One More Draw

For the next month, Ivan decided to stay in Loguetown.

He needed to recover from his injuries there and wait for headquarters to deliver the Devil Fruit he had exchanged for.

Besides that, he had something more important to do: refine the moves he had newly created.

The essence of Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue was to manipulate distance within infinite space, and its outward manifestation was gravity.

Unfortunately, the Satoru Gojo template he had inherited was incomplete. He lacked the Six Eyes that could precisely control Cursed Techniques, so he could not finely manipulate that violent gravitational force.

Fortunately, physiques in the pirate world were far stronger than those in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.

He could rely on his stronger physique to withstand the gravitational force. Even if his control was somewhat rough and unpolished, he could still unleash its power to the fullest!

To put it bluntly, he could make anything work with enough brute force!

By combining Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue with his formidable physique, Ivan experimented and created quite a few practical moves.

For example, he perfectly fused Blue with the swordsmanship he had always favored, developing entirely new sword techniques such as Blue Slash and Blue: Draw Slash.

He also combined Taijutsu with Blue, creating powerful moves such as Blue: Iron Fist and Blue: Distorted Stance.

Besides those, the moves that combined best with Blue were the ones Ivan developed afterward: Blue: Geppo and Blue: Soru!

In Jujutsu Kaisen, Satoru Gojo could already use Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue to move rapidly, even achieving the effect of teleportation.

Ivan could also use gravity to move quickly, making his Geppo and Soru even faster.

His proficiency was still lacking for now, but with enough practice, he could achieve high-speed flight even in the pirate world.

Of course, because he lacked the Six Eyes, Blue would tear his body apart. He would need an exceptionally strong physique to withstand it.

As thoughts flashed through his mind, Ivan clenched his fist. The brilliant blue light at its center blazed brighter, and he slammed it toward a nearby hilltop, carrying a violent gravitational force.

Boom!

A deafening crash rang out as the hard mountain rock shattered. A massive crater ten meters across had been smashed into the ground, and fragments of rock and clouds of dust rained down.

The blue light flickering around his fist was far deeper than it had been at the start of the month, and the force of his punches had increased several times over.

His month of arduous training had not been in vain. He had long since honed all his newly created moves to perfection.

If he fought Smoker again now, he could even gain a solid upper hand, provided Smoker did not rely on the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's elemental transformation to evade him.

After all, he still had not mastered Armament Haki!

Just as Ivan was getting into the swing of his training, Tashigi came running over.

At that very moment, Ivan slammed a fist into the hillside.

The small hill, already battered and riddled with holes, could no longer withstand the violent impact. It exploded with a thunderous crash, sending countless fragments of rock flying in every direction on fierce gusts of wind.

Tashigi's expression changed. With no time to think, she drew her sword at once, weaving a dense net of gleaming blade light before her and slicing every rock flying toward her to pieces.

Once everything had settled, Tashigi swallowed as she took in the sight before her.

The hill had vanished completely, reduced to rocks of all sizes.

Ever since Ensign Ivan ate the Devil Fruit, his power had been growing stronger and stronger.

Ensign Ivan's strength might even surpass Captain Smoker's now!

"What is it, Tashigi?" Ivan noticed her approach and asked in puzzlement.

Only then did Tashigi recover from her shock. She hurriedly raised her hand in a proper military salute and said admiringly:

"Ensign Ivan, I have good news! The Devil Fruit you applied for has arrived, and headquarters has heard about your recent accomplishments. They intend to promote you!"

Ivan's eyes lit up at her words, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"Oh, it's finally here... In that case, it looks like it's time to visit the Conomi Islands."

Ivan pushed open the office door. No sooner had he stepped inside than a fruit covered in twisted patterns flew straight toward him.

He raised a hand and caught it securely, then heard Smoker's voice from behind the desk:

"This is the Devil Fruit headquarters approved for you. Unless I'm mistaken, it should be a Zoan.

"If you plan to give it to one of your men, make sure you pick someone who's good at Taijutsu.

"Zoan Devil Fruits can improve vitality and physique. Someone skilled in Taijutsu can make the most of one."

Gripping the Devil Fruit, Ivan fought down the urge to recharge with it and nodded.

"Yeah, I understand."

Smoker took a long drag on his cigar, and a rare smile suddenly touched his lips.

"Besides that, the merit you've accumulated from wiping out the Alvida Pirates and killing Pal, an officer of the Krieg Pirates, has long since met the requirement. You've been promoted as well.

"Starting today, I should be calling you Major Ivan."

Ivan did not care about the promotion.

In a world where strength reigned supreme, rank had always been nothing more than an adjunct to power.

As long as he possessed enough strength, the corresponding position would naturally come to him.

Just like Fujitora and Ryokugyu in the future: both attained the lofty rank of Admiral as soon as they joined the Marines, relying not on any illustrious military record, but on the Admiral-level strength they already possessed.

Ivan picked up the Devil Fruit and examined it curiously.

Unlike the Devil Fruit he had possessed before, this one was a banana covered in patterns.

It looked somewhat similar to the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Giraffe, but its skin was green rather than yellow.

Ivan had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, but this fruit was not recorded in it.

That was perfectly normal, though.

After all, there were many kinds of Devil Fruit, and the encyclopedia's records were incomplete to begin with. New varieties that had never been recorded often appeared in the world, and the one before him was most likely one of them.

Ivan put away the Devil Fruit and was about to take his leave of Smoker, but Smoker raised a hand to stop him.

Wisps of smoke rose from the cigar in Smoker's mouth. He pondered for a moment before asking:

"Ivan, are you planning to go out to sea and hunt pirates again?"

"That's right," Ivan answered promptly, without the slightest hesitation.

Smoker's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his tone grew more serious.

"But you should know that because you've repeatedly left the waters under Loguetown's jurisdiction without permission lately and gone onto other branches' turf to hunt pirates, plenty of people at headquarters and the other East Blue branches are already unhappy with you..."

Before Smoker could finish, Ivan raised a hand to interrupt him.

"Smoker, let them report me. I won't let that stop me."

He pushed open the office door, and a cold wind carrying the salty scent of Loguetown's sea swept in.

As he turned, a burning emotion surged in the young man's eyes, and he declared firmly:

"I won't abandon the justice in my heart. The justice I believe in is even more absolute and more fervent than Admiral Akainu's!"

Smoker watched Ivan stride away. His fingers paused slightly around his cigar, and he sighed.

He had always considered himself the least disciplined Marine, acting as he pleased and following his own heart.

But compared to Ivan, that was nothing.

At least he still obeyed his superiors' orders, while Ivan treated those orders as though they did not exist.

Burning justice...

Smoker gazed at the figure receding outside the window, his eyes dark.

I hope the kid can really keep walking this path to the end.

After saying goodbye to Smoker, Ivan headed straight for the warship at the harbor that had just finished being refitted.

The warship, converted from the Krieg Pirates' ship, was far larger than the original warship, and its interior was more comfortable too.

Ivan had spent the last of his Beli and military merit on fitting out the ship, but it had all been worth it.

He entered the captain's office and, without hesitation, ate the green-skinned banana.

The next moment, a system notification sounded.

[You have gained one draw!]