One Piece: Rinnegan Is My Golden Finger.

Casually eliminating a pirate crew lost in their daydreams, Chiga scanned his surroundings.

Pirates like the Black Bear Pirates, who sought to enter the Grand Line, usually had to pass through Reverse Mountain—unless they possessed unique methods to navigate the Calm Belt. The sea where Chiga currently stood wasn't far from Reverse Mountain.

The strength of pirates arriving here varied greatly. A few powerful ones retained some semblance of morality and refrained from attacking civilians. However, most of the weaker ones preyed on the helpless, committing atrocities to survive.

After all, pirates didn't engage in production. Without strength or restraint, plundering civilians was the most direct way for them to live.

The truth was, the threshold to enter the Grand Line was still far too low.

Chiga lowered his head, deep in thought. Since he was already here, he figured he might as well do something worthwhile. After all, he was now a Marine—an Uchiha who had joined the ranks of justice.

Every strong Uchiha seemed to share one trait: the desire to create a peaceful and beautiful world.

Chiga didn't have such a lofty obsession, but he could still act within his means.

As that thought settled in his mind, the six tomoe in Chiga's right eye began to vibrate violently, and a terrifying dōryoku surged forth. In his left eye, a single tomoe spun rapidly, its color shifting to a deep purple, crackling with electric light.

Goro Goro no Mi · Awakening!

This was the power Chiga gained when his left eye first awakened: the ability to forcefully catalyze the Devil Fruit he had absorbed, pushing it directly into its awakened state using his existing dōryoku.

And it wasn't just an ordinary awakening. Because it was catalyzed through the Rinnegan's dōryoku, it bore a trace of Six Paths Power—imbued with Chiga's own will.

Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia fruits all had different awakened forms. Logia awakenings, in particular, brought about devastating natural disasters and immense destructive power.

The azure lightning that burst from Chiga had now deepened into a rich, violent purple, and the sea around him trembled under its aura of annihilation.

The patterns and tomoe in Chiga's Rinnegan vanished, replaced by two radiant bolts of purple lightning crackling in his eyes.

Over thousands of miles of sea, not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate the storm. The sky was swallowed by black clouds laced with arcs of purple lightning.

A hundred-meter Sea King breached the surface, curiously surveying the weather—only for a bolt of purple lightning to crash down from above, instantly reducing it to ashes.

This was no ordinary lightning. It had far surpassed anything Enel could produce. Without extraordinary defenses or a monstrous physique, anyone struck by it would be instantly incinerated.

The sea within a thousand nautical miles had transformed into a realm of purple lightning. This was a Logia Awakening: complete environmental domination.

And because the thunderclouds were infused with Chiga's will, they only attacked pirates. Unless Chiga altered them, Marines and merchant ships would pass through safely.

Soon after the storm formed, rumbling booms echoed across the sea—likely from unfortunate pirate crews still sailing within range.

Each crash of thunder marked another group erased from the world.

As Chiga gazed at the dark, roiling sky, the purple lightning in his eyes gradually dimmed, revealing the original Rinnegan beneath. Tiny arcs of electricity still flickered on the surface.

This purple lightning domain was the perfect greeting for any pirate trying to enter the Grand Line. If they couldn't survive this, they had no business dreaming of the sea's most dangerous waters.

Better to shatter those fantasies early.

After one last glance, Chiga smiled faintly. His body dissolved into lightning and vanished into the air.

---

Marine Headquarters, Marineford

Inside the conference room, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and a group of high-ranking officers sat around a large table. Nearly every top Marine was present. Tsuru stood behind Gion, and most Vice Admirals were accounted for. Among the three Admirals, only Kizaru was missing.

As for Kizaru—who usually found any excuse to slack off—he had recently been stuck helping Vegapunk with a new batch of experimental weapons and couldn't leave the lab.

Aokiji and Akainu sat across from one another, arms crossed, neither acknowledging the other. Akainu's hat brim shadowed his eyes, making his expression unreadable. Aokiji looked like he was asleep.

The room was quiet until Garp barged in, carrying a massive bag of senbei.

To him, Sengoku's meetings were long-winded and unbearable without snacks.

Sengoku's forehead twitched. Garp was the last to arrive—again. Did he think everyone else was here just to wait for him?

Suppressing his frustration, Sengoku reminded himself this meeting was for good news. He wouldn't let someone like Garp ruin the mood.

He cleared his throat and called the meeting to order.

All eyes turned to him as he pulled out a newspaper and tossed it onto the table. The front page was dominated by bold, black headlines and a single striking photo.

"Vice Admiral Chiga Creates Another Miracle—Golden Lion Defeated on the Spot!"

Beneath the headline was a photo of Chiga gripping Golden Lion's neck. His expression was calm and detached, while Golden Lion's head hung at an unnatural angle—clearly broken.

The media in the pirate world was nothing short of miraculous. Last time, they'd somehow captured a photo of Chiga with Silvers Rayleigh. Their reach was terrifying.

Upon seeing the photo and headline, the room fell silent. Eyes widened. Chiga—again? And this time, he'd taken down Golden Lion?

Tsuru, Garp, Gion, and others who had witnessed the Sea Swallow Island incident remained composed. They had already seen Chiga's power. While defeating a weakened Golden Lion was still shocking.

Still, it was no small feat. Golden Lion was a legendary pirate from the same era as Roger. For someone like him to fall to Chiga was astounding, no matter the condition he was in.

Gion rested her hand on the hilt of Konpira. She needed to grow stronger—she didn't want to become a burden in Chiga's future battles.

Sengoku surveyed the room and nodded inwardly. This was the reaction he'd hoped for. Killing Golden Lion was a monumental achievement. Short of slaying one of the Four Emperors, few deeds could rival its impact.

The timing was right. The next phase of his plan could begin.

Placing both hands on the table, Sengoku made the formal announcement:

"After this battle, I believe there's no longer any doubt about Vice Admiral Chiga's strength. Taking into account his past merits, I have decided to designate him as an Admiral Candidate."

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