Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty: I

Whitebeard, the man hailed as the strongest on the sea, still has no known limit to how long he can hold on.

Luffy and Kaido should also have no major issues.

Dragging it out until Shanks makes his appearance isn’t a problem—but that would contradict Su Lin’s original intent.

Points, points, what matters most are still points!

This won’t do. No investment, no return.

He glanced at the selected items and skills in his cart—this round would be the final harvest of points.

“Buggy, it’s me.” Su Lin tapped Buggy on the back.

Buggy’s head spun a full 360 degrees in shock.

“How the hell do you keep appearing out of nowhere?!”

Buggy grumbled: “Is that map you gave me real?!”

Buggy suddenly realized—the guy had just fought a Fleet Admiral, imitated one of the Four Emperors… he probably couldn’t beat this guy…

Is that tone too arrogant?

“The map’s real. Take this.” Su Lin hooked Buggy’s neck and shoved a box into his arms: “A treasure map. You’ll understand soon. I’m going all out.”

“Understood, understood.”

Buggy, watching the battle from the ravine like a director, didn’t get what Su Lin meant—only understood the words “add money.”

“What the hell is this guy up to?”

Buggy the Great had given this kid, who hadn’t even grown a full beard, his chance to appear.

Yet this guy keeps doing mysterious things.

Whatever. For the sake of gold, I’ll still work.

“You brats! Stay sharp and watch closely!”

Buggy ordered his men in the trench, who held monitoring insects.

“Yes, Buggy-sama!” XN

【Scroll of Light: Angel’s Feather】 Price: 500 points. Heals, repairs physical injuries, purifies and removes negative states, largely reverses bodily debuffs, restoring the recipient to full health. — Very traditional, very common, but doesn’t stop this skill from looking awesome.

【Heavenly Rank】 Rental Price: 50 points. No practical use. Just looks cool.

【Covert Amplifier】 10 points. High-tech from the 22nd century. Even sound distribution, automatic charging, wireless endurance.

Pulled up a historical projection—himself from five minutes ago.

His body retreated into history; his consciousness began controlling the projection.

Tore open the scroll with both hands.

The smoky, fiery sky suddenly brightened.

Those who sensed the change looked up.

Countless shimmering, glowing objects descended from the sky.

“What is that?”

A pirate lying on the ground stared at the sky—he had no strength left to care about the battle.

His body, riddled with bullet and sword wounds, began to miss the things of his hometown in the West Sea.

It was a medium-sized town, relying on coastal port trade as its main economy.

His father once ran a small trading company; every time he returned from sea, he brought gifts from distant lands for him and his sisters.

His mother would bake cakes made from West Bamboo fruit and prepare a full table of dishes with the servants to celebrate his father’s returns.

Why was he here?

Why…

Oh, he remembered.

That day, pirates ravaged his hometown…

The ruined estate. Shattered windows.

His family was discovered hiding in the cellar.

At the critical moment, another band of pirates rescued them.

That crew stayed in town for a while, until the town gradually recovered and the Marines received word and came to besiege them.

To repay their debt, he became a pirate.

“Papa… Ace…”

The Marine leaning against the broken stone slab had no time to care what the dying pirate was muttering.

To ease his family’s burden, he joined the Marines early, from a landlocked country where he’d never seen the sea.

Just for the extra bounty offered during conscription.

Before he knew it, sixteen years had passed.

He had risen from a recruit to a Marine Colonel.

Sixteen years without seeing his family.

He’d planned to take leave this year and return home—but he stared blankly at his severed arm, feeling his consciousness fade.

“Feathers?”

Around him, voices murmured in surprise.

Countless feathers, glowing with light, drifted slowly from the sky.

They formed an unusual scene over Marineford, amid fire and smoke.

Like a snowfall night—but unlike the cold loneliness of snow.

“Somehow… it feels warm.”

Devil Fruit users always have strange abilities—some powerful, some utterly useless.

In his youth, he found a Devil Fruit, but his close comrade called it a dung beetle fruit.

In fact, it was an Animal-Type Gorilla Fruit.

That comrade, who tricked him and stole his fruit, died alongside a 200-million-Berry pirate during a voyage, sacrificing himself to protect him.

“Whoever’s behind this, whatever it is—I’m tired.”

“Still… pretty.”

