"This… this kind of scene!"
A one-legged old man at the dock stared in shock at the ship that had just set sail—only to rise into the air. He had seen a sight like this many years ago.
That was when one of the legendary great pirates, the Golden Lion, led the Flying Pirates, a crew capable of ignoring the sea entirely and roaming freely through the skies.
Could it be that the Golden Lion had returned?
Of course not.
There was only a blind swordsman standing at the dock.
The Float-Float Fruit was indeed more adept at controlling objects in flight. However, the Press-Press Fruit had its own unique advantages.
Fujitora directly manipulated gravity itself. Within the range of his ability, everything could be influenced by gravity at will…
As for the size of that range—well, if he could pull meteors down from outer space, one could imagine just how vast it was.
The Float-Float Fruit required the user to physically touch an object before controlling it, and it could not directly manipulate organic life. Fujitora, on the other hand, could.
It could only be said that both Devil Fruits had their own strengths.
"Can't let you leave just like that."
With the ship suspended in midair, there was nowhere for them to escape.
Before long, Vane waved at Fujitora.
"That's enough."
The ship slowly descended back onto the sea. Fujitora manipulated gravity and stepped onto the deck.
"We have cleansed a dark transaction. It truly brings me some comfort."
Vane: "Too bad the Slave King was far too cunning."
Anyone who could sit at the top of the underground world was no ordinary figure. There was no way he would knowingly board a ship with such enormous risks and flee alongside it.
People like them always had more escape routes.
There were more than six hundred slaves aboard this ship—mostly teenagers and children, with a small number of adults. Vane released them all.
Without wasting words, he announced his name directly. In recent times, his reputation had spread across the world—especially among slaves.
Ever since becoming slaves, many of them had secretly wondered if one day the great savior of slaves, Vane, would descend from the heavens to rescue those whose futures had gone dark.
They never expected him to truly appear.
They were unbelievably fortunate—enslaved for barely two days before encountering such a miracle.
With a built-in aura of salvation and an image of radiant light descending from the sky, Vane didn't even need to give a speech. Most of them were already his devoted followers.
Saving himself the trouble of lengthy explanations, Vane selected several who knew how to sail and instructed them to steer the ship toward the Rocket Team's location.
Fujitora stood by the railing, the sea breeze brushing past him. His mood was improved—yet tinged with heaviness.
The slave trade simply could not be eradicated.
Vane, who could read minds, pretended they were on the same wavelength and spoke leisurely,
"The Slave King is ultimately just an agent. It's the World Government that turns a blind eye to the slave trade. The Celestial Dragons are directly involved in it."
"The Navy is the blade of the World Government. Their primary objective isn't suppressing pirates—it's eliminating those the World Government considers thorns in its side. Pirates are a major target, but not the only one."
And who were the others?
Naturally, the nations unwilling to submit to the World Government or unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute.
"Captain Vane wouldn't be telling me all this without another purpose, would he?"
Fujitora's Observation Haki was extraordinarily sharp. Even though Vane tried hard to suppress his emotions, he still detected something.
"So you saw through me, huh… Fine, I won't hide it. I want to invite you to join my crew. I can't promise everything—but when it comes to cracking down on the slave trade, my crew is absolutely at the forefront."
He had every right to say that.
He might not claim first place in sheer numbers throughout history—but charging into Mary Geoise to rescue slaves? He was in a league of his own.
Fujitora hesitated.
He knew Vane was doing what others dared not and would not do. But Vane's identity as a pirate made him deeply conflicted.
Fujitora despised anything that plunged civilians into suffering. Slavery was one such thing. Pirates were another.
He was the kind of man who would broadcast to the entire world through a Den Den Mushi, kneel as an Admiral alongside the Navy before the wronged King of Dressrosa and its people to apologize. That was the kind of man he was—one who hated evil to the core.
The Navy might not be perfect, but it had a foundation of reputation.
Vane had saved slaves, yes—but the name of pirates carried a terrible stigma.
"Fujitora-san must have some concerns in your heart. Afraid that the Rocket Team might secretly bully or slaughter civilians behind the scenes?"
"Hearsay is false; seeing is believing… Well—if you don't have anywhere pressing to be for now, you could travel with us for a while. Our next destination is an abandoned, uninhabited island. Those we previously rescued—and those willing to follow us this time—will all be settled there."
"I'll provide them shelter. I'll provide them work… Whether children or women, they'll live with dignity on my territory."
Fujitora, you must want to know how those who were rescued are living afterward, don't you?
"And I won't force you to act, nor demand that you join us. You can leave anytime… When we rescue slaves or strike down vicious pirates, you're welcome to lend a hand."
Vane wasn't insisting that Fujitora sincerely join him now.
As long as Fujitora stayed by his side and drew the attention of the World Government, that would be enough.
The World Government wouldn't care whether he had truly joined or not. If he stayed beside Vane and took action against the slave trade, a bounty would be inevitable.
Once that bounty went up, any future possibility of Fujitora joining the Navy would be cut off.
At present, Fujitora had no intention of joining the Navy. And the Navy, at this stage, had no plans for a world draft.
The global conscription was initiated to deal with the pirate chaos following Whitebeard's death. For now, they only trusted elites they had cultivated themselves.
If someone of lesser strength joined midway, perhaps it would be acceptable—they wouldn't rise too high anyway. But a powerhouse like Fujitora? If someone like him were to defect later, the consequences would be immense.
"If that's the case… then I will shamelessly remain aboard Captain Vane's ship for a time."
Fujitora was genuinely interested in Vane.
Only someone with foreknowledge like Vane would understand that this decision would alter the course of Fujitora's life entirely.
"With Fujitora's presence, our blow against the slave trade will be all the more devastating."
As a Marine, there were too many things one could not do.
But as a pirate, the constraints were far fewer—especially when it came to opposing the World Government.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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