"AAARRRGGGHHH—"
"AAAHHHHH—"
"Someone help me!!!"
The hysterical screams of pain and calls for help echoed loudly.
The sight of dozens of people being burned alive before their eyes terrified those with ill intentions.
Many had yet to take action, wanting to test the target's strength, so they let a few people advance as cannon fodder. As a result, these individuals were engulfed in flames that suddenly appeared on their bodies.
"That power... Mera Mera no Mi?! Damn it, I've been after that Devil Fruit for a long time, but someone else has already found it!"
"Me too, I've been searching for the Mera Mera no Mi on the black market for two years, but with no luck."
"Too bad, the Mera Mera no Mi has already been claimed by someone."
Pirates and bounty hunters looked enviously at the man in the black cloak.
The Mera Mera no Mi is a Logia-type Devil Fruit that grants the power to manipulate fire. Its previous user was Portgas D. Ace, known as Fire Fist Ace.
He was the Second Division Commander of the Shirohige Pirates. His strength was evident, with a bounty of 550 million belly.
Only during the Summit War did the world learn his other hidden identity: the son of Pirate King Gol D. Roger!
With Ace's death in the Summit War, the Mera Mera no Mi was set to reappear in the seas.
Logia-type Devil Fruits are always the most sought after due to their elemental abilities.
People flocked to find the Mera Mera no Mi. Unfortunately, after two years, no one had claimed to have found it.
Today, they saw a mysterious man manipulating fire to burn the hooligan who tried to rob him. The first thought in everyone's mind was the power of the Mera Mera no Mi!
'Only by showing great power can you deter those with ill intentions.'
Sensing the negative emotions around him, Eiji nodded in satisfaction.
He deliberately used Scarlet to create the misunderstanding that he was the user of the Mera Mera no Mi. This way, his identity as Kamiki Eiji remained hidden. After all, he had only used Blue and Red during the incident at Mary Geoise.
As long as he didn't show his face, no one would connect him to the infamous Kamiki Eiji.
The real Mera Mera no Mi had fallen into Doflamingo's hands, and no one knew this fact except the executives of the Donquixote Pirates.
Eiji doubted that Doflamingo would announce the possession of the Mera Mera no Mi, at least not yet.
"Hey, you."
"Y-Yes, how can I help you?"
The long-haired man Eiji pointed at showed a humble attitude, not at all reflecting his true nature as a pirate.
This is the average pirate's nature: they bully the weak but fear the strong.
"Do you know the location of Shakky's bar?"
"Shakky's bar? I know it. I've been there once, but the drink prices are outrageous—"
"Stop babbling, take me there."
"Understood! Please follow me."
The long-haired man didn't dare refuse. The two left under the gaze of many.
After that, news of a mysterious man with the power of the Mera Mera no Mi spread quickly. Not only on the Sabaody Archipelago, but also to major organizations like the Marines, the Revolutionary Army, underground organizations, pirates, and other factions.
Compared to Zoan and Paramecia, Logia types are few and rare. Each Logia-type Devil Fruit is highly regarded whenever someone eats one. Especially the Mera Mera no Mi, which had additional value because it was once consumed by the son of the Pirate King.
Eiji didn't know this; he underestimated the value of the Mera Mera no Mi. His casual act of manipulating fire triggered a widespread domino effect.
However, this world isn't short of fools who don't know fear until they face true despair.
In just a few minutes, Eiji was surrounded by hundreds of people again. This time they seemed stronger than the previous crowd.
"I heard you have the power of the Mera Mera no Mi, right? Join the Dark Wolf Pirates! By the way, my bounty is 320 million belly. I'm Captain Ryouga, one of the brightest Supernovas of this generation! Even Straw Hat Luffy had a lower bounty than mine when he arrived at Sabaody. There's no doubt the Marines consider me stronger than him!"
"With you joining my Dark Wolf Pirates, finding the One Piece and becoming the Pirate King won't just be a dream!"
The speaker was a 2.5-meter-tall man with unkempt blonde hair tied in a ponytail.
"Not interested. Get out of my way." Eiji replied emotionlessly.
"Oi Oi Oi, are you sure you want to refuse my invitation? I have a principle: if I can't have something, no one else can either."
Ryouga grinned cruelly, blatantly threatening.
The Dark Wolf Pirates crew chuckled.
"Get out."
"I see... So that's your answer, huh... You don't know what's good for you! Don't be arrogant just because you—"
Eiji didn't want to hear the other side's boasting any longer, he used his Haoshoku Haki, which spread in all directions.
*ZINGGG*
A terrifying momentum carrying invisible pressure descended upon the entire Dark Wolf Pirates crew. The next second, they lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
Remember, Eiji's beginner-level Haoshoku Haki could rival Kong's advanced-level Haoshoku Haki. This showed how strong his spiritual energy was.
The Dark Wolf Pirates crew mostly consisted of ordinary people who couldn't even use Haki, while only Ryouga was a Devil Fruit user.
Even so, Ryouga could barely stand and was forced to kneel on one knee. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he began to regret his actions and overestimating his own strength.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Scarlet."
A fireball the size of a ping pong ball condensed at the tip of his index finger. Eiji aimed it at Ryouga and shot it.
*SWISH*
Feeling the threat of death, Ryouga transformed into a five-meter-tall wolf with pitch-black fur.
"NO—!!!"
Even after the transformation, he couldn't withstand the fireball's temperature, equivalent to the sun's surface. He could only scream in horror for a few seconds before his body turned to ash.
After that, Eiji burned all the remaining Dark Wolf Pirates crew around him.
There was no need to show them mercy. They didn't seem like good pirates like Luffy and Shanks.
"Let's continue." Eiji said to the long-haired man beside him.
"Y-Yes..."
With trembling legs, the long-haired man was very careful not to anger the other party.
Even the infamous pirate with a bounty of 320 million belly was killed in the blink of an eye without much resistance. Compared to Ryouga, he was just small fry!