One Piece: My code name is Green Bull

"Well, you sure know how to run. I had to chase you for several laps before catching up."

Suddenly, a voice rang out. The fleeing group came to an abrupt halt, staring in shock at the man in front of them. He was wearing a Navy uniform and coat and had appeared out of nowhere.

"The Navy?"

Seeing a Navy officer blocking their path, everyone felt a wave of fear—even though he looked young.

The young man leading the group had a drastic change in expression and asked,

"I don't know why you've stopped us, sir."

"Why I'm stopping you? You should know that better than anyone. Don't think you can talk your way out of this. Your comrade has already been captured. Denying it won't help you."

Jon's eyes swept over the group—it was indeed twenty-one people.

When they heard that Vagel had likely been captured, many of them showed expressions of panic. The young man at the front, however, refuted Jon again:

"We really don't know what you're talking about, sir. Apologies, but we need to leave. Please step aside."

"How stubborn."

Jon sighed softly. These people wouldn't believe him until they saw the truth for themselves. Words weren't going to work.

"Since you won't cooperate, I have no choice but to use force."

As soon as Jon finished speaking, the young man roared:

"Move! Attack!"

The group, who had been preparing for this moment, sprang into action instantly. Several young men, including the one who shouted, charged at Jon like wild beasts.

Seeing the group of men rushing at him, Jon grinned.

"Finally running out of patience?"

"Snap."

Jon snapped his fingers.

Without making any visible movements, the surrounding tree branches extended like vines, rapidly wrapping around the charging men.

The branches coiled around them layer by layer, leaving no chance for them to escape. With their support gone, they all fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

"You'd better not move, or you'll end up just like them."

After binding the men, Jon noticed the others shifting uneasily and immediately warned them.

As he spoke, the branches and twigs of the surrounding trees twisted and lengthened, writhing like tendrils, ready to strike at any moment.

The group, who had been about to attempt a rescue, froze at the sight of the writhing branches, fear halting their movements.

"You Navy people are too much! All we want is to uncover the lost history—why are you targeting us like this?"

The young man who had been bound shouted angrily at Jon.

Jon's expression remained calm.

"Yelling at me won't help. I'm just following orders. Searching for history isn't wrong, but your mistake was touching something forbidden. And the ones coming after you aren't just the Navy—you know that, don't you?"

Perhaps it was because Jon didn't seem as cruel as the others, but the man's eyes flickered for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"Sir... I can tell you're not a bad person. We're just archaeologists searching for history. We're innocent. Please... pretend you didn't see us. Let us go, okay?"

"Sigh."

Jon sighed inwardly. He knew these people weren't bad—they were scholars with noble goals and dreams. But they had touched the World Government's forbidden truths.

He sympathized with these scholars but never considered letting them go. He was a soldier, and following orders was his duty.

Their capture had been ordered by the Five Elders, the highest authority in the World Government. If Jon let them go and was found out, he'd have to take responsibility. Even with Vice Admiral Tsuru supporting him, the consequences would be severe.

He remembered an incident in the anime where a giant vice admiral had released some historians and even tried to save O'Hara. In the end, that vice admiral had been killed and erased from history.

If even a vice admiral couldn't escape the consequences of breaking such a taboo, how could Jon, a mere ensign, hope to survive?

"I can't let you go. I don't have that kind of power or authority."

Realizing Jon wasn't going to release them, the young man finally snapped.

"Run! Everyone, run!"

After shouting, he suddenly burst forth with strength, snapping the branches that bound him and charging straight at Jon.

"Too naïve."

Though the man was strong, it was clear that he couldn't cause any real trouble for Jon.

"Shave!"

Jon had already mastered the Six Powers. Using "Shave," he vanished and reappeared behind the man in an instant, striking him down with a single blow.

Looking ahead, he saw the remaining people scattering in all directions.

"Anywhere there are trees is my domain. None of you can escape."

The branches of the surrounding trees sprang to life simultaneously. Within seconds, all the fleeing scholars were caught, bound tightly, and suspended mid-air. The dense vines pointed toward them like spears, making it impossible for them to move or resist.

"Does this make me some kind of tree spirit monster?"

Jon chuckled self-deprecatingly. His abilities did indeed make him look like a forest demon.

After more than a year of research and development, Jon had gained a thorough understanding of his power. He didn't know exactly what kind of Devil Fruit he had eaten, but it was undoubtedly powerful.

Not only could he control the growth of plants, but he could also command them to attack. Any type of plant, as long as it was within range, was under his control—whether it was flowers, grass, trees, or even succulents.

He could even control aquatic plants like seaweed, as long as they were close enough.

Moreover, Jon could transform parts of his body into plants. In fact, after consuming the fruit, his body itself had become a type of plant. He could grow branches, flowers, and trees from himself and use them for both offense and defense.

Absorbing the energy of plants was also one of his abilities, though maximizing this ability required the use of Observation Haki. The stronger the plant, the more Haki was needed to communicate with it—otherwise, the energy absorption would be minimal.

Controlling tree branches for combat was effortless for Jon.

The captured scholars struggled fiercely, shouting curses, but no matter what they did, Jon didn't let them down.

"You'll stay here and wait. My men will be here soon, and you'll be handed over to CP9."

Jon had no problem capturing them, but he didn't want to kill these idealistic scholars himself. Once they were handed over to CP9, their fate was out of his hands.

"No! Please!"

The young man who had been knocked down spoke again. He forced himself to lift his head and pleaded with Jon.

"Let them go. Please, just let them go. You can arrest me, but let them go—they're innocent. If you hand them over to the World Government, they'll all die."

"Maybe... but what does that have to do with me? Don't blame me for being selfish—this is just the way the world works."

Jon showed no mercy and didn't waver. He wouldn't risk his future to save these people. If he ever faced the same situation, he wouldn't expect anyone to spare him either.

"Hmm, my men should be arriving soon."

The Navy soldiers conducting the search were already headed in Jon's direction and would arrive soon.

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