On a small shipbuilding island along the Grand Line, hammers rang and sawdust flew.
Douglas Bullet stood on the dock with the wind in his long blond hair, staring at the brand new pirate ship in front of him. A sharp, satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
This would be the ship that carried him into the New World.
Only on the most brutal battlefield could he become what he craved most.
The strongest.
The freest.
A warrior who answered to no one.
Bullet was only fifteen, yet his life was already a pile of shattered trust and scorched earth.
He had been abandoned by his mother not long after birth, left as an orphan in a country that was not his own. The army of a hostile nation picked him up, raised him as something between a weapon and a dog.
He only learned the truth later, when he killed his commanding officer, Douglas Gray.
At eight years old, he officially entered Gray's child-soldier unit, "Bullet." His number was 9.
Bullet No. 9.
The job of the Bullet unit was simple and cruel.
They were the ones who walked into minefields first.
The ones who blew open enemy lines with bombs strapped to their bodies.
The mortality rate was absurd. Anyone who survived for long was favored by the cruelest kind of luck.
On that hellish front, the child soldier who performed best would be awarded a single "Medal," an honorary decoration the boys dreamed of as if it were salvation itself.
Young Bullet, who had grown up knowing nothing but the weight of a gun in his hands, longed for that medal more than anything.
But there would only ever be one.
In one decisive battle, Bullet took on the most dangerous assignments with his overwhelming combat power. Just as he was about to secure victory and claim the honor he had fought and bled for, his fellow child soldiers turned on him.
They stole his achievement.
They stole his medal.
They left him gravely wounded on the battlefield, barely clinging to life.
The reason was insultingly simple.
Bullet No. 9 was too strong.
The other boys, who had grown up in the same mud and blood, also craved the Medal and the recognition that came with it. Their answer was to kill the strongest among them.
When Bullet recovered, the betrayal burned hotter than any wound.
One by one he hunted them down.
He slaughtered every last boy who had betrayed him, reclaimed the stolen Medal from their dead hands, and finally understood the true cause of his failure.
His own negligence.
His arrogance.
And his naïve trust in "comrades."
From that moment on, Bullet swore he would never trust anyone again.
Only his own strength and his own victory mattered.
At thirteen, he happened upon the Paramecia-type Fusion Fruit on the battlefield. After eating it, his power exploded. He became a monster in human form, the strongest child soldier, the hero of every frontline report.
At fourteen, Bullet had become a national hero. With his overwhelming military achievements, victory in the war was within reach.
His superior, Douglas Gray, rode that rising tide to the top.
The man who once commanded the Bullet unit climbed all the way to full general of the nation, carried by Bullet's brilliance.
And then, fear took root.
Gray began to tremble at the thought of Bullet's ever-growing might, because this weapon he wielded was an orphan from an enemy country.
On the surface, Gray played the gentle parent.
He treated Bullet No. 9 like an adopted son, patted his head, comforted him, promised that when the war ended he would finally be freed from the battlefield and allowed to live as a normal person.
A real life, with real freedom.
Then Gray sent him on one last mission.
Bullet No. 9 was "ordered" to wipe out the final enemy forces alone.
Behind that order, Gray arranged for Bullet to die.
Betrayed once again, Bullet walked through the flames of that "final battle" and came out the other side with nothing left to protect.
In his rage, he turned his fury on the country and army that had used and discarded him.
He destroyed them both.
From that day forward, he became a criminal wanted by the World Government.
He went out to sea, inherited his former commander's surname and the code of the child-soldier unit, and gave himself a new name.
Douglas Bullet.
A pirate who hunted battlefields.
A human weapon that sailed from war to war, searching for stronger and stronger enemies.
Now, the conflict on the Grand Line no longer gave him anything.
If he wanted to keep growing, to step into a realm above all others, he had only one destination left.
The New World.
"Haha. Pirates' graveyard, is it?"
Bullet laughed wildly, eyes blazing with fighting spirit as he stepped aboard the small pirate ship that would carry him forward.
"Fine by me. New World, Four Emperors, Pirate King… I'll crush you one by one."
He spun the wheel toward the final islands of the first half of the Grand Line.
Toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
Bullet, who no longer had any equal on the Grand Line, looked forward to the baptism of true monsters.
