Norton led Sanosuke into the captain's quarters. On the long black table sat the treasure chest they had taken from the Treasure Chest Turtle's back.
Of the nine chests on the Treasure Chest Turtle's back, it had been the only one with anything inside: a Devil Fruit of an unknown type.
"Have you thought it through?" Norton opened the chest and pushed the Devil Fruit, which looked as though it was covered in black feathers, toward Sanosuke.
"Once you eat it, there's no going back. You'll never be able to swim again."
To Norton, this was a huge gamble.
If the ability wasn't powerful enough, it would be a losing deal.
"I've already decided, King!" Despite Norton's warning, Sanosuke's gaze remained firm.
His defeat at Zoro's hands had left Sanosuke deeply unsettled. He had always known someone would surpass him one day, but he had never expected that day to come so soon!
Ever since Zoro came aboard, Sanosuke had trained tirelessly. Yet even that had not been enough to overcome talent.
On these seas, there was only one way for an ordinary man to stand shoulder to shoulder with a genius...
Eat a Devil Fruit!
Known as the secret treasures of the sea, Devil Fruits could grant their users miraculous powers and change their destinies!
"All right. If you've decided, eat it..." Norton said quietly.
"As it happens... I'm curious about what this Devil Fruit can do, too."
A Devil Fruit found on a Treasure Turtle's back had a certain legendary quality to it. Its ability shouldn't be too terrible, or it wouldn't have been preserved.
Sanosuke nodded, picked up the Devil Fruit with its black-feathered skin, and bit into it without a moment's hesitation.
Immediately, his expression twisted.
If Norton had to describe it, Sanosuke looked as though he had just eaten the most disgusting thing in the world.
But Sanosuke lived up to his reputation as a ninja. Without making a sound, he chewed up the entire Devil Fruit and swallowed it.
Norton couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up. He had long heard that Devil Fruits tasted like shit. Sure enough, even Sanosuke, who could eat ghost peppers without batting an eye, had grimaced!
"How do you feel? Can you use your ability yet?" Norton asked.
Sanosuke looked down at his hands and clenched them.
"I feel... like my body is undergoing some incredible change... My strength... has increased!"
As he spoke, Sanosuke suddenly hunched forward. Black feathers began drifting through the room!
Sanosuke straightened, his arms transforming into a pair of black wings!
"A zoan?" Norton nodded slightly. "Looks like it lets you turn into a bird."
"Zoan, Bird-Bird Fruit, Ink Crow Form." The name of the Devil Fruit came naturally to Sanosuke.
"How does it feel?" Norton asked.
"Once I transform, everything improves. As I am now, I can definitely beat Roronoa Zoro!" Sanosuke's eyes shone.
"Then let's put that to the test!" a voice suddenly called from outside.
Zoro stood in the doorway with three swords in his arms. He bared his white teeth as he looked at Sanosuke, now a black ninja crow.
You think you can turn the tables just because you ate a fruit?
It was a sweltering afternoon on the Baratie's uppermost deck, with a downpour looming.
The pirates rushed over at the news and formed a wide circle.
In the center, Zoro faced Sanosuke, who had entered his hybrid form with his wings half-spread.
Sanosuke's hands were still claws, but he had reached into his ninja tool pouch and taken his usual Ninja Sword in a reverse grip, along with three black Kunai.
"Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
Zoro made no attempt to test his opponent. He opened with a killing move!
He shot forward like a green gale, his three swords sealing off the upper, middle, and lower lines of attack. Their flashing blades shrieked like wailing ghosts!
A sharp glint flashed through Sanosuke's crimson, slit-pupiled eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced!
A piercing clash of metal erupted!
Zoro's three swords were caught firmly by those seemingly soft wings. They cut several inches in before the dense feathers and wing bones trapped them, sending brilliant sparks flying!
"What?!" Zoro was startled. Those wings were far harder than he had expected!
"Ink Feathers: Scatter!" Sanosuke barked. The wings holding the blades suddenly shuddered, sending countless razor-edged black feathers shooting back like a torrential downpour, straight at Zoro's face!
Zoro pulled back sharply, his blades whirling defensively. "Two-Sword Style: Returning Sky!"
He knocked most of the feathers away, but a few still sliced across his cheek and arms, leaving thin trails of blood!
The cuts were shallow, but Zoro's gaze grew deadly serious.
"I'm not done yet!"
Sanosuke spread his wings and used the momentum to slide sideways like a phantom. The Ninja Sword in his left claw stabbed toward Zoro's ribs, while three Kunai flew from his right in a triangular formation toward Zoro's eyes and throat! His attacks were nearly fifty percent faster than before!
