Sakazuki's Resolve

The air in the jungle was thick, shadows swayed beneath the trees, and even the wind seemed afraid to draw near.

The charging pirates had no idea that what they were pursuing was not some "lone boy," but a young beast tempered by lightning.

Sakazuki gripped his short blade tightly, his toes sinking slightly into the ground.

The next instant, cracks spread beneath his feet!

"Haaah—!!!"

His entire body shot toward the first pirate like an arrow loosed from a fully drawn bow.

The pirate raised his blade and laughed wildly. "Die, brat—!"

Before he could finish shouting, Sakazuki had already slipped beneath his arm. He moved so fast that his afterimage had yet to fade, his short blade striking at a vicious angle—

"Pfft—!!!"

The blade pierced through his chest.

Hot blood sprayed out, splattering the leaves and dyeing the green shadows red.

The pirate's pupils contracted. An unwilling gurgle escaped his throat, but he fell before he could spit out one final curse.

Sakazuki pulled out his blade without even looking at him. His eyes held nothing but cold killing intent and unwavering resolve.

The charging pirates realized something was wrong and began shouting, "Surround him! Don't let him escape!!"

"Chop him to pieces together!!!"

More than a dozen pirates charged forward with roars, but to Sakazuki, their movements were as slow as crawling insects.

Every detailed movement Rock had taught him was now reproduced flawlessly within his body:

Duck and evade!

Sidestep and circle around!

Rebound off the tree trunk!

Seize an opening and strike a vital point!

"Hah!!!"

The short blade swung, leaving behind only a cold silver gleam.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Three pirates fell almost at the same time.

One had his throat slit open.

One had his heart pierced through.

One was cut across the abdomen and collapsed with a howl.

His movements were perfectly ordered, more precise than those of even an experienced hunter.

The pirates' expressions changed completely. They finally realized that the person before them was not a "boy."

He was the Grim Reaper.

"What kind of monster is this brat?!!"

"Impossible! He's obviously just a kid!!"

"His speed! We can't see him at all!!!"

Fear spread like wildfire.

Sakazuki continued charging, closing in on a pirate in an instant. With a backhand slash, he severed the man's wrist, then followed through and cut open his carotid artery.

"Pfft—!!!"

The pirate's eyes widened as he fell in despair. The entire sequence had taken no more than a second.

One pirate staggered backward in terror. "You... what are you?!"

Sakazuki, already lunging before him, quietly spoke two words. "Justice."

The next instant, his short blade pierced the man's heart.

In just five minutes, the screams in the forest gradually faded, replaced by dead silence.

Dozens of pirates lay on the ground, piled together or scattered apart, their eyes wide open.

Their final voices before death had all trembled in terror. "D-Demon...!!"

Sakazuki breathed lightly, the knuckles gripping his short blade white from overexertion. His wrist trembled slightly from the number of people he had killed.

Yet his back remained straight.

He lowered his head and looked at the blade in his hand. His eyes were reflected upon its edge.

Resolute, sharp, never yielding.

Somewhere in the sky, the thunderclouds had yet to arrive, but lightning had already come first.

A silver-white bolt of lightning dragged a long tail behind it, carving a blinding path across the heavens.

Rock hovered in midair as though listening to something, one brow lifting slightly.

"Hm? Over by that little island..."

The trace of lightning he had left inside Sakazuki's body sent out a faint fluctuation.

"Tch, he ran into pirates that quickly? The North Blue really is a mess..."

Lightning danced at his fingertips, but the next second, he broke into a smile. "Still, with that kid's current strength~"

"And the little toy I left him..."

At that, Rock raised his head toward the distant horizon, a wild grin appearing at the corner of his mouth. "In the original story, you could slaughter your way through the North Blue alone, Sakazuki."

"I believe in you."

"I'm so unconcerned that I can't even be bothered to look back~"

With that, lightning suddenly exploded in the air.

"Bzzz—!!!"

His entire body turned into a blinding bolt of lightning and shot off in another direction, continuing his journey.

—The scene returned to the nameless island.

In the jungle, the wind rustled the leaves and carried away the last trace of blood.

Corpses lay sprawled across the ground, amid mud and tangled roots. The pirates' eyes still held the terror they had felt before death.

And in the center of that sea of blood, only one person stood.

Sakazuki was drenched in blood, but it all belonged to his enemies. His breathing gradually steadied, and the short blade remained firmly in his hand.

The wind blew softly, carrying away the smell of blood. He slowly raised his arm and flicked the bloodied blade to the side—

"Swish—!!"

A crimson arc splashed onto the dirt.

He had not wavered because he had killed so many people, nor had he been consumed by the urge to kill and revealed a cruel expression...

There was only a steadfastness that would never bend, even after wading through hell. He raised his head toward the sky, toward the direction where the lightning had vanished.

"Rock..."

He clenched his short blade, blood dripping from his fingertips. Even after that bloody battle, the boy was still like a freshly drawn sword, his edge dazzlingly sharp.

"I'll catch up to you soon."

Marine Headquarters, Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office

The sea breeze blew in through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, carrying a damp, salty scent and an air of grim severity.

The person seated behind the desk was the "pillar of stability" capable of reassuring the entire Navy.

—Fleet Admiral Kong.

His body was like a mountain, his tawny skin seemingly cast from bronze, and his chest broad enough to bear an entire sea.

His mountain-shaped sideburns and beard were even more striking. Beneath his sleeveless black shirt were explosive lines of muscle.

A heavy Fleet Admiral's cape rested upon his shoulders, yet he wore it as naturally as battle gear.

At that moment, his brow was tightly furrowed as he dealt with a mountain of documents.

"Click—"

The office door was pushed open.

Young Sengoku entered, his signature black afro atop his head. His expression was solemn, but he could not conceal the shock in his heart.

Behind him stood the young Tsuru, calm-faced and sharp-eyed.

Although she had yet to become the "Great Staff Officer Tsuru," the beginnings of her formidable presence had already emerged.

Kong looked up at the sound and asked in a deep voice, "Have you found him? That boy who uses lightning."

Sengoku slowly shook his head. "No. We tracked every suspicious phenomenon across the Grand Line, but there have been no recent reports of any lightning ability users."

Tsuru continued, her tone grave. "But we can confirm that the intelligence is accurate. There really was a boy who went to Hachinosu alone."

A chill flashed through Kong's eyes. "Challenging Rocks alone? In this era... even if all of us joined forces, we would have to think twice about it."

Sengoku took a deep breath and continued, "According to information sent back by the agents planted on Hachinosu—"

"That boy was not only astonishingly strong, but in front of all those monsters, he openly declared that he wanted to join the Navy."

"If that spy had not risked his life to secretly send back the intelligence..."

"We would never have known what happened on Hachinosu that day!"

Even Tsuru rarely showed such surprise. "To escape unscathed from a nest of monsters like the Rocks Pirates... that can no longer be described merely as 'talent.'"

Sengoku frowned and added in a low voice, "And according to the spy's description... Rocks bore him no hostility."

Kong gently set down the steel pen in his hand and rose to his feet. His cape flared through the air, his imposing presence rolling forth like mountains and seas.

"That boy... survived and left beneath Rocks's very eyes."

"We cannot afford to miss a monster like that."

His gaze was blazing as he looked toward the Navy flag outside the window.

"Find him."

"No matter the cost—"

"The Navy must recruit him!"

Sengoku and Tsuru straightened at the same time, their response crisp and unified:

"Yes!"