Pirate Supernovas / Thunder God Island

Bank Forbidden Zone was very close to the entrance of the New World, making it one of the fastest islands to reach after passing through the first half of the Grand Line.

Therefore, even though it was explicitly designated as territory of the World Government, the surrounding waters were far from peaceful.

Borsalino had been able to successfully become captain of the Naval Science Unit largely because of this.

Protecting Vegapunk and cracking down on pirate supernovas with the potential to enter the New World—the former might even have merely been incidental to the latter.

Many pirates had struggled through ten thousand meters of deep sea to reach the New World. Just as they were ready to make a name for themselves and carve out an era of their own, the first enemy they encountered was Borsalino.

This situation did not change until Bank Forbidden Zone was destroyed and Borsalino was promoted to Navy Admiral, no longer stationed in the region.

Only then did people like Fire Fist Ace and White Horse Cavendish become some of the few pirate supernovas to successfully make a name for themselves in the New World.

That was why, when the Worst Generation rose to fame, Borsalino had volunteered for the assignment.

Pirate supernovas?

During his years at Bank Forbidden Zone, Borsalino did not even know how many supernovas he had sent into the Navy prison, Impel Down.

This time, Borsalino's mission was to arrest a pirate supernova who had entered the New World.

Mobius had also witnessed the entire process of Borsalino arresting that supernova aboard the Navy warship.

They tracked down the supernova pirate crew based on intelligence, and the moment they found them, they immediately moved in.

Once they entered naval combat range, Borsalino leaped high into the air and unleashed Yasakani Sacred Jewel. A sky full of light bullets riddled the supernova pirate crew like a sieve.

Then, using Yata Mirror to reposition himself, Borsalino closed in on the furious, red-faced supernova captain and sent him into a sweet dream with a single light-speed kick.

Finally, the Navy warship sailed over to clean up the mess, easily arresting every member of the supernova pirate crew.

Borsalino had proven with facts that he was the undisputed Supernova Killer.

"Pretty cool, old man!"

As Borsalino returned, Mobius immediately gave him a thumbs-up.

The Glint-Glint Fruit was just too useful!

"They were just a bunch of brats~"

Borsalino said it had been nothing, but his disciple's praise still made him smile.

The two chatted for a while. Meanwhile, the Navy soldiers aboard the warship had roughly sorted through the intelligence and promptly came over to report.

"Reporting to the vice admiral, all officers of the Heavy Cannon Pirates have been successfully arrested. Twenty-three prisoners in total. We are currently inventorying their weapons and treasure."

"Mm, one supernova taken care of~"

Reverse Mountain, the entrance to the Grand Line, was shaped by its unique geography. It had five waterways in total, arranged in an X shape. The four diagonal routes extended from the Four Seas and converged at the summit, where a single horizontal channel led into the Grand Line.

At different times, the five waterways alternated between four in and one out, and four out and one in. In other words, they either carried ships from the Four Seas into the Grand Line or from the Grand Line into the Four Seas, endlessly cycling between the two. That was why it was called Reverse Mountain.

Therefore, pirates setting out from the Four Seas generally entered the Grand Line during the same period.

If nothing went wrong and their journeys were smooth, they would also reach Sabaody Archipelago, the end of the first half of the Grand Line, around the same time.

So if one supernova appeared, it meant there were likely other pirates nearby.

That was why nearly all the supernovas of the Worst Generation, aside from Blackbeard, had appeared in Sabaody Archipelago during roughly the same period.

"There are other supernovas next?"

Borsalino asked casually. He had beaten up so many supernovas that he no longer cared who they were. He only needed to sail the warship over and beat them down.

"Reporting to the vice admiral, there are also the Wicked Government Pirates, led by Captain Avalo Pizarro..."

"Oh? There are more?"

Borsalino was somewhat surprised. Generally speaking, getting one pirate supernova in a year was already pretty good. There were actually two this year?

"Two supernovas this year?"

"No, vice admiral. There are four. There is also Catarina Devon, captain of the Crescent Moon Pirates, and Vasco Shot, captain of the Barrel Pirates."

"They are all pirates who have long been famous in their respective seas. Now that they have officially broken through Paradise, they have each stirred up major incidents and have been judged to be the Villainous Generation."

"The Villainous Generation? How terrifying~"

Although supernova usually referred to rookie pirates, it generally specifically meant pirates whose bounties had surpassed one hundred million within a short period, regardless of what they had been before.

For example, Capone Bege, the godfather of West Blue, had decided to conquer the seas only after unifying the West Blue underworld. He had already been immensely famous before setting sail.

Corrupt King Pizarro had already been a notorious tyrant back in his hometown in North Blue.

Crescent Moon Hunter Catarina Devon had committed multiple vicious murder cases.

Big Barrel...

Big Barrel had not done anything particularly serious. He had merely beaten up quite a few people while drunk and throwing tantrums.

Thinking that four supernovas had appeared this year when they were usually so rare, Borsalino became interested as well.

"Do we have intelligence on them? Pirates that vicious cannot be allowed to run free."

"Reporting to the vice admiral, those three pirate crews are far more cunning than the Heavy Cannon Pirates. We currently have no intelligence sources and do not know their locations."

