The Flame That Burns Again
"Hurry up, Morley! We don't have much time. I don't think the others can hold off the Elders for long… Kara is supposedly fighting them, but still, they're incredibly strong!" shouted Sabo, panting as he urgently pushed the giant forward.
Morley, drenched in sweat, was channeling one of her abilities to open a tunnel straight through the Red Line itself. Her body trembled slightly from the effort.
"Don't rush me!" she grumbled in a deep voice with a strangely feminine tone. "This damn wall is the hardest thing I've ever faced in my life."
The pressure was mounting by the second. The walls vibrated, and the heat inside the tunnel was suffocating. Just as Sabo was about to say something else, a ray of light pierced through a tiny crack. Morley's eyes widened. She roared and pushed both hands outward. The tunnel gave way.
"We're in!" Sabo exclaimed with a proud smile… until his body tensed at the sight of the figure waiting on the other side.
There, in front of them, with chains wrapped around his neck, torso, and legs—leaving only one arm free—stood a man with fiery red hair. One arm was completely missing. Yet even so, his presence alone was overwhelming.
"Well, well… Looks like you took a little detour from your infiltration route," said the man with a calm smile, though his eyes gleamed with a mix of sorrow and restrained power.
Sabo recognized him instantly. His expression shifted from disbelief to fury.
"You… what are you doing here?" he asked gravely. "Red-Hair… Shanks?"
…
Meanwhile, on an island in the New World…
A man identical to Shanks—both arms intact—stood facing his two opponents: Gildarts and Akainu. The two circled him like wolves. Even working together, their intentions were clear: kill him.
Akainu, now a former admiral, had only one purpose left in life: to eradicate all pirates. As for Gildarts… he bore no personal grudge, but what they had done to Kara during the Marineford war still burned in his memory. Though he didn't know Kara had already taken revenge in her own way, he was ready to finish what she couldn't.
"It ends here," said Akainu, clenching his magma-sparking fists.
"Does it…?" whispered Shanks, just as his wounds began to vanish, as if they had never existed. The blood stopped flowing, the cuts sealed, and his energy returned in a wild surge.
Both men stared in surprise. His power wasn't just returning—it was multiplying. The island shook under the pressure.
"If I told you that you've got the wrong man… what would you do?" Shanks asked, his voice calm but dangerous.
"Then we'll just beat you up, capture you, and listen to whatever you have to say after," Gildarts replied bluntly. "But if you're the bastard who endangered my wife during the war… I'll break every damn bone in your body."
Shanks smiled—though not with joy.
"I see… Then it's kill or be killed."
—
Back in Mary Geoise…
"You've been locked up here for over ten years?!" Sabo asked, unable to hide his shock.
"Well… it seems my lovely family didn't like the idea of one of their descendants becoming a pirate," Shanks replied with bitter irony. He nodded toward a small, rusted key hanging a few meters away. "See that key? If I can reach it, I can leave. Or so they said… more than a decade ago."
He tried stretching toward it. His fingers barely brushed the key, nudging it just a few millimeters. Just enough to torture him… but not to free him.
Sabo watched silently. In one corner of the room, he saw a sword—Gryphon—and a neatly folded pirate flag. In another, food and rum. A cruel torment: keeping the illusion of freedom just inches out of reach.
The chains binding Shanks weren't ordinary. They were made of pure seastone. Something thought to be impossible. No one in the world knew how to completely forge the cursed mineral—and yet, there they were. Impossible chains. Unbreakable.
And if what Shanks said was true… then he was the son of a Celestial Dragon.
Sabo slowly stepped forward. He reached out and pushed the key, just enough for Shanks to grasp it.
The red-haired man's eyes widened in surprise. And then… he did it.
For the first time in over ten years, his fingers closed around the key. He inserted it into the lock. Turned it.
Click.
One of the chains popped open. And as if a curse had shattered, Shanks frantically tore off the rest before collapsing to his knees. His body trembled under the weight of freedom.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked, lifting his gaze with newfound resolve. A flame burned in his eyes—the fire of a man who would never give up. He grabbed food, water… and his sword.
"Do you know where the supply storage is?" Sabo asked.
Shanks smirked slightly.
"Yeah. Just follow that tunnel. I'll buy you some time."
Sabo hesitated a moment, then nodded. He glanced at Morley. Both of them took off.
…
Meanwhile, in the shadows of Mary Geoise…
An old man with a stern gaze and noble bearing watched from a high balcony.
"Well, well… and here I thought I was only coming to deal with a couple of rats. Looks like you're finally free, my son."
The elder descended toward him, holding a gleaming sword in his hand. He had sensed the intruders long ago, but only one thing interested him: Shanks.
"I'm not your son!" Shanks roared, raising his sword. "My father was… and always will be… Gol D. Roger!"
The old man sighed.
"And that is exactly why you've been here so long. I always hoped you would follow in your brother's footsteps… that you would join the Holy Knights. Recovering your arm would've been simple. But now…"
He raised his sword.
"Now, there can't be a single nuisance left in Mary Geoise."
Shanks tightened his grip on Gryphon. His eyes blazed like wildfire.
"Then it's time… TO MAKE SOME NOISE!" he roared.
And with a battle cry, he charged straight at his jailer, sword raised high.
"GRYPHON!"
…
Sabo and Morley felt the tremor from the clash of two colossal powers, but they didn't stop. They had a mission to accomplish… or Kara would hit them.
They arrived at a massive warehouse. Defeating the guards was so easy for Sabo that he didn't even lose his walking rhythm. Once inside, they found a huge stockpile of fine foods: exotic fruits from all over the world, cured meats, aged cheeses, and expensive drinks.