Exhausted Marines and pirates reached out, palms open, trying to touch them.

A single light feather landed in a palm—the glow vanished.

Just for show?

Just as he felt disappointed—

His pain faded. His battered arms, covered in wounds, healed visibly before his eyes.

“So warm.”

“God…”

This scene unfolded repeatedly across the battlefield.

“Whose ability is this?”

Admiral Garp and Whitebeard felt the light feathers landing on them—bringing healing and warmth, slowly mending their wounds.

Countless light feathers fell like snow on Christmas Eve, bringing a touch of solace to this battlefield of blood and fire.

“Huh?”

Luffy and Kaido, having just exchanged blows, paused at the sight.

“Boring.”

Kaido dropped his spiked club, transformed into his Blue Dragon form, and unleashed Conqueror’s Haki once more against Luffy—only to be giantized by Luffy and spun like a jump rope until dizzy.

Then repeatedly whipped.

The outcome, as expected, remained unchanged.

In everyone’s eyes, more and more light feathers descended over Marineford.

Without distinction between friend or foe, healing every wounded person equally.

After several dozen seconds—

A massive beam pierced the clouds and descended upon the battlefield’s center.

“What’s going on?!”

A staircase of pure white light spiraled down from the clouds above.

Su Lin, draped in a black greatcoat, wearing a white top hat, dressed in a pure white suit and leather boots, descended slowly from the spiral staircase of light.

With each slow step he took, he shimmered and reappeared on the next step.

Amid the falling light feathers, Su Lin looked like a celestial messenger descending onto the war-torn earth.

When Su Lin’s feet touched the ground, the staircase dissolved into countless glowing specks and vanished.

“This guy… so cool.” Buggy, dazzled, shed tears and snot. In all his years, he’d never seen anyone so dramatic.

If he hadn’t made a deal with Su Lin from the start, he’d have been fooled by this entrance too.

He subtly signaled Buggy, not far away—then the monitoring insect’s lens zoomed sharply in.

“Give me a face. Let this conflict end here.”

Su Lin’s voice echoed across every corner of the battlefield.

“Whether pirate or Marine—”

“Everyone gave their all. Tonight, go home, have dinner, and sleep well.”

“You’ve done your best; what comes next is beyond your control.”

“Enough pointless sacrifice. Preserve your lives—settle your grudges later.”

Su Lin spoke with seven-tenths sincerity; his voice was quiet, yet somehow reached every corner of Marineford.

“Damn it, this entrance and flair are even cooler than mine, Buggy-daiya!” Buggy muttered, enviously biting his shirt.

“Incredible,” Buggy’s subordinates said: “He just transformed into Kaido and fought against Kizaru, Garp, and Sengoku!”

“Such a powerful man just moments ago was shoulder-to-shoulder with Buggy-sama, whispering about something.”

One of the underlings recalled the scene where Su Lin had whispered privately with Buggy.

“Of course! Buggy-sama, you’re plotting some world-shaking event, aren’t you!”

“No wonder, Buggy-sama!”

“Eh? Hahaha.” Buggy had no idea what these people were thinking—he only knew he couldn’t slip up, or these ex-Impel Down criminals, whose bounties were higher than his, would surely kill him.

“That’s right! Just wait and see, my men!”

Buggy would never tell them how Su Lin had draped an arm over his shoulder and grinned slyly while haggling over the price.

In the end, Su Lin traded a treasure map and a blueprint for an automatic gold-detecting device for the live-streaming rights.

‘Still, I didn’t expect this.’

Buggy rubbed his chin, smirking slyly.

“This guy’s just like me, daiya.”

At that moment, Sengoku had just weathered Whitebeard’s shockwave, while Whitebeard’s face bore a punch from Sengoku, forcing him to step back and catch his breath.

“That’s the brat who came with the Straw Hat, isn’t it?”

Sengoku pulled out his megaphone and roared: “What nonsense!”

“Do you think we Marines will let you and the Whitebeard Pirates walk away? None of you will escape!”

“Don’t try to sway our hearts here!”

Upon hearing this, Marine soldiers emerged from the miraculous scroll, many responding in unison.

“Sengoku Admiral is right—pirates are pirates!”

“Don’t think healing our wounds means we’ll stop hunting you!”

Some pirates also thought Su Lin was foolish—why heal the Marines at all?

