BOOM—!
The massive gate exploded inward, splintering into deadly shards that tore through the courtyard like a hail of blades.
Thunk—Thunk—
The sickening sound of wood and steel piercing flesh echoed as chaos erupted.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"We're under attack! Enemy assault!"
"Grab your weapons!"
"Whoever you are, you must have a death wish coming after Golden Li—"
"Urgh—!"
CRACK—
Barrett crashed through the opening like a demon unleashed, his monstrous hands crushing throats and skulls with terrifying ease. He was a tiger among sheep.
His assault team—every member a master of Rokushiki—moved in silent, lethal formation. Blades flashed, reaping lives with the cold precision of death itself. Thin crimson lines bloomed across necks; pirates clutched at their wounds, gasping and twitching before collapsing to the ground.
Barrett drove his fist straight into a pirate's chest.
CRUNCH— Bones shattered, his hand sinking deep.
A savage grin split Barrett's face. He twisted, and—
BANG!
The pirate's chest erupted in a spray of blood and bone. Barrett's gore-soaked hand burst through, seizing a sword that had lunged for his back.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as Armament Haki rippled along his arm. He yanked hard, dragging the sword-wielding pirate captain helplessly toward him. The corpse he'd just punched through was shredded by a burst of Haki, torn apart like a rag doll—limbs and viscera raining down.
The captain, realizing the trap, let go of his sword and swung both fists—coated in Armament Haki—at Barrett's head, aiming to crush his skull from both sides.
THUD—
The blows landed with the force of a battering ram. But in his Oni Aura state, Barrett's body was a fortress. The impact dispersed harmlessly, his savage smile unfazed.
He looked at the captain as if he were already a corpse. "Not even close!!"
The pirate captain's eyes widened in horror, too late to retreat. A blue blur—Barrett—snatched his shoulder, and with the other hand drove a blade straight through his gut.
"Urgh—!"
With a brutal upward twist, sword energy ripped the man in two.
SHRRIP—
The bisected body hit the ground with a wet thud.
Barrett swept the area with Observation Haki. The strongholds of Golden Lion's subordinates here had been wiped out—only a handful of weaklings remained.
TWEEET—
A sharp whistle, and the assault team regrouped instantly at his side.
Barrett let his Oni Aura fade, glancing at his team. "We're done here. Move to the next island."
With a burst of sonic booms, the squad vanished—gone in the blink of an eye.
In mere minutes, the pirate stronghold had been utterly annihilated...
———
Grand Line, Jaya Island.
Dragon had barely read a few pages before it hit him like a bolt of lightning.
"Revolution… revolution…"
He muttered the word over and over. Two simple syllables, yet they carried a weight that rocked his soul.
Tap tap tap—
Footsteps thundered in the distance, snapping Dragon out of his trance. He slammed the book shut, breath coming in ragged gasps as if he'd glimpsed something terrifying.
"Huff—huff—"
He stuffed the notebook into his jacket, forcing himself to breathe slow and deep. After a moment, he steadied.
Pushing open the door, he beckoned to the soldiers nearby.
They hurried over and saluted. "Rear Admiral Dragon!"
Dragon nodded. "Any findings?"
"Reporting in, sir—we're still searching. Nothing so far."
He nodded. "Keep at it."
"Yes, sir!"
Dragon walked off, a gentle breeze rising on the island as if echoing his awakening...
On the warship in port, Vice Admiral Field lounged lazily in his chair.
"Ahh, this is the life… This breeze is perfect—so refreshing."
His adjutant looked exasperated. "Vice Admiral, aren't you going to join the search?"
Field yawned. "Just another bunch of idiots chasing after history. What's the point? I'd rather nap."
The adjutant could only shake his head and smile wryly.
Field squinted at the sky, thoughts drifting back to the raid three years ago—to the historians who'd cried out, all they wanted was the truth of the world.
He sighed inwardly.
"Fools…"
———
New World, Whole Cake Island.
Charlotte Linlin's figure had grown even more imposing with age. She hurled her Den Den Mushi to the ground, shattering it in a fury.
"Bastards!! That's the fourth island already! Wiped out before anyone even saw the enemy's face! Are my people pigs?!"
Her children trembled in terror, not daring to breathe.
She snatched up Napoleon and rose to her full, monstrous height.
"Perospero! Katakuri! Gather everyone—we're moving out. I want to see who's got the guts to pull this off!"
Her Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, suffocating the hall in pure, tyrannical force.
Perospero and Katakuri exchanged glances, then quickly began organizing the troops.
Moments later, Big Mom's ships set sail from Whole Cake Island, heading straight for the border islands between Golden Lion and the Steam Pirates…
———
New World, Garnor Island.
In the heart of the Steam Pirates' territory—one of the three great powers of the New World, and right on the border with both the Big Mom Pirates and the Flying Pirates—Sakazuki arrived, having just stirred up chaos in Big Mom's domain.
His bag of fake newspapers was already half empty.
Landing quietly, his Observation Haki swept the island and immediately picked up something unusual.
"Pretty sharp," he murmured, burning the empty backpack to ash with a flicker of magma.
He masked his presence and strode toward the central hall.
Inside, Hale Nock sat at the head of the table, listening to a report.
"Boss, latest intel says it's not just Golden Lion's islands getting hit. Big Mom's territories are under attack too. Every island boss has been killed. At this rate… we're probably next…"
Hale Nock waved dismissively. "No need to panic. They're targeting the borderlands between our three powers—someone's trying to muddy the New World's waters. I want to see who it is. And if Golden Lion really is dead… well…"
He tossed a handful of photos on the floor, eyes narrowing as he pondered.
The subordinates crowded around. The photos were the same ones spies had snapped—images of the fake newspapers Sakazuki had scattered everywhere.
"Hiss—!"
"If Golden Lion's really dead, that's a golden opportunity."
"No way. He couldn't have gone down that easy."
"He's one of the top dogs."
"Exactly…"
BOOM—!
A thunderous crash—the doors exploded inward.
The instant the doors broke, Hale Nock appeared in front of his men.
SMACK!
He caught something—an orb of magma, energy surging wildly in his grip. His pupils shrank.
Steam burst from his palm, the compressed pressure hissing like a boiler as he launched the magma bomb skyward.
BOOM—!
The eruption painted the sky with a curtain of lava.
Hale Nock hurled his own steam bomb in response. The explosion scattered the magma rain, which fell as a fiery deluge across the island.
"Who goes there?!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Move, move, move!"
"Protect the boss!"
Hale Nock fixed his gaze on the distant, unhidden Sakazuki, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"A Marine, huh? Sakazuki…"
He'd heard the rumors—Whitebeard slain, Golden Lion's arm severed. The stories flew across the New World, but Hale Nock didn't buy them.
What a joke—Sakazuki leading five warships to wipe out Golden Lion's fleet without a scratch? Golden Lion escaping with only one arm? If he was that weak, he'd be dead by now.
He'd tangled with both Whitebeard and Golden Lion more times than he could count. Before Whitebeard's death, he'd always been suppressed. Afterward, fighting for territory, he'd clashed with Golden Lion repeatedly.
He knew one thing for sure: unless Rocks himself returned from the grave, there was no way anyone could take a Yonko's arm without a scratch. There had to be some hidden truth—no way Sakazuki did it alone.
In a way, Hale Nock was close to the truth. But he still underestimated Sakazuki's power…
A cruel grin spread across Hale Nock's face.
"You want to die? Don't blame me."
He'd see for himself just how strong Sakazuki really was.
His body began to swell—rapidly, monstrously—until he stood five hundred meters tall, a steam giant bursting through the hall.
Hiss—! Steam jetted from every limb. His arms gleamed with Armament Haki as white vapor exploded behind him—faster and more agile than any giant had a right to be, he charged straight for Sakazuki.
Watching the oncoming techniques, Sakazuki arched an eyebrow. "Looks familiar…"
He chuckled. "Nice ability, but you're lacking in power. Most importantly…"
He clapped his hands together. "I counter you."
"Infernal Overlord!"
RUMBLE RUMBLE—!
Sakazuki's body exploded outward, magma swirling and condensing as he transformed into an eight-armed, eight-hundred-meter-tall magma giant, wreathed in black smoke and steam.
All eight arms glimmered with Armament Haki.
Facing the charging steam giant, the magma titan's lips curled in a savage smile… ~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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