One Piece: Marine to Warlord to Conqueror

The prize Kuma had brought back was none other than the Clear-Clear Fruit, a Paramecia ability that Sanji himself had once coveted above all others. It granted its user the power to turn their own body, and any object they touched, completely invisible.

Dante’s original plan had been to have Kuma capture Absalom if the man had already eaten the fruit. He was surprised to learn that Absalom had only just located it, allowing Kuma to simply retrieve the fruit instead. Had Absalom consumed it, Dante was prepared to kill him and force the Devil Fruit to reincarnate. This new plan of his couldn’t afford a single misstep.

Success meant securing his future, failure meant he might have to abandon his post and become a pirate for real. To ensure everything went off without a hitch, he couldn’t allow any outside factors to interfere. And yet, he’d never expected such luck.

Kuro now possessed the Calm-Calm Fruit, and the Clear-Clear Fruit had been secured before anyone else could eat it. ’Is this how some users are chosen by Devil Fruits?’ Dante wondered. ’As if just thinking about them was enough to draw them here.’ But that didn’t matter now. With both fruits in his possession, it was time to put the plan into motion.

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When Mock arrived, he was led straight to a specially constructed secret room deep beneath the base. Kuro was already waiting there, the same Kuro who had recently been honored with the 16th Branch’s ’Excellent Instructor’ certificate.

Receiving the certificate seemed to have flipped a switch in the man. While he’d been compliant enough before, teaching his classes without causing trouble, the recognition had ignited a new, almost frightening passion for education in him. He now voluntarily added several hours to his schedule each day, offering free, intensive tutoring to the very students who admired him most.

His methods had become ruthlessly strict. Any student caught slacking off or training with less than total focus would be publicly criticized, their flaws laid bare before he patiently, relentlessly guided them back onto the right path. He would materialize silently behind them the instant their form wavered, moving with such stealth that it was impossible to anticipate. Hiding was useless, Kuro-sensei would always find you.

Rumor had it that many of those same students now quietly cursed the day they had ever started calling him ”Kuro-sensei,” a term of respect that he now seemed to take as a personal mandate. The man was simply too dedicated.

Of course, it was just complaining. The recruits Dante selected weren’t so fragile as to break from a little hardship, and those who were had already been weeded out. In this world, if you lacked innate talent or a convenient shortcut, the only way to keep up was to work twice as hard as everyone else.

’Of course, some people were just exceptions,’ Dante thought wryly, recalling a certain pink-haired Marine who had apparently achieved in two years what took others decades. ’Koby’s progress was so absurd it wasn’t even worth considering as a benchmark.’

The sea is full of people who train hard. He thought of one of his own kouhai from the dojo, a green-haired swordsman (Zoro) whose current whereabouts were a mystery. That boy trained relentlessly, especially after losing time and again to him and Kuina. He would push himself to the point of collapse in the mountains behind their village, often found covered in wounds and unable to move. And what did he have to show for it after all these years, compared to Koby?

Dante’s attention returned to Mock, who had already consumed the Clear-Clear Fruit. As a man of the sea, Mock had been hesitant at first, wary of losing his ability to swim for a power someone else had wanted. But when Dante explained how useful it would be for ambushes, Mock’s eyes had lit up, and he had shoved the entire fruit into his mouth without a second thought.

His enthusiasm quickly soured. He began clutching his throat, gagging as he choked out, ”How can something so valuable taste so disgusting?!”

Seeing that the deed was done, and not wanting the simple but sharp young man to lose motivation, Dante and Kuro exchanged a look and decided not to mention that only a single bite was necessary. What was done was done. Now, the real work began.

The goal was to combine the powers of the Clear-Clear Fruit and the Calm-Calm Fruit. One would render them invisible, the other would erase any sound they made. If they could awaken it, they could move with perfect stealth, potentially slipping past even a Marine Admiral undetected.

