Byrnndi World

The repaired warship finally left the Calm Belt.

The breeze that swept over them was especially refreshing.

The soldiers training aboard the ship were more fired up than ever.

One day...

Caw! Caw!

An unusual seagull flew toward them.

It wore a white cap and had a small red bag hanging around its neck.

News Coos never appeared in the Calm Belt.

They had gone nearly half a month without any news of the outside world.

Sakazuki beckoned, and the News Coo landed.

The adjutant beside him took out a hundred Beli and handed it to the News Coo.

The News Coo deftly accepted the money, handed over a newspaper, and flew away.

Sakazuki took the newspaper and began reading.

The chaos in the New World continued.

Eighty percent of the newspaper was devoted to the pirates in the New World.

"Flying Pirates recruit three more captains!"

"Whitebeard occupies the Crini Islands!"

"Garp the Hero battles the Roger Pirates for three days in the Yana Sea!"

"Big Mom's twenty-first son is born, adding another member to the Charlotte Family!"

"Beasts Pirates make a stunning debut..."

"Blizzard Pirates..."

"Steam Sea..."

Beneath each headline was a brief account of what had happened.

Overall, the turmoil in the New World was growing more intense.

Rustle!

The newspaper rustled as he turned the page.

An enormous wanted poster that occupied the entire page, along with its blood-red headline, caught Sakazuki's attention.

"World Destroyer! Byrnndi World!"

"Bounty: 200,000,000"

"Dead or alive!"

After a moment's thought, Sakazuki remembered who he was.

Byrnndi World, a user of the More-More Fruit.

He could multiply the speed, strength, size, weight, and other properties of anything he touched, up to a hundredfold.

He carried a musket with him.

By enlarging its bullets a hundredfold, he could destroy a warship with a single shot.

His powerful Devil Fruit ability had made him as wildly arrogant as a rabid dog.

Whether he encountered pirates, Marines, or innocent civilians, he destroyed them all.

That was why he had earned the name World Destroyer.

Later, Cipher Pol spies planted by the World Government betrayed and captured him.

He was frozen at the bottom of Impel Down for thirty years, then escaped when Blackbeard released the prisoners.

Over those thirty years, his former companions built a ship the size of a small island.

It carried an enormous cannon, and World destroyed an island the first time he tested it.

Sakazuki studied Byrnndi World's wanted poster thoughtfully. The World Government... freezing...

"..."

"..."

Rustle!

He handed the newspaper to his adjutant.

There was no more useful information.

The faint outline of an island appeared ahead, and more and more little black dots came into view on the sea.

All of them were moving toward the island.

The adjutant took the newspaper, put it away, and asked:

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki."

"We'll reach the island ahead soon. Should we replenish our supplies?"

Sakazuki gave a slight nod, his voice cool and detached:

"Increase speed."

As the warship picked up speed and drew closer...

The island's outline gradually became clearer, and more ships appeared around them.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Boom! Boom!

"Hmm?"

Faint explosions reached his ears, and Sakazuki looked toward their source.

All he could see were two small black dots drawing closer to each other, with plumes of water erupting around them.

He reached out and took the telescope his adjutant offered.

A Pirates ship and a warship were firing their cannons as they sped toward each other.

At the sight, Sakazuki lowered the telescope and told the adjutant beside him:

"Change course. Head over there."

The adjutant went to relay the order, and the warship turned, charging toward the two ships.

In the distance...

The two ships accelerated toward each other.

Boom!

They collided head-on.

Both shook violently.

But the warship was clearly sturdier.

The warship's bow smashed straight through the Pirates ship's bow and drove into its deck.

Gunshots and the clash of blades rang out, mingling together.

"Kill them!!!!!"

"Charge!!!"

"Kill these Marine bastards!!!"

"Wipe them out!!"

"For justice!!!"

"Kill!!!"

Countless Navy Soldiers leaped aboard the Pirates ship, and both sides roared as they fought.

The captain leading the Marines set his sights on the enemy captain, Scythe Dobin, whose bounty was ninety-four million.

Whoosh!

The Marine captain vanished in an instant and appeared behind Scythe Dobin.

He curled his fingers into the shape of a dragon's claw and coated them in Armament Haki.

His blackened Dragon Claw Hand reached for Dobin's neck.

Dobin turned, transforming both hands into steel scythes to block the Dragon Claw Hand.

He grinned viciously, and the strange mantis on his hat, half the size of a human head, vanished and appeared atop the captain's head.

The mantis thrust its scythe-like forelegs down at the top of the captain's skull.

Clang!

The captain coated his head in Armament Haki, then kicked Dobin back.

He vanished instantly, leaving the strange mantis without a foothold, and just as it began to fall...

The captain reappeared, his blackened Dragon Claw Hand reaching to crush the mantis.

Bzzzz!!!

The six wings on the mantis's back vibrated.

Whoosh!

It vanished in midair.

It reappeared on Dobin's head after he had been kicked back.

Clang!

The captain coated his hands and feet in Haki as he clashed with Dobin.

Countless sparks flew as the scythes struck his Haki, and everyone nearby backed away to avoid getting caught in their fight.

Dobin transformed his legs into long, straight scythes and swept them sideways, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash.

The captain was about to dodge when his brow furrowed.

He caught the flying slash with both Dragon Claw Hands coated in Armament Haki.

Its force drove him backward step after step.

Boom!

With a crash, he crushed the slash.

The captain stared gravely at his opponent. He had to end this quickly.

If he had dodged that slash, the Navy Soldiers farther away would have been cut in half.

And it was not just Navy Soldiers standing there, but Dobin's own men as well.

Cruel and utterly without restraint-unless he dealt with Dobin quickly, there was no telling what would happen.

Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere!

Using the momentum of Shave, the captain grabbed Dobin and drove him toward the edge of the ship, slamming him into the railing.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...

As the tide of victory began to turn in the Marines' favor...

A strange sound came from Scythe Dobin's mouth, and the mantis atop his head beat its wings.

Bzzzz!!!!

It shot left, while Dobin charged right.

Both man and insect targeted the ordinary Navy Soldiers still fighting.

The captain instinctively moved to pursue Dobin.

But when he remembered the soldiers on the other side, he hesitated for an instant-and just then...

Bang!

Without any warning, the flying mantis burst into a cloud of blood.

"Wha...!!!"

"Urgh!!!!"

Dobin's pupils contracted sharply as a huge shadow suddenly appeared before him.

A large black hand reached straight for his head. He wanted to dodge, but had no chance.

The hand clamped directly over his face.

Crack! Crack!

Bones snapped, but no scream of pain could escape.

Crunch!!!!

The owner of the black hand squeezed, and Dobin stopped moving for good.

He casually tossed Dobin aside and looked at the captain.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki."

Seeing both man and beast dealt with, the captain sighed in relief and stepped forward to greet him.

"Mm."

Sakazuki nodded in acknowledgment.

The more he looked at the captain, the more familiar he seemed.

"What's your name?"

Snap!

The captain stood at attention and saluted.

"I'm a captain stationed at Marine Headquarters in Marineford."

"Monkey D. Dragon."

"Awaiting your orders."