OP: My Aircraft Carrier Evolves#58+59: Germa 66, Vinsmoke Reiju! and the Paramecia Spring-Spring Fruit!

"The Lvneel Kingdom," Robin said, her appearance subtly altered for the mission. "It's the setting of a well-known North Blue fairy tale—the homeland of Mont Blanc Noland, the infamous liar."

The southern port was a crossroads for the North Blue, an excellent deep-water harbor that had become the region's main hub for commodity trading.

The intel had come from Baroque Works. It was also Crocodile's reason for suggesting Jin come here.

First, it was a convenient place to procure supplies.

Second, it was an ideal spot for gathering information.

The Empress, guided by a small tugboat, slowly made its way into the harbor.

But they were soon blocked.

Turns out, the harbor was packed. Limited berths. They'd have to wait in line.

So even in the world of pirates, you have to wait for a parking spot?

Robin went to negotiate.

"The Winter Blossom Kingdom? Never heard of it," the port official said, his voice dripping with a sharp, condescending tone. "Everyone who comes here is flying the flag of some kingdom or royal family. Look around you. You see a ship that isn't official? If everyone just cut in line, it'd be chaos, wouldn't it?"

As a major trading hub, the port's daily cargo throughput was staggering. Ships were lined up one after another.

This was the big leagues.

And the little official responsible for assigning berths was clearly proud of his position.

"Pirates?" he scoffed. "A pirate wouldn't dare sail in here in broad daylight. That's just asking to be wiped out by the Marines. However..."

He twirled the tip of his mustache. "If you're willing to pay a little... extra... for my services," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "I can arrange a temporary spot for you in the Black Harbor."

"The Black Harbor?" Jin asked.

"It's a... more discreet port," the official said with a knowing wink. "You understand. I wouldn't even mention it to just anyone."

Jin glanced at the long line of ships ahead.

A little shady was better than a long wait.

"You guide us there personally, and I'll double your price."

"Really?"

Jin smiled and pulled out a thick wad of Berries, the very picture of a man with more money than sense. The little official's eyes lit up.

He called over a subordinate, whispered a few words, and then hopped on board the Empress.

"I've got him covering for me," he said with a greasy smile. "I'll take you there myself."

"Thanks," Jin said. "You're a good man."

His Observation Haki, however, told a different story.

What the official had actually whispered was, "Rich fool. Take him out."

The ship pulled out of the line and followed the coastline. As they rounded a headland, a pirate ship burst from a hidden cove.

—————————

A few moments later, the pirate ship was gone.

The demonic carrier let out a satisfied burp.

Thirty-five soul crystals. A nice little bonus.

Jin took his Berries back from the little official and, from his blubbering lips, pried the truth about the Black Harbor.

Where there's light, there are shadows.

The gleaming, prosperous southern port naturally attracted flies. Everyone knew there was money to be made here.

But with the Marines as a deterrent, the pirates and other criminals couldn't operate openly. So they had formed an alliance with some of the kingdom's corrupt nobles and created a black market.

The Black Harbor was located in a series of sea caves on the other side of the island, carved out by the wind and the waves. A ship could hide inside, get a new coat of paint, a new flag, and then slip into the city to enjoy the pleasures that couldn't be found at sea.

The black market near the harbor also dealt in less savory trades: slaves, forbidden goods, and the like.

Did the Marines know about it? With all that illegal activity, if there wasn't a kickback going to someone, who would believe it?

"A fine place," Jin said. "Ai, change the flag."

If he was going to do something shady, he couldn't use his kingdom's flag. He'd have to change the ship's appearance as well.

Good thing the demonic carrier had swallowed plenty of pirate ships.

He had no shortage of flags.

"Germa 66..." the little official, now stripped down to his underwear, stammered out another piece of information. "A Germa 66 ship is in the Black Harbor."

"And not just them," he continued, quivering. "A lot of well-known pirates and criminals from the surrounding seas are here. Every two weeks, the black market holds an auction for rare items... stolen, you know, not exactly clean. You've come at the right time. There's even a Devil Fruit up for auction tonight."

Jin smiled.

It wasn't about being early; it was about being on time.

"Please, don't kill me!" the official begged. "I have a family! The pirates made me do it!"

"Doesn't everyone?" Jin said with a wave of his hand.

He was sent to the boiler, to burn bright and illuminate the path for others.

—————————

They passed through an elephant-trunk-shaped entrance into a massive cavern. The water glittered, and dozens of ships of all sizes were docked there.

Jin spotted the Germa 66 ship immediately.

It wasn't that his eyesight was particularly sharp. It was that the standardized Germa snail ship, with its unique and intricate design, stood out.

And it was docked in its own private section. The other ships were crammed together, side by side, but the Germa ship had plenty of space.

It was hard to miss.

Without a second thought, Jin guided the carrier toward it.

"Hey, who's that?"

"Don't know. Never seen that flag before. Newbie?"

"Heh. Probably. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to get so close. He probably doesn't even recognize the Germa 66 flag."

On the shore, a number of rough-looking characters were watching, ready for a show.

Jin used the Munch-Munch Fruit to alter his own physique, making himself look big, bulky, and a little oafish.

He and Robin went ashore. Maya, not liking the atmosphere, stayed behind on the ship to train.

They walked down a dim, gloomy wooden gangway and into a town carved from the rock of the cave.

Shops lined the road.

Some were selling goods: jewels, cloth, swords, axes, treasure maps, ship's logs, compasses... everything you could imagine.

Others were dimly lit taverns, with scantily clad women smoking in the doorways. Through the un-curtained windows, shadows writhed and danced.

Still others were noisy gambling dens, the shouts of "big" and "small" echoing out, occasionally punctuated by the sound of a loser being thrown into the street.

And then there were the relatively peaceful eateries and bars.

"Hey, buddy," a man sidled up to them as they entered the town. "Black market ticket? Front-row seat? Exclusive info on the auction items? Only 1,000 Berries. Interested?"

Jin pulled out a 1,000-Berri note. "I want to know about Germa 66."

"Hiss..." the man sucked in a breath.

"Germa 66? That's the infamous family of assassins. No one in their right mind would mess with them. That's gonna cost you extra." He held up five fingers.

Jin handed over five notes.

"It's a woman you're asking about," the man continued. "Very attractive... And by the way, I also know which pirate captains are attending the auction tonight. Another ten notes, and the information is yours."

Jin paid up.

"Basil Hawkins, ever heard of him? Bellamy the Hyena..."

Interesting. Some familiar names. And Devil Fruit users.

Worthy prey.

"Do you know what Devil Fruit is being auctioned tonight?" Jin asked after the man had finished.

"You're asking the right person. I do know. But... you know the drill."

Jin paid.

"It's the Paramecia Spring-Spring Fruit."

The Spring-Spring Fruit? Bellamy's fruit?

Wait a minute. A Devil Fruit auction... It all sounded strangely familiar. The man behind the curtain... it wouldn't be a guy named Doflamingo, would it?

"Anything else you want to know, buddy?" the man asked, eager to squeeze a little more out of this big spender.

"That's all."

"Alright then. Here's two free tickets to the auction."

As he turned down an alley, the informant chuckled to himself. "Now to sell this information to Germa 66."

Suddenly, a hand clapped him on the shoulder. He turned. It was the two from before.

"Looking to buy some more information, buddy?"

Jin smiled. "Robbery."

At the mouth of the alley, Robin crossed her arms. Watching Jin get his Berries back, she couldn't help but be a little impressed. He was a natural at this. In a lawless place like the Black Harbor, a double-cross was just business as usual.

<><><><><><><><>

In a small inn, Basil Hawkins, a man with long, flowing blond hair and a slender build, known as "The Magician," was doing what he did best: telling fortunes.

Just a moment ago, a twitch in his eye had given him a bad feeling.

He immediately laid out his cards.

The reading...

Disaster.

Grave danger.

Without a second thought, he stood up.

"We're leaving," he told his crew. "Now."

—————————

As evening fell, the auction began.

Jin and Robin attended. Their tickets were for the free spectator seats; they weren't eligible to bid.

As expected, it was a scam.

The proceedings were rather dull, until the Devil Fruit was brought out. After a flurry of bidding, it was sold for a high price to a mysterious figure.

Bellamy, of course, had been acting as a shill, driving up the price.

350 million Berries for the Paramecia Spring-Spring Fruit. Not a bad price.

Jin hadn't spent a single Berri, but he'd gotten to see a good show.

It was an experience.

He'd been running around nonstop since he'd arrived in this world. Tonight was a rare moment of leisure. And with Robin by his side... shouldn't they make the most of the romantic, moonlit evening?

Just as he was thinking this, Robin gently elbowed him.

Oh? Are we on the same wavelength?

Apparently not.

"We have to go," she whispered. "Something's wrong."

"What is it?" Jin asked, though he was already getting to his feet. He trusted her years-honed instincts for danger.

"Marines," Robin said.

"The southern port has a Marine base," Jin said. "It's not surprising they'd be here."

"I used my fruit's ability to listen in on the backstage area," Robin explained. "This auction is a trap. The commander of the port base is up for a promotion to Rear Admiral and needs a few more merits. He's planning on rounding up a bunch of pirates."

Jin understood.