"Is that so? What a shame~"

Borsalino shook his head. He had wanted to catch them all in one sweep.

Mobius, who had been eavesdropping nearby, twitched his ears. Those three names sounded familiar~

Corrupt King, Crescent Moon Hunter, Big Barrel...

Weren't they officers of the Blackbeard Pirates in the future? They had actually been supernovas of the same generation this year?

That was a little surprising.

Mobius kept their names in mind and began forming an idea.

He would set a small goal. If he encountered those three, he would try to blow them apart.

After dealing with the Heavy Cannon Pirates, Borsalino had completed his mission.

Next, he would escort every member of the pirate crew to Navy Headquarters, while Borsalino would return to headquarters to report on his duties.

Naturally, Mobius did not need to return to Navy Headquarters, so he asked old man Borsalino to drop him off at an island along the way.

Borsalino had originally planned to let Mobius disembark at either Ridchiled Island or Mistria Island. Both islands were near the entrance to the New World and not far from Bank Forbidden Zone.

However, Mobius refused. He had a better destination in mind.

Thunder God Island was shrouded in constant thunderstorms. It produced roughly 280 lightning strikes per hour and had as many as 160 thunderstorm days each year. It was the most dangerous island near the entrance to the New World.

Yet life always found a way. The residents of Thunder God Island had their own way of living.

The islanders made special insulated umbrellas suited to the local conditions, which could effectively protect them from lightning strikes.

Navy warships occasionally stationed at Thunder God Island to replenish supplies, and special umbrellas were kept aboard.

At the harbor, Mobius stood beneath an umbrella and bid Borsalino farewell.

Every Navy soldier aboard the warship held an umbrella. Only Borsalino stood outside bare-skinned, the Glint-Glint Fruit giving him ample confidence.

"See you next time, Mobius~"

"When we meet again, I'll definitely give you a huge surprise, old man."

"Then work hard~"

The brief farewell ended. The warship set sail and vanished beyond the horizon against the sea breeze.

Mobius continued watching until the warship disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn around and walk deeper onto the island.

Though Thunder God Island had an unusual environment, it was not poor. Few pirates were willing to approach such a dangerous island.

The residents had natural protection and could support themselves. The World Government would not come to a place like this to collect Heavenly Tribute, either.

Although the buildings on the island were low, that was only to avoid lightning strikes. They were not run-down in the slightest, and the environment was very clean.

Mobius could see spirit and vitality in the eyes of the residents living here. They all looked like people with hope for tomorrow.

The goods in the shopping district could even be described as dazzlingly varied.

It was also because of Thunder God Island's unique nature. Though the environment was dangerous, it kept countless pirates from coveting the place, making it an excellent transfer station for goods.

Many merchant ships stopped here, and over time, a relatively prosperous commercial district had formed in this harsh environment.

For some reason, seeing this made Mobius think of the term "Peach Blossom Spring."

On this sea, a place with natural protection like Thunder God Island might truly be a Peach Blossom Spring.

Mobius sighed, but his hands and feet did not slow down as he rapidly purchased supplies on the island streets.

The doctor had given Mobius funds for his activities, and he could ask the World Government for more later, so long as he provided valuable reports.

After buying the survival supplies he needed, Mobius gradually left the crowds of Thunder God Island behind.

It was still because of the environment. Although Thunder God Island was relatively prosperous, the entire island was difficult to develop. The residents could only live in areas where lightning was relatively sparse.

Conversely, every place with dense lightning was untamed wilderness.

Once he could barely sense any human presence, Mobius found himself surrounded by crackling lightning. The special umbrella in his hand had begun to groan as well.

Seeing this, Mobius did not hesitate. He directly took out the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit and stuffed it into his mouth.

He did not chew it carefully, but an indescribable flavor still spread through his mouth.

Mobius frowned, but he could endure it, because vigorous and powerful energy was constantly surging through his body!

Dense crimson dragon scales emerged across Mobius's body. Majestic dragon horns sprouted from his head, and his body continuously stretched longer.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred-meter dragon soared into the sky. Flame Clouds coiled around him, Thunder Roar gathered at the corners of his mouth, and tornado-like gusts followed in his wake.

Clenching his fist and feeling the surging power within his body, Mobius felt that he could now punch ten Sentomarus to death!

"Is this the power of a dragon?"

Mobius raised his dragon head, a ferocious grin spreading across his broad jaws.

"This is amazing!"

The pitch-black thunderclouds before him still blotted out the sky. Lightning constantly exploded, scouring the earth below.

Faced with such an apocalyptic sight, Mobius had only one thought.

He was a little hungry.

"Roar!"

With a roar, Mobius rose into the endless thunderclouds. Lightning exploded against his body, bringing only a tingling sensation.

Mobius opened his dragon jaws and inhaled lightly. A spectacle like a dragon drawing in water appeared as vast amounts of thunderclouds were swallowed into his stomach.

In an instant, Mobius felt warmth in his belly, as though he had eaten a huge cake. His body still craved more.

Looking at the nearly boundless thunderclouds around him, Mobius laughed.

Sure enough, coming here had been the right choice. With Thunder God Island's climate, he could temper himself properly!

Roar!

The dragon's cry rang through the heavens once more.