One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 17: Terrifying Fruit Ability
"Is it coming..."

The white fox suddenly seemed to sense something and murmured in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

Who is coming?
Xia Nuo became more and more impatient. This guy was talking nonsense. Was he going to fight or not?
He talks to himself but doesn't make his words clear. He just stands there like a wooden pole, leaving people guessing.

He hated the Riddler more than anything in his life.

Whatever.

If I can fight, I won't fight. If you don't give me an answer, I'll take it myself! With this thought in mind, he made a decision immediately. With a flick of his wrist, the bamboo sword suddenly thrust out.

By the time the white fox realized it and turned around to look, the bamboo sword had already accurately picked off his mask.

pat-

The white fox mask fell to the ground, and a skinny face of a man in his early fifties, full of fatigue and vicissitudes of life, was displayed in front of everyone through the large screen hanging above.

For a moment, the whole place was dead silent, so quiet that even the sound of the mask rolling on the ground could be heard clearly.

Xia Nuo sensed something strange in the room and frowned as he stared at the face. Is this person famous?
The next moment.

Like a huge rock dropped into a calm lake, the entire audience erupted in uproar! Almost everyone in the audience couldn't help but stand up.

"Hey! No way! If I'm not mistaken, then, that face is..."

"Director Sakurabaju!"

"He's still alive?!"

what on earth is it!

Didn't the famous Mr. Sakuraba Itsuki die in a shipwreck during a storm five years ago?!
"Father!!!"

The locker room door curtain was suddenly pulled open, and Junyi ran out like crazy.

When he got there, he was trembling all over, staring at the skinny man with wide eyes, afraid that everything before him was just a dream. "Is it really you? Is it really you?..."

"It's me, Junyi."

The skinny man reached out his slightly trembling hand and stroked Junyi's head, as if he had a thousand words to say.

But in the end, his eyes only turned red, tears flowed down, and he murmured to himself: "Junyi, my Junyi..."

"Father!!!" Junyi couldn't hold back any longer, she snuggled into his arms, hugged his dry chest tightly, and burst into tears.

"Wow, what's going on? I'm going to cry too..." The host standing at the edge of the ring also sobbed, took off his glasses and wiped his tears, which made Xia Nuo, who was standing next to him, look at him sideways.

He silently stepped back a few steps, leaving the center of the stage to the father and son.

"...Junyi, please move aside and be obedient. I don't have much time left to break free from the control and stay awake. Let me finish what's important to say first."

The skinny man patted his son's head. Junyi wiped his tears, nodded vigorously, and let go of his arm. No matter how reluctant he was, he knew that there were priorities.

The skinny man turned around and faced the audience.

"Everyone, long time no see. Or rather, it's been a long time since I met you all as Sakuraba Itsuki."

He spoke in a hoarse voice, "I think what everyone wants to know most is what happened in the shipwreck five years ago, and why am I still alive?"

In the audience, most people nodded subconsciously.

"That wasn't a shipwreck, but a carefully planned trap."

Recalling that nightmare, Sakuraba Itsuki's eyes were filled with pain. "A demon named 'Carpenter,' or rather, someone who had acquired demonic powers, targeted my still-powerful body. He devised a scheme to lure me off the island, knocked me unconscious, and then, taking advantage of my unconsciousness, used his powers to control me."

Carpenter? Most of the outsiders present looked bewildered, but many locals were surprised. They were very familiar with this name.

This "Carpenter" is the boss of an underground force that began to rise about five years ago.

He is notorious for being a professional beggar, a casino thug, a loan shark, and even running several brothels on the island, all of which are shady businesses.

If ordinary citizens see this, most of them will avoid it because they can't afford to offend.

But on the surface, his status is far from that of the real bigwigs on the island.

And Sakuraba Itsuki is undoubtedly one of these big shots.

How dare a rat in the underground sewer attack such a person?
Where does the courage and ability come from!

Could it be that it relies on the power of the devil that Mr. Sakuraba Itsuki mentioned?
"President Sakuraba Itsuki! Are you saying that the carpenter is actually a devil fruit user?"

After all, there were some knowledgeable people in the audience who immediately understood what was meant and couldn't help but ask questions loudly.

"That's right!" Sakuraba nodded bitterly. "To be precise, he's the user of the Parahuman Marionette Fruit, who can..."

"—I can turn humans into puppets that I can control at will!"

Bang! The gym's door was suddenly and violently kicked open by someone from outside. With a loud and arrogant sound, a middle-aged man in a luxurious windbreaker appeared at the door, a cigar in his mouth and a sullen look on his face.

It was the notorious "Carpenter" in the eyes of local residents.

Behind him, there were two figures following.

The audience looked closely and were surprised to find that the two men who looked like followers were actually the town sheriff and Major Tomt, the highest commander of the 129th Naval Branch Base in the north of the island!

"Tsk tsk tsk, this is really surprising, Sakuraba Itsuki, it seems that I underestimated your willpower and resistance."

The carpenter stared coldly at the skinny man on the ring and said in a cold voice:

"Other puppets can be brainwashed once and left alone, but you're the only one who shows signs of struggling and losing control every once in a while. I just brainwashed you again last month, so what's irritating you this time? Let me guess... could it be this little brat?"

He turned his gaze to Junichi. Standing behind him on the right was Lieutenant Tomte of the Naval Branch, who raised his flintlock rifle expressionlessly and aimed at Junichi.

"Major Tomte, what are you doing? Why are you obeying the orders of a gang leader and pointing a gun at a child?!"

There were roars of disbelief from the audience.

——It just so happened that some Marines from the 129th branch came to the city to watch the game during their vacation. When they saw this scene, they couldn't believe their eyes.

Is this still the kind, amiable, upright and kind major they are familiar with?
"Didn't I tell you that this is the power of the Parahuman Marionette Fruit?"

Sakurabashu laughed bitterly, "Your major and the sheriff are both like me. They've long been secretly controlled by him. On a normal day, they look no different than ordinary people, but as soon as the carpenter makes a move, they'll immediately become puppets who obey his orders."

"Also, each puppet requires a finger to be manipulated, and a carpenter has ten fingers, so of course he won't waste any of them."

He looked towards the seven gym leaders to the south, his voice growing drier. "So, all of my old friends, without exception, have been murdered one after another."

There was another uproar in the audience.

The seven gym leaders continued to sit there with indifferent expressions, without any intention of refuting, which just confirmed what Sakuraba Itsuki said.

The spectators around were suddenly frightened as if they had seen a plague. They stood up in panic, crawling and pushing each other to retreat to the periphery.

There are also some people in there who are the family members or close subordinates of these gym leaders.

They suddenly recalled the gradually strange behavior of their master over the past five years, and at this moment they finally understood the reason. Looking at the row of strange yet familiar backs, they couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines.

(End of this chapter)