Fire Demon's Unexpected Arrival

Hachinosu, Training Ground. Autumn of 1473 in the Sea Circle Calendar.

Ginny pinned the last photo to the wall, took two steps back, and tilted her head to look at it.

Six photos, six people. Viper, Iron Wall, Shadow Blade, Fire Demon, Jizō, Hyakumen — Hyakumen has already surrendered, leaving five.

"Fire Demon." Ginny pointed with her pen to the dark-skinned man in the photo, whose hair resembled burning embers. "A member of the same race as Ember. His fire temperature is higher than Ember's. He lives in the western Flower Capital and walks his dog every evening at six. He's a loner, with no family or friends. His only weakness—that dog."

"You're going to kidnap his dog?" Moria asked, cowering in the corner.

"It wasn't kidnapping. It was to distract him." Ginny wrote a line under the picture of the Fire Demon: Dog's name "Kojirō", fifteen years old, old dog.

Kaido walked over, carrying his Iron Club, and glanced at the photo. "I'll take on this guy."

"Didn't you want to kill Viper?"

"Viper use poison too, and I can fight them too. I'll fight them both." Kaido grinned. "Oh ho ho... It's been a long time since I fought someone who uses fire."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You'll talk after you beat one of them."

Evening, off the coast of Hachinosu.

Jin stood atop the mast, flames burning quietly behind him in the twilight. His Observation Haki covered an area of several kilometers, and no approaching ship or Sea Kings could escape his perception.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

"Ginny, a small boat is coming from the direction of Wano Country. There's a lone person there."

Ginny made a circle with her fingers in the Intelligence Room, her eyes gleaming with a purple light. A moment later, her expression changed.

"It's Fire Demon."

"What?" Lin Yuan walked out of the Castle. "He came alone?"

"A man, without a dog." Ginny gritted her teeth. "He moored his boat at the shore and is walking towards the island. He's moving very fast. He... he spotted us? Impossible, I've been monitoring him the whole time, I haven't been detected."

Lin Yuan was silent for a moment. "They didn't discover us. They discovered Hyakumen."

Ginny's finger paused for a moment. "Hyakumen?"

"The matter of the Hyakumen surrenders might have been overlooked." Lin Yuan turned and walked towards the Training Ground. "Kaido, someone's looking for you."

Kaido took the Iron Club off his shoulder. "Who?"

"Fire Demon."

Kaido's eyes lit up. "Oh ho ho... delivered right to my doorstep?"

Fire Demon stood on the beach of Hachinosu, his feet firmly planted in the sand. He made no attempt to hide or launch a night attack; he simply stood openly on the shoreline, his hands tucked into the wide sleeves of his kimono.

His skin was dark brown, like wood that had been burned, and his hair was like a ball of burning embers—not real fire, but the effect of his Devil Fruit power. When his Observation Haki swept over him, his entire body resembled a piece of red-hot iron, radiating heat.

Jin descended from the sky and stood twenty meters in front of him. The flames behind him suddenly surged up, and the golden light shone between the two of them.

"Remnants of the Lunarian," the Fire Demon spoke, his voice hoarse, like crackling embers, "You and that traitor named Hyakumen, are in cahoots?"

"Hyakumen isn't a traitor," Jin's voice was calm. "He simply chose the right path."

Fire Demon snorted coldly. "Hyakumen gave you Orochi's defense map. Orochi already knows."

Lin Yuan walked out of the door and stood next to Jin. Kaido, Bullet, Kuma, Moria, and Inazuma arrived shortly after and surrounded the Fire Demon in the center of the beach. Zephyr stood at a distance, holding a water bottle, and did not come over.

"Fire Demon." Lin Yuan looked at him. "How do you know about Hyakumen?"

"The Orochi's spies are everywhere." The Fire Demon glanced around at the people, his gaze finally settling on Lin Yuan. "You're Lin Yuan?"

"Yes."

"The Orochi asked me to deliver a message to you."

"Explain."

"Wano Country's affairs are for Wano Country to resolve itself. Outsiders who interfere will die."

