The Embryonic Form of the "Fire of Justice"

North Blue · Unnamed Island

Sunlight, sea breeze, cooking smoke, and laughter intertwined.

The once-ruined little village, trampled by pirates, seemed to have been reborn in just over ten days.

Wooden houses had been rebuilt, drainage ditches now flowed freely, simple watchtowers stood along the shore, and even the children's laughter rang brighter and clearer than before.

At the center of all these changes was the boy sitting cross-legged on a rooftop, repairing tiles while using tiny bolts of lightning as nails.

Rock lightly tapped a roof tile with his fingers, and a faint spark from his fingertips snapped a nail precisely into place.

The old man below gaped in amazement. "Brother Rock must be a true heavenly being... Even lightning listens to him..."

The children on the ground looked up and shouted, "Brother Rock is the Thunder God!!!"

"Brother Rock can fly!!!"

"Brother Rock is our village's hero!!!"

Rock could not help smiling awkwardly. "Hey, hey, you're making me sound so exaggerated. You'll make me embarrassed~"

Yet there was a trace of warmth and satisfaction in his voice that he could not conceal.

Meanwhile, Sakazuki gripped a wooden beam tightly, frowning as he watched every one of Rock's movements.

Though he never admitted it aloud, he had already gone from being "wary and hostile" to wanting to memorize every single thing Rock did.

He followed Rock everywhere, helping the villagers with work—repairing roofs, hunting wild boars, carrying firewood, standing night watch, and patrolling...

He was always half a step ahead of Rock, like a wolf cub that refused to leave his side.

The days passed one by one.

Rock taught the villagers how to dig drainage ditches;

he taught the children how to identify wind direction, tides, and sea beasts;

he helped the elderly nail their broken doors and windows back together;

at night, gathered around the bonfire, he would tell them about his experiences on Sky Island: the City of Clouds, the Sea of Light, the Thunder Behemoth...

The children listened with eyes shining like stars, while the elders listened with great interest.

And Sakazuki watched it all, watched Rock casually mend everyone's shattered lives...

For the first time, the boy truly understood:

Strength was not merely for killing.

Strength was for protecting.

In this violent, bloody North Blue, almost no one had ever told him that.

Until one day, as the setting sun fell over the broken stone road, Rock was about to take a drink after finishing his work when Sakazuki suddenly blocked his path, his fists clenched so tightly they had turned white.

"Rock..."

"Can you... teach me how to become stronger?!" His voice was low, but stubborn as fire.

"Not for anything else."

He raised his eyes, and the laughter of the village children was reflected in his dark pupils.

"I know I'm weak right now, but I—"

"I want to protect everyone!!!"

Rock froze slightly, then the corners of his mouth slowly rose—

"Of course I can."

"But the training will be very hard."

"I'm not afraid!!!"

And so, the strange pairing of the "Thunder God Master" and "Stone Disciple" was officially born.

Rock taught him the most basic combat techniques, evasive movements, and shifts in center of gravity;

he taught him how to use his strength rather than relying on brute force alone;

he even used low-voltage lightning to stimulate his nerves and temper his body.

It went something like this:

"Ahhhhhh—!!! It hurts!!!"

"Endure it!!!"

"Are you a demon?!!!"

"Keep talking and I'll add more voltage!!!"

"I'll shut up!!!"

The villagers watched from afar. "Sakazuki got blasted away again..."

"That kid can really take it."

"Those two... why do they work so strangely well together?"

Although Sakazuki rolled around on the ground in pain, his eyes grew brighter and brighter, more and more resolute.

It was the look—

of a boy who had finally seen his "future."

On the night of the eighth day, the sea breeze brushed gently across the wilderness clearing, and moonlight spilled over the ground.

Rock and Sakazuki had just finished training. The boy was panting from exhaustion, yet he still stubbornly remained standing, using the short blade stuck in the ground to support himself.

The bonfire crackled, casting their shadows in its glow.

In that subtly quiet atmosphere, Sakazuki suddenly spoke. "Rock..."

The boy lowered his head and clenched his fist, keeping his voice extremely low.

"I... I want an ability like yours too..."

He raised his eyes. In those dark, sharp pupils, a fiery yearning trembled.

"The kind of... ability that lets you control lightning!"

"I want it too!!!"

Rock was drinking water from his canteen when Sakazuki's sudden blunt question startled him. Then he burst out laughing.

"Haha, well—"

He spread his hands, helpless but slightly teasing. "I can't give that to you."

Sakazuki's face immediately darkened like the bottom of a pot.

"Why?! If you won't give it to me, how am I supposed to get stronger?!"

Rock was thoroughly amused by his utterly justified expression, but he still sat down beside the bonfire and patted the ground beside him, signaling for him to sit as well.

Then, his expression turned serious. "This is an ability called a 'Devil Fruit.'"

Sakazuki froze.

Rock continued explaining, "There are fruits in this world that grant special powers when eaten, like my ability to control lightning."

"But—"

He raised one finger.

"After eating one, you'll become a complete landlubber. If you fall into the sea, you're as good as dead."

Sakazuki's pupils abruptly contracted. "There's something like that??"

Rock nodded and continued, "Other than the fruits, there are two more kinds of power that can be cultivated through training."

He pointed at Sakazuki's chest, his tone grave. "Armament Haki, an ability that strengthens the body, turns it into a weapon, and hardens it enough to shatter steel."

"Observation Haki, an ability that strengthens the five senses, senses the presence of living beings and changes in emotion, and predicts danger."

As Rock spoke, Sakazuki listened in a daze, his mouth slightly open.

For the first time, he realized that the world he lived in was countless times vaster than he had imagined.

And the pain, rage, obsession, and killing he had experienced in the past... were nowhere near enough to let him stand at this world's true heights.

Rock's words were like an opened door, and beyond it lay a sky he had never seen before.

But when Rock finally said, "Still, if you want an ability like mine right now... you can't do it yet."

The boy visibly froze. The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and he lowered his head as if afraid someone would notice his weakness.

Just then—

"Smack."

Rock raised his hand and gently patted his head.

"Idiot."

"Everyone's opportunities are different."

"Maybe one day, you'll gain an ability even stronger than mine."

Sakazuki froze, then looked up at Rock.

Moonlight fell across his face, making him look like a child reaching for the sky for the first time.

"I... can become as strong as you too...?"

Rock looked deeply into his eyes.

He saw a man who would one day become the "Navy's strongest fighting force,"

a son of absolute justice who would turn countless pirates into ashes with magma, a monster capable of contending with the Emperors of the Sea.

So, without the slightest hesitation, he nodded. "Of course you can!"

"But on one condition—" Rock reached out and tapped Sakazuki's chest.

"You need to build a solid foundation first."

"No matter how strong your ability is, it's useless if your body is weak."

"If you want to grow stronger, you must first become someone who can withstand that strength."

Sakazuki clenched his fists, and light returned to his eyes.

"I'll work hard."

"I'll definitely become stronger!!!"

Rock looked at him and smiled softly. "Come on, let's keep training."

"Your era is still a long way off~"