longer exists... anywhere in this world...
Which means... that for the rest of my life, I can never... become a Huge Huge Fruit user...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! I hate this!! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOOO!!!!"
I tried not to think about it. But it was a possibility that had always lingered in the back of my mind...
The possibility... that the Huge Huge Fruit might have already been eaten by someone else...
That possibility...
"UUUAAAAAAAHHHHH...!!!! If this is how it ends!! Then what did I even set out to sea forrrrr!!!?"
I left my homeland and spent 8 whole years chasing after the Huge Huge Fruit... and the punchline is... this?
You're lying, right? This can't be happening! This... isn't a happy ending.
"Haa, haa...! K-Kuh...!"
Clenching my fists tightly, I slowly looked up at the one named Sanjuan Wolf.
"Hm?"
Devil Fruits... there can only be one of the same fruit existing in the world at any given time...
Which means, if I kill this guy right here, right now...!!
"Haa, haa, haa, haa...!!"
If I kill this guy, the Huge Huge Fruit will respawn somewhere in the world... which means I'll have a chance again...!
"...M-My original... Tontatta Combat..."
If I kill him...
If... I... kill... him...!
I infused my tail with Armament Haki, and just as I was about to lunge at Sanjuan Wolf—
"Line..."
"...Guh!!"
—Just as I was about... to lunge... I slumped back down onto the floor.
The moment I thought about killing him, for some reason... the image of "Viola" with a sad expression flashed through my mind.
"..."
Murdering someone just to fulfill my own desires, and using the ability gained from it...
Could I really hold my head high and proudly declare that I had made my dream come true?
"...I can't... do it..."
If I did something like that, I would absolutely end up hating myself...
But at the same time, if you asked me if I liked who I was right now, the answer was obviously no... And if someone told me to just give up on my dream, there was no way I could just readily accept that... But I also couldn't commit murder for my own desires, but... honestly, I just hated all of this... Gah? Aaaaah? I don't know... my head is a complete mess...
Regardless, the truth is, exactly as I am right now, no one will ever look at me as a man... So...! So I...!
"Viola... Monet... Esuneeee... ugh, ugh... hic... I just don't know anymore..."
Ah, what am I supposed to do now...
_______________________________________
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations