Pablo had just finished his luxurious bath in the Sorbit Palace.
The water was still streaming from his well-proportioned body. Steam rose from the large white marble tub. The scent of aromatic soap filled the room. Candles lit the stone walls with a warm glow.
He stood up. Walked towards the large mirror made of polished silver.
He looked at himself.
He saw him.
A young man of sixteen years. His height was one ter and ninety-eight centiters. His body was no longer as it was two years ago. His shoulders were broad, his chest muscles clearly defined, and beneath his flat stomach were harmonious muscle lines. His arms were full, and his leg muscles were strong like stone pillars. His face had also changed. His features beca sharper, his jaw stronger, and his dark eyes deeper and calr.
He was handso. There was no denying that.
He looked down. His penis was large, proportionate to the size of his strong body. He wasn't ashad of that. It was a fact.
He raised his eyes again to the mirror.
He rembered himself two years ago. A skinny, frightened, lost fourteen-year-old child, who owned nothing. He slept in a room between the trees in Verona, ate dried fish.
Now, everything had changed.
He had beco strong. Not just with his body. With his abilities. With the Devil Fruit he had mastered after months of training. With his intelligence. With his plans.
And he was no longer alone.
He had strong companions. Marco, with fists that smash everything. Shigo, with his deadly sword. Kuma, with his supernatural ability.
He put on his clothes. Tight black trousers, a clean white shirt, and a light black jacket.
He left the bathroom.
---
After finishing his bath, Pablo gathered his companions in the great hall of the palace.
A wide hall, its walls covered with red silk curtains, and its floor of polished white marble. A huge wooden table in the center, leather chairs around it. On the wall, a map of the South Blue was hung.
Those present were:
Marco, sitting on a large chair suitable for his size. His muscular arms were stretched out on the table. His sharp eyes were waiting.
Shigo, sitting quietly, his stony face expressing nothing. His long sword was leaning on his shoulder.
Kuma, sitting on a special chair designed for his massive size. His gigantic body filled the place. His large hands rested on the table. His sunken eyes were looking at Pablo.
Darin, standing near the door. He was wearing an elegant suit, and his face expressed readiness.
Jinny, sitting next to Pablo. She was wearing a tight black blouse highlighting her full breasts, and a long black skirt. Her pink hair was flowing over her shoulders. Her amber eyes were fixed on Pablo.
All of them were there. Except Arthur in Naraka, and Ido in the Last Port Island.
Pablo sat at the head of the table. He looked at their faces one by one.
"I am leaving."
He paused for a mont. Then continued:
"To the sea. To the Grand Line."
Marco froze. His expression changed. "What?"
Jinny placed her hands on the table. Her eyes widened slightly. "Pablo..."
Darin stopped standing. He swallowed his saliva.
Kuma was silent. But his sunken eyes narrowed slightly.
Shigo didn't move. But his hand tightened on his sword.
"Why?" asked Marco with a rough voice. "Why go there?"
Pablo looked at him. He knew Marco would ask this question.
"There are things I cannot learn here."
"Like what?"
"Haki."
The hall fell silent. Everyone looked at each other. No one understood what he ant.
Kuma raised his head. "Haki? I have never heard this term before."
"And you wouldn't have heard it," said Pablo. "It is not sothing ordinary people talk about. It is a hidden power that all famous fighters in the world possess."
Pablo explained briefly:
"Haki has three types. The first allows you to sense the presence of others and predict their attacks. The second allows you to coat your body or weapon with a hidden power, increasing the strength of your attacks and allowing you to harm Devil Fruit users. The third... is the rarest and strongest. It allows you to crush the will of your opponents."
Everyone fell silent. They were trying to absorb what he said.
"And how do you learn this power?" asked Jinny.
"I don't know. That is what I will find out in the Grand Line."
"And I also want to learn swordsmanship," he added. "Swords. The strongest fighters in this world are swordsn. I must beco one of them."
He looked at them all.
"There is no one here who can teach these things. That is why I must go."
Marco stood up. "I will go with you."
Pablo raised his hand. "No."
"Why?!"
"Because the region needs soone to manage it in my absence. You are my strongest fighter here. If anything happens, you are the one who will protect everyone."
Marco fell silent. He was angry, but he knew Pablo was right.
Darin also stood up. "Then let go with you. I am not needed here as much as you need to organize the n?"
Pablo looked at him. "The region needs soone to train the new n. You are the only one capable of doing that. You cannot co."
Darin sighed. He sat down again.
Jinny didn't say anything. She was looking at Pablo with eyes that didn't hide what she felt.
---
Pablo began giving orders.
"Marco."
Marco turned to him. He was still angry, but he was listening.
"Your strength is imnse. You have potential that most people don't have. But you haven't reached it yet."
"I will raise it."
"Don't just raise it. Train yourself every day. Look for strong opponents. Test your limits. When I return, I want to see you ten tis stronger than you are now."
