[125] : Catarina Devon

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Using a Devil Fruit's power drained stamina—an immutable law of the One Piece world.

'Which means—if this storage bracelet is ever lost or stolen, anyone can use it?' Arthur frowned. That wasn't ideal.

But there was no way around it. Inanimate objects could consume Devil Fruits and gain their powers, but there was no "binding" process, no way to restrict their use to a specific owner.

He scoffed at his own paranoia. Who could possibly steal something from him?

He pulled the Door-Door Fruit from his pocket, tossing it into the portal that opened in the air before him, the entrance to the extra-dimensional space within the bracelet. He wanted to explore its capacity.

In the original story, when Capone Bege pulled Sanji into his body for a meeting, it appeared to be a single room, holding only a dozen people.

But later—dozens more, armed with guns, emerged, suggesting multiple rooms.

A castle should contain numerous rooms. Expanding the bracelet's capacity might be possible with practice, with further development of the fruit's power.

For now—it held the equivalent of five rooms, more than enough for his current needs. The combined space was considerable—enough to store a substantial amount of food.

The only drawback was the lack of sentience. The bracelet couldn't develop the fruit's power on its own. Its abilities were fixed—a frustrating limitation.

He stored the Door-Door Fruit and the new clothes he'd purchased inside the bracelet, then sat down, waiting patiently.

——

Two hours later, as evening approached, the waiter returned with Arthur's order, the sheer quantity of food requiring multiple trips.

"Mr. Arthur, your food is here. I've left it by the restaurant entrance," the waiter reported.

"Good." Arthur stretched, his muscles aching slightly after his deep-sea dive, then followed the waiter outside.

——

"What kind of restaurant blocks the entrance with food? Get this garbage out of my way!"

Catarina Devon, her grotesque face contorted in a sneer, stood outside Jessica's Dream House, her hands on her hips, berating the waiter.

"Do you know who our captain is? She's the 'Crescent Moon Hunter,' Catarina Devon! A hundred and eighty million Belly pirate!" Her crew, an equally unsavory bunch, echoed her threats, their voices filled with bravado.

"I'm so sorry! Someone will be here to move it shortly," the waiter apologized, bowing deeply.

Those who worked on Sabaody—the gateway to the New World—were familiar with the major players, the infamous pirates who passed through.

They'd heard of Catarina Devon, her reputation as the "most wicked female pirate" well-earned.

"Sorry? Mururururu…If 'sorry' solved everything, there'd be no need for pirates or Marines, you fool!" Catarina Devon's eyes narrowed, her heavy makeup doing little to hide the cruel glint within them.

Clang!

She drew her sword, the blade flashing as she swung it towards the waiter's neck.

Her temper was unpredictable and violent.

The waiter, his face pale with terror, frozen by her aura, couldn't move.

A crowd gathered, watching the scene unfold, but no one dared intervene.

The blade descended—

Clang!

A figure appeared—a blur of motion—blocking the attack, sparks flying as Catarina Devon's sword was caught in a Haki-imbued hand.

"Attacking my comrade restaurant. Have you lost your mind?"

Arthur's voice was cold, his eyes fixed on Catarina Devon's face. His grip on her blade tightened, his strength so great that she couldn't pull back.

Catarina Devon stared at him, momentarily stunned.

"Mururururu! Who are you? You dare interfere?" she shrieked, her laughter tinged with a dangerous edge.

Arthur ignored her question, releasing his grip on her blade and turning to the waiter. "Get inside."

"Y-yes, sir!" The waiter scrambled to his feet, fleeing into the restaurant, his body trembling with relief.

"You ignore my question? You think you're better than me?" Catarina Devon roared, her face twisting with rage.

"Captain…" one of her crew whispered nervously, "That's Thunder God Arthur. The one who stole the Heavenly Tribute—A five-hundred-million-Belly Great Pirate."

"Five hundred million? Mururururu!" Catarina Devon burst into laughter. "You little brat! You got lucky with that Rumble-Rumble Fruit! You think that makes you invincible? Die!"

She swung her sword again, Armament Haki coating the blade.

Wielding Armament Haki effectively, channeling it into a weapon, required extensive training—Catarina Devon's skill was clearly superior to Arthur's current level.

But before her blade could connect—Arthur attacked. He wouldn't tolerate such blatant disrespect towards his crew, their restaurant desecrated by this wannabe powerhouse.

Lightning crackled around his fist as he punched—a bolt of pure electrical energy shooting towards her.

Zzzzzzt!

A wave of premonition, a warning from her Observation Haki, washed over Catarina Devon. She quickly adjusted her attack, her Haki-imbued blade meeting Arthur's lightning bolt.

Armament Haki could bypass a Logia's intangibility, allowing one to strike their true form.

CLANG!

The clash of lightning against steel reverberated through the air, the force of the impact sending Catarina Devon stumbling backward, the shockwave forcing a cry of pain from her lips as she coughed up blood.

The crowd, stunned into silence, watched as Catarina Devon, unable to withstand even a single blow from Arthur, stumbled, her crew's earlier bravado replaced by a stunned silence.

Then, a lazy voice echoed from the crowd—

"My, my. You're getting stronger, Arthur."

Kuzan, his tall frame towering above the onlookers, emerged, followed by Jaguar D. Saul and a Group of Marines.

"Vice Admiral Kuzan. Are you here for a rematch—?" Arthur asked casually, his arm lowered, making no move to pursue Catarina Devon.

He'd knocked her back with a single blow, drawing blood. She was still capable of fighting, but the fear in her eyes—it extinguished Arthur's desire to continue.

Someone who cowered before true power wasn't worth his time.

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