"Do it," said Sabo with a calm smile, while Morley nodded and began digging like his life depended on it, giving it his all.
A few minutes later, near the Red Line, a hole resembling a drainage exit began spewing food in absurd quantities. Dozens of ships flying the flags of the bounty hunter guild quickly approached, loading the goods into their cargo holds.
Despite being cargo ships, within minutes, a dozen were full, and more reinforcements had to be called in to keep storing everything.
Sabo and Morley were about to jump into the tunnel when a deafening sound shook the place. They peeked out through the doors and saw a massive lightning bolt strike a specific location. Sabo looked at his permanent log pose marked "Baltigo" and noticed the needle pointing exactly where the lightning had fallen.
"Sometimes it's scary how well Kara can predict her enemies' every move," murmured Sabo before breaking the log pose. It would be useless now. That island was going to be destroyed… and his comrades were undoubtedly already far away. The attack was also a clear message: everyone would know who did it.
Without another word, Sabo and Morley jumped into the hole, which sealed behind them with a soft buzz.
…
Meanwhile, Shanks, covered in blood, stood at the edge of the Red Line with a confident smile as he faced the old man before him.
"That's it, old man. See you around," he said before jumping back with a mocking smirk. The old man raised his sword to strike, but his hand trembled slightly… and he didn't.
…
Elsewhere, the fake Shanks was fleeing at full speed, running over the water. He was missing an arm, and his body was covered in cuts and burns that could no longer heal.
Buru buru… gacha.
With his only remaining arm, he answered a special snail.
"Your brother escaped. Did you find him?" asked a voice on the other side.
"Yes. The island Imu-sama spoke of exists. It's in the Calm Belt," replied the fake Shanks.
"Good. Then come back."
"Understood. Just let me take care of that guy's crew first," he said before cutting the line.
"I heard something interesting… but honestly, I don't care," declared a voice right next to him.
He turned instantly… only to see Gildarts, wearing an arrogant smile, before receiving a brutal kick that sent him flying straight back the way he had come.
"My daughter's taught me a lot since I got here. I'm not just destruction anymore… I've got some style now too," said Gildarts proudly.
…
Kara stood, staring intently at Guernica. They had been facing off for over half an hour without throwing a single punch. They were simply sizing each other up. In the distance, flying air slashes, dancing swords, fire, and wind were tearing through entire parts of the island.
Finally, when everything settled down, Kara smiled arrogantly.
"We can fight to the death… or you can take your men and go. Your choice," she said calmly.
Although Guernica wanted to fight, he noticed Kara's allies approaching. They were injured, yes, but still ready to battle. Even if he'd been ordered to act, he'd also been ordered to survive.
"I'll go. But remember this: messing with the Government was your worst mistake," said Guernica before disappearing.
"Hehe… we'll see about that," replied Kara, turning to rejoin the others.
…
Elsewhere, three old men were fighting three other old men, tearing apart much of the frozen sea. Sengoku, in his Buddha form, held off the attacks of a massive energy bird, keeping it at bay.
Makarov, in his giant form, struggled against a colossal worm with sharp jaws.
Meanwhile, Garp had ripped off one of the legs of a giant mutant spider… but it quickly began regenerating, growing at an alarming rate.
The three veterans weren't aiming for a direct victory. They were just buying time.
And it seemed that was enough. A snail sounded from the clothes of the three enemies. They listened to the message… and left without a word.
Sengoku, Garp, and Makarov didn't pursue. They had done enough.
"Wahahaha! The plan went perfectly. That's our Kara from Fairy Tail," Makarov exclaimed proudly.
"Puahaha! Of course, I raised her," Garp said, puffing out his chest.
They looked at each other… and sparks of rivalry flew between them.
"Before you raised her, she came to me for knowledge and teachings. I'm basically her original master!" Makarov protested.
"So what? Since she was a kid, she trained with her grandpa to become strong," Garp replied.
Sengoku watched them argue and simply turned away.
"Don't destroy the island, or all the work we did will be for nothing," he said as he walked off, while the other two old men were on the verge of starting a serious brawl.
…
On a fully technological island, an old man with an apple-shaped head observed world events in real-time. His face lit up with excitement.
"It's time, it's time!" he said enthusiastically, running to a nearby computer and furiously typing.
Meanwhile, Kizaru —who had been hiding on the island the entire time— watched him from a corner.
After a few seconds, he turned around and walked away calmly… as if he hadn't seen anything at all.
…
Meanwhile, in other places where powerful enemies had been faced, only ruins remained.
Laxus had a few visible wounds, standing among the rubble while the rest of his team lay on the ground, breathing heavily, completely exhausted.
A few meters away, Tesoro watched the destruction with an annoyed expression. The battle had been so intense that one of his casinos had completely collapsed in front of him.
"I'm going to have to charge a high price for all this damage," Tesoro muttered through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, yeah… just send the bill to Fairy Tail," Laxus replied casually, letting himself fall to the ground to catch his breath. "But that guy… was a real monster."
He remembered his recent fight against an enemy who, no matter how much they tore him apart, kept regenerating again and again as if nothing had happened.
…
"Thanks for protecting the guild," said Mirajane with a grateful smile, speaking to Fujitora, who rested sitting on a rock.
"It was nothing," the admiral replied serenely. "Remember, I was also part of the bounty hunter guild. Even if we go by different names now, in the end… we're all part of the same world."
Fujitora smiled calmly. "It's a shame I can't see. I would've liked to witness that transformation of yours that scared even one of the Five Elders."
"Maybe… it's a blessing you couldn't," Mirajane replied with a mysterious smile.
Behind them, Gajeel lay knocked out, completely unconscious. Though, judging by his condition, it was hard to tell whether he'd been defeated by an enemy… or by Mirajane herself.