"What the hell is that monster!!??"
"A Sea King? But… it doesn't have any fish-like features at all!!!"
Facing the sky-darkening giant bird, the group of Marines stationed in the East Blue instantly lost their fighting spirit. One blast of that storm cannon sent them scattering in terror.
Even the fortress that could fire cannonballs was utterly helpless against that despair-inducing wall of wind.
"Hahahaha!!! Thanks a ton, big bird!!!"
"Yeah!! You really saved us!!!"
Nami and Usopp were overjoyed, cheering and waving at the Seagull King as they ran toward the Merry.
But the Seagull King merely turned its head to glance at them.
"Skreee—!"
After an inexplicable cry, its entire body wrapped itself in a roaring hurricane as it dove straight toward the Marine forces.
The terrifying tornado devoured everything in its path. Countless Marine soldiers tried desperately to grab onto something to stabilize themselves, but in the end, they were helplessly flung into the sky, limbs flailing.
"What is that!!!?"
The terrifying wind disaster instantly drew the attention of everyone in Loguetown.
Even Smoker, who was chasing after Straw Hat Luffy, froze for a moment as his hand on the motorcycle throttle stiffened. His eyes widened as he stared at the storm-bearing giant bird, cold sweat running down his face.
As a Logia-type Smoke Fruit user, aside from the ocean itself, perhaps nothing restrained him more than such violent storms.
"The winds… are being devoured..."
A man draped in a green cloak, walking in the rain, also turned his gaze toward the distant harbor. His face was grave, as though recalling something.
The ability to control wind… combined with that unique form…
A few drops of cold sweat trickled down his face.
The Seagull King's existence was no secret on the seas. In fact, since it had often appeared alongside Orin and even showed up in major news events in recent years, many people were well aware of what it was.
The bird's sudden appearance gave Dragon a chilling thought.
"Could it be…"
After taking a long look at the distant Seagull King soaring at the horizon, Dragon started walking straight in that direction.
...
Elsewhere,
Monkey D. Luffy was running with his crewmates toward the port when he suddenly saw the magnificent bird soaring into the sky. His eyes lit up like stars, his mouth forming an "O" shape.
"Whoa!!!! So cool!! I've never seen such an awesome bird!!!"
"Hey!!! Do you wanna join my crew?!!!"
Before he could finish the sentence, a fist slammed down on his head from behind.
Zoro's smoking fist clenched tight as he yelled through gritted, sharp teeth,
"You idiot! Is this really the time to be saying that?!!!"
Sanji, however, said nothing.
He simply stared at the magnificent bird in silence, a faint smile tugging at his lips as if he had remembered something.
"Straw Hat!!"
Just then, a motorcycle skidded to a stop right in front of Luffy.
"White Fist!!"
A surge of smoke burst forth, slamming Luffy against the wall.
Without Haki, he couldn't even touch Smoker's real body. In the end, his head was pinned to the ground.
"A pirate worth thirty million Belly… that's all you amount to."
Smoker reached for the jitte strapped to his back—when suddenly, another hand pressed down on his arm.
"That's not necessarily true."
"Who's there?"
Lightning flashed, illuminating the face beneath the cloak.
Monkey D. Dragon—
The most dangerous criminal in the world.
As the violent winds roared, Straw Hat Luffy managed to escape. Everything in his way was swept aside.
Sensing the familiar gale, the Seagull King lifted its head, then slowly exited its Fruit form, gliding freely through the raging air before perching atop an arm.
"What a perfectly timed wind~"
Though Dragon's gale had blown countless people into the sky and wrecked the fortress turrets, Orin and his companion seemed unaffected—only their clothes fluttered lightly in the breeze.
"Damn it..."
Smoker's face darkened as he watched Straw Hat Luffy escape.
By sheer bad luck—or perhaps because the wind had lost strength—Luffy's group was blown away, but Buggy was instead blasted directly toward the port.
He tumbled to his feet, glaring at the retreating Straw Hat.
"Straw Hat, you bastard!!!"
But as he shouted, something in his expression shifted.
His body stiffened slightly, cold sweat dripping down his face.
Smoker's sharp, unkind stare made him uneasy. He gulped.
"Uh… well then, I should probably get going… I've got… uh… something else to do…"
Muttering nervously to himself, Buggy tried to run. But with his Armament Haki flickering on and off, how could he possibly outrun Smoker and a squad of Marines?
"You think you can catch me?!!!"
"In your dreams!!!"
Tears and snot streaming down his face, Buggy ran for his life, using every ounce of strength he had.
His body split apart mid-run—his legs kept sprinting while his upper body flailed wildly through the air.
Coincidentally, Orin was about to leave.
He hadn't expected Buggy to come running straight toward him from afar.
"Well… guess this is fate. Can't just ignore it, huh?"
Orin recalled that Buggy wasn't supposed to end up in Impel Down this early anyway, so he casually snapped his fingers.
...
The two men and one bird vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, Buggy, still running, suddenly sensed something was off.
Where were the shouts and footsteps behind him?
He turned around—and was stunned. The Marines who had been about to catch him seconds ago were now far away at the coastline—the very place they'd started.
He was ecstatic.
"Hah! Looks like you losers won't be catching me now! I guess my luck hasn't run out after all!!!"
"Hahahahahahaha!!!"
...
Elsewhere—
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
After receiving Smoker's urgent report, Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately heard the messenger's words.
"What did you say!!!?"
"Colonel Smoker of East Blue's Loguetown sent an emergency transmission—he's encountered one of the [Seven Warlords of the Sea], [Hawk Eyes] Mihawk, and also…"
The seasoned Marine officer delivering the message trembled nervously.
"And also… the long-missing Saint Orin has appeared in Loguetown!!!"
"Nani!!!"
Hearing this, Sengoku shot to his feet, bloodshot eyes filled with tension.
"Are you certain!?"
Instinctively, he doubted it. Could it be another imposter stirring up trouble under Orin's name, like last time?
But then he remembered—the report also mentioned Mihawk's presence. That meant this was no false sighting.
"Stand down!"
Sengoku's gut filled with dread.
Beside him, Tsuru furrowed her brow deeply.
"In any case, we must report this to the Elders immediately!!!"