Chapter 31: Chapter 32: The Explosive Duel and recruitment
Mr. 5 pulled a gun from his pocket, his eyes locking onto Josh with cold intent. With a calm exhale, he infused his explosive breath into the chambers before flipping the gun expertly in his hand.
"I didn't want to resort to this, but I see you're a sneaky one," Mr. 5 muttered, pulling the trigger.
No bullets flew from the gun, but Josh instinctively tensed. Just as he sensed something was off, he felt a surge of air pass by him.
Using Shave, Josh vanished from his spot, reappearing twenty meters to the side. In the blink of an eye, a massive fire explosion erupted where he had stood just moments before.
BAM!!
Mr. 5 smirked. "Even my breath can explode, just like any part of my body." He pulled the trigger again, sending more invisible explosive breaths toward Josh. These breaths twisted in midair, homing in on Josh like a deadly missile.
Josh's enhanced reflexes, thanks to the Super Human Serum, kicked in. Just as the explosions neared, Josh vanished once more with a burst of speed, aiming to strike Mr. 5 directly.
But Mr. 5 was ready.
As Josh appeared behind him, Mr. 5's body detonated in a tremendous explosion. The blast was so powerful it rocked the very earth, creating a shock-wave that sent even Brogy, the giant, sliding backward.
Caught in the explosion's radius, Josh attempted to retreat using Shave, but the force was too great. The shock-wave flung him backward, sending him crashing through trees until his body slammed into a rock, stopping his momentum.
Crash!
Pain coursed through Josh's body. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his body was littered with cuts and bruises. Despite his enhanced physical endurance, the impact had been brutal.
Gem, standing in the middle of the smouldering crater his explosion had created, sneered. "There's a vast difference between us."
Josh, buried in the rubble of the hill, opened his eyes, still breathing hard. A smirk formed on his lips, despite the blood. "And here I thought you'd declare the name of your attack."
"I don't waste my breath on childish theatrics. Where do you think you are, some kids' roadside comic?" Mr. 5 shot back, still sneering.
"Funnily enough, I do." Josh pushed himself up slowly, wiping blood from his mouth with his fist. "As for the difference between us… I don't have a knife in my ribs. But you do."
Mr. 5's expression faltered as he glanced down. His eyes widened as he spotted the dagger, buried deep in his side. The pain flared instantly—Josh had stabbed him earlier, unnoticed in the heat of battle.
"You…" Mr. 5's voice wavered as he realised his situation. The wound was serious, and pulling the dagger out would only make it worse.
Josh smiled grimly. He had used the time to stall Mr. 5, allowing his Healing Factor to kick in. Now, most of his wounds—internal and external—were nearly healed.
"Surprise." Josh's voice was cool as he flashed forward, appearing right in front of Mr. 5.
"No way! What..." Before Gem could react, Josh's hands lashed out, delivering powerful chops to both sides of Mr. 5's neck.
Crack!
Gem's knees buckled instantly, his sunglasses cracking from the sheer force of the blow. His vision blurred, and the ground spun beneath him.
Josh wasn't done.
With a swift flip in midair, Josh delivered a devastating kick to Mr. 5's face, launching him into the air with a powerful thud. Mr. 5 flew back several meters before crashing to the ground, unconscious.
After landing gracefully, Josh looked down at his own body, noticing that his clothes were torn from the explosion. With an annoyed grunt, he ripped off the remaining sleeves and tossed his tattered shirt to the ground.
"Now I wonder…" Josh muttered, glancing at Mr. 5's unconscious form. "How do his clothes survive these explosions? Is it the Devil Fruit's effect, or are they specially made?"
With a smirk, he concluded, "Cheap clothes." His musings were cut short as a familiar sound echoed in his head.
[Ding!]
[+20 Draw Points. +Mystery Box Tier 3 (Excellent)]
"Hah! Finally." Josh chuckled to himself, the sweet sound of victory in his ears.
Brogy's booming laughter erupted from the distance. "Amazing! You beat the flying-fuck out of him!" The giant cheered, clearly impressed by Josh's performance. Despite his massive size, he had thoroughly enjoyed watching the battle unfold.
With a casual wave, Josh acknowledged the giant's excitement. "Glad you liked the show. Good luck with your fight."
Brogy grinned as he prepared to resume his century-long battle with his fellow giant, Dorry.
With Mr. 5 and Ms. Liberty defeated, Josh approached Mikita, who was leaning against a tree, clearly pleased with herself. "What now?" she asked, gesturing toward the unconscious bodies of their foes.
Josh shrugged, pulling two pills from his storage. "I have a plan for them."
