Op-Op Fruit Ability

"Big Brother Van, you..."

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Dory did not know what to do.

He did not care whether Barrels lived or died. What he feared was Van becoming an enemy and losing his only friend.

"Sorry! I want to live. I don't want to be buried with them!"

Van brought the Op-Op Fruit to his mouth and bit into it without hesitation. An indescribably disgusting taste exploded across his tongue.

The next second, a strange and powerful force appeared from nowhere, washing through his body like a tsunami.

"My physical strength hasn't changed much, but my overall power has instantly jumped from D to C. That's an astonishing increase."

"It may not compare to the all-around enhancement granted by a Zoan Mythical Devil Fruit, but it's enough to get me out of this predicament and give me the initial power to manipulate fate."

"Going from zero to one has always been the hardest part..."

Van stood where he was, silently sensing the changes in his body and the Devil Fruit ability brought by the Op-Op Fruit.

Seeing that he had no intention of attacking, Dory relaxed considerably and could not help reminding him, "You ate the Op-Op Fruit. The World Government and the Marines definitely won't let you off."

"You're right, so we need to leave this place as soon as possible."

Van turned and walked to the door, opening the mansion's front gates.

Outside, heavy snow swirled through the air, and a bone-piercing wind blew straight at him, jolting him awake.

"Hey! What happened?"

The four pirate grunts guarding outside immediately became alert. Grabbing their guns, they rushed over, intending to enter the hall and inspect the situation.

Van's gaze was indifferent. He casually pressed his left palm downward.

ROOM!

A hollow white vortex, constantly spinning, appeared out of thin air. It rapidly expanded, enveloping the entire mansion.

This was the Op-Op Fruit's basic ability, known as Operation Room. It was equivalent to isolating a portion of space from the main world.

Within this space, Van could freely cut, assemble, swap, and manipulate every target as though performing surgery.

Ordinary people were nothing more than fish on a chopping block. Only experts who had mastered Armament Haki might be able to resist his control.

Shambles!

Van curled a finger, and the four pirates were instantly torn into pieces. The guns in their hands fell to the ground as well.

They were still alive, but they had lost all ability to resist. They could only watch in terror as Van pulled out a revolver and calmly squeezed the trigger.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bullets struck their foreheads with perfect accuracy. Their brains burst apart, and Operation Room vanished immediately afterward.

They remained separated into pieces, and only their foreheads bled, but they were dead beyond any doubt.

Seeing such a bizarre scene, Dory took half a step back in fright, unable to say a word.

Just then, an explosion suddenly erupted from the mansion's side building, yet no sound came out at all.

Van knew that Rosinante had launched an attack and used the Paramecia Calm-Calm Fruit's power to cut off all sound.

That guy was after the Op-Op Fruit too, but he was one step too late.

"The thing you wanted has already been eaten by me. Now, I'm the only one who can save Trafalgar Law."

Hearing the shout, a blond man wearing a black feathered coat and clown makeup appeared on the right side of the mansion.

He cautiously ran onto the corridor, first looking into the hall through the window before turning his attention to Van.

"Is that true? Did you really eat the Op-Op Fruit?"

Van did not waste words. He activated Operation Room again, covering the entire mansion.

Under Rosinante's shocked gaze, the area set ablaze by the explosion suddenly separated from the mansion and made intimate contact with the snow in the courtyard.

The fire was extinguished at once. Only a few wisps of black smoke drifted into the sky before dispersing in the wind and snow.

Although he did not know the Op-Op Fruit's specific abilities, what had happened before his eyes was far beyond common sense. Clearly, only an ability user could accomplish it.

Rosinante no longer doubted him and instead asked, "Are you one of the pirates here? Why do you know Law?"

"Don't worry about that! The Donquixote Family and the Marines are about to land. If you really want to save Law, get us out safely."

With that, Van rushed out of the mansion and ran downhill without looking back.

Dory looked at the unconscious Barrels. Conflict flashed in his eyes for a moment, but in the end, he chose to follow.

"Big Brother Van! I'm coming with you!"

Hearing the determined voice behind him, Van's lips curved into a smile, and he ran even faster.

That was because Dory was the user of the Ancient Zoan Ryu Ryu no Mi, Allosaurus Form—the future "Red Flag" Drake, one of the Worst Generation's Supernovas.

If the story remained unchanged, he would be rescued, change his name, and join the Marines. Him chasing after Van now meant that the future held more possibilities.

"Who exactly are those two? Why do they know what's about to happen?"

Rosinante worried that there might be a problem with the Marines' deployment and wanted to contact Sengoku to ask about it.

But Law's condition could not withstand any delay. Afraid that wasting time would cost him his only hope, he could only temporarily abandon the idea.

"I'll find Law first, then we'll leave together!"

The three met up, easily dealt with the pirate grunts standing watch halfway up the mountain, and arrived at a house at the foot of the mountain.

Tormented by illness, Law was extremely weak. After being battered by the cold wind, he had fallen asleep.

"Sorry! I came too late!"

Rosinante panicked a little. He hurriedly picked Law up and examined him. Even after confirming that Law was breathing normally, he still could not rest easy.

"You're a doctor, right? Can you examine him first?"

"If this place isn't suitable, I can take you to the Marines. Their warship has professional medical equipment, and they can escort us away."

Go to the Marines? Wouldn't that be walking straight into a trap?

Van's brows furrowed slightly, and the resistance in his heart was practically written across his face.

Understanding his concern, Drake said quietly, "The World Government is the Op-Op Fruit's true buyer. If we go to the Marines, Big Brother Van might be locked up and never allowed to leave."

Only then did Rosinante realize that, in his desperation to save Law, he had forgotten about the trouble Van had brought upon himself.

If word got out that someone had eaten the Op-Op Fruit, the World Government would definitely be enraged. As its subordinate organization, the Marines had no reason to let the "culprit" go.

Not to mention Doflamingo. Someone had beaten him to something he was determined to obtain, so he would surely come looking as well.

No matter which side captured Van, Law would most likely have no choice but to wait for death. Therefore, Rosinante had to get them out safely.

"I didn't think it through." Rosinante apologized sincerely.

"Law is fine for now. We can leave on your ship. Once we get away safely, I'll cure his Amber Lead Disease."

The reason Van had proposed cooperation was that he was certain Rosinante and Law were both anchors of fate. He wanted to obtain rewards by changing their destinies.

Otherwise, he could have simply taken Drake, seized a pirate ship, and left Minion Island directly. That would have been less risky.

"Alright! The ship is on the southwestern coast. Follow me!"

Rosinante knew the situation was urgent. After speaking, he picked up Law and set off. Van and Drake did not waste any words and followed close behind.

Any pirates they encountered along the way were quietly dealt with, and their whereabouts remained undiscovered.

However, the remaining pirates on the island had been without command for some time and gradually began to grow restless.

Some worried that something had happened to their captain and ran to the mansion atop the mountain to investigate; others sensed danger and ran toward where the pirate ships were docked.

However, the Marines had deployed surveillance ships west of the island, and their unusual movements were quickly discovered.