Boom!
As the gate exploded into pieces, shattered wood flew like sharp blades, shooting into the courtyard.
Squelch. Squelch.
The sound of splinters piercing flesh rang out repeatedly.
"Who's there!"
"We're under attack!"
"Grab your weapons!"
"Tired of living, barging into the Golden Lion's—"
"Ugh..."
Crack!
Bullet charged in like a wild beast tearing through sheep. His devilish hands crushed skulls as if they were nothing. The rest of the squad was made up of elite soldiers, all trained in the Six Powers. With short blades in hand, they moved like reapers through the chaos.
Thin, precise cuts opened across enemy necks. One after another fell, clutching their throats, struggling until they collapsed.
Up ahead, Bullet slammed his fist into a pirate's chest. Bones cracked loud as his fist sank deep into the man's torso. Suddenly, he grinned, face twisted in bloodlust as he clenched his fist.
Bang!
The pirate's chest exploded with a sickening blast of force.
Bullet's blood-covered hand burst straight through the man's body, and grabbed a sword that had been thrust at him from behind.
Clang!
Sparks flew as his arm pulsed with outward-flowing Armament Haki.
He yanked hard, and the pirate captain holding the sword was pulled toward him, unable to resist. At the same time, the corpse hanging off his arm was hit by a wave of external Haki, torn apart like a ragdoll.
Blood and limbs splattered across the courtyard.
The pirate captain, flung forward, let go of his sword midair. He then coated both hands in Haki and swung them hard at the opponent's head.
The black fists struck both sides of Bullet's skull, like twin hammers crashing down.
Thud.
A deep, muffled sound rang out.
But Bullet, still in his demon aura form, barely flinched. His hardened body absorbed the impact, dispersing it with ease. That feral grin on his face remained, like he was looking at a dead man.
"Not even close!"
The pirate captain froze. He hesitated for a second too long, missing the chance to pull back or dodge.
A blue blur flashed past, and Bullet held his shoulder. In the same motion, he drove a long sword through the man's body with his other hand.
"Argh..."
His grip tightened as he lifted the blade upward, and a sharp burst of sword energy tore the captain's body in two.
Rip!
The corpse split in half, dropping to the ground.
Bullet spread his Observation Haki once more.
This entire stronghold, once held by Shiki's subordinates, was now almost completely wiped out. Only a few pathetic auras remained. Weaklings.
Whistle!
A sharp whistle sounded as the remaining assault team members instantly gathered around Bullet. He exited his demon form and glanced at them.
"Withdraw. Head for the next island."
The second he gave the order, sonic booms exploded behind them. In the blink of an eye, the team vanished from the battlefield.
Their speed was unreal. Just a few minutes, and the entire pirate compound had been turned into a slaughterhouse.
* * *
Grand Line, Jaya Island.
At the moment, Dragon had only flipped through a few pages, but it felt like a jolt of lightning struck his mind.
"Revolution... revolution..." He kept muttering the word to himself.
That one word held something deeper, something powerful. It crashed through every part of his mind.
Tap, tap, tap...
As chaotic footsteps echoed from afar, Dragon snapped out of it. He shut the notebook like he had just woken from a nightmare.
His chest rose and fell in heavy gasps. "Huff... huff..."
He shoved the booklet inside his coat and steadied his breath. One deep inhale. Then slowly, he let it out.
His heartbeat slowed. His eyes sharpened. Then, he pushed the door open and called over the distant soldiers.
One of them came running and saluted. "Rear Admiral Dragon."
Dragon nodded slightly. "Any findings?"
"Report: The search isn't finished yet," the soldier replied. "So far, nothing has been discovered."
Dragon gave a faint nod. "Keep looking."
"Yes, sir!"
He walked off into the distance. At some point, a gentle breeze had started blowing across the island...
* * *
At the harbor, aboard a Marine warship.
Vice Admiral Field lay lazily on a deck chair. "Ahhh~ That breeze came at the perfect time. So refreshing~"
Beside him, his second-in-command looked exasperated. "Vice Admiral, aren't you going to help with the search?"
Field spoke with a yawn. "It's just another group of fools trying to dig into history. Nothing worth catching. Honestly, I'd rather take a nap."
The second-in-command shook his head and smiled wryly.
Narrowing his eyes, Field drifted into thought. His mind returned to that mission three years ago, when they arrested that group of archeologists shouting about uncovering the truth of the world.
He sighed quietly to himself. "Fools..."
* * *
New World, Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom, her figure now clearly past its prime, slammed the Den Den Mushi in her hand into pieces.
"BASTARDS!!! That's the fourth island now! Wiped out without even seeing what the enemy looks like! Are they pigs?!"
The many sons and daughters within the hall trembled in silence, afraid to even breathe too loudly.
No one dared provoke her further.
