The Sabaody Archipelago is divided into several zones. That afternoon, the security assignments for the Sabaody Naval Headquarters had been finalized.
Borsalino was on guard at headquarters, enjoying tea while reading the newspaper. Sakazuki was patrolling the Law Zone, making sure not a single criminal dared set foot in the area.
Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Quentin Seven chose to walk alone through the Lawless Zone in Grove 13.
Walking leisurely with his Justice cloak fluttering in the wind, Seven's mind wasn't entirely on Sabaody. Part of his consciousness was connected to his mental space, where a vast expanse of grassland and a towering giant tree stood.
In that mental space, five Bijuu—Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, and Kokuo—lay surrounding Seven's projection.
"How much more energy do we need to awaken Saiken?" Seven asked casually.
Son Goku, a giant red-haired monkey, snorted softly while scratching his chin. "I've assessed the quality of the energy from the four Devil Fruits you've stored within the dimension of your left eye. The quality is decent, but you still need one more Devil Fruit to break through Saiken's seal."
"One more…" Seven muttered to himself. He nodded in understanding.
"By the way," Seven's tone shifted slightly, sounding more pensive. "Lately, I've been having strange dreams. I see two female figures. One with long, tied-up purple hair, and another with long, flowing white hair that reaches all the way to the ground. I can only see their backs, as if they're waiting for me somewhere. Do you guys know anything about this?"
The mental space suddenly fell silent.
The five giant Bijuu froze. Shukaku stopped chewing, Isobu's eyes widened, and Kokuo's fur bristled slightly. Though startled and panicked, they quickly composed their expressions so as not to arouse their Emperor's suspicion.
"M-maybe you're missing our home world," replied Matatabi, the blue fire cat who was lying down, breaking the silence with a voice as calm as possible. "If we've all awakened, your fragmented memories will fully recover. At that point, with our full strength, we can find a way to leave this world and return to the Ninja World."
Seven fell silent for a moment, absorbing Matatabi's words. "I see… that makes sense." He nodded in satisfaction at the answer, refocusing his attention on the real world.
However, as soon as Seven's primary consciousness shifted outward, the atmosphere in the mental space changed drastically. The Bijuu exchanged glances with expressions of suppressed panic.
"It seems Seven's memories are starting to return," Son Goku whispered in a faint, trembling voice. "He's already begun dreaming about Master Naori and Master Kaguya."
"Maybe his memories will fully recover soon," Kokuo replied, swallowing hard. "But given the current situation… if he gets involved with a woman from this world because he doesn't remember his status, it could get serious when those two Lords find out."
Isobu lifted one of his legs, pointing toward the giant tree in the center of the mental space. The tree, which Seven did not recognize as the form of the Juubi, flickered, emitting a blue light that pulsed slowly yet steadily.
"And now it's starting to activate," Isobu muttered in horror. "It seems they'll be here soon. Maybe in a few decades..."
"Yeah," Shukaku sighed, clutching his head as a sudden dizziness hit him, "Let's just hope Seven doesn't provoke or flirt with any woman in this world. If Lord Kaguya and Lord Naori find out, we'll be in trouble too."
In the real world, Seven didn't hear the Bijuu's panicked chatter in his head at all. His attention was diverted because his Kenbunshoku Haki had just picked up an extremely intense and coordinated intent to kill all around him.
Seven's steps halted at a deserted intersection on Grove 13.
From behind the shadows of giant mangrove roots and an abandoned building, dozens of armed men emerged. It didn't take long before over a hundred pirates had him tightly surrounded. They grinned, staring at Seven like a rabbit on a chopping block.
From the crowd, three massive figures stepped forward. Their aura was vastly different from that of ordinary, low-ranking pirates.
On the left was Jack the Scythe, wielding two chained scythes. To the right was Scarface the Tiger, a man with a face full of claw marks wearing spiked gloves. And in the center was a mysterious figure wearing a thick coat and a mask covering his entire face.
They were three formidable pirate captains with high bounties, collaborating to lead their hundreds of subordinates in an attempt to kill the new Naval Base Commander.
"Arrogant Navy," Scarface growled, coating his spiked gloves with glossy black Busoshoku Haki. "You're too bold to enter our lair alone!"
"And, changing the rules of this place!"
"Kill him!" Jack shouted.
The three captains lunged forward in unison, their weapons shrouded in Armament Haki.
Seven's expression remained calm. His dark eyes stared coldly. His right hand slowly drew the hilt of the sword at his waist. In a split second, the blade emerged from its sheath, instantly engulfed by a blazing Blue Flame of intense heat.
TRANG! BLAAAR!
A violent clash erupted as the Blue Flame Sword simultaneously parried Jack's scythe swing and Scarface's punch. The heat of the blue flame made both pirate captains wince, yet the ground beneath Seven's feet cracked violently.
At that very moment, the Masked Pirate exploited that blind spot. Unlike ordinary pirates who attack recklessly, the masked captain stomped the ground dozens of times in an instant, vanishing from sight and reappearing right behind Seven, swinging a Haki-coated dagger straight at the Young Admiral's neck.
However, with understanding and speed far surpassing his opponent's, Seven spun his sword backward without even turning his head.
CLANK!
The Blue Flame Sword swiftly parried the Masked Pirate's dagger. Sparks of blue flame flared, forcing the masked figure to leap backward to avoid being burned.
Seven turned his body. His black eyes slowly turned red, and instantly, the intricate pattern of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan bloomed within his pupils. He stared intently at the Masked Pirate who had just landed with great discipline.
Seven gave a faint smirk. "High-speed footwork, stomping the ground dozens of times in an instant. Abandoning the barbaric pirate-style footwork in favor of a trained attack..."
Seven's red eyes narrowed suspiciously, dissecting the masked man's fighting style. "Movements very similar to Soru's," Seven thought to himself, sensing something was terribly off. He stared intently at his enemy. "It's very strange for a pirate to have movements similar to Soru's."