Mikita raised an eyebrow, eyeing Josh's topless form. "By the way, where's your shirt?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"Long story," Josh muttered, brushing off her comment.
---
Josh stood over the unconscious bodies of Mr. 5 and the green-haired woman, his expression calm but sharp. Without hesitation, he slapped Mr. 5's face, the sound echoing across the shore. Mikita, with a sly grin, mimicked his action, delivering a firm slap to the green-haired woman, jolting her awake.
"What did you do to us?" Mr. 5 groaned, his voice strained with anger and confusion.
"Let us go!" Ms. Liberty, the green-haired woman, snarled, but her strength was noticeably sapped. Both of them attempted to use their powers, but something was wrong—something was stopping them.
Josh leaned casually against his boat, half of Mr. 5 and Ms. Liberty's bodies submerged in seawater. Normally, Devil Fruit users would be entirely powerless in this situation, unable to move, much less use their abilities. And yet, Mikita, who was lounging beside Josh with more than half her body in the water, looked un-phased.
"Josh," Mikita said, her brows furrowed. "This is weird. I don't feel weak at all."
The confusion was evident in her voice. As a Devil Fruit user herself, she knew she should be completely immobilised. But instead, she seemed perfectly fine, which unnerved her.
Josh gave her a mysterious smile and, with a playful push, shoved her deeper into the water. "Hey!" Mikita yelped, startled. Her heart raced for a brief moment, expecting her strength to drain away, but nothing happened. She blinked in surprise. Even with most of her body submerged, she felt no weaker than usual.
"Who knows why?" Josh winked at her, his tone teasing and playful. But there was something deeper in his eyes, something knowing.
Mikita's eyes widened as the realisation hit her. Leaning close to Josh's ear, she whispered, "You mean... Devil-chan was happy that has—?"
"Ahem." Josh cut her off with a forced cough, steering the conversation away before she could reveal too much. He turned his attention back to the captives, shifting the focus.
Looking at the green-haired woman, he asked, "What's your name?"
She glared at him with fierce green eyes. "You already know it," she spat, defiant despite her weakened state.
"It's cringe. What's your real name?" Josh replied coolly.
After a moment of hesitation, she muttered, "Cow D. Melissa," her voice weak from the injuries Mikita had inflicted on her earlier. Despite her tough demeanour, the beating she had taken made it a wonder that she was still conscious.
"Good, Melissa." Josh nodded, as though this was some sort of victory. "Now we can have a proper and more comfortable conversation, Gem and Melissa."
Gem, his shoulders dislocated and missing teeth, struggled to raise his head. "What do you want?" he asked through clenched teeth, his voice filled with pain and frustration.
Josh crouched down in front of them, his expression thoughtful. "You know," he began, his voice taking on a tone of persuasion, "you two are incredibly talented. It's a waste for you to keep working for Crocodile. Why not work for me instead?"
Gem's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you insane? You think I'd betray someone like him?" His voice was incredulous. "Boss, Mr. 0, is a scary guy! You don't know what he's capable of."
Melissa, sitting beside him, nodded in agreement. "He's right. Crocodile is dangerous. You've got no idea how powerful he is."
Josh smiled calmly, not in the least bit fazed. "But what does he really offer you?" he asked, leaning back. "Baroque Works is falling apart. Crocodile takes the lion's share of everything, leaving you with scraps. What kind of future is that?"
Josh had heard rumours about Crocodile's wealth. The giant golden crocodile statue atop his casino was made of pure gold—worth hundreds of millions of berries. Josh's goal wasn't just to topple Crocodile, but to claim that wealth for himself.
"You don't understand," Gem said, lowering his head, his voice barely a whisper. "You haven't met him in person. Crocodile is invincible."
"He's right," Melissa chimed in, her voice trembling. "I once saw him kill my partner. Crocodile grabbed him by the neck, and within seconds, he was a dried-up corpse. He was dead within minutes."
Josh listened calmly, then shrugged. "I don't blame you for being scared. But that's only because you don't know his weakness."
Both Gem and Melissa froze, their eyes widening as they processed Josh's words.
"His weakness?" Melissa whispered, her voice laced with both fear and hope.
Gem turned to look at her, then back at Josh, the disbelief evident on his face. "You're saying Crocodile can be beaten? You know his Devil Fruit ability?"
Josh smirked. "I do."
Silence hung in the air for a moment as the weight of Josh's words sank in. He had their attention now.
"Now, what's your choice?" Josh's voice was firm, authoritative. "Prove your loyalty to me, or die. Those are your options."
Even if they tried to betray him, Josh had plans in place to ensure their loyalty—plans they couldn't even begin to suspect.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone