Several months had passed since we departed from Marineford. After spending the journey apprehending pirates and providing "stern guidance" to those we encountered, we finally arrived in the East Blue.
There were three main objectives for this trip:
Recover the Kachi Kachi no Mi (Hard-Hard Fruit): I had identified it in the Encyclopedia, and the shape matched my memory perfectly.
Recruit Gin and Pearl: The main issue was that I didn't remember their exact ages. I estimated they would be in their twenties at the start of the original story, meaning they were likely still in the single digits now.
Scout the original islands: I figured I could map out the locations while checking the current state of various kingdoms.
Since retrieving the Devil Fruit was expected to be a quick task, and finding Gin and Pearl might take some time, I decided to handle the search alongside my general geographical survey.
While we were stopped at a certain island for resupply, fate intervened. As I was patrolling the town with a few men, a small, young boy collided with one of my Marines and tumbled to the ground.
"Hey, kid! You alright?" the Sergeant who had been bumped asked. But the boy scrambled up and bolted without saying a word.
"Check your gear... is anything missing?" I asked, acting on a sudden intuition. The Sergeant looked startled, checked his belt, and his face paled.
"My apologies, sir! My tactical rod is gone!"
"I don't mind a stolen wallet, but I won't overlook a stolen weapon," I said. "Take a few men. Get it back and bring him here.
Judging by his clothes, he's a street child. We might as well give him a decent meal."
The public order on this island was abysmal, and I had seen several orphans wandering around. I assumed the boy was one of them. A short while later, the Marines returned, with the boy tucked under the Sergeant's arm.
"Sorry, sir... he was slippery. Took us a bit of time."
I gestured for the Sergeant to set him down. "Now then, kid. Where are your parents?"
"Don't have any," the boy spat. "What's it to you?"
He was definitely an orphan. But there was something familiar about him...
"Sergeant, throw him in the ship's bath, then bring him to the mess hall."
I cut the patrol short and headed back to the ship. A little while later, the boy appeared, looking much cleaner but still wearing a defiant scowl. I put a plate of food I'd ordered from the cook in front of him. He stared at it intensely but didn't touch it.
"What's wrong? Not hungry?"
"What's your angle? Why do this for a parentless brat like me? You gonna sell me to a slaver?"
"No angle. If anything, I'm just impressed by the guts it takes to pickpocket a Marine. Eat up before it gets cold. My cook worked hard on this; it's rude to let a hot meal go to waste."
He watched me warily for a few seconds before tentatively picking up a spoon. He took one bite of the seafood pilaf, his eyes went wide, and he began devouring the food like a starving animal.
"You can talk while you eat," I said quietly. "I was a street child once, too. Living day to day, just like you. Maybe I just see a bit of my old self in you."
By the time he finished, he had cleared the entire plate—and then some. I'd had the cook make extra, and I wondered where a body that small could possibly store all that food.
"...Thank you," the boy whispered. "I was probably gonna die in a gutter somewhere soon. Let me pay you back for this! I'll do chores, I'll be your shield, I'll do anything! Just let me stay on this ship!!"
He bowed his head deeply. Shield? Kid, we're not pirates.
I looked at him. He was young, but he clearly understood that this was his one chance to escape a life of misery. He was sharp for his age. The Sergeant said he was fast, too. This kid had potential.
"This is a Navy ship, and we are Marines. By asking to stay, are you saying you want to join the Navy?"
"No... If you tell me to join the Navy, I will. But I want to stay with you."
"Kid... what's your name?"
"Gin. I don't have a last name."
I found him! There was a chance it was just a kid with the same name, but the sense of déjà vu was too strong. It had to be him.
"Alright, Gin. If you want to board this ship, I'll let you. But you're not a guest. You're going to work."
"Yes, sir! Thank you!!"
The boy—now Gin—replied with a bright, energetic shout. You've still got sauce on your face, kid.
I introduced Gin to the rest of the crew. For the time being, I kept him as my personal attendant to teach him the rules and layout of the ship, alongside general education and basic chores.
A few weeks passed. Once Gin had finally gotten used to Sigma (whom he had been terrified of at first), we reached my target island—the densely forested rock where Vice Admiral Garp had dumped me years ago.
I ordered the crew to set up a base camp. I planned to stay for a few days to check Gin's physical capabilities and start his basic training.
In the original story, Gin was known as the "Man-Demon" (Kijin). He fought with tonfas tipped with iron balls, and his strikes were powerful enough to block Sanji's kicks and shatter Pearl's "impenetrable" armor.
He was fiercely loyal to Krieg, carrying out even the most cold-blooded orders without hesitation.
Yet, he was also a man of honor, nearly dying from poison gas because he couldn't bring himself to kill Sanji, who had saved him from starvation.
Of course, I didn't have poison gas, and I had no intention of being that kind of "Admiral."
"Alright, Gin. Come at me with everything you've got. Do you need a weapon?" I asked, standing bare-chested and unarmed.
"Give me those rods," Gin said, pointing. "Two of them, if I can."
I borrowed two tactical folding rods from nearby Marines and tossed them to him. These were standard issue for my unit—durable, portable bludgeons designed by the tech team.
Gin caught them, dropped into a low crouch, and closed the distance with surprising speed.
He was fast for his age, but...
"Your movements are too linear," I said, stepping half a pace to the side. He swung, but he hit nothing but air. It was expected; he had the speed of a thief, but no formal training.
Gin immediately retreated to create distance, then lunged again. Just as I reached out to grab him, he backed off half a step.
My hand swiped through empty air, and Gin used the opening to leap up, bringing both rods down in a synchronized strike.
"A feint? Not bad."
I caught the rods in one hand with a sharp clap and used my other hand to grab the scruff of his neck, dangled him in the air.
"...I give up."
"Your speed is excellent for your age. We'll focus on building your stamina and refining that quickness. I'll find you a weapon that suits you better."
I handed Gin over to the Sergeant for further drills and took Sigma to the other side of the island—the spot where I had made my camp years ago.
"Wow, it's a wreck," I muttered. The old shelter I'd built from shipwreck salvage had collapsed, likely due to a storm.
"Grrr," Sigma rumbled, lifting a massive piece of ship timber out of the way.
"Thanks, pal."
I stepped inside and went to the spot where I had buried the Devil Fruit.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
The interior had been ransacked. The ground where I'd buried the fruit had been dug up.
"Tch. I wasn't obsessed with it, but it's annoying to have it stolen," I grumbled. As I walked out of the ruined shack to head back to the ship, I spotted a figure in the distance.
It was a boy, likely even younger than Gin. He was dressed in nothing but a loincloth and carried a rabbit—presumably his dinner—slung over his shoulder with its legs tied. He looked at us and backed away in terror. When Sigma let out a low "Grrr," the boy panicked.
"Eek!! Danger! I'm in danger!!"
He slammed his forearms together. CLANG! CLANG! A sharp, metallic sound rang out—a sound no human body should make.
"DANGER!!!!"
The boy's body suddenly erupted in flames.
You're the one who ate the Kachi Kachi no Mi?! And that catchphrase... You're Pearl, aren't you?!
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