Marco smiled a cold smile.
"Okay. I will."
---
"Jinny."
She looked at him. Her eyes were still burning.
"Your task is the most important. I want a spy network stretching across the entire South Blue."
She raised an eyebrow. "The entire South Blue?"
"Every corner. Every island. Every port. Every sea route. I want to know everything that happens in this sea before it happens."
"That is a huge task."
"That is why I am entrusting it to you."
He paused for a mont. Then added:
"The newspaper 'Coral Voice' will be at your disposal. It will not publish anything before you see it first. You will control what people know about us and about our enemies."
"I will not disappoint you."
"I know."
---
"Darin."
Darin stepped forward.
"I want to train more n. Not just for fighting. For loyalty. I want a culture of belonging to the family in their hearts. I want them to know that the na 'Pablo' ans sothing. It ans power. It ans protection. It ans family."
"How many n do you need?"
"At the very least, five thousand. Preferably ten thousand."
Darin's eyes widened. But he did not object.
"I will start imdiately."
---
"Kuma."
Kuma looked at him with his sunken eyes.
"You are our last fortress. If anything threatens the security of the region... if soone attacks us... if the Navy tries to intervene... if powerful pirates co..."
"I will be there."
"I know. That is why I am reassured. But..."
Pablo paused. He looked at Kuma seriously.
"Do not expose yourself recklessly. The family does not need problems with the World Governnt. If the Governnt finds out about you, they might send soone to take you or kill you. Be careful. Move in the shadows when you can."
Kuma nodded slowly. "Understood."
---
"Shigo."
Shigo raised his head. His stony face did not change.
"I will head to the Shadow Island. I will settle there."
"Why the Shadow Island?"
"Because it is the most problematic island in our region. Your going there will calm it down."
Pablo thought for a mont. Then nodded.
"Okay. Go. But stay in touch."
"Always."
---
The eting ended.
Everyone left. Each headed to his task. Marco to the training ground. Darin to the n's barracks. Kuma to the church. Shigo to the port.
---
Night. The palace balcony.
The sky was dark, full of stars. The moon was a thin crescent, shining with faint light. The sea moved quietly below, its waves crashing against the rocks.
Jinny stood beside Pablo. She was closer than necessary. Her pink hair moved with the cool breeze.
"You won't change your mind?"
"No."
She paused for a mont. Then said in a low voice:
"I am afraid for you."
He looked at her. Her eyes were teary. She wasn't crying. But the sadness was clear.
"I am not weak."
"I'm not saying you are weak. I'm saying I am afraid. That is different."
He didn't reply.
"The Grand Line, Pablo... it swallows the strong as if they were nothing. Pirates with bounties in the millions die there every day. How will you survive?"
"I won't die."
"How do you know?"
"It's a feeling."
She fell silent again. She was thinking. She was searching for words to stop him.
"Let go with you."
"No."
"Why?!"
He looked at her calmly.
He could not tell her that her going with him would restrict him. He would not be able to kill freely. He would not be able to steal freely. He would not be able to fool around freely.
"Because what you need to do here is very important. The spy network in the South Blue. Controlling the newspaper. No one else can do it."
"That is true."
"Then don't argue more."
She looked at him for a long ti. Her eyes were burning. Not with anger. With sothing else. Sothing deeper.
"Pablo..."
"Jinny..."
"I..."
She didn't finish.
She approached him. She raised her hands. Placed them on his cheeks. Her hands were soft, warm.
She looked at him. Her tears had dried. But her eyes were still shining.
Then she kissed him.
The kiss wasn't light. It wasn't fleeting. It was deep, long, passionate. Jinny put everything she felt into that kiss. All the fear. All the worry. All the love she had never admitted before.
She forgot Kuma. She forgot everything. Only Pablo was in her heart.
Pablo didn't push her away. Didn't step back. He let her kiss him.
He felt her lips. Her pink hair touching his face. Her hands trembling slightly.
She raised her head after monts. She was breathing heavily.
"Co back to ."
"I will."
"If you die there... I will kill you myself."
He smiled. "That's a promise."
She sighed. Brushed her hair from her face.
"I will start work tomorrow. A spy network stretching from Sorbit to the farthest reaches of the South Blue. And I will control every word the newspaper publishes."
"I know."
"And you... train yourself well. Learn Haki. Learn swordsmanship. Don't die."
He raised his hand. Touched her cheek. It was warm.
Then she moved away. Walked towards the balcony door. She paused for a mont. Looked at him over her shoulder.
"Goodbye, Pablo."
"Goodbye, Jinny."
Then she disappeared into the darkness of the palace.
Pablo remained alone on the balcony. He looked at the sea. At the distant horizon where he would soon go.
He knew the road was hard. He knew the Grand Line might swallow him.
But he was ready.
And for the first ti in two years, he felt he was about to begin his real adventure.
He turned his back to the sea and returned inside the palace.
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