Only among them could he carve out the title of strongest in the world.
…
On the other side, in the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Oh, my little ancestors, stop pulling off your beards!"
A talking parrot flapped his wings in a panic, rushing over to press a loose white beard back onto a teenager's face.
The group he hovered around looked ridiculous at first glance.
Over-sized coats, strange hats, and exaggerated white beards made them look like a troupe of failed actors pretending to be old men.
"Relax, Uncle Uju. Have a little faith in our strength."
The second prince, Osiris, grumbled as he adjusted the fake beard the parrot had just stuck back on, only to freeze when he felt his elder brother Hades' stern gaze boring into him.
"This time we sneaked back to the Grand Line without Lady Linlin and Lord Redfield's permission," Uju whispered, darting glances at the crowds flowing through the mangrove streets. "If anything happens to you, they will pluck me feather by feather."
His voice shook.
These "little ancestors" were not ordinary brats.
They were the children and disciples of Lord Brook himself.
If Uju did not also want to know what had become of his master, he would never have allowed himself to be "persuaded" into helping hide this operation from Linlin and the others.
"Stop being so nervous," a cold voice cut in.
"Being too tense will only make you stand out, Uncle Uju. Calm down. We still have Father's Seven Star Demon Sword."
The eldest prince, Hades, spoke quietly. The magic blade rested in his hand, its pitch-black body wrapped in seals and talismans.
As the pillar of this mission, his demeanor was calm, but under that calm lay hatred carved deep into his bones.
Princess Kanna brushed a strand of hair from her face, the white beard glued under her chin looking absurd against her sharp, beautiful features.
"Even if a navy admiral shows up, we can still fight," she said coldly.
Kanna had celebrated her eighteenth birthday earlier this year, but her eyes were already hard as ice.
Her father had been missing for years.
He had not come home for her eighteenth-birthday ceremony, or for any of the years before it.
The longer he stayed gone, the more her gentle side withered.
She had honed herself instead, carrying her rage onto countless battlefields against the navy in the New World, carving her way through enemy ranks in search of answers and revenge.
In a few months, the three siblings would all turn nineteen.
There was still no news of Brook.
"This time," Osiris said, lowering his voice, "we're not here to pick fights just for fun. We're here for information."
Uncle Uju scratched at his feathers, glancing between the three of them.
"Just remember," he muttered, "if anyone finds out who you are, I am a dead bird."
"Uncle Uju."
Hades' voice was calm, but carried an irresistible pressure.
"We know the risks. That is why we disguised ourselves and came here first, before touching any naval strongholds in the New World."
He tilted the Seven Star Demon Sword slightly, the blade humming with a faint, eerie life.
"If we want to find Father, we need to start where the World Government hides its newest toys."
"That is exactly what I mean."
A young man of about twenty leaned against a tree root, a cigarette in his mouth, eyes half-lidded as he watched the group.
Ben Beckman.
He was Hades' right hand and brain, a strategist with a calm head and a gunman's instinct. His Observation and Armament Haki were already formidable.
"This time, we begin with the navy's newest high-level prison," Beckman said softly. "Every new secret facility the Government has built in this era, every fresh 'special detention site' they are so proud of, we will investigate them one by one."
In his mind, he ticked off their current lineup.
On paper, this was already a crew worthy of a pirate overlord.
Frontline fighters like Gekko Moria and Kuzan.
The Flame Calamity, Abel.
Sniper Jesus Burgess.
Swordsmen Vista and Koshiro.
Marco, who wielded the Cloud Fruit.
Fishman Jinbe.
And above all, the three royal siblings.
Each prince and princess had grown into a leader among the new generation, each wielding a top-tier Devil Fruit and monstrous Haki.
To be blunt, even a navy admiral would have trouble forcing this group to stay on the battlefield.
Kuzan's Ice Fruit could freeze the sea and block pursuit.
Marco's Cloud Fruit could lift their ship into the sky.
If all else failed, Brook's Seven Star Demon Sword could transform into the divine serpent Quetzalcoatl and carry them clear of danger.
Beckman trusted his own judgment.
And he trusted the strength of Hades, Osiris, and Kanna even more.
