Chapter Forty-Nine: The Prophet, John Stephen [Part Three]

In the world of One Piece, there is nothing that cannot be explained by a Devil Fruit. If something cannot, it only means you have yet to witness it yourself. — Shu Mingyuan

Outside the prison, the howls of a thousand wolves shook the very earth, a commotion that had already alarmed everyone within the Frozen Hell. Yet, while all others were struck with shock, one man remained utterly calm—as if he had foreseen this very scene long before. Thus, when it truly unfolded before his eyes, he met it with remarkable composure.

“John Stephen, the man rumored to possess the power of prophecy.”

Standing outside the cell, Shu Mingyuan gazed serenely at the figure within, his eyes dropping naturally to the sea prism cuffs shackling the man’s wrists.

“Prophetic ability... Could it be that he’s a Devil Fruit user who consumed the Prophecy Fruit?”

He could hardly believe that anyone could divine the future by sheer strength alone—unless one’s Observation Haki was honed to its highest level, enabling them to glimpse mere fragments of what was to come. Otherwise, such power could only stem from a Devil Fruit.

Abilities that functioned like rules themselves had appeared many times in the world of pirates. For instance, Baccarat, who ate the Luck-Luck Fruit—anyone she touched would have their fortune altered, absorbing their luck and rendering them unlucky while she herself would become extraordinarily fortunate, able to accomplish the impossible as long as her luck held out. Or Ain, Zephyr’s pupil, who became the Retrogression Human after eating the Retro-Retro Fruit—her touch could revert anything twelve years into the past, and repeated use could erase a person entirely.

Then there was the soon-to-emerge supernova, Basil Hawkins, who could divine the near future through fortune-telling. Though these were all Paramecia fruits, those that bent the very laws of reality were often more troublesome than even the most powerful Logia users.

What was unclear was whether this so-called prophetic power was like Hawkins’, dependent on external fortune-telling tools, or if he could see the future directly—or perhaps it came to him in dreams.

If his power lay with the first two, it was manageable. But if he could see the future directly, that would be truly problematic.

“You’re mistaken. I have no power of prophecy—you’ve got the wrong man,” John Stephen replied calmly.

Shu Mingyuan smiled. For a man to face him with such composure, there had to be something extraordinary about him. He was now certain: this was the mysterious prophet.

He shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it, and countered, “Since you can glimpse fragments of the future, why don’t you tell me what you’ve seen?”

John Stephen looked up at him. After a long moment, he grinned, “You must be joking. I have no such power to predict the future.”

“Whether you admit it or not, in my mind, you are already that man. If you’re not, you’ll die for his sake. If you are—”

“If I am, even divulging the training methods for Observation Haki would mean death, wouldn’t it?” John Stephen interrupted suddenly.

Shu Mingyuan paused, then smiled silently. This man indeed possessed the power to see brief glimpses of the future, for he had spoken the very words Shu Mingyuan himself had intended to say. What remained unknown was how far into the future he could see.

Judging by his current situation, it couldn’t be very far—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been captured. With sufficient forewarning, he could have avoided all misfortune.

“Tell me—can you still see now?” Shu Mingyuan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils had become an eerie, blood-red, three tomoe spinning slowly within.

At the sight of these unfamiliar eyes, John Stephen was startled. He instinctively activated his ability—yet found that while he could still see the future, the figure before him simply vanished from the fragment he glimpsed.

Impossible!” he blurted out.

Shu Mingyuan saw his reaction and was satisfied. As he had suspected, his soul from another world, armed with one of the three great ocular powers, the Sharingan, could completely block this so-called prophecy.

He snapped his fingers and smiled faintly, “Now we can have a pleasant conversation. I don’t like others deciding my future.”

“If I’m not mistaken, your Devil Fruit ability is currently sealed by the sea prism cuffs, so your glimpses of the future must rely on your Observation Haki. It’s said that when Observation Haki reaches its peak, one can see moments into the future. So, tell me: is it one second that you can see, or two?”

Shu Mingyuan spoke easily. In the latter half of the Grand Line, masters who had refined their Armament Haki to perfection were as numerous as the carp in the river. Yet, those who had elevated their Observation Haki to its utmost were rare indeed—so far, only three had appeared in the original tale.

One was Charlotte Katakuri, Big Mom’s second son, who had achieved the second level of Observation Haki, able to see short glimpses of the future. Another was Vinsmoke Sanji, who could do the same. The last was the Pirate King, Roger, said to have reached the highest level—able to hear the Voice of All Things, whether living or dead. Even the Poneglyphs recording the lost century’s history, he could comprehend without deciphering.

Thus, for most, Observation Haki remained at its first stage: sensing the presence and strength of those nearby, perceiving things beyond their sight, or predicting an opponent’s movements.

Those who had attained its pinnacle were exceedingly rare, even in the New World. To meet one here was unexpected.

Hearing this youth lay bare his mastery of Observation Haki, even pinpointing the exact span—two seconds—John Stephen’s heart was a turbulent sea. Such secrets were not known to ordinary people.

He had always been the one to read the hearts of others; never had he felt so exposed before another, as though he stood utterly naked, all his secrets laid bare.

His abilities, the level of Observation Haki he had subsequently attained—these had been guarded jealously, told to no one, not even the Navy or the World Government. Yet this youth had deduced them in an instant.

With a wry smile, he said, “Since you’ve already guessed it, I have nothing left to hide. You’re right: what I can see now is indeed thanks to Observation Haki. As for how I reached this level, even I don’t know. All I can do is attribute it to the power of the Devil Fruit.”

“No, I’m not interested in how you obtained your prophetic abilities. Just tell me how you mastered Observation Haki. As for prophecy—one day, I’ll have it too.”