One Piece: Control Fruit

At 10 a.m., a naval warship was heading toward the Seventh Marine Branch, under the command of Rear Admiral Cassel. Although Cassel wasn't a Vice Admiral yet, his strength was comparable. His lack of promotion was mainly due to seniority, but within two years, he'd likely be appointed as one.

Cassel had already been waiting at the port for some time. Beside him stood Rono and Ivan, both standing at attention in proper military posture.

As the ship docked, the first person to disembark was a middle-aged man in a suit and sunglasses.

Cassel frowned.

Shouldn't it have been Vice Admiral Dalmatian?

This guy… not here for anything good.

Sure enough, the man in sunglasses only gave Cassel a passing glance, then began sizing up Rono and Ivan.

"Which one of you is Rono?"

"And you are?"

Cassel was displeased but still asked politely.

"World Government."

The man's tone was cold. He flashed a small identification booklet, then ignored Cassel completely.

At that moment, Vice Admiral Dalmatian walked off the ship as well, his face looking grim. He met Cassel's gaze and gave a small nod.

So it's true… the World Government's here to snatch talent again.

"I'm Rono. What do you want with me, old man?"

Rono raised his hand casually.

"…"

The man in sunglasses didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly lunged forward, launching a powerful attack at Rono.

"Hey! I don't even know you! All I did was call you 'old man'—isn't this a bit much?!"

Rono's hair stood on end. He didn't have time to dodge and could only cross his arms in front of his chest to block the punch. His feet dragged across the ground, leaving two long, three-meter scorch marks on the pavement.

"What are you doing?!"

Both Cassel and Dalmatian shouted in fury. The attack had come without warning, and they hadn't had time to intervene. Now, they stepped forward, ready to fight.

But the man in sunglasses stopped moving.

"Good reflexes and strength. You pass."

Still ignoring the two officers, he pulled a transfer order from inside his suit.

"Wolfe Rono, effective yesterday, you've been transferred to CP9. Any objections?"

The document bore the signature of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

"What?! The Fleet Admiral… how could he—"

Cassel was in disbelief.

Dalmatian raised a hand to silence him.

"I understand," he said evenly.

If not for the grim expression on his face, Cassel might've thought they were in on it together.

"Hey! Old man! I never agreed to this!"

Rono shouted and charged at him.

The man in sunglasses raised his right hand.

Tekkai (Iron Body)!

BANG! The recoil made Rono wince in pain.

"Tekkai, huh…" Rono thought.

But the man didn't care what Rono was thinking.

Shigan (Finger Pistol)—he struck directly, piercing Rono's heart.

"AAAH!"

Rono screamed in agony. His Berserker mode activated. He grabbed the man's arm with his right hand. A massive bone spike shot from his forehead, and he slammed his head forward.

CLANG!

"Haki!"

It felt like crashing into a diamond wall—sparks even flew from the impact!

"Hey! That's enough! Stop it right now!"

Cassel, now wielding Armament Haki on his right fist, slammed it toward the man's raised knee—but he was a step too late.

Rono felt like he'd been hit by a freight train going 200 km/h.

In the blink of an eye—too fast for normal eyes to follow—he was sent flying backward, smashing through two buildings before finally crashing to a halt.

Ivan stood frozen like a statue, completely stunned.

Cassel had already engaged the man in sunglasses. Their powerful hand-to-hand combat was tearing nearby structures apart.

But Dalmatian didn't move. He simply stood there, deep in thought.

In the blink of an eye, five minutes had passed. The entire base had been alarmed by the sounds of battle—many Marines thought they were under pirate attack. As they rushed out fully armed, Vice Admiral Dalmatian stopped them.

"Huff… huff…"

Cassel was gasping for breath, one hand on the ground, sweat dripping down his face. Across from him, the man in sunglasses was only slightly winded. Both of their uniforms were in tatters, hanging off their bodies like rags—but the sunglasses man's glasses had fallen to the ground during the fight.

The outcome was clear.

"Still want to keep fighting?"

The man asked coldly.

If Cassel insisted, he wouldn't hold back anymore.

"Damn it!"

Cassel was about to launch another attack when Dalmatian spoke up.

"That's enough! The kid's not even dead—you want to get yourself listed as a criminal by the World Government?"

The man in sunglasses took off his torn clothing and tossed it aside, revealing a torso covered in muscle and scars. He walked toward Rono, completely ignoring Cassel's furious glare.

He kicked away the rubble and pulled Rono up by the hair.

"Huh… this kid's regeneration ability is impressive."

Though unconscious, Rono's regenerative factor was diligently healing his wounds. Aside from his tattered clothes, you'd never guess he had just suffered life-threatening injuries.

The man nodded in satisfaction, slung Rono over his shoulder, and boarded the warship, taking a place on the deck.

"Regarding what just happened, I expect an explanation, Vice Admiral."

His subordinate stood at the ready nearby, holding fresh clothes for him.

"Take him to rest."

The man in sunglasses said this, then dumped Rono on the deck, grabbed the clothes, and went to his room to rest.

The adjutant picked up Rono by the arm and carried him to a room to lie down.

Cassel sat on the ground in defeat, silent. Dalmatian sat down next to him.

"I'll take this matter up with the Fleet Admiral myself. But prepare to be demoted. A soldier must obey orders—even when they're wrong."

"…"

Rear Admiral Cassel still said nothing, lost in thought.

Dalmatian patted him on the shoulder, then stood and boarded the warship.

"Hey, your recruit—aren't you coming?"

Ivan snapped out of his daze, realizing he was being addressed. He looked back at Cassel, who still didn't speak. Cassel's adjutant motioned for him to follow Dalmatian.

Ivan bowed deeply to Cassel, then boarded the ship.

"Larry… did I do the wrong thing?"

Cassel asked his adjutant after the ship had sailed away.

Looking at Cassel's confused expression, Larry straightened up.

"No, sir. You did the right thing. If it were me, I'd have done the same. You're a good officer—and a great Marine."

"…I see."

Late that night, Rono lay awake, unable to sleep.

Being completely outmatched and humiliated—it was too much to stomach.

"Host, there's no need to despair. Your opponent's strength far exceeds yours—he likely has admiral-level power. Based on analysis, he's probably from CP0."

"CP0, huh…" Rono was silent for a while.

"System, I want to get stronger. No matter what it takes."

"That bastard… one day, I'll beat the hell out of you."

"Host may now enter simulation training. The system will generate various opponents for you to battle."

"Then what are we waiting for? Start it!"

As he spoke, Rono lay down on the bed, motionless—his consciousness had already entered the simulation space.