One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

The powerful Conqueror's Haki burst out, but it only lasted for three seconds. Even so, the surrounding Marines had already lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground around Vane.

Conqueror's Haki—especially for weak Marines—was simply overwhelming. Even a basic burst of it was enough to take them out.

"Colonel Hina! We've found the Fire Sword God! It's really him—he's surrounded!" a Marine ran over to report, his voice shaking.

Hina's expression changed. The Fire Sword God has fallen? This was a huge opportunity to earn credit. Clenching her fists, she demanded, "Where is he?"

The Marine led her to the location, but when they arrived, all they saw were unconscious Marines lying everywhere, their eyes rolled back in shock.

"Damn it! Was this the work of Conqueror's Haki?"

"That guy—Fire Sword God Vane—has all three types of Haki!"

Hina stamped her foot in frustration.

"Did he get away? Don't think Hina will let you escape so easily!"

She clenched her fists, unaware that she wasn't remotely a match for Vane.

"I'm right here, Miss Hina, the beautiful captain of the Marines."

A calm, youthful voice rang out behind her, light and almost playful. In the same instant, another oppressive aura swept over her.

Caught off guard, Hina instinctively froze. Her body wanted to react, to strike, but this Haki was too strong—overwhelmingly so. This was her first time experiencing the raw presence of king firsthand. She had only heard rumors before. It was said that only Fleet Admiral Sengoku possessed it at Marineford, and even then, almost no one had witnessed him using it. As for the legendary Vice Admiral Garp—who knew?

(Garp possess CH, but I doubt people in the Marines know, since he's usually slacking off)

"So this… is Conqueror's Haki? Terrifying…"

Hina looked around at her team. The Marines she brought had all collapsed, unconscious. Soon, she was the only one left standing. A shiver ran down her spine, but she quickly suppressed it.

Hina is a Marine! Justice must be upheld! A pirate won't shake me!

"Black Cage!"

Hina whirled around, extending massive black iron bars from her arms. The bars stretched out nearly twenty meters in both directions. She clapped her hands together, and the metal closed like a trap, sealing off Vane in a prison of iron.

"Hina got him!"

"Hina has the powers of the Black Cage Fruit—a powerful Paramecia ability!"

She was elated for a moment. Everything had gone so smoothly... almost too smoothly.

"No… this doesn't make sense. How could it be this easy? He's rumored to have injured Admiral Aokiji! This isn't right…"

Hina frowned, studying Vane closely. He stood calmly inside the cage with a faint smirk. No signs of fear or panic. No cursing, no threats. He didn't act like a typical pirate caught by the Navy.

Instead, it was as if… he was humoring her.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Hina is furious!"

She reinforced the bars around him again and again, trying to restrain him completely. Only when she believed she had him tightly locked down did she relax.

"You were born talented, but you walked the wrong path. At your age… you'll spend the rest of your life in Impel Down!"

She stepped closer, shrinking the black bars until Vane was only half a meter away from her.

"I'm not going to Impel Down?" Vane asked coolly.

Hina raised an eyebrow. "You've been captured by me—what makes you think you're not going to Impel Down? Who's going to protect you?"

"The Celestial Dragons will kill me," he said. "But before that, they'll torture me until I wish I were dead. That's their style."

He leaned in slightly, voice low. "What do you think, beautiful colonel?"

Hina answered sharply, "Impossible. They don't have the right to execute a prisoner at will."

Looking at Vane's young, innocent face, her resolve wavered. Is this really someone who killed Celestial Dragons? Two? Three? However many… even one was a serious offense. Perhaps even worse than what Gol D. Roger did to spark the Great Pirate Era.

Is his fate really sealed?

Vane continued, "The Marines are just tools for the World Government. And the World Government? They're the puppets of the Celestial Dragons. Can your Marine Headquarters really stand up to them?"

"What tools? What puppets! That's nonsense! Who put that in your head?"

"How about this—just let me go," Vane said. "If I go to Impel Down, I won't live long. They'll send me to Pangaea Castle instead, where the Celestial Dragons will use me for entertainment, torture me to death, and then feed me to dogs. Sounds fun, right?"

He smiled bitterly. "No one will even know you let me go—if you don't tell."

"Impossible…"

Hina shook her head firmly. "Hina won't be deceived by a pirate. You're too dangerous!"

Vane's gaze turned serious. "Hina, don't you think the Celestial Dragons should be erased from this world? They've committed centuries of crimes—ten billion deaths wouldn't be enough punishment."

She fell silent.

"My parents were killed by them," he added. "Just because they didn't kneel quickly enough."

Hina gritted her teeth. "None of that matters now. You killed them. That's your crime. I have to imprison you in Impel Down!"

"I can protect myself."

Vane smiled.

"Why are you laughing again?"

"It's ridiculous. Honestly, you're kind of adorable when you're serious like this, Miss Hina. I think I might like you a little."

At that moment, Vane moved. With both hands, he effortlessly tore open the iron bars.

"No!"

Hina's expression changed drastically. But Vane vanished from her sight. The cage was empty.

"Hina was careless!"

"No. You're not careless—you're just too weak."

She suddenly felt a strong hand grip her right shoulder, shoving her down to the ground.

It was Vane.

"What are you trying to do!?"

Hina looked up in shock. Vane raised his right fist—surrounded by a translucent, vibrating shield.

It was the power of the [Shock Fruit].

"Rest here at Marineford for now. I'll be taking you with me later."

He grinned.

"I've decided—you're mine now."

"Want to see how strong I really am?"

With that, Vane slammed his fist into the ground. The impact shattered the earth beneath them, spiderweb cracks spreading through all of Area 29. The ground exploded. Trees collapsed. The entire zone shook violently.

This was the lawless zone of Sabaody—and it had just been torn apart.

---

Drop a Powerstone (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

Unlock bonus chapters.