The New World, the waters around G-3 Base, Dako Island.
The crew of the Blood Axe Pirates laughed and joked as they carried their plunder aboard, piling the deck high with bloodstained Beli and jewels.
Several pirates even kicked the dying villagers at their feet, jeering, "Hey, scream louder! If you can still scream, we can haul you off and sell you as a slave for a good price."
A young pirate wiped the blood from his axe and looked uneasily toward the distant sea.
"Captain, this is G-3's territory. Aren't we pushing our luck..."
"Idiot!" The captain of the Blood Axe Pirates, "Blood Axe" Redek, whose bounty stood at 530 million Beli, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"Those Marines at G-3 are busy dealing with the Flying Pirates right now. How would they have time for 'small fry' like us?"
He slapped the gunwale and sneered, "Besides, no matter how ruthless Sakazuki is, he can't be in two places at once, can he?
Hahaha..." Before his laughter faded, an eerie red glow suddenly spread along the distant shoreline.
"Wh-what's that?!" A pirate pointed toward the horizon in terror.
A colossal wave of crimson lava surged across the sea, charging straight at the pirate ship like a roaring beast!
"Hell Hound." The low, icy voice seemed to rise from hell itself.
BOOM!!! A giant hand of lava slammed into the pirate ship. The wooden hull instantly vaporized in the searing heat, and the pirates on deck became charred remains before they could even scream.
Blood Axe Redek barely managed to cover his entire body in Armament Haki, but the force of the lava hurled him away, sending him crashing onto the beach.
"Cough... Sa-Sakazuki?!" He struggled to lift his head, his pupils contracting sharply.
The lava flowed like