The Fourth Admiral of Marine Headquarters?

"Hm... You brat! It's you?"

Kizaru raised his eyelids slightly and looked at Jiang Lin, who stood before Whitebeard.

"Kizaru! And..." After blocking Kizaru's attack, Jiang Lin shifted his gaze toward Akainu, seated in a golden chair.

"Akainu!"

As Jiang Lin looked his way, Akainu, who had sat silently on the raised platform all this time, lifted his head slightly and looked down.

"D!"

Akainu gave Jiang Lin a quiet glance, then immediately lowered his head again.

"Jiang Lin?"

The moment the Pirate Empress saw Jiang Lin appear, she excitedly looked around. But when she saw that he had come alone, her expression quickly settled.

"Ahahaha! Now that's a formidable newcomer!"

Doflamingo watched Jiang Lin with keen interest. He was intensely curious about him.

After all, Jiang Lin apparently had the power to "copy" abilities.

That power held an irresistible allure for anyone.

"D!"

On the Execution Platform, Sengoku's brow furrowed sharply at Jiang Lin's appearance. This was hardly good news for the Marines.

"Attention, everyone! Killing D is our top priority!"

Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi beside him and immediately issued the order.

"What? Top priority?"

Garp's interest in Jiang Lin surged at Sengoku's order. As a Marine Vice Admiral, he had access to Jiang Lin's intelligence, so he recognized him at once as the newcomer who had recently joined the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Top priority, huh?"

Doflamingo ran his tongue lightly over his lips, then slowly walked toward Jiang Lin.

"Doflamingo! Leave him to me."

Seeing Doflamingo about to act, the Pirate Empress swayed over to his side, bent close, and spoke softly.

"Oh... I never thought the Pirate Empress would take a liking to a newcomer. Fine, he's yours. After all... sooner or later, he'll be my prey! Keh-heh-heh-heh..."

Doflamingo did not insist on attacking after hearing her out. He raised his head toward Jiang Lin, gave a sinister chuckle, then quietly retreated to Hawk-Eye's side.

"..."

At the bow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard glanced at the young man who had suddenly appeared before him, then silently looked away, as though Jiang Lin held no interest for him.

"Whitebeard, I'm sorry!"

Jiang Lin apologized softly, then reached out his right hand toward Whitebeard's shoulder.

"Pops!"

The moment Jiang Lin made his move, Marco the Phoenix, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division, rushed over in a blaze of brilliant blue flames and intercepted his "attack."

"Oh..."

Up in the sky, Kizaru was taken aback by Jiang Lin's actions. He had not expected him to suddenly attack Whitebeard. Had Jiang Lin come here not to help Whitebeard, but to kill him?

"Hold it!"

Sengoku, who had issued his order only moments ago, hurriedly called out to stop the Marines rushing toward Jiang Lin.

"Jiang Lin, what are you doing?"

Walking among the Marines, the Pirate Empress stared nervously at the Moby Dick. She had not expected Jiang Lin to attack Whitebeard. Wasn't he asking to die?

No matter how strong Jiang Lin was, he could not possibly be a match for Whitebeard!

"Is this D trying to prove his loyalty?"

Garp stood far behind the others, looking toward Jiang Lin in the distance. His face was just as puzzled.

"Marco the Phoenix! I'll be taking your power!"

With a sharp shout, Jiang Lin fired a Laser Beam straight at Marco.

As the dazzling yellow light flashed, Marco made no move to dodge. He stood before Whitebeard, brilliant blue flames bursting from his body as he took Jiang Lin's attack head-on.

You have attacked Po Marco, wielder of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix. The system is copying his Devil Fruit. Host, please hold out for one minute.

As a violent explosion erupted against Marco's body, the system's message sounded in Jiang Lin's mind.

"D! You dared attack our king. This will be your grave!"

Dense blue flames burst from Marco's body and lifted him into the air.

With the blue flames' "help," the wounds on Marco's body healed visibly before their eyes.

"Marco! Marco! His grave! His grave!"

Deafening cheers rose from the Whitebeard Pirates below. At that moment, every one of them regarded Jiang Lin as an enemy.

"Sigh... There's no helping it."

Jiang Lin sighed helplessly. He would have liked to copy the Tremor-Tremor Fruit from Whitebeard "peacefully," but there was no telling whether Whitebeard would let some young stranger stand beside him for a full minute without reason.

Even if Whitebeard did not mind, the sight of Jiang Lin standing so abruptly beside him for a minute would likely lead the others to guess that one condition for copying an ability was remaining near its owner for a while.

That would be bad for Jiang Lin. Once that secret got out, acquiring Devil Fruit powers from others "peacefully," as he had done not long ago, would clearly become all but impossible.

On his way here, for instance, Jiang Lin had effortlessly acquired the powers of the Hormone-Hormone Fruit and the Scissors-Scissors Fruit from Ivankov and Inazuma without a fight.

Why pass up such an easy method only to desperately fight someone for a full minute? That was hardly Jiang Lin's style.

That was why Jiang Lin had tried to copy a Devil Fruit by patting Whitebeard on the "shoulder"—a method that still looked fairly "peaceful."

Unfortunately, Whitebeard was not alone. With so many capable people around him, they naturally would not allow Jiang Lin to "attack" him.

"Jiang Lin, why did you attack Pops? Were... were all those things you told me in Impel Down lies?"

On the Execution Platform, Ace's face darkened at Jiang Lin's actions. Of everyone present, he knew Jiang Lin best and thought most highly of him. They had fought side by side in Impel Down and faced Aokiji's challenge together.

Although they had failed to leave Impel Down together for various reasons, Ace had never imagined Jiang Lin would attack Pops!

Of course, Ace had no way of knowing that Jiang Lin had done it entirely to save him.

The thought of what kind of storm a hot-blooded young wielder of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit could unleash here was enough to make anyone shudder.

"D! Join us. If you take Whitebeard's head, you'll become the fourth Admiral of Marine Headquarters!"

Sengoku's voice rang out through the Den Den Mushi. His declaration set not only the battlefield ablaze, but sent shock waves through the entire world.