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After his brief moment of excitement, John turned sharply to his subordinates.
"Go retrieve Ayr. Chain him up."
John wasn't trying to kill Ayr. He just wanted the Poneglyph Ayr had found.
Or rather—he didn't dare kill Ayr. If he did, Rocks would punish him severely.
"Yes, Captain!"
The pirates moved quickly, diving toward where Ayr had fallen—
—only to freeze mid-motion.
Because Ayr was already surfacing, calmly swimming toward a floating piece of the deck.
"H-How?!"
"What?! That's impossible!!!"
"Devil Fruit users lose all their strength in the sea! Why is he still moving?!"
They stared in horror. It was common knowledge: Devil Fruit users sank like stones.
Yet here was Ayr—completely unfazed.
"What kind of freakish body does he have?!"
Ayr stepped onto the floating wood, his breathing steady. The crew couldn't believe their eyes.
Ayr's legendary feats were already beyond reason:
He joined the Rocks Pirates and quickly rose to a top officer.
He outpaced veterans like John, Silver Axe, and Ochoku.
On Hachinosu, he fought two Marine powerhouses at once.
He even killed a Marine Admiral.
And now—he had survived falling into the sea, despite having a Devil Fruit.
Ayr was utterly beyond normal. Even among the monsters in Rocks' crew—Ayr was different.
John's eyes narrowed. This—this was bad.
His entire plan had hinged on forcing Ayr into the sea.
But if the sea didn't affect him, then John had no options left.
Fighting further was pointless.
But surrendering meant losing a billion Berries and three Devil Fruits.
Ayr shook off seawater and sighed, rolling his shoulders.
"So, John—do you still want to fight?"
John's fists clenched. He wanted to. But the difference in their strength was undeniable.
Worse—he was already wounded from earlier. His breathing was ragged. His arms burned.
And worst of all? He knew Ayr wasn't even using full strength.
Ayr's eyes gleamed. "If you continue, I can promise you one thing."
John tensed. "What?"
Ayr smirked. "I won't kill you."
John gritted his teeth. That wasn't comforting.
Because Ayr didn't say he wouldn't cripple him.
John knew the Rocks Pirates' rules.
Main officers couldn't kill each other.
But there was a loophole.
Ayr couldn't kill him—but he could leave him maimed.
"Damn it..." John muttered. His chances were zero.
Reluctantly, he turned to his crew.
"Give him everything on the ship."
"C-Captain?!"
They stared at him in shock.
"That's a billion Berries! Three Devil Fruits! We worked so hard for these!"
"Are we just going to give them away?!"
Their frustration was understandable. That kind of loot meant luxury for life.
But John didn't waver.
"I said… HAND IT OVER."
The moment the words left his mouth—
SHING!!!
A flash of silver—
—a spray of blood—
—and the two protesting crewmates were sliced in half.
Their bodies thudded onto the deck, lifeless.
The rest of the crew froze in horror.
John turned cold eyes toward them.
"Anyone else want to question my orders?"
Silence.
Then—movement. The rest of the pirates hurried to gather the treasure and hand it over to Ayr.
Ayr chuckled. "Thanks, John."
He inspected the Devil Fruits.
With these three, plus the two he already had, that made five total.
More than enough.
Now, he could finally unlock the Chakra power of the Three-Tails.
John's hands trembled with frustration. His entire fortune—gone. But there was nothing he could do.
Ayr stored the Devil Fruits and began walking toward his ship.
John's vessel was wrecked, but Ayr's was still functional.
Just as he prepared to leave—
"Oi, Ayr!!"
John's shout made him pause.
Ayr turned, raising an eyebrow. "What now?"
John hesitated.
"You're just gonna leave us here?!"
The sea around them was crawling with Sea Kings.
This area was so dangerous that even veteran pirates avoided it.
Without a working ship, John's crew would be trapped—or eaten.
John wasn't asking for pity. He was asking for a deal.
Ayr grinned. "You want a ride, John?"
John scowled. "Tch… What's the price?"
Ayr leaned forward, still smirking.
"500 million Berries."
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