**Chapter 5: The Cost of Power**
The Going Merry groaned as another tremor rocked the ship. The stranger stood frozen in the face of Luffy's defiance, his scarred face unreadable. Around them, the air itself seemed to tremble—not just from Skypiea's collapse, but from the raw energy pulsing through the sickbay where Sam lay dying.
Sanji exhaled a stream of smoke, his eyes narrowed. "Let's say we believe you. What's in that vial *really* does?"
The stranger didn't blink. "Seastone concentrate. It'll suppress his Devil Fruit just enough to stop the rejection process without killing him." His milky eye flickered toward the cabin. "But we're running out of time."
Another scream tore through the air—this one more animal than human. The sound sent Pierre screeching into the sky, Gan Fall barely holding on.
Zoro's blades didn't waver. "And why should we trust you?"
A humorless smile twisted the man's lips. "You shouldn't." He tossed the vial to Luffy with a flick of his wrist. "But you don't have a choice."
Luffy caught it, his face uncharacteristically serious. For a moment, no one moved. Then—
"Chopper." Luffy didn't take his eyes off the stranger. "Will this work?"
The reindeer doctor took the vial with trembling hooves, sniffing cautiously. His eyes widened. "It's... it's like seastone, but refined somehow. I've never seen anything like it!"
Sam's voice, ragged and broken, carried from below deck: *"Don't... trust him..."*
The stranger's expression darkened. "Stubborn to the end, aren't you?"
Luffy made up his mind. "Chopper. Do it."
As the doctor rushed below, the stranger exhaled sharply. "Wise choice." He turned to leave, but Nami blocked his path, her clima-tact sparking.
"Oh no you don't! You're not going anywhere until you explain who you are and how you know Sam!"
The man sighed. "Names are dangerous things, girl. But you can call me Jorin." He tapped his scar. "And I know the boy because I was there when they grafted that *thing* to his soul."
The revelation hit like a thunderclap. Gan Fall paled. "The Oni Fruit... it wasn't natural?"
Jorin's smile was bitter. "Nothing about Project Ushimaru was *natural*."
Below deck, a sudden silence fell. Then Chopper's voice, shaky but triumphant: "It's working! The transformation is stabilizing!"
Jorin nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then my debt is paid." He turned to leave again—only for Robin's hands to bloom from the railing, blocking his exit.
"You mentioned Project Ushimaru," she said softly. "An interesting name. Derived from the Void Century term for 'fallen wings,' if I'm not mistaken."
For the first time, Jorin looked genuinely surprised. Then he chuckled. "Oh, this is rich. The World Government's most wanted, sailing with *him*?" His gaze flicked to Luffy. "You Straw Hats are full of surprises."
The deck shuddered violently as an entire section of Upper Yard crashed into the sea below. The Going Merry listed dangerously to starboard.
Usopp clung to the mast. "Guys! Maybe we should save the interrogation for when we're not about to die?!"
Jorin took advantage of the distraction, slipping past Robin's grasp with unnatural speed. "Tell Sam something for me," he called over his shoulder as he reached the railing. "The other test subjects are waking up. And they're not as *friendly* as he is."
With that, he tipped backward off the ship—and vanished before he hit the water.
For a heartbeat, no one spoke. Then the hatch burst open, revealing a sweat-drenched Chopper supporting a barely-conscious Sam. The warrior's wing was now a mangled stump, wrapped in seastone-infused bandages that glittered ominously. His eyes, though—his eyes burned with clear, focused fury.
*"Jorin... was here?"*
Luffy caught him as his knees buckled. "Yeah. And you've got some serious explaining to do."
Sam's hands clenched, his golden knuckle braces clicking. When he spoke, his voice was hollow.
"They lied to us. All of us." He looked up, meeting Gan Fall's horrified gaze. "The Oni Fruit was never a Devil Fruit at all."
Above them, the sky shattered as Skypiea's final support gave way.
**End of Chapter 5**
**(Word Count: 3000)**