Good News, Fate Had Changed!

"Paramecia—Reaction Fruit? What a troublesome ability..."

John became increasingly certain that Pete was the traitor destined to stab him in the back and kill him.

Within a certain range, the Reaction Fruit could accelerate or slow the reactions of all living creatures, or specific targets.

To outsiders, someone whose reactions had been slowed looked just like they had been struck by the Slow-Slow Fruit's slowing beam.

And the victim might not even react by the time they had been killed!

If Haki did not transcend all else, the Reaction Fruit's power would be utterly invincible!

But even if sufficiently powerful Haki could dispel the abnormal states caused by Devil Fruits, there was one crucial prerequisite...

You had to consciously and actively use Haki!

Unfortunately, the Reaction Fruit could even affect one's thoughts.

If you did not even think of using Haki, how could you dispel the abnormal state inflicted by the Reaction Fruit?

So... if you were not prepared in advance and got hit by the Reaction Fruit, you were finished!

"Should I strike first?"

John recalled a saying—before someone harms me, I'll kill them first!

"Still, if Rocks survives this time, there'll be no need to get rid of Pete."

"If Rocks still dies, then even if I kill Pete, can I really change fate?"

"Fuck!"

Outskirts of God Valley Town

"Be good. Don't make a sound, no matter what. Just endure a little longer."

Dragon held two red-haired infants in his arms as he staggered through the jungle, his pounding heart driving his nerves to the limit.

He had stumbled upon the two babies after accidentally entering the town. Taking advantage of the Celestial Dragons' panicked retreat after being frightened by the pirates, he had rescued them.

This was the only thing Dragon could do with all his strength right now.

"Which way are the Marine warships?"

As he ran, Dragon suddenly stopped and scanned the surrounding jungle from side to side in confusion and urgency.

No matter where he looked, all the trees seemed identical. He could not tell any difference at all.

"What should I do?"

Dragon clenched his teeth, hating his own helplessness more than anything.

He had only joined the Marines recently. Before he could receive any special training, he had been hauled here directly aboard a warship.

Before that, his father had let him run wild in the Goa Kingdom. Inheriting that unruly temperament, he had never properly studied or learned anything.

Now that he was trapped in the jungle, he had absolutely no skills for determining direction.

Dragon deeply regretted being so playful and failing to study seriously.

"Found him. The Marine who took the babies."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind him, startling Dragon into whirling around.

The newcomer was a woman with twin horns, two-toned hair, and sharp fangs. She held a Den Den Mushi in her right hand and a cigar between the fingers of her left.

"A pirate?"

Dragon frowned, then decisively turned and ran.

The Celestial Dragons were devils, but that did not mean pirates could be trusted!

"Still running?"

Watching Dragon flee, Chaychitz Maffey opened her mouth full of sharp teeth as light gathered within it.

After a brief charge, she fired a laser with a "Biu."

Locked on by Observation Haki, the laser struck Dragon's right shoulder with precision, piercing through flesh and continuing into the distant jungle before triggering a violent explosion.

The searing pain sent Dragon's nerves into spasms. He briefly lost consciousness, and his body pitched stiffly forward under the blast wave before crashing to the ground.

In the final second before he fell, Dragon instinctively twisted his body slightly, preventing himself from crushing the two babies in his arms.

In the end, as Dragon collapsed, the two infants rolled from his embrace and landed in the grass.

"Done. The children are in hand."

"It's all thanks to you, Maffy! Otherwise, Garling would've killed me!"

"Remember, you owe me a favor."

Maffy hung up the call, stepped forward, and picked up one of the red-haired infants for inspection.

"That Garling actually had two children without anyone knowing. It really doesn't match that cold demeanor of his."

After her surprise faded, Maffy turned her gaze toward Dragon, who lay on the ground and was gradually regaining consciousness.

"You're quite a strange one. Should I call you a kidnapper who steals children, or a 'righteous' Marine?"

"Wait!"

Using sheer willpower to force his heavy body to move, Dragon raised an arm and reached toward the infant held in Maffy's hand.

"These two children are my 'redemption,' my redemption for taking part in this insane slaughter game and joining the likes of you!"

"Heh!"

Maffy scoffed at Dragon's repentance, flicked away her cigar, and drew the longsword hanging at her waist.

Holding the hilt in reverse, she pointed the blade downward and suspended it above Dragon's head.

"Your greatest crime was defying the will of us Celestial Dragons!"

"Farewell, foolish young man."

Dragon tilted his head and watched the descending blade from the corner of his eye. Strangely, a trace of relief rose in his heart.

So this is my end. Thinking of all those who died, this is merely the retribution I deserve...

Crackle—

Just as the sword was about to sever Dragon's neck, dense arcs of purple lightning suddenly appeared across its blade.

Maffy only felt as though the sword in her hand had come alive. It froze in midair, refusing to fall no matter what she did.

"Damn it! What's going—"

Before she could finish, a purple-haired figure shot sideways out of the jungle.

One of John's hands, which had been tucked behind his lower back, shot out. His right palm slammed straight into Maffy's cheek, sending her flashing away with him into the depths of the jungle.

Along the way, Maffy's body smashed through tree after tree, carving an open path through the forest.

"Fuck!"

John continued gripping Maffy by the head and ramming her forward, unable to stop himself from cursing.

He had not just arrived. He had reached the area seven or eight seconds earlier and watched helplessly as Dragon's shoulder was pierced by the laser.

He remembered that, in the original line of fate, Newgate and Linlin should have passed by. They had casually gone over a speed bump, cut down Maffy, and indirectly saved Dragon.

But during the seven or eight seconds he waited, there was no sign of Newgate or Linlin nearby. Through Mantra, he even heard that the two were still far away.

Good news: fate had changed!

Bad news: he still could not stop himself from intervening.

"Why am I so kind? Fa fa fa fa fa!"

John suddenly exerted force, grabbed Maffy by the head, and hurled her, body and all, toward the shoreline.

Maffy instantly shot through the jungle like a cannonball, plowing a straight path before crashing into a warship docked along the coast.

The warship's ammunition depot exploded from the tremendous impact. Flames soared into the sky as shockwaves rolled outward.

Without even looking at the destruction he had caused, John seized the time and decisively flew back.

"I was clearly looking for Teach, yet I 'mistakenly' came to Dragon instead. Has that bad luck from the casino started acting up again?"