A few days after the incident, in the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago,
a small boat sailed.
On board was Quincy, Yuno, wearing a black-and-white mask.
After a long journey, Yuno finally reached the end of the first half of the Grand Line—the Sabaody Archipelago!
Leaning casually on a chair, Yuno read a newspaper in his hand.
It was a report about Jack the Drought.
After being defeated and frozen by Navy officer Yuno, Jack had been escorted away the next day by a Marine warship.
At the same time, Marine Headquarters dispatched two Vice Admirals to reinforce the escort. Altogether, three warships were tasked with transferring Jack to Impel Down.
To ensure security, all Marine movements took place within the Calm Belt.
However… an accident still occurred…
A black shadow suddenly appeared in the sky, its massive form casting darkness over the warships. Everyone looked up and saw a strange bird wrapped in flames swooping down!
It was none other than King the Wildfire, one of the *All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates!
With a single dive, King destroyed a Marine ship.
Vice Admirals Doberman and Onigumo (Flying Squirrel) instantly recognized him: King, one of Kaido's Three Calamities!
Though a fierce skirmish broke out, King still managed to rescue Jack the Drought, who was being escorted. Fleet Admiral Sengoku was furious—he hadn't expected Kaido to send someone capable of aerial combat, catching the escort completely off guard.
King was far stronger than Jack, and even the combined strength of the two Vice Admirals was not enough to resist him.
The Marines suffered a crushing defeat!
Soon after, the news spread across the world through the newspapers.
Yuno now held that very paper in his hands.
"Oh, you were careless, Sengoku!"
At the time, Marine officer Yuno remained stationed at the G-7 Branch Base, unlikely to leave for now.
Yuno only learned of Jack's rescue after reading the report.
Jack the Drought had been freed—by none other than King the Wildfire!
Yuno was wary. He had stolen Kaido's Devil Fruit, and given Kaido's personality, there was no way he would be spared.
Since Kaido hadn't acted directly, it was clear he was preoccupied with other matters.
Piecing together intelligence from the New World, Yuno made his guess:
"Is the throne of the Four Emperors… about to be decided?"
The balance in the New World was becoming clearer.
The four strongest men on the seas had emerged:
- Edward Newgate, Whitebeard
- Kaido of the Beasts
- Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom
- Red-Haired Shanks
Shanks had risen from obscurity, having returned to the New World from the East Blue. He had fought his way up, even destroying a major New World pirate crew and taking over their territory, before clashing with the other Emperors.
Kaido and Red-Hair's territories bordered one another, and their forces clashed constantly, neither side willing to yield.
Thus, the two had already formed a bitter rivalry, while other "contenders" had nearly all withdrawn…
As Yuno thought about this, a black speck appeared in the distance—the Sabaody Archipelago!
As he drew closer, Yuno saw that the surrounding waters were filled with ships.
This was the only gateway to the New World, where ships from every route converged.
Merchant ships and pirate ships alike sailed toward the island to make port.
At this time, behind Yuno's small boat, a massive three-masted sailing ship slowly approached, its black flag emblazoned with a skull fluttering in the wind.
Obviously, this was a pirate crew!
The pirate ship barreled forward as if Yuno's little boat didn't even exist.
Maybe they saw it—
but they simply didn't care.
On the pirate ship, a lookout raised his voice:
"Boss, there's a small boat ahead!"
"A small boat?"
The captain stepped up to the railing and squinted at the vessel drifting calmly across the waves. He let out a scornful snort.
"Forget it—just ram it!"
"Yes, Captain!" the helmsman answered at once.
For a moment, cruel grins spread across the crew's faces.
They wanted to see the little boat smashed to pieces, its passenger swallowed by the sea.
For them, it was nothing but a bit of entertainment to break up their boring voyage.
After all, they were pirates—not good-hearted sailors. Who would swerve aside just to spare one life?
But this time, they had clearly chosen the wrong target…
Yuno's Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) had already picked up the vessel tailing him, but he hadn't cared. The ocean was vast, and normally, the slightest deviation would have let the ship pass him by.
What he never expected was that this pirate ship would actually charge straight at him.
Yuno shook his head. Pirates on the Grand Line… truly insane. Murderous, reckless, as if they had long forgotten their humanity.
Since entering the Grand Line, he had run into fools like this more than once—small-time pirates blinded by arrogance, practically begging for death.
He never went out of his way to deal with such weaklings, but trouble always seemed to come knocking.
Even though his distinctive black-and-white mask was already infamous, there were always pirates and bounty hunters ignorant—or suicidal—enough to aim for his head.
And for them, Yuno never showed mercy.
Without even rising from his seat, Yuno turned his body slightly and raised his hand. His five fingers spread open as a pale blue flame condensed in his palm.
"Take a taste of Sokatsui."
In an instant, the azure fire shot from his hand, streaking across the air before engulfing the entire pirate ship!
"Boom!"
A thunderous roar echoed as Sokatsui erupted, its terrifying flames wrapping the entire vessel. A shockwave ripped outward, blasting the sea into violent waves.
In moments, fire surged skyward. One-third of the ship was obliterated outright, and those unlucky enough to stand at the bow were reduced to ashes.
Yuno's small boat remained steady amid the turbulence, completely untouched.
Not far away, another ship bound for the Sabaody Archipelago was startled by the explosion.
"What was that blast?!"
"Waves incoming—hold her steady!"
"Wait… where did that come from on such a clear day?"
All eyes turned toward the column of smoke rising from the sea—
and what they saw made their faces pale.
A pirate ship was sinking into the depths, consumed by fire.
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