“Hey, go help that kid—he’s surrounded by Marines!”

“But he seems incredibly strong—he even used Conqueror’s Haki when he turned into Kaido...”

“Kizaru’s already heading over—he might not handle it,” said the captain of Whitebeard’s Seventh Division.

Because Su Lin now stood at the very center of Marineford, and due to the prior retreat, every surrounding area was filled with elite Marines.

Dozens of Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals watched him with predatory eyes; Kizaru soared into the sky, preparing to strike.

Some pirates edged closer toward Su Lin.

“Who I am doesn’t matter—what matters is my ability.”

Su Lin looked calmly at the encircling Marines, speaking with perfect composure, ignoring Kaido, who was just a few paces away, raising his club to strike him—only to be blocked by Luffy.

“I’m sure you’re all curious about what kind of ability I possess.”

That was true—many were curious, but this guy isn’t actually going to reveal his ability, is he?

Isn’t it better if enemies don’t know such information?

“I’m a Copy Fruit user.”

“I can copy every ability I’ve ever seen.”

Shhh—

A bullet pierced through Su Lin’s back—but where his body had been, only a glowing hole remained.

“Kizaru’s ability?”

Su Lin glanced at the Marine who’d attacked him—unconcerned.

“No way—can such an insane ability really exist?!”

“Copy every ability?!”

“How terrifying~” Kizaru himself wondered whether Su Lin’s words were true.

Sabaody Archipelago · The Watching Square and The Watching Tavern

“Headquarters! Headquarters!”

“Breaking news! Breaking news!”

“The war isn’t over—but something even more explosive than its outcome has emerged!”

“The most powerful Devil Fruit ability ever seen!”

“The Book Fruit user who can copy any Devil Fruit ability!”

Inside the tavern.

Pirates’ cups clattered to the floor, clinking sharply against the wooden planks.

“This kind of thing...”

“I’m neither pirate nor Marine—I’m here only to end this war.”

“Whoever attacks, I join the other side.”

“Do you understand?”

Su Lin opened his arms wide, as if embracing everything, smiling calmly.

Then he opened his eyes again—his expression shifted.

His face bore three parts disdain, three parts mercy, three parts arrogance, and one part seriousness (in his own estimation).

It was an expression he’d pondered deeply in his mind.

The expression of a supreme being.

“What nonsense!”

“You’re nothing but criminals!”

Of course, some Marines shouted out in protest.

Su Lin had no intention of letting them stop so easily.

“Then!”

“Let me show you!”

He stretched his arms wider, forming a cross.

In each hand appeared a white half-circle.

Crack—

Splash—

Sounds like shattering glass, or firecrackers exploding.

The ground began to tremble.

“What is this?!”

Sengoku and Garp grew anxious.

Whitebeard lifted his chin, staring at Su Lin.

“Whitebeard’s Gura Gura no Mi ability?!”

“It’s real?!”

The trembling intensified, growing stronger by the second.

“Stop! Do you want to destroy Marineford?!”

Hearing this, Su Lin retracted his arms, slipped his hands into his pockets, and unleashed the full power of Roger’s Conqueror’s Haki.

“Do you understand now, everyone?”

“I’m not asking you. I’m not persuading you.”

“You must obey me and end this war.”

Kaido’s eyes gleamed with battle-lust—he found this utterly fascinating. Among everyone present, this man cared least about consequences.

Su Lin knew this perfectly well.

He reached into the air and yanked.

The version of Su Lin who had transformed into Kaido thirty minutes earlier was pulled forth—still channeling the Haki he’d exchanged for, his spiked club itching to strike.

The identical appearance stunned the real Kaido.

A clone technique? Or is this copying?!

“Indeed, this man’s Conqueror’s Haki reminds me of Roger,” Garp said grimly, sweat beading on his brow: “When did such a powerful figure appear so quietly on this sea?”

Even if Roger returned, he wouldn’t fear him—he’d chased Roger for years back then.

But now, this man before him is a composite Devil Fruit user...

“This is terrible,” Sengoku said, standing shoulder to shoulder with Garp, staring at Su Lin.

“I’m not targeting anyone specifically.”

Su Lin decided to be as arrogant as possible today—after all, he was just projecting history.

He raised his thumb downward, utterly unlike his earlier peacemaker demeanor.

“I’m saying everyone here is trash.”