"Listen to Beckman," Hades said at last, making the final decision. "We start by checking every new prison. Every discreet holding facility, every strange new building under navy jurisdiction."
Even if the chances were slim, they refused to give up.
They would dig into every navy office and government department in the Sabaody Archipelago, follow every rumor and scrap of paper.
If they had to, they were even prepared to kidnap a Celestial Dragon and rip the truth out of him.
All to find one man.
The man who had once made the whole world tremble.
The king of hell who had vanished without a trace.
---------------
On the other side of the archipelago, Douglas Bullet had also arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
He stepped off his small ship and onto the Sabaody Archipelago, eyes sweeping over the dazzling façade of bubble lined streets, slave traders and luxury shops.
"It really is a luxurious cesspit," he muttered.
The surface was prosperous, almost gaudy. Underneath, it stank.
He had heard often enough that Celestial Dragons came here to squander money and buy slaves as if they were livestock. Just the thought of those so called world nobles made his blood boil.
If it had not been for the Heavenly Tribute his country was forced to offer the World Government, they would never have become a nation trapped in endless war, launching invasion after invasion just to scrape together enough gold.
To pay off their masters.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the human auction house, then he turned away with a stiff breath.
This was not his battlefield.
Bullet steered his small pirate ship toward the coating yard instead and found a coating craftsman, leaving the ship to be prepared for its journey beneath the sea.
His war was in the New World, not on this rotten island.
He would enter those seas as quickly as possible, grow stronger there, and one day have enough power to kill Celestial Dragons and destroy the World Government itself.
After handing the ship over to be coated, Bullet left the docks and headed inland. First, he needed a restaurant and a proper meal to replenish his strength.
…
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 66, Marine base.
At the heart of the base, a Marine officer in a red short sleeved shirt and justice cloak stood before a prison ship. A Marine cap sat low on his brow, a long sword hung at his back, and a permanent scowl warned strangers to keep their distance.
He had come to hand over a large number of captured pirates to the local garrison. His own warship could no longer hold them.
Once the transfer was complete, he would head straight back out.
The raging pirate boom on the Grand Line disgusted him. He would not allow any pirate that crossed his path to escape.
His name was Sakazuki.
He had come to Marineford from the North Blue at the age of twenty three. With overwhelming talent and power, he had forced his way into the ranks, becoming the very first student of Admiral Zephyr.
A monster in human form.
Within a single year, Sakazuki had mastered both Observation and Armament Haki and the Six Powers. His swordsmanship was sharp and ruthless.
Straight out of graduation, Fleet Admiral Kong had taken notice of his strength. Sakazuki was promoted directly to the rank of captain, then spent an entire year hunting pirates like a mad hound, piling up military merit at a terrifying pace.
By twenty five, he had already become a rear admiral.
He did not intend to stop there.
Sakazuki was certain that within two or three more years he could earn a vice admiral's coat, and from there continue to climb.
He would destroy every pirate that stood before him.
Because his justice allowed no compromise.
Absolute justice.
That unwavering resolve, the force of his will, and his frightening potential soon drew the attention of the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons.
They decided to watch him for a few more years. If he continued to grow as they expected, they would grant him a top tier Logia, the Magma Fruit.
They would forge him into the strongest and most obedient hound of the Celestial Dragons.
They even prepared a code name for him in advance.
Red Dog.
After some polishing from the Five Elders, that name was refined into a single word.
Akainu.
…
The second generation of Hell, who were secretly tracking the navy's new prison routes, also noticed the Marine prison ship moored at Grove 66.
Following the principle of "better to grab one too many than miss the right one," they silently marked it down as a target. If they could follow it, they might discover where these captured pirates were being taken.
Sakazuki, hardened by years in the North Blue, noticed them at a glance. The way they moved, the weight of their presence, the way their eyes measured their surroundings.
Suspicious.
Almost certainly pirates.
But here in the Sabaody Archipelago, the World Government's rules were strict.
Celestial Dragons often passed through, and countless slave hunting teams held licenses from the Government itself. In order to protect those "nobles," open conflict on the island was forbidden.
As long as the pirates did not cause trouble, even Sakazuki could not act freely.
Hades and his companions also felt the rear admiral's gaze settle on them.
A strong opponent, without question.