Zoro parried the Ninja Sword, twisted his head aside to narrowly dodge two Kunai, and knocked the third away with Wado Ichimonji's guard.
But Sanosuke's assault was already pouring in like an unbroken tide. He no longer relied on strength alone, instead seamlessly combining a ninja's swift, unpredictable hand-to-hand techniques with the terrifying physical prowess granted by his Ink Crow Form!
One moment, he used his wings as shields to clash head-on with the blades. The next, he launched vicious close-range attacks with his claws, or briefly glided on his spread wings to throw Kunai from above Zoro's head or from blind spots behind him.
Black feathers drifted with every movement, sometimes gathering into small whirlwinds that obscured Zoro's vision, sometimes shooting out like iron caltrops to disrupt him.
"One Sword Style: Flying Dragon!" Zoro seized an opening and lunged into a fierce slash!
Sanosuke neither dodged nor retreated. His left wing shielded his body and took the strike head-on, while his right swept toward Zoro's waist like an enormous black scythe, trailing a shrill howl of wind!
He was trading blow for blow!
Zoro was forced to change his attack, bringing his blade around to block the wing-
Bam!!
A force like a collapsing mountain surged through Zoro's sword. The deck cracked beneath his feet, and the wing strike drove him back five steps, leaving his chest churning!
"His speed and strength are still increasing... He's adapting to the fruit!" Zoro gritted his teeth, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even hotter.
"Ink Crow Secret Technique: Feather Blade Storm!"
Sanosuke suddenly leaped high into the air, his wings vibrating at an incredible speed! Thousands of black feathers broke free. Rather than scattering at random, they followed the sweep of his wings to form two intersecting black whirlwinds that sliced toward Zoro! Their reach was enormous, covering almost half the deck!
Zoro's pupils contracted as he positioned his three swords before him. "Three-Sword Style: Great Dragon Twister!"
A blue-black tornado of sword energy surged into the black feather-blade storm!
The two forces collided, sending fierce winds in every direction. Shredded black feathers and fragments of blue slashes shot everywhere, and the watching pirates cried out as they backed away.
When the dust thinned, Zoro stood panting slightly, his sleeves torn and blood seeping through in several places.
Above him, the sheen of Sanosuke's wings had dimmed, and new feathers were slowly growing in. Yet his downward dive only accelerated!
"Crow Assault: Falling Star Kill!" He drew his body and wings into a spindle-like shape, Ninja Sword leading and claws behind, becoming a black meteor that plunged down faster than the eye could follow!
It was a killing strike that combined a ninja's plunging attack with the diving power of a zoan!
Zoro roared, crossing his three blades in an upward slash. "Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
A deafening, piercing crash erupted, louder than any of their previous clashes!
The deck could no longer withstand the force where they met. It collapsed with a thunderous crash, leaving a deep crater!
Dust and wood splinters shot into the air!
As the dust began to settle, Zoro was revealed kneeling on one knee at the bottom of the crater. His three swords were locked against Sanosuke's downward-pointing Ninja Sword and the claws braced against its spine.
Sanosuke hovered above on his wings, pressing down with all his strength.
They strained against each other, muscles bulging and veins rising. Their power clashed furiously through blades and claws, producing a teeth-grating screech.
With his diving momentum and minute adjustments of his wings, Sanosuke even held a slight advantage, forcing Zoro lower inch by inch!
The watching pirates fell utterly silent, stunned by this reversal.
"Enough."
Norton's calm voice rang out with unquestionable authority, parting the two like an invisible hand.
Sanosuke folded his wings and landed lightly. His claws and wings slowly withdrew into his body as he returned to human form.
He breathed heavily, sweat beading on his forehead, but his eyes burned with excitement. His yearning to catch up-and even surpass his rival-had finally found an answer.
Zoro sheathed his swords and stood, giving Sanosuke a long look. "Interesting... Very interesting! Next time, I'll cut straight through those black feathers and your bones!"
"I'll be waiting," Sanosuke replied coldly.
Norton's gaze swept over them both before settling on Sanosuke.
"The physical boost from your zoan has made up for your weaknesses, and your approach to combining the new ability with your existing ninja techniques is sound.
"But remember, this is only the beginning. Developing your fruit's potential matters more than simply using brute force."
"Yes, King!" Sanosuke bowed.
Among the crowd, Sanji silently stubbed out his cigarette and turned toward the kitchen.