Big Mom grabbed Napoleon and shot to her feet. "Perospero! Katakuri! Gather the troops. We're setting out. I want to see who has the guts to do this to me!"
As she uttered those words, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki swept through the hall.
Perospero and Katakuri exchanged a look and silently followed behind her. Simultaneously, they signaled the others to begin preparations.
Before long, Big Mom's fleet set sail from Whole Cake Island, and headed for the island sitting on the border of the Golden Lion's and the Steam Pirates' territory.
* * *
New World, Garna Island.
Deep inside the New World, within the sphere of influence of one of the three great powers—the Steam Pirates.
Garna Island sat right at the edge of the territories controlled by Big Mom and the Golden Lion Pirates.
Sakazuki had just stirred up trouble in the former's waters, and now he had arrived here.
His backpack was already half-empty.
The moment he landed, his Observation Haki swept out, detecting something unusual.
He snorted. "Sharp senses, huh."
Without hesitation, he incinerated his backpack with magma, reducing it to ash. Suppressing his presence, he moved silently toward the main hall in the center of the island.
* * *
Inside the hall.
Knox sat at the head of the table, listening to his subordinates report.
"Captain, we just received an update. It's not just the Golden Lion's territory that's been attacked. Even islands under Big Mom's control have been hit. Their top enforcers on those islands are dead. All of them."
"This... it's likely we're next..."
Waving his hand dismissively, Knox said, "No need to panic. Judging by the locations they've attacked, they're targeting the borderlands between our three factions. Looks like someone's trying to stir up chaos in the New World. I want to see who it is. And besides… If Shiki is truly dead... then..."
He casually flung a few photographs onto the floor, brows furrowing slightly in thought.
The subordinates glanced down at the photos, images taken by undercover scouts stationed across various islands.
Photos of the fake newspapers Sakazuki had planted.
"Hiss… if the Golden Lion is really dead…"
"This could be a golden opportunity."
"No way. There's no way someone like him would go down that easily. He's one of the strongest, after all."
"Exactly—"
BOOM!
A deafening crash shattered the main doors.
As soon as they splintered apart, Knox appeared before the crowd.
Snap!
He caught something. Staring at the magma bomb in his hand, energy surging wildly, his pupils shrank in alarm.
His palm shifted into a mass of steam, and a compressed burst erupted below him. A sharp, pressurized hissing sound, like a boiler exploding, echoed out. Then he threw the magma bomb into the sky.
BOOM!
The explosion painted the sky in molten fire, raining lava down like a crimson curtain. From the ground, Knox hurled a steam bomb upward.
BOOM!
The detonation of vapor scattered the descending magma veil. What remained fell like fire rain across the island.
"What's going on?!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Move, move, move!"
"Protect the captain!"
Knox's eyes locked onto a lone figure in the distance—Sakazuki, standing there openly without a trace of concealment.
A glint of danger flashed through the pirate's gaze as he murmured, "The Marines… Sakazuki."
He'd heard the rumors. Whitebeard slain. Shiki losing an arm. These stories had spread across the New World like wildfire. Some believed them; others dismissed them as myths.
Knox didn't buy it. What a joke. Sakazuki leading just five warships, wiping out Shiki's fleet with zero casualties, forcing the man to flee with a severed arm? If he were really that weak, how had the pirate survived this long?
He'd fought both of them numerous times—Whitebeard and the Golden Lion.
Back when the former was alive, the old man had suppressed him with raw force. And after his death, Knox had clashed with Shiki several more times over territory.
He could say with certainty, unless Rocks D. Xebec came back from the dead, no one alive could sever the arm of one of the sea's apex predators without a scratch.
There had to be a hidden truth. It wasn't something the Marine could've done alone.
In a way, Knox's suspicions weren't far from the truth, but he still underestimated Sakazuki's strength.
A cruel grin twisted across his face. "If you came to die, don't blame me."
He wanted to see just how powerful the vice admiral really was.
As his words fell, his body rapidly expanded. Five hundred meters tall in an instant. He became a steam giant, tearing through the hall ceiling.
HSSSSHH!
Jets of white-hot steam hissed from every joint as his arms were clad in Armament Haki. Steam blasted from his back, launching the massive figure forward with startling agility.
A steam-fueled behemoth surged toward Sakazuki, who raised an eyebrow.
That technique… it looked a little familiar.
He chuckled softly. "Nice ability. Shame about your strength. But the most important thing is… I counter you."
He clapped his hands together.
"Great Celestial Magma Demon!"
BOOOOM!
Sakazuki's body expanded violently as lava surged and coalesced, forming a monstrous giant wreathed in black smoke and steam—eight hundred meters tall, with eight arms. Each limb glowed with Armament Haki.
From the molten mouth of the magma titan, a sadistic smile curled as it stared down the oncoming steam giant…
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