—————————

Sure enough, as they stepped outside, the sound of cannon fire erupted from the direction of the Black Harbor. On the other side of the town, a large contingent of Marines began to advance.

"Fire!"

"Capture the pirates and criminals! Don't let a single one escape!"

Gunfire, cannon fire, and shouts echoed through the night.

The black market exploded into total mayhem. Pirates and merchants bolted in all directions, panicking like animals. Cannonballs ripped through the buildings, turning the wooden structures into blazing infernos.

In an instant, the sky was filled with flames and smoke.

Jin and Robin had gotten out early, avoiding the crush of the crowd.

When they reached the Black Harbor, the pirate ships were all on fire, the flames illuminating the entire cavern.

Three Marine warships were blocking the exit, their searchlights sweeping across the water.

Hundreds of Marine soldiers were already on the shore, setting fire to the ships and capturing the crew members who had been left behind.

"Brilliant," Jin said, applauding.

The Marines were going for a clean sweep.

He suspected it wasn't just about a promotion. It was probably tied to a power struggle among the nobles of the Lvneel Kingdom. You only reshuffle the deck when the people at the top have been taken out.

—————————

"Well, the situation is unclear. Let's get out of here first."

They fought their way through the chaos, back toward their ship.

As they approached, they saw a man and a woman fighting. The man was in a Marine uniform. The woman was slender, dressed in a sexy, revealing outfit.

Jin's eyes narrowed.

The pink-haired girl... wasn't that Vinsmoke Reiju of Germa 66?

Her kicks were incredibly powerful. And as she fought, a poisonous gas began to fill the air.

The Marine Captain she was fighting was gradually losing strength.

He collapsed, poisoned.

Reiju landed lightly on the snail ship, her long, white legs flashing. She seemed to sense something and looked back at the two strange figures on the shore.

She had no time to waste. She ordered the clone soldiers to set sail, and they charged fearlessly toward the three Marine warships blocking the exit.

The ship's cannons roared to life. Backed by Germa 66's advanced technology, their firepower was even greater than the standard Marine issue.

Jin was impressed. He thought that Reiju's quixotic charge meant she was planning on taking out all three warships by herself.

But after a single volley to suppress the enemy, the snail ship suddenly turned, executing a beautiful drift and accelerating to the side.

It turned out there was more than one exit to the cavern. There were hidden passages and currents, and Reiju knew one of them.

Jin leaped onto his ship. "Follow them."

His primary target here was Germa 66.

First, it was another option for curing Bonney.

And second, the lineage factor technology.

Vinsmoke Judge and Vegapunk had co-discovered the lineage factor, and both had made great strides in their research.

In fact, Judge had gone even further than Vegapunk.

Vegapunk was still just cloning.

Judge had broken through the boundaries of ethics and was playing with genetics, genetically modifying his own children.

He was, to put it mildly, insane.

—————————

"Hey! Another ship! Sink it!"

Cannon fire roared.

The Empress pushed through the hail of bullets, following the snail ship through a series of caves and out into the open sea.

"Get out of my way!" another ship burst from a different cave. Bellamy stood on the deck, a wide, arrogant grin on his face. He saw a ship blocking his path, its broadside facing his own ship's ram. "Full speed ahead! Ram them!"

The Empress didn't move, sitting in the path of Bellamy's ship, as if it were frozen in fear.

Bellamy let out an exaggerated laugh. He could already see the other ship being smashed to pieces, its crew helplessly sinking into the sea.

It was a beautiful sight.

He had just stolen the Spring-Spring Fruit back from the mysterious figure and had become a Devil Fruit user. He was feeling pretty good.

But in the next instant, his smile vanished. His ship had clearly hit the other one, but there had been no impact.

They were still moving forward.

As if the ship in front of them was a mirage, a ghost, a phantom.

Bellamy's ship sailed straight into the demonic carrier, like a moth to a flame. Bellamy finally realized that something was wrong.

"Spring!"

His calves turned into springs. He compressed them and leaped into the air. By now, his ship had been completely swallowed.

And it hadn't come out the other side.

Such a large ship... it had just vanished.

"You bastard!" Bellamy screamed, plummeting down toward Jin. "What did you do to my ship??"

Jin simply sidestepped. Bellamy couldn't stop himself and crashed headfirst into the deck, which had split open to receive him.

"..." Robin was speechless. She offered a silent prayer.

What a clown. Pathetic.

Jin didn't even have the interest to punch him.

After shaking off the pursuing Marines, the demonic carrier continued its chase of the snail ship.

—————————

In the early hours of the morning, the snail ship began to slow down. Reiju, realizing she couldn't shake them, decided to see who they were. When she saw that it was the two from the Black Harbor, she frowned.

"Who are you?" she called out. "Why are you following me?"