Lin Yuan's lips curled slightly upward. "He's not the first person to say that to me. The last one is no longer here."

The Fire Demon's eyes narrowed. He pulled his hands out of his sleeves, each palm flickering with a dark red flame. The temperature suddenly rose, the surrounding sand began to blacken and melt, and the moisture in the air evaporated, forming a thin mist.

"Then I'll kill you first, then kill Hyakumen."

He took a step forward with astonishing speed. Dark red flames left a charred trail behind him as he charged towards Lin Yuan like a burning meteorite.

Kaido did not allow Lin Yuan to make a move.

The Iron Club swept across, whistling through the air, and struck the Fire Demon's side. The Fire Demon swerved sharply in mid-air, dodging the Iron Club, and retaliated by throwing a ball of flame at Kaido's face.

Kaido didn't dodge. The flames hit his face, exploding into a dark red spark. Kaido's face burned bright red, but he didn't even blink.

"Oh ho ho... that's it?"

"It's not over yet!" Fire Demon swung his hands repeatedly, sending balls of dark red flame hurtling towards Kaido like cannonballs. Kaido deflected a few with his Iron Club, and took the rest head-on. The flames exploded on his body, burning several holes in his clothes and turning his exposed skin red, but they didn't cause any serious damage.

"Your flames aren't hot enough," Kaido said.

The Fire Demon's expression changed.

He wasn't unfamiliar with fighting strong opponents, but he had never seen anyone like Kaido who could withstand his flames without even flinching.

"My turn." Kaido slammed his club down.

The Fire Demon dodged to the side, the Iron Club slammed into the ground, creating a huge crater in the beach, sending sand flying and waves splashing on the sea. The Fire Demon was thrown back several steps by the blast wave, his heels sinking into the sand.

He knew he couldn't win.

But he didn't run.

"Lin Yuan!" the Fire Demon shouted, "The Orochi won't let you go! He's set a trap in the Flower Capital! Every single one of you who goes will die!"

Lin Yuan looked at him. "Why are you telling me all this? Didn't you come here to kill me?"

The Fire Demon was silent for a moment. "I don't want to serve the Orochi anymore. But I can't betray him either. He's been kind to me."

"Have you been kind to me?"

"He saved my life. Ten years ago, I was being hunted, and the Orochi took me in." The Fire Demon's voice lowered, "But what he's done over the years has become increasingly outrageous... I couldn't stand by and watch anymore."

Lin Yuan looked at him. "What do you want?"

"I don't know." The Fire Demon gave a bitter smile. "Before I came, I thought I'd kill you. But seeing your people, I know I can't."

Kaido slung the Iron Club back over his shoulder. "So, are you still going to fight or not?"

The Fire Demon extinguished the flames in its palm. "Let's stop fighting."

"Then what will you say when you return to Wano Country?"

The Fire Demon was silent for a moment. "He said he couldn't find you. He got lost."

Kaido paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Oh ho ho... lost? You rowed a small boat all the way from Wano Country to Hachinosu, over a thousand nautical miles, and you're saying you're lost?"

"I'm just lost." Fire Demon turned and walked towards the small boat on the beach. After a few steps, he stopped and didn't look back.

"Lin Yuan, when we attack the Flower Capital, I'll reassign the guards from the West District. You can take that road."

Lin Yuan watched his retreating figure. "Why did you help me?"

The Fire Demon remained silent for a long time.

"Because Yuriko is my sister."

He left. The small boat disappeared into the night.

Ginny overheard everything through the Den Den Mushi. She didn't speak, but simply wrote a line in the ledger, "Fire Demon, unexpectedly defected. Reason: Yuriko is his sister. Mission: Transfer the West District guards. Credibility: To be verified."

Kaido stood on the beach, looking in the direction where the Fire Demon had disappeared.

"This person isn't bad."

"There are plenty of people I don't dislike." Lin Yuan turned and walked towards the Castle. "Let's go back for dinner."

(End of Chapter 77)