But nowhere near enough to make them retreat.
Osiris met Sakazuki's stare and grinned. Then, without the slightest trace of fear, he raised his hand and made a crude gesture that would have made any international diplomat faint on the spot.
"Second brother," Kanna hissed under her breath, eyes twitching.
Osiris chuckled. To him, this rear admiral's aura was at best comparable to Brother Borsalino's before he had eaten his Light Fruit.
And without a top tier Logia, he was even less threatening.
Even Brother Borsalino had no guarantee of defeating all of them working together.
Why would this man be any different?
Osiris let his grin widen, and Conqueror's Haki exploded out of him, not hidden at all. The pressure was aimed straight at the scowling rear admiral.
Sakazuki's pupils shrank.
That overwhelming will…
Conqueror's Haki.
Among these suspicious strangers, there was someone who carried that rare power?
He knew exactly what that meant.
Pirates who awakened Conqueror's Haki before even entering the New World were destined for infamy.
Left unchecked, they would become monsters.
"These pirates must die here," Sakazuki thought coldly.
He did not hesitate.
In the instant that pressure rushed at him, he drew the sword from his back and charged.
Even if it bent the rules, they had already attacked first in his eyes.
Conqueror's Haki pointed at a Marine officer was no different from a direct blow.
"Oh ho ho! Look at that temper. Explodes at the slightest provocation," Osiris laughed. "Perfect. Once we capture a rear admiral like you, we can ask very nicely where the new top security prison is hiding."
Ever since Brook had taken Impel Down, the location of the World Government's newest high level prison had never been exposed.
Special transport units and Devil Fruit users escorted serious criminals in secret.
If they wanted to find Brook, they needed to find that prison.
Osiris' fists twisted and warped, turning into scarlet scaled dragon claws wrapped in Armament Haki. He charged straight at Sakazuki.
Sakazuki's Armament coated blade met those dragon claws with a thunderous crash.
The impact shook the entire grove.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! All hands mobilize!"
Marines poured out of the base in waves, weapons raised. Guns barked one after another as they surrounded the attackers.
"Idiot second brother," Kanna snarled, veins bulging on her forehead.
Her brother's recklessness never changed. If he had not happened to be born one minute earlier than her, she would have beaten him bloody and forced him to call her "big sister" for the rest of his life.
But the situation could no longer be contained.
"Then we capture this rear admiral and pull out before the big shots arrive," Hades said, making the decision in a heartbeat.
Scolding Osiris was meaningless now. The only option left was to finish this quickly and get off Sabaody before an admiral showed up.
With a low rumble, a pair of huge fleshy wings burst from Hades' back, covered in dark demonic patterns. A shadowy aura billowed outward as his own Conqueror's Haki roared free, sweeping aside the weaker Marines like dry leaves.
He did not care about any so called one on one honor.
He rose into the air, diving straight at Sakazuki to join Osiris and overwhelm the rear admiral together. The sooner they captured him, the sooner they could force out the location of the Supreme Prison.
"Then we will at least collect some interest for Father," Kanna whispered, eyes going blood red. "Destroy every Marine base and Government outpost in sight."
An icy storm exploded outward.
Kanna's body surged and twisted as she entered her beast form, becoming a gigantic frost dragon more than thirty meters long. Her jaws opened, and a blizzard of freezing breath engulfed the Marine base buildings, burying the surroundings in ice.
Ben Beckman took one long drag from his cigarette, exhaled, and let the butt fall.
"Well, there is no helping it now," he said. "Everyone, show what you can do. Make this quick and decisive."
When he saw the three royal siblings all step forward at once, any hope of avoiding a large scale clash vanished.
He immediately gave orders, coordinating the crew to end the fight as fast as possible.
"Heh heh heh. Nicely done, Princess Kanna. Now watch my corrupting claws."
Gekko Moria grinned, his body twisting as he unleashed the power of the Corruption Fruit.
A nearby building withered in an instant, timber and stone rotting away to sludge. The Marines charging at him screamed as the corruption crawled up their bodies, their armor and flesh decaying at terrifying speed until they collapsed into grotesque pools of meat.
Without Armament Haki to protect them, anyone touched by Gekko Moria's power either died outright or was crippled beyond saving.
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