Demon of Wrath, Samael

"Tell me exactly where he was spotted."

Krieg then began recounting the details.

For the first few days, the thirty-odd pirate crews under his command found nothing. They even alerted several Marine branches.

The Marines dispatched warships to suppress them, forcing his pirate crews to deal with the Marines while carrying out their mission.

Then, seven days later, just over an hour ago, one of the crews recklessly sailed into a storm while fleeing a Marine pursuit and happened to spot someone who fit the description.

"The man was wearing an orange cowboy hat and sailing a small skiff with a pirate flag.

"My men confirmed it through a telescope and contacted me right away. But they were too far away, and since they weren't allowed to make contact, they could only watch from a distance. They couldn't be absolutely sure."

Dimon nodded. "I'll confirm it myself. Where exactly?"

Krieg pulled out a nautical chart, but didn't rush to hand it over.

He sneered. "What about my payment?"

Dimon smiled and casually tossed him the diary he had written a few days earlier.

"That's your payment. Don't worry, I always keep my word. This thing is no longer of any value to me."

Krieg eagerly opened the logbook to the first page. Only after confirming it was genuine did he hand over the chart.

Once Dimon had what he came for, he couldn't be bothered with the country overlord anymore.

"Let's go, Mammon. Oh, right, Krieg."

At the door, Dimon suddenly stopped and turned back, leaving him with a faint, teasing smile.

"A friendly word of advice: if you ever enter the Grand Line, remember not to provoke a man with hawk eyes. Well, goodbye."

Hawk eyes?

Krieg frowned. The first person who came to mind was Mihawk, one of the Shichibukai and the man hailed as the "World's Greatest Swordsman"!

Why would he go out of his way to provoke Hawk-Eye?

Krieg put the remark out of his mind and buried himself in the logbook again.

[Sea Circle Calendar, February 28, 1500]

[Today I met a very strong pirate. He called himself Rocks D. Xebec. We fought to a draw.]

[He has a D. in his name too. What a coincidence.]

[He told me we are the D. Clan.]

Roselle D. Gustav!

Rocks D. Xebec!

Krieg murmured, "They both have D. in their names. The D. Clan... does it mean something special?"

He immediately thought of Portgas D. Ace. The man called Sabo had traveled all the way back from the Grand Line just to find him.

There seemed to be a secret hidden in all this.

Krieg suppressed the jumble of thoughts in his head and continued reading.

[Sea Circle Calendar, March 16, 1500]

[I discovered that the Paramecia Hormone-Hormone Fruit can actually turn men into women?]

[What is that supposed to be? A transvestite!? What an ugly freak, neither man nor woman. I was so disgusted I couldn't eat all day.]

Time was short. Dimon left the cabin, immediately climbed onto Mammon, and followed the chart's directions.

After flying for a full two hours, he reached the target waters, where the storm was still raging.

The sea was rough, with waves tens of meters high rising from its surface at intervals. There wasn't a soul in sight.

There was no skiff, but there was a pirate ship, and certainly no warship.

"Where is he, Mammon?"

"Yes."

Mammon released ultrasonic waves to search, then replied a moment later, "There's no one nearby. Maybe he was swept away by the waves."

According to Krieg, Ace was only riding in a small skiff. A boat that small couldn't possibly have escaped the storm.

"I should have brought an umbrella."

Soaked by the downpour, Dimon pondered for a moment before deciding, "He was probably swept away and washed onto a nearby island. Let's fly around and look."

It wasn't that he hadn't suspected Krieg of giving him false information, but on reflection, the man wouldn't do something that stupid.

Finding an island in the vast sea was actually difficult. Most people wouldn't even know how they died.

Fortunately, Mammon's ability was also good at mapping. By releasing ultrasonic waves, he could quickly pinpoint a target's location from the returning signals.

After another hour or so, the two arrived above an isolated island.

They were outside the storm now. The sun was bright, and the air was fresh.

From above, it was an uninhabited island, small and utterly deserted. Half was covered in yellow sand and tidal flats, while the other half was dotted with stunted, withered shrubs and sparse palm trees.

Wreckage from several ships lay scattered conspicuously along the shore.

"The currents around here must be unusual. So many ships have been wrecked here."

Dimon consulted the chart and estimated their position.

This should be a small, uninhabited island called Sixis Island, barely noticeable on the map.

"Master, there's someone on the shore."

Mammon suddenly spoke. Following the direction he pointed, Dimon spotted an unconscious man by the beach, clutching an orange cowboy hat tightly.

