The Lola Pirates

At present, however, neither Mammon of the Vampire Fruit nor Samael of the Flame-Flame Fruit had been tested in actual combat.

How they measured up against the Marine Admirals and the Four Emperors remained unknown.

Their advantage was that their fruit abilities had reached 100% proficiency the moment they were born. Their disadvantage was that they could not use Haki yet.

He did not even know whether devils could master Haki.

Dimon did not dwell on it. His own advantage was not the devils he had animated.

Animating Devil Fruits was only one of his moves.

His true core was his talent, Animation, the ability to animate all things. It was not limited to Devil Fruits.

Next, Dimon ordered Zuizui, the ship, to turn around and retrace their route in search of Ed's warship.

The warship had been through a naval battle and was still fit for a long voyage, making it sturdier than an ordinary pirate ship.

When Ed saw that his warship had been recovered, he burst into tears on the spot.

Dimon sent Mammon with Ed, telling the two to take the warship back to Marine Headquarters, while he left aboard the Wave-Breaking Warrior.

At that moment, on the warship's deck.

Ed looked away and turned to the stern-faced Mammon with an awkward smile.

"Mr. Mammon, I hope we can work well together from here on."

"Mm."

"Do you have any requests regarding your new identity?"

"Whatever."

Faced with the taciturn Mammon, Ed said helplessly, "My warship is a little damaged. We'll repair it first, then figure out how to get back to headquarters."

Damage control was one of the required subjects for Marines, and as a Marine Headquarters captain, Ed was well versed in it.

With Mammon's help, the two spent half a day making basic repairs to the warship to ensure it could return safely to headquarters.

Afterward, Ed found an Eternal Pose on board that pointed to Marine Headquarters, and he breathed a great sigh of relief.

"Good thing this wasn't lost, or we'd have had to find the nearest Marine Base first. Now that we have it, we can go straight to headquarters."

Mammon merely watched in silence.

With no one responding to him, Ed felt a little awkward. He cleared his throat and said:

"Once we reach headquarters, I'll have to write a report on the mission. Here's what happened. Remember it, and don't let anything slip when the time comes..."

"Don't worry."

Marine Headquarters, the Four Emperors, and the Shichibukai were known collectively as the three great powers of the Grand Line.

It stood on a crescent-shaped island. The main fortress was a tall tower, with the word "Marine" and a seagull emblem emblazoned on its front wall.

Watchtowers, defensive walls, and coastal batteries stood on all sides. A large central plaza lay within, while a harbor and numerous warships surrounded the outer perimeter. Taken as a whole, it was a massive military fortress built against a mountain, solemn and imposing.

A week later.

When Ed's warship passed through the Gate of Justice and entered the headquarters' inner harbor, Mammon, standing on the deck, could not help looking grave.

His ultrasonic scan detected several immensely powerful auras on the island.

Beside him, Ed's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Once we get off the ship, you don't need to say anything. Just follow me. I need to see my uncle first."

Soon, under the harbor pilot's guidance, the warship entered port and docked without incident.

Ed walked down the gangway and saluted the pilot, then spoke before the man could say anything.

"I ran into a troublesome group of pirates on this voyage, and the warship came under heavy cannon fire. Please arrange for repairs as soon as possible."

"Wait, Captain Ed, only you..." The pilot knew Ed. As he spoke, he looked at Mammon behind Ed and corrected himself. "Just the two of you?"

"The others were killed!"

Ed spoke heavily, his expression saying, "I'm hurting and don't want to talk about it."

"My condolences. I won't keep you from reporting in, then. As for the warship's repairs... I'll need to send someone aboard to assess the damage. I can't say how long it will take yet."

Ed nodded and immediately led Mammon away from the harbor.

The two headed for the headquarters fortress. Mammon observed in silence. Security was tight, with soldiers standing guard and patrolling everywhere. Unless an ordinary person invaded from the air, it would be impossible to sneak in.

Before long, the two entered the fortress without trouble.

"The Fleet Admiral's Office is on the top floor, and the Admirals are on the floor below. Below that are the Vice Admirals' offices, as well as... the Marine staff conference room, the operations command room, the intelligence department, the communications room, the archives, and so on."

Ed explained in a low voice as he led the way with practiced ease to the fortress's third floor, where the Vice Admirals were stationed.

Mammon noted the locations of the communications room and the archives. Those two places should have intelligence on Punk Hazard.

But he had only just arrived, so he did nothing out of line. He merely glanced at them before looking away.

Soon, Ed stopped in front of an office.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the unease in his heart, and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A robust voice came from inside.

Ed gestured for Mammon to follow, then pushed the door open and entered.

"Hm? Ed, what are you doing here?"

