One Piece : From Slave to Fleet Admiral

The flames licked at the dry grain and with the help of surrounding flammable materials, the fire spread at an almost unstoppable pace.

Under the flickering firelight, Machvise's burly figure gleamed with sweat.

He grinned slightly, turning to Pica beside him.

"See? I told you you were overthinking it. If someone had really been following us, they wouldn't have just stood by and watched us burn all this."

Pica nodded in agreement, replying in his slightly shrill voice.

"You're right. I was overreacting. This round goes to you."

Machvise clapped Pica on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

"Pica, you're too hard on yourself over the lost Devil Fruit. Hahaha! But even the Young Master said it wasn't your fault—that light-wielding brat was just stronger than expected. Hell, even the Young Master got injured by him. Losing one fruit isn't something the Young Master would hold against you."

At this, Pica's expression darkened, his voice growing even sharper.

"That bastard… If I hadn't let my guard down against his weird attack, he never would've taken the fruit from me! And that woman who ate it too! If I ever catch them, I'll crush every single bone in their bodies, one by one!"

Watching Pica's outburst, Machvise simply shook his head and said.

"Let's get moving, Pica. The villagers are coming. If they spot us here, things will get messy. Besides, with all this commotion on the island, Katakuri won't just sit idle. Oh, and remember to block some of the paths with rocks. I'll smash a few sections of the mountain road to slow the villagers down."

"Relax, I already took care of it on the way here. Every accessible path is blocked with rocks. But you'd better act fast too—just rocks alone would look too suspicious. Even if Katakuri doesn't show up, those dumb villagers might still figure it out."

"Hmmm"

With a dull response from Machvise, his entire body suddenly floated into the air with a gentle breeze, followed by his voice ringing out.

"Ton Ton: 2,000-Ton Press!"

The moment his words fell, his massive body plummeted rapidly from the sky.

The ground trembled violently as the villagers' makeshift dirt road—already far from sturdy—completely collapsed.

A torrent of mud and construction materials cascaded down, destroying the lifeline this village depended on.

"Let's go! Hahaha! The mission is complete. All we need to do now is report back to the young master. Unless something unexpected happens, that brat Jake will most likely be killed by the Big Mom Pirates!"

Listening to Machvise's wild laughter, Pica smirked silently but didn't laugh aloud.

For him, every time he heard his own voice, it was a torment and humiliation.

The two sped off in the opposite direction of Katakuri's ship without the slightest hesitation.

Meanwhile on the other side, Jake and Monet blended into the crowd, rushing towards the previously mentioned high ground.

"Jake! Are we really just going to charge forward with everyone like this? Won't we be suspicious?"

"Don't worry, Monet. It's pitch dark, the disaster is urgent and Gourmet Town is a tourist destination—unlike ordinary villages, unfamiliar faces here aren't easily noticed. We must protect the ingredients for the Black Truffle Cake!"

As he explained, Jake used his Observation Haki to sense the surroundings, ensuring that Pica and Machvise hadn't lingered.

He also kept an eye on Katakuri's movements.

Katakuri's ship had been anchored near Gourmet Town for a week, but for some reason, they hadn't acted yet.

However, considering the Black Truffle Cake's ten-day preparation period, Jake realized they were simply waiting for the cake to be completed.

Now, in the final days before the cake's completion, if the most crucial ingredient were destroyed, Katakuri would undoubtedly fail Big Mom's demands and face punishment upon his return.

****

On the sea, aboard a pink-and-purple ship that seemed plucked from a fairy tale, a towering man tightened the scarf around his face slightly.

His icy voice made everyone around him instinctively shrink back.

"The Black Truffle Cake cannot be compromised. Otherwise, we'll miss the tea party. There's a fire on the island and along with it, the stench of a few rats."

The next moment, the pink ship lurched forward abruptly, its bow dipping into the water.

By the time the disoriented crew regained their balance, Katakuri had already vanished from the deck.

The flames spread rapidly, engulfing most of the granaries in less than ten minutes.

Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, visible even in the darkness of night.

The elderly village chief, his white hair disheveled, ran through the chaos with tears streaming down his face, wailing.

"This is our town's lifeblood! This is our town's lifeblood!"

The old village chief's sobbing brought tears to the eyes of nearly every villager.

They cursed, lamented, prayed and wailed in anguish...

For a moment, the myriad expressions of human suffering were laid bare before their eyes.

They cursed the caretakers of the granary for failing their duty, lamented their cruel fate, prayed that some food might remain and wept bitterly at the thought of being slaughtered by pirates.

All these emotions converged within the small village like a whirlpool, pulling everyone deeper into despair.

Yet despite their grievances, no one stopped moving.

They charged straight toward the raging inferno, undeterred by the scorching heat and sea of flames.

Jake followed behind the crowd, quietly pulling villagers away from falling trees and collapsing boulders that would have crushed them.

Each rescued villager would freeze in stunned terror before attempting to thank their savior—only to find no one there when they regained their senses.

"Chief! The path ahead is blocked by boulders!"

A voice thick with despair rang out, freezing the entire town's population in place—except for Jake and Monet.

While everyone's attention was fixed on the massive rocks, the two leapt past through a dense thicket nearby.

It wasn't that Jake didn't want to help move the boulders, but their primary mission now was to protect the black truffles!