Not far from the shore, a young man with long silver-blue hair had also spotted the castaway and was cautiously approaching him.

"Is that Ace? The other one is probably Deuce."

Seeing this, Dimon's lips curled up. He had finally found them. From the look of things, the two hadn't shared the Flame-Flame Fruit yet.

Since fate had decided it, sorry, Ace. You can't handle this fruit. Uncle will have to take it.

"Look at it another way. If Ace doesn't eat the Flame-Flame Fruit, he might become even stronger."

"I remember he learned Armament Haki very easily. He just kept relying on his fruit ability afterward, which held back his Haki training."

As he thought, Dimon didn't disturb the two partners' meeting. He sat cross-legged and patted Mammon on the head.

"Let's go. The fruit must be on this island. Let's find it!"

Chapter 14: Demon of Wrath, Samael

Dimon left Ace and Deuce undisturbed and rode Mammon down to a quiet landing on the other side of the coast.

"Ain."

"I'm here, Master."

"There's a strange bird on this island. There's a treasure chest in its stomach, and the Flame-Flame Fruit is hidden inside. Go find it."

"What kind of strange bird?"

"Any bird will do."

Dimon didn't know exactly what it looked like.

But there were few signs of animal activity on the island, so there presumably weren't many strange birds capable of swallowing a treasure chest.

Ain asked no more and whipped up a strong wind that swept out in every direction.

At the same time, images flashed rapidly through Dimon's mind as he observed everything from Ain's perspective.

Starting at the coast and gradually moving toward the island's center, he quickly searched every corner in a thorough sweep.

Sharp reefs surrounded the island's coast, and wreckage littered the shallows. The central region was dry, with almost no lush vegetation, only sparse, low shrubs. There were no edible wild fruits or game to be seen, and the conditions for survival were harsh.

"No wonder this is an uninhabited island... Hmm?"

Suddenly, Dimon spotted a cave. Its entrance was over ten meters high, and as Ain ventured inside, he soon saw a strange bird lying in a nest at the very back.

A breeze brushed past, and the strange bird opened its eyes, looking puzzled.

"Found it!"

Dimon immediately took Mammon to the cave.

A mere strange bird could hardly put up a fight.

By the time it realized there were intruders, Mammon was already in front of it. The sharp nails on his right hand tore through its neck like blades.

In an instant, blood sprayed several meters into the air.

Mammon then cut open the bird's stomach and took out a treasure chest. When he opened it, a Devil Fruit lay quietly inside.

"Master, I got it!"

The fruit was plump and nearly spherical, just small enough to fit completely in one hand. It closely resembled a dragon fruit, with its skin made up of overlapping, flame-shaped segments.

It was undoubtedly the Flame-Flame Fruit!

"We're going to have another 'compatriot.'"

With a soft chuckle, Dimon picked up the fruit and activated his ability.

Animate!

All at once, the fruit burned to ashes, and flames surged toward the cave ceiling.

Mammon immediately stepped in front of Dimon, spreading the black bat wings that grew from his back to shield him from the scorching flames.

Dimon watched intently as the raging flames gradually drew in and subsided.

Unlike Mammon, the Flame-Flame Fruit didn't take human form. It remained a burning flame, looking more like an elemental creature.

"Are you awake?"

"Your power is violent, so I'll call you... Samael of Wrath."

Dimon studied him as he made the introductions. "He's Mammon, the Mythical Zoan Vampire Fruit. The wind around us is Ain. You're the third."

"Hello, new compatriot."

Ain's voice came from all directions.

Mammon merely gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

"...Hello."

Samael looked around, finally settling his gaze on the dead bird. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a blazing fireball that engulfed it in an instant, burning it to a crisp.

"I was stuck in its stomach for so long. Damn stinking bird!"

Samael vented his resentment on the corpse.

Dimon's lips curled up. He really had chosen the right nickname. Samael had quite a temper.

"Samael."

"Master."

Hearing Dimon speak, Samael immediately floated over and expressed his gratitude. "Thank you for giving me a new life, Master. I never want to be eaten again. The last person who ate me was useless."

Dimon was surprised. "You remember the previous Flame-Flame Fruit user?"

"I remember he was a Fish-Man named Babel. That guy could even bring out ten percent of my power!"

Samael's face, formed of flames, vividly displayed his disdain. "Fish-Men are all useless!!"

Ain: "..."

Mammon: "..."

Dimon couldn't help laughing. "I've heard that name before. Babel the Fish-Man was a member of the Rocks Pirates decades ago."

Rocks's era had passed. Now it was the Great Pirate Era.