However, after half a day of training, the reality was far from the ideal. Dante watched the two men stumble. They couldn’t synchronize their movements or their thoughts. Even when holding hands, they couldn’t agree on how to navigate a simple obstacle. One would try to go left while the other veered right, pulling them in opposite directions.

The Calm-Calm Fruit was manageable enough, Kuro had already proven its terrifying effectiveness on his students. The true challenge was the Clear-Clear Fruit. To remain completely hidden, they had to rely on Mock to render them both invisible. That meant they couldn’t see each other, relying only on whispered directions and physical contact. The moment they let go, they were lost to one another.

Dante rubbed his forehead, a headache building behind his eyes. ”This isn’t going to work,” he said, his voice tight with frustration. ”At this rate, you’d be walking straight into a trap.”

”We have too little time, Captain Dante,” Kuro stated, pulling his hand from Mock’s sweaty grip. He subtly wiped his palm on his trousers before adjusting his glasses. ”Besides, I am not familiar with this brute. Achieving the necessary level of coordination in a few days is unlikely.” ’No,’ he thought with a grimace, ’it might be impossible no matter how much time we have.’

’The man is a full head taller than me, built like a sea king, and his grip feels like it could shatter bone. We are simply too different. Moving as one while invisible... it’s a fool’s errand.’ Though he didn’t know the specifics of the mission, he had pledged his loyalty to Captain Dante. As a man of his word, he would see the order through to the best of his ability.

A heavy silence fell over the room as Kuro finished his analysis. He was right. Ignoring the time Kuro had spent as a prisoner, he had only officially joined the 16th Branch a few days ago. He and Mock had started training together just that morning.

Dante frowned, his mind racing. ’Are we really going to give up on this?’ he thought. While Bonney’s condition was no longer a pressing concern now that he had the Calm-Calm Fruit, a chance for a massive payday was dangling right in front of him. It seemed a terrible waste not to even try.

”Boss, do I have to be stuck to the Cat-Man the whole time?” Mock asked, blinking with genuine confusion. Then, a thought seemed to strike him. His eyes lit up, and a clever, simple-minded grin spread across his face. ”I’ve got an idea! How about the Cat-Man and I try something?”

”I told you to stop calling me that!” Kuro snapped. ’This oaf from the East Blue... how did I ever let myself be tricked by him?’ Despite his annoyance, he adjusted his glasses and eyed Mock with deep suspicion. ”You have a plan? Really?”

”Let’s just try it! I don’t know if it’ll work, but it’s worth a shot!” Mock pressed.

Kuro sighed, his expression flat as he looked at the other man’s beaming face. ”Fine,” he grumbled. ”We can try. But I’m not holding my breath.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Mock’s grin widened. ”Great! The Cat-Man agrees!” He looked as if he’d just solved the world’s most complex puzzle. His carefree expression sharpened for a brief moment, and in that instant, a flicker of the East Blue Overlord’s cunning demeanor once was shone through.

Kuro was completely bewildered. Just as he was about to ask what Mock was planning, the big man took a deep breath and shouted with grave seriousness, ”Kuro, combine!”

’What?’

Before Kuro could even process the bizarre command, Mock dashed forward and dropped into a low crouch right in front of him. Before he could react, Mock grabbed his feet, lifted them, and swiftly placed them on his own neck, hoisting the dumbfounded Kuro onto his shoulders.

”See? This is my plan! Pretty great, right?” Mock declared, beaming with pride from his position below. ”I call this move... the Mock-Kuro Combo!”

As the words echoed in the silent room, Kuro stared down at the top of Mock’s head, his face a perfect mask of disbelief. ’The Mock-Kuro... Combo?’

Kuro opened his mouth to order the fool to put him down at once, but a flicker of movement caught his eye. He slowly turned his head toward Captain Dante. The faint, deeply amused smile playing on the Captain’s lips made Kuro’s stomach sink. His mouth twitched, and he fell silent.

A profound sense of dread washed over him. He suddenly, desperately, wanted to resign.

’Maybe moving bricks with Jango isn’t such a bad life after all,’ he thought.

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