Chapter 12 — A New Navy Supernova
"You win," Yan Feng said weakly. "Whether it's ruthlessness, strategy, or strength… you surpassed me in all of them."
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He coughed violently, blood staining his lips.
"Considering your age… your future is limitless."
"Sooner or later, you'll become a true supernova of the Navy."
"Hahaha… cough…"
The pirate captain laughed desperately until his strength finally gave out. His body collapsed toward the burning ground.
"Tempest Kick!"
Whoosh!
Shinji Ikari moved instantly.
A sharp slash of air cut through the flames.
Yan Feng's head separated from his body.
Shinji didn't hesitate.
Even if an enemy was already dying, it was always safer to finish the job.
Blood sprayed out—
But before it could spread, the flames burned it away.
Shinji suddenly felt the air tighten around him.
The heat was overwhelming.
The inferno was swallowing everything.
Can I survive this?
Can my Devil Fruit really adapt to such heat?
The temperature kept rising.
Breathing became harder and harder.
Shinji slowly walked to the edge of the cliff.
Without thinking much further, he sat down on the rock.
Cross-legged.
Powerless.
Flames licked at his back again and again.
Each burn damaged his skin—
And each time, the Devil Fruit's vitality repaired it.
It was the only thing keeping him alive.
Even so—
It was agony.
"It hurts…" Shinji muttered weakly.
On his wrist, the Den Den Mushi was almost melting from the heat.
"Oh right… almost forgot about you."
Shinji chuckled faintly.
Ironically, the little creature seemed tougher than he was.
Using the last of his strength, Shinji activated the Den Den Mushi.
"Hey… old man."
"I'm probably going to die."
"YOU BRAT!"
Whoosh!
Just as Shinji's consciousness began fading—
A figure suddenly stepped out of the sea of flames behind him.
The old man ignored the blazing fire completely.
He grabbed the barely conscious boy.
Then leapt toward the sparkling ocean below.
"Trying to die already?" Vice Admiral Garp shouted angrily.
"In this sea, strong people are everywhere!"
"If a little fire can defeat you, then you're no better than that garbage pirate you just killed!"
He continued scolding as he jumped through the air.
"There are people who can freeze entire oceans with ice!"
"There are others whose lava burns hotter than volcanoes!"
"Some can walk through the sky itself and ignore the sea below!"
"Of course, those are just brats compared to this old man."
"And you?"
Garp glanced down at the boy in his hand.
Meanwhile, Shinji's body slowly began recovering.
His Devil Fruit had already adapted to the extreme heat.
Fresh vitality flowed through his body again.
Shinji swallowed dryly.
"Old man… you must've defeated a lot of monsters to become this strong."
"Of course!" Garp snorted.
He walked across the air and glanced at the round moon above the sea.
"Kid… your road is still very long."
"How far you'll go depends on how long your fists can keep fighting."
"Mmm…"
Shinji nodded weakly.
Then he lost consciousness.
BOOM!
Garp landed on the deck of the battleship.
He casually tossed Shinji onto the floor.
The boy rolled several times before stopping.
"Koby!" Helmeppo shouted in panic.
Both of them rushed forward immediately.
"Don't worry about him," Garp said casually.
"That brat's Devil Fruit is special."
"The more he recovers, the stronger he'll become."
Koby carefully carried Shinji back to his cabin.
Meanwhile, the adjutant approached Garp.
"Vice Admiral Garp… did Yan Feng escape?"
His Observation Haki had detected no trace of the pirate captain.
Had he gotten away?
After all, it had taken some time for the warship to sail around to the other side of the island.
"Defeated," Garp replied simply.
Then he walked straight into the lounge.
The adjutant froze.
Defeated?
A pirate with a bounty of 50 million Berries—
Defeated by Shinji alone?
Earlier, Koby and Helmeppo had already confirmed that Shinji killed Jero, the vice-captain with a bounty of 5 million Berries.
Even though Jero had been drunk and caught off guard, defeating him still required overwhelming strength.
And now—
Shinji had also beaten Yan Feng?
The pressure of that realization was immense.
Had that boy grown stronger so quickly without anyone noticing?
In the hallway outside the cabins, Koby stopped in shock.
Helmeppo stared at him in disbelief.
"Shinji… defeated Yan Feng?"
"He's become that strong?"
They were both stunned.
It was monstrous.
Yes, Shinji had joined the Marines earlier than they had.
But they trained together every day.
How could the gap become so huge?
"Maybe it's just because of his Devil Fruit," Helmeppo muttered uncertainly.
"Idiot!"
Koby grabbed his shoulders angrily.
"You really think that's the only reason?"
"From the very beginning he fought without running away!"
"When a powerful enemy appeared, he stood in front of us!"
"He studies harder than anyone!"
"He trains harder than anyone!"
"And Vice Admiral Garp is no ordinary teacher either!"
"If we keep making excuses, we'll never get stronger!"
Tears welled up in Koby's eyes.
That night had changed him.
He had seen Shinji's calm strategy during the mission.
His ruthless precision in battle.
His courage in facing enemies stronger than himself.
And finally—
His determination to keep fighting even inside a sea of fire.
The techniques Shinji used—Shave, Iron Body, and Tempest Kick—showed what was possible when someone pushed their body beyond human limits.
"I'm going to train!" Koby shouted.
Helmeppo clenched his fists.
"…Me too."
That night, the two boys stood on the deck of the battleship.
Punch after punch.
Training without rest.
Farther out at sea, another ship followed behind the Marine fleet.
It was the captured pirate vessel.
Inside were the rescued hostages.
They had already heard rumors about the battle.
About a Marine named Shinji Ikari.
A young man who defeated the pirate captain Yan Feng alone.
Inside the battleship's lounge—
Garp lay in his recliner, unusually awake.
The adjutant stood nearby, reporting the battle to Marine Headquarters through a Den Den Mushi.
"Yes," the adjutant said.
"In this operation, Marine trainees Koby and Helmeppo defeated several pirates and improved greatly."
"There are even signs they may soon understand parts of the Six Powers."
"But more importantly—"
"Sergeant Shinji Ikari killed Jero, who had a bounty of 5 million Berries, and later defeated Captain Yan Feng, who had a bounty of 50 million Berries."
"This mission also successfully rescued a large number of hostages."
"We will escort them to their destination: Storm Island."
After hearing the report, the voice on the other side of the Den Den Mushi paused in shock.
Then it spoke slowly.
"That sergeant… Shinji Ikari."
"He truly is a monster."
"With mastery of several Six Powers techniques and a Devil Fruit ability…"
"He's already qualified to become one of the Navy's rising supernovas this year."
Then the voice suddenly added:
"Wait."
"You said your next destination is Storm Island?"
"Yes," the adjutant replied.
"That's where the rescued civilians were originally heading."
There was a brief silence.
Then the voice spoke again.
"There have been… unusual developments there."
"Be careful."
"But with Vice Admiral Garp present… there shouldn't be any major problems."