Behind the desk, a middle-aged man wearing a coat of justice froze for a moment. "Weren't you out on a mission?"

"Uncle...!"

He was only halfway through the word when the square-jawed Vice Admiral frowned and rebuked him.

"Use my rank while we're working!"

"Yes, Vice Admiral Pierce Field!"

Ed hurriedly saluted and said with great respect, "I'm here to report to you about this mission..."

He quickly gave a brief account of everything he had encountered on the voyage.

Vice Admiral Field listened silently. When he heard that his nephew had nearly been killed by pirates, he could not help frowning.

"So this friend saved you?" He looked at Mammon, who had remained silent the entire time.

"Yes, Vice Admiral Field. Thanks to Mr. Mammon, I was able to come back alive and see you!"

Ed had not wanted his uncle to know about his humiliating experience, as it would lower his opinion of him. But with Mammon joining the Marines, things had changed.

He gave a general account of what had happened, leaving out Dimon's existence.

Seeing the Headquarters Vice Admiral fix his gaze on him, Mammon calmly answered according to the script they had prepared.

"My name is Mammon. I was a bounty hunter, and I'm a user of the Zoan Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, model: vampire. Saving him was just something I did in passing. I hope to... join the Marines!"

Chapter 21: The Lola Pirates

"Mythical Zoan!" Vice Admiral Field shot to his feet. "You want to join the Marines?"

"Ed invited me."

Mammon nodded.

Field could not help glancing at his nephew. A Mythical Zoan user was even rarer than a Logia.

At present, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was the only one in the Marines!

"Welcome, you're very welcome! On behalf of Marine Headquarters, I welcome you to our ranks!"

Field lost some of his composure, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his rigid face.

"Uncle, don't we need a background check?" Ed moved closer and reminded him in a quiet voice.

Field paused. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no. There are a few minor mistakes in Mammon's past that need a little polishing," Ed muttered.

What problem could be more important than a Mythical Zoan?

Field thought nothing of it. Even if Mammon had been a murderer and was wanted, it would not be a problem as long as he was willing to join the Marines.

"In that case, I'll handle it! Ed, take Mr. Mammon back to rest. We'll talk after I get off work tonight."

"All right, Uncle. Goodbye, Uncle."

Ed immediately beamed and led Mammon away.

Once they were gone, Field quickly picked up a Den Den Mushi and dialed a number.

"I'd like to consult some materials concerning the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."

"Understood, Vice Admiral. They'll be delivered to your office in ten minutes."

Before long, someone from the archives delivered a thick copy of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

Vice Admiral Field quickly turned to the Zoan section and examined the entries one by one. Sure enough, he found a record of the Vampire Fruit.

It contained not only information about its abilities, but also some details about several of its past users.

[Vampire Fruit, also known as the 'Fruit of Eternal Youth'!]

[It cannot grant its user eternal life, but it can allow the user to maintain a youthful appearance indefinitely by drinking the blood of others.]

[Among its users throughout history, three were top-tier powerhouses comparable to Marine Admirals.]

[One was the king of a country in the West Blue. He sparked a great war in the West Blue that engulfed dozens of countries before the World Government finally put it down.]

[One was a great pirate from before the year 1000 of the Sea Circle Calendar. His name has been erased from history. The only known fact is that he ultimately died in Impel Down.]

[The fruit's last host was a Marine Headquarters Admiral around the year 1200 of the Sea Circle Calendar, codenamed 'Black Bat'!]

[After Admiral Black Bat's death, the fruit vanished from the world, its whereabouts unknown...]

[Editor's note: Clearly, this is an exceptionally powerful Mythical Zoan Fruit. Not only does it possess the various wondrous abilities of a Mythical Zoan, it also prevents the eater's strength from declining with age.]

After reading the classified material, Vice Admiral Field was utterly shocked.

"Admiral Black Bat? A Marine Admiral from sometime around the year 1200 of the Sea Circle Calendar, more than three hundred years ago?!"

He drew a sharp breath inwardly.

He had not expected his good-for-nothing nephew to turn misfortune into a blessing this time and bring an important figure to headquarters.

If Mammon could one day reach the level of a Marine Admiral, their family could profit from it as well.

He needed to invest early... Field closed the file, his brows knitting tightly.

"But that actually makes the problem more troublesome!"

Fabricating a clean identity for Mammon had become a bigger job.

What exactly had that fellow done before?

As long as he had not attacked a Celestial Dragon... Field had ways to deal with it.

Field sat in his chair and pondered for a long time before calmly returning to work.

Everything else could wait until they had discussed the details that evening.

The next day.

A stretch of sea somewhere on the Grand Line.

"Master, I've successfully gained Ed's uncle's initial trust. He'll prepare a suitable identity for me, and I expect I'll be able to join the Marines in a few days."