Rampaging Behemoth Reappears

New World - Former Whitebeard Territory Sea Area

The azure sea shimmered under the sunlight, and a specially designed small Warship was cutting through the waves, its bow flying a red and blue "Thunderflame" flag, making it particularly eye-catching in the New World waters.

Meanwhile, on the distant horizon, a dark shadow is rapidly approaching!

Five Pirate ships, each with a distinct style and covered in iron spikes and skull totems, billowed their sails in the wind, forming a fan-shaped encirclement formation, and charged menacingly toward the Warship!

"Damn it! That tiny Warship dares to be so arrogant in front of the great 'Redbeard Pirates'?!"

Standing at the bow of the flagship was none other than Redbeard, the Pirate with a bounty of 300 million Beli in the New World.

He wore a fiery red cloak, wielded a two-meter-long blade, and roared ferociously with a face full of scars Redbeard:

"Men! Fire! Turn them into fish food!!"

"Oh--!"

The hundred Pirates on the five Pirate ships cheered excitedly, turned their cannons around, loaded oil, and roared war drums. At the same time, the cannons on the ships were aimed at that lone Warship!

But before they could pull the trigger—

The sky suddenly darkened.

"Huh?" Redbeard suddenly looked up, his expression changing drastically.

The once clear blue sky was suddenly covered by a churning crimson!

"Boom--!"

A dozen or so scorching lava fists condensed from the clouds, like a roaring volcano, and descended from the sky!

"No way... that's...?"

"Meteor?!!"

Before Redbeard's terror had subsided, the fiery meteorite crashed down!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang--!"

The five Pirate ships were blasted to pieces like pieces of paper, their hulls bursting, masts snapping, flames engulfing the sails and skeletons, and the sound of explosions echoing through the sky!

In just one minute—the entire fleet was reduced to ashes and sank to the bottom of the sea!

Charred wreckage and broken weapons floated on the blood-red sea. The Pirates ' cries gradually subsided into silence, and the surroundings were completely still, as if the entire sea had trembled.

On the deck of the Warship, Ace gripped the railing with both hands, his eyes wide, and roared towards the bow, "Admiral Sakazuki!!"

"Don't just rush to 'Meteor Volcano' every time you see Pirates!!"

"We haven't even started yet! Leave some for us to practice on!!"

Law gripped Ace's arm tightly, sweat beading on his forehead. "Calm down! Shouting won't do any good..."

Sakazuki, draped in a lava cloak, stood at the bow of the ship, arms crossed, a trace of scorching heat still lingering on his face.

Upon hearing Ace's shout, he was slightly taken aback, and the iron-blooded face of the dignified Marine Admiral actually turned slightly red.

"Cough."

He coughed lightly and said awkwardly in a low voice, "... I'm used to it."

"Pfft, hahaha!!" Enel into laughter, laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight.

"Ace! I told you before we left!!" He slapped his thigh and laughed wildly.

"When you come out with Admiral Sakazuki, Pirates rely on 'stealing'!"

"I told you, but you didn't believe me! Haha!!"

"This is stealing my kill, you bastard!" Ace scratched his head, veins bulging on his forehead. "Next time I see Pirate, I'll blast him ten times with my Fire Fist first!!"

"Then you'd have to be able to outmaneuver Admiral Akainu first."

Law stood to the side, not even looking up, and coldly retorted, "Last time you tried to capture a Pirate, but the Admiral steamed him up on the spot, calling it 'accidental injury'."

Ace: "... Thanks for reminding me, you idiot."

Enel: "Haha! Do it again, I want to record it!"

Sakazuki silently turned around, his Coat of Justice fluttering slowly in the sea breeze behind him, as if he were carrying a volcano on his back.

Even if he doesn't say a word, an invisible sense of oppression still permeates the air.

The small Warship continued sailing forward, leaving behind only the still-burning flames on the sea and a cleared area of water.

This is the sweeping, area-clearing hunting method employed by Sakazuki's team.

A saying circulates among the pirates of the New World Pirate:

--Better to provoke the Four Emperors than to touch Thunderflame.

Loguetown Marine Branch Training Ground

Under the blazing sun, a gentle breeze rustled the flags along the Training Ground.

A week passed in the blink of an eye. Under Roy's intense training, the two originally ordinary boys began to show different talents.

"Bang--!"

Sanji unleashed a powerful high kick, the Sky Splitter the air, bending and deforming the heavy training iron stake!

Zoro stood with his arms crossed, his gaze sharp as a knife. After a moment, he nodded, a rare occurrence for him. "Not bad, finally... it's starting to look decent."

Sanji was panting heavily, sweat streaming down his forehead, but his eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

"This feeling... it's like my body is actively becoming stronger..."

He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the subtle changes in his muscles and nerves. "Speed, recovery, explosiveness... it's like Awakening."

On the sidelines, Roy's gaze was deep as he murmured to himself, "Is the Lineage Factor of Germa 66 finally beginning to awaken under the pressure of training?"

"As expected... Sanji's potential far exceeds that of ordinary people."

On the other side, Usopp was kneeling on the ground, his hands steadily supporting a modified Sniper Rifle.

His gaze was more focused than ever before, and even his breathing became slow and even.

At Roy's suggestion, Usopp not only switched to a special Sniper Rifle, but also made full use of his inventive talent to develop various special bullets.

"Bang!!"

The bullet pierced the air and accurately hit the high-speed bullseye 500 meters away!

"That's spot on! Usopp!" The veteran Marine Branch watching couldn't help but cheer and applaud.

Usopp scratched his head shyly, but couldn't help but smile, "Hehe, it's all thanks to Vice Admiral Roy's guidance..."

Dozens of samples of special munitions were scattered on the ground beside him: pepper spray grenades, stun grenades, Smoke Bomb, tracking grenades... each one was meticulously designed.

Roy walked slowly over, his broad hand gently landing on Usopp's shoulder, his eyes revealing approval. "Your Observation Haki is already showing signs of improvement, especially in terms of 'prediction,' your reactions are quite sharp."

"The only thing you lack now..." Roy paused, "Is real-world experience."

Usopp straightened his back upon hearing this, his small frame appearing exceptionally upright. "I will prove myself! Even on a real Battlefield, I will never back down!"

Just as everyone was basking in the glory of their hard-won achievement, the Training Ground door was suddenly pushed open.

"Bang--!"

Smoker strode in, his face grim, Cigar between his fingers, the Smoke billowing rapidly.

"Roy, something's happened again in the East Blue."

Roy's eyes turned cold. "It's 'Rampaging Behemoth,' isn't it?"

Smoker's expression darkened further. "Three fishing boats have gone missing. Only broken wreckage has been found at the scene, and all the nearby villagers have been evacuated."

Smoker stared at him. "You knew it all along, didn't you?"

After a few seconds of silence, Roy slowly nodded. "I've been waiting for it to reveal itself... Now, it's about time to take action."

Smoker gritted his teeth, his tone unusually firm. "Tell me, you should know where these things came from, right?"

"I want to contribute too!"

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

Roy looked at him and finally gave a rare smile.

"... OK."