No one noticed the sharp glint that flashed through his eyes. Amid the kitchen's clamor and greasy smoke, he leaned against the cold iron wall and slowly raised his right leg.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Heavy, precise kicks struck the inside of the reinforced iron door, leaving shallow dents.
His gaze was frighteningly focused. I can't... I absolutely can't let those two battle maniacs leave me too far behind.
Three days later.
"All ships have been reinforced!"
Funing's voice carried across the fleet through an Amplifying Den Den Mushi.
"The keels have been doubly reinforced, the hulls clad in oil-soaked hardwood, and all essential ropes replaced with twisted steel cables made using Giants' craftsmanship!"
The ships flying the Norton Pirates' flag formed a wedge.
Many hulls were still battered and bore visible repairs, but thanks to the shipwrights' tireless work, every vessel at least had a fighting chance against the wind and waves.
"Set sail!"
The fleet slowly left the relatively calm waters.
Yet just half a day later, the weather changed abruptly!
The distant horizon seemed to have been blackened by a giant hand. A thick wall of lead-gray clouds advanced at an impossible speed. Within them churned not only lightning, but also eerie blue-violet light.
The air pressure plummeted. Even the seabirds fled in terror and vanished.
"A massive compound storm! It's the weather hell unique to the entrance of the Grand Line!"
Nami rushed onto the observation platform. "Everyone! Lower all mainsails immediately! Leave only the triangular sails up so we can maintain minimal steerage! Lash down everything you can on deck! Hurry!"
Her orders became action, and the pirates raced about like wound-up clockwork.
When the first wall of water, over fifteen meters high and laden with foam and broken timber, slammed into them with overwhelming force, the reinforcement work Funing had overseen proved its worth. Not a single ship broke apart or snapped under the first impact!
But that was only the beginning.
The rain did not fall. It poured down as though the heavens had shattered.
Visibility dropped to nothing. All they could hear was the shrieking wind, the roaring waves, the thunder's fury, and the groans of ship timbers strained beyond their limits.
Enormous waves surged unpredictably from every direction, hurling the ships up and down. Even people tethered to the decks were flung about and badly injured.
"Thirty-five degrees to starboard! Hard over! Avoid that whirlpool!"
Nami felt the air currents against her skin and listened for sounds deep within the waves. Guided by some innate intuition, she traced a fleeting route to survival for the fleet through this desperate situation.
For three whole hours, they tumbled as though trapped in a washing machine in hell.
When the storm finally eased and shards of sunlight pierced the clouds like sharp swords, nearly everyone collapsed. Like stranded fish, they had only enough strength left to gasp for breath.
"Count the ships! Report casualties!" Norton's voice remained steady.
Fighting back her dizziness, Funing began counting the silhouettes bobbing on the sea.
One, two, three... Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six...
She counted twice, and her expression suddenly turned strange.
"Reporting, King. The fleet... All twenty-seven ships are accounted for."
She paused, then added, "But... I don't think we're where we should be."
Norton walked to the edge of the bridge and looked out.
The fleet, led by the White Pearl, was floating in an unnervingly strange stretch of sea.
Thin gray-white mist lingered all around. The water was a deep blue so dark it was almost black, smooth as a mirror, without a single ripple or wave in sight.
The sky here seemed low and gloomy, the light hazy.
Strangest of all, there was no wind whatsoever. Not even the faintest movement of air stirred, and the sails hung limp.
"The Calm Belt..."
Zeff's hoarse voice came from beside him, heavy with an old pirate's solemnity. "And the deepest, most deathly still part of it... Usually, that means..."
He did not finish, but everyone understood.
As though confirming their worst fears, unnatural rings of ripples began spreading across the inky, mirrorlike sea around the White Pearl.
First, gray-white bone spines encrusted with barnacles and coral pierced the surface, rising less than a hundred meters off the starboard bow.
Then the water to port swelled upward. A winding ridge wider than the White Pearl emerged, covered in dark green seaweed. Upon it, an orange-yellow eye the size of a house turned coldly and fixed on the ship.
Directly ahead, the tips of several purple-black tentacles, each more than three meters thick and covered in suckers and horny barbs, silently broke the surface. They swayed slowly like venomous snakes as they drew closer.
More shadows appeared in the depths, their bizarre outlines gradually encircling the White Pearl and the nearby fleet.
Sea Kings!
Not just one, but an entire group!
Disturbed by either the commotion of the storm or the fleet's intrusion, they seemed to have awakened from their deep-sea slumber.
Against monsters on this scale, ordinary cannons and swords looked laughable.