One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

The moment before Meiser's West Flame Fist struck Blueno, his eyes were filled with confidence.

For a practitioner of the Six Powers, the special defensive technique Iron Body was incredibly resilient—let alone its advanced form, Iron Body: Steel.

He could even withstand cannon fire with this technique!!

But the instant Meiser's fist connected, Blueno realized he was wrong—dead wrong.

The opponent's punch was far too heavy, so heavy that Blueno felt an illusion—as if it wasn't a fist that had struck him, but an entire mountain crashing down on him!!!

"BAM!!"

"Ugh..."

Blueno's nerves rapidly registered this indescribable pain, so intense that his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Yet he knew—if his Iron Body state broke now, he would die without question!!

Under the overwhelming force, Blueno was sent sliding backward, tearing through the hallway until he was violently flung out of the building, only stopping just outside the main entrance.

Gasping for breath, his body trembling, Blueno sneered, "Hah... th-that's... all you—"

But before he could finish, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to his knees before face-planting into unconsciousness.

"All that's left is a stubborn mouth," Meiser remarked. "If I hadn't held back, you wouldn't have survived even one punch."

Iron Body? Please. Even if it were real steel, he could shatter it—let alone this knockoff version.

"You held back?!" Nico Robin asked in surprise.

"Yeah. This guy's Devil Fruit ability is pretty unique—might come in handy," Meiser nodded.

A Space-Type Devil Fruit ability, if used properly, could yield unexpected advantages.

"You're planning to use his ability to secure an escape route?"

"That's the idea."

"That probably won't work," Nico Robin shook her head. "A Devil Fruit user's ability depends on stamina. I doubt he has enough to get us back to the City of Seven Waters."

"Not to mention..."

She glanced at the unconscious Blueno with a complicated expression. "He's practically beaten half to death. Even if we wake him up... how much stamina could he possibly have left?"

She even doubted whether his ability could last long enough to get them off the island—what if it failed mid-journey, dropping them all into the sea?

Then they'd truly be trapped—no way up, no way out.

"Then he's just useless," Meiser scoffed.

Nico Robin: "..."

Did Meiser have some kind of misunderstanding about Devil Fruit users?

At the end of the day, Devil Fruit users were just people with special abilities. If the person themselves was weak, then so was their power.

"Doesn't matter. Even if he can't take us back to the City of Seven Waters, he's still got some use."

"Like what?"

"Like after Zoro and the others finish their fights, you can use this guy to get outside," Meiser pointed toward the Gates of Justice. "Then you can see for yourselves how I stop the Buster Call."

"At the same time... if a Navy Vice Admiral targets you, you can use this guy to temporarily avoid danger."

There was one more thing Meiser didn't mention—the issue of Marine Admirals!

If that guy were to appear, Meiser would have to consider the safety of his comrades, and this Space-Type Devil Fruit ability user would be very useful.

"Hmm, not a bad idea. But how do you make him obey?" Nico Robin asked. "Aren't you afraid he might suddenly send us onto a warship?"

"Guess why that idiot CP9 commander pressed the button on the Golden Den Den Mushi?"

Nico Robin froze for a moment before responding in disbelief, "You did it?"

If that were the case, it made sense. Otherwise, no matter how foolish that guy was, he wouldn't have initiated a Buster Call to destroy their own territory.

Enies Lobby, which had stood for 800 years, was the face of the World Government!

"Correct."

Meiser revealed his Sharingan and pointed at his eyes. "I controlled him with an Illusion Technique, and now I'll do the same."

As for the man's injuries, they could be easily fixed with a simple Medical Ninja Technique later—just enough to keep him alive.

"Such beautiful eyes..."

"Beautiful?"

Robin's words made Meiser pause before he chuckled. "You're the first to say that."

"You know, to many people, these eyes symbolize misfortune."

The Sharingan—a bloodline that required immense mental trauma to awaken and advance. Practically everyone who reached the Three Tomoe stage had some mental issues.

The only reason he hadn't faced discrimination was that no one knew he had awakened the Sharingan. Otherwise, who knew if that bastard Danzo would come after him?

Of course, the main reason was that no living soul knew he was of mixed heritage. Even Meiser himself hadn't known before awakening the Sharingan.

"How could that be?" Nico Robin smiled. "These eyes are clearly so beautiful. How could they symbolize misfortune?"

"It seems the people you met before had no taste."

Her words made Meiser's smile widen.

"Seems we both have good taste."

"Naturally."

"Well... then I'll show you something even more beautiful later."

Nico Robin blinked before laughing. "Alright, I'll look forward to it."

Though she didn't know what Meiser meant, she was happy to anticipate it.

"Let's go. First, we need to get the keys from that guy." Meiser said. "If they happen to unlock your Sea-stone Handcuffs, you won't have to suffer anymore."

"Mm."

Nico Robin followed behind Meiser with a cheerful smile, feeling an overwhelming sense of security.

As they passed through the central hall, they spotted something vaguely human-shaped, making Meiser stop. "What... is that thing?"

Why did that unidentified object leaning against the wall seem so familiar?

"It does look familiar," Nico Robin remarked.

"Cough... is that... Meiser and Robin?" Sanji struggled to speak.

Clearly, due to the Devil Fruit Ability effects and injuries, Sanji wasn't doing well at the moment.

"That unidentified object is making Sanji's voice," Meiser remarked.

However, judging by the smile on his face, he had clearly recognized who it was.

"Bastard, I am Sanji!"

Suddenly finding strength, Sanji lifted his head and said, "You jerk... You're clearly laughing yet pretending not to know who I am."

"Not only that, but you've got a beauty by your side too. Damn, you're one lucky bastard!"

Meiser: "..."

So that's the real issue here, huh?

Even after getting beaten up like this, Sanji remains as abstract as ever.

Shaking his head helplessly, Meiser asked, "What happened to you?"

"Nothing much. Just lost a fight, that's all."

"Lost a fight..."

Meiser frowned. Sanji wasn't weak—even if he couldn't win, he shouldn't have been defeated so quickly.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

"Was your opponent that woman with glasses?" Meiser asked.

He recalled Sanji's so-called chivalry—like back in Alabasta when Mr. 2 transformed into Nami's appearance, and Sanji couldn't bring himself to fight.

Sanji didn't answer, silently lowering his head again.

"Guess that's a yes," Meiser said, glancing upward. "You really met your match this time."

But Meiser didn't press further. After all, this was Sanji's personal code, and he had no right to criticize.

"What kind of Devil Fruit Ability is this?" Nico Robin examined Sanji curiously. "His whole body looks... polished, like it's been buffed to a shine."

"Any ideas on how to fix it?"

"Honestly, without knowing the specifics of the Devil Fruit Ability, it's hard to pinpoint a weakness," Robin mused. "But we could try throwing him into the sea."

The sea was the bane of all Devil Fruit users—perhaps that would solve the problem.

"Let's give it a shot."

Without wasting words, Meiser grabbed Sanji by the leg and dragged him outside, tossing him into the ocean without caring whether he liked it or not. Meanwhile, Blueno lay unconscious nearby.

After dusting off his hands, Meiser looked up toward the distant Gates of Justice.

The colossal Gates of Justice were slowly beginning to open!