On the evening of that day, Pablo sat with Marco in his room on the upper floor of the headquarters.
He closed the door. They sat face to face.
Marco knew that Pablo wanted to say sothing important. His face was more serious than usual.
"Marco, I have sothing to tell you. Sothing no one else knows. And now, you will know it."
Marco nodded. He did not ask. He just waited.
"Have you ever heard of Devil Fruits?"
Marco thought. "I heard so stories when I was young. Sailors' legends. But I never believed them."
"They are not legends." Pablo said. "They are real. And they exist in this world."
He began to explain.
"Devil Fruits are of three types. Paracia – gives the user a special ability that changes their body or grants them a unique property. Zoan – allows the user to transform into a specific animal and gain its strength. Logia – allows the user to transform into a natural elent such as fire, ice, or lightning, and control and produce it."
Marco listened with a focus Pablo had never seen before.
"But there is a price. Whoever eats a Devil Fruit is cursed by the sea. They cannot swim. They lose all their strength in water. And they beco weak against Kairoseki, the sea-prism stone."
Pablo paused for a mont.
"Why are you telling this?"
"Because I ate one."
Marco was silent. He did not speak for a few seconds.
"What?"
"Yesterday, in the reception section, among a shipnt of fruit, I found a strange fruit. Swirling patterns. Yellow in color. I knew what it was. I ate it."
Marco was astonished. But he did not doubt. Pablo had never lied to him.
"What can you do?"
Pablo stood up. He extended his hand toward the window.
"Watch."
Outside, clouds began to gather directly above the headquarters. Light. But they were visible.
Marco looked at the sky. Then at Pablo. Then at the sky again.
"You... you are doing this?"
"I control the weather. A little. Not much. In the beginning."
Marco stood up. He went to the window. He raised his hand trying to touch the clouds even though they were far away.
"This... this is insane."
"I know. And that is why this must remain a secret. No one knows. Only you."
Marco stepped back from the window. He sat down again. He was thinking.
Then he said in a low voice: "I wish I had one too."
Pablo looked at him. He did not laugh. He did not say it was childish.
He said seriously: "I will bring you one soday."
Marco raised his eyes. He looked at Pablo.
"Do you promise ?"
"I have never lied to you."
Marco smiled. "I know."
---
In the days that followed, Pablo began to understand his ability more.
Every day, he would go to a secluded place behind the headquarters, far from everyone's eyes, and try to control the weather.
He tried to form clouds. He succeeded. But he felt tired after minutes.
He tried to make rain fall. He succeeded. But he almost fainted afterward.
He tried to create wind. He succeeded. But he felt his muscles trembling.
Then he began to understand.
Physical strength is the key.
To control a Devil Fruit with this kind of power, you need a strong body. The stronger the body, the longer and more powerfully one can control the ability.
That was why he was collapsing quickly. Not because his ability was weak. But because his body was not ready for it yet.
Pablo decided sothing.
He would continue training his Devil Fruit ability, but he would focus more on strengthening his body.
Every morning: running, jumping, push-ups, sit-ups, weightlifting.
Every evening: training his Devil Fruit ability until he collapsed.
And in between all this, he managed the factory and the gang through ssages with Ido and Marco.
He no longer appeared at the factory much. He no longer needed to. He had sothing more important.
Himself.
---
After a week of intensive training, Pablo summoned Marco to his room.
Marco entered. He sat down. He knew that Pablo had a new order.
"The Southeastern Port area. Do you know it?"
"I know it. It's almost deserted. So old warehouses. Broken fishing boats. And a few fishern."
"And so drug dealers."
Marco was silent. "Yes. I've heard of them. A small group. They sell to sailors and the weak."
"They are not a small group. They are part of the Red Vultures gang."
Marco knew the na from Surin. A small but violent gang. They controlled a few streets in the eastern port.
"What do you want us to do with them?"
"The area they control in the Southeastern Port... I want it."
"You want us to take it from them."
"No. I want it empty of them. Completely."
Marco understood. He did not want a war for control. He wanted a purge.
"How many are they?"
"Five or six. Small-ti dealers. Not professional fighters. But they know how to use knives."
"I will send Arthur and Reynold with four of our n. They will finish them in one night."
"Leave no one. And leave no trace."
Marco looked at Pablo. He did not hesitate.
"The matter will be settled."
---
That night, Arthur and Reynold went with four of the gang's n to the Southeastern Port.
The place was dark. No lights. No one.
They found the six dealers in a small warehouse. They were preparing their goods to sell in the morning.
Arthur opened the door quietly. He entered with his n.
They did not talk much. They did not ask questions.
The six n did not expect the attack. They had no ti to react.
Four minutes. And it was all over.
The bodies remained in the warehouse. Arthur ordered the fire to be set.
The fire spread quickly. It consud the wood and the bodies together.
When the firefighters arrived in the morning, they found only ashes.
No witnesses. No evidence. Nothing.
---
The next morning, Pablo was far away from all of this.
He did not go to the factory. He did not go to the headquarters.
He went to a secluded place in the forest of Naraka, where no one could see him.
He stood in an open space between the trees.
He began to train.
Running between the trees. Jumping over logs. Climbing rocks.
An hour. Then two hours. Then three.
His body ached. But he did not stop.
At noon, he sat under a large tree. He took out his food from his bag. Dried at, bread, water.
at and proteins well-preserved in the bag.
In the evening, he trained his ability.
He ford a large cloud above his head. He maintained it for a minute. Then five minutes. Then ten.
His body began to tremble. But he did not stop.
He stopped the cloud. He breathed. He rested.
Then he tried again.
This was how every day went.
Far from the factory. Far from the gang's conflicts. Far from everyone.
Only him. His body. And his ability.
He did not know how long it would take him to beco strong enough.
But he knew one thing.
He would never stop.
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