Even though his bounty had been revoked, Ethan Sugawa's reputation continued to grow steadily.
In just a few days, his reputation points surpassed 500, earning him a treasure map.
Ethan unfolded the parchment, and a system notification immediately appeared before him.
[Mysterious Treasure Map: The treasure's location holds a legendary pirate's sword, forged with meteorite iron and imbued with a unique power.]
"A legendary pirate's sword? And it has a special ability?"
Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement as he quickly memorized the map's coordinates.
Latitude 39°26′ North, Longitude 115°25′ East.
After committing the coordinates to memory, he immediately destroyed the treasure map. He planned to lay low for a few days before heading out to find it.
As soon as he left the bar, Ethan frowned. He could sense that someone was tailing him.
The stalker was highly skilled, using various anti-tracking techniques. Even after multiple evasive maneuvers, Ethan couldn't shake them off.
Seeing this, Ethan gave up the chase for now and calmly returned to his lodging.
Late at Night
A tall, slender woman wearing a white pencil skirt and a matching beret silently appeared in Ethan's room.
It was none other than Stussy.
Ethan's fake death after falling into the sea had nearly fooled her. If she hadn't left a little "insurance" on him, she might've truly believed he was gone.
Her gaze landed on the sleeping Ethan, and she licked her lips with undisguised desire.
"After tonight, you'll be mine. For the rest of your life, you'll obey my every command."
Stussy had already struck a deal with the World Government. As long as she could bring Ethan under control, the government would step in to transform him into a cyborg weapon.
Just like Bartholomew Kuma, his will would be erased, turning him into a mindless war machine.
Thinking of this, Stussy's lips curled into a satisfied smile. She opened her mouth, revealing her vampire fangs, and lowered her head to bite Ethan's neck.
The moment she pierced him, the illusion drug hidden in her fangs would enter his bloodstream, plunging him into a deep coma.
By the time Ethan woke up, he would already be a cyborg fully under Stussy's control.
Everything was going perfectly. Stussy's face glowed with the thrill of victory.
But just as she was about to succeed, Ethan's eyes suddenly snapped open. A second pair of arms extended from under his armpits and tightly restrained her, leaving no room for escape.
"How? He's supposed to be asleep. Why is he awake?!"
Stussy's mind was reeling. She had carefully confirmed Ethan was in deep sleep before approaching.
But he had been awake the entire time. It had all been a trap.
"Great Kingdom!"
Before she could react, a devastating sword light slashed toward her.
Stussy was forced to abandon her ambush and swiftly activated the Navy's 'Shave' technique, narrowly dodging the attack.
She turned to face Ethan, who stood tall with four arms and a bone sword in hand, her face darkening.
"You knew I was following you all along, didn't you?"
By now, she understood that Ethan had set a trap from the very beginning.
"I knew someone was tailing me," Ethan said, nodding calmly. "At first, I thought it was the Marines coming after me. But I didn't expect it to be you."
His gaze sharpened as he stared at Stussy.
"Stussy, you went as far as betraying Big Mom just to help me escape. What are you really after?"
He gripped his bone sword tightly, his overwhelming aura surging, ready to strike at any moment.
Feeling the oppressive force of his Conqueror's Haki, Stussy frowned.
"Don't think you can take me just because you killed three Vice Admirals."
She didn't possess Conqueror's Haki herself, but she had survived years on the brutal seas and wasn't without trump cards.
Although she was no match for Big Mom or Kaido, she believed she was more than capable of subduing Ethan.
"Blood Manipulation!"
With a low shout, beads of blood gathered in her palm and swiftly condensed into a blood-red sword.
This was the exclusive ability of her vampire race, the power to manipulate blood into any form.
Since things had escalated beyond repair, she decided to take Ethan down in one decisive blow.
In a flash, Stussy used 'Shave' to appear behind Ethan, her blood sword slashing directly at him.
"Same old tricks, Stussy. Haven't you learned anything new?"
Ethan activated his 'Weak Point Detection,' immediately locking onto her presence.
He countered with a swift sword block.
The blood sword and bone sword clashed with a metallic ring, sparks scattering around them.
Stussy's surprise attack failed again. She instinctively tried to retreat, but Ethan had no intention of letting her off so easily.
"You think you can escape? Not that easy."
With a loud shout, Ethan's extra pair of arms shot toward her, aiming to restrain her once more.
But this time, Stussy had prepared for his four-armed tactic.
"Swish, swish!"
Her blood manipulation formed several thin threads, binding Ethan's extra arms tightly.
She then thrust out her right hand, using the Navy's 'Finger Gun,' firing a compressed air bullet that struck Ethan in the abdomen, forcing him back a few steps.
"Ethan, even if you consumed a top-tier Devil Fruit, you've had too little time to master its power."
Stussy stared at him coldly.
"If you had years to develop your abilities, sure, I wouldn't stand a chance. But right now, you'd better come quietly."
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ethan's potential was terrifying, but today he would become hers.
Just as she was basking in her future victory, Ethan's cold voice interrupted her.
"Don't celebrate too soon, Stussy. This fight isn't over."
In an instant, the entire room burst into flames. White fire engulfed everything, transforming the surroundings into a sea of fire.
"White flames?"
Stussy narrowed her eyes. "Is this another ability from your Devil Fruit?"
Her sharp instincts quickly linked the flames to Ethan's fruit power.
She sent a Rankyaku blade slicing into the fire to test it.
But the white flames instantly consumed the slash, erasing it completely.
Then she noticed somehow, a small flame had clung to the hem of her skirt.
Assuming it would be easy to extinguish, she casually tried to put it out, but no matter what she did, the flame refused to die.
Instead, it grew larger and larger, threatening to reach her skin.
Panicked, Stussy had no choice but to destroy her entire skirt to save herself.
Realizing just how terrifying the white flames were, Stussy now looked at Ethan with visible fear in her eyes.