The second generation of Hell surged forward, giving the blond kid zero room to posture about a "fair fight." They were done wasting seconds.
Bullet reacted on instinct. He fused with the inorganic matter around him, his body swelling into a towering earth giant.
But Mephisto laughed.
With a casual wave, the natural power of the Earth Fruit rolled out like an emperor staking a claim. The ground answered him, not Bullet.
The giant's joints trembled. The cohesion shattered. Bullet's earth body collapsed in chunks, as if the land itself had decided he was unqualified to borrow it.
That single exchange made it clear. Bullet's Fusion Fruit control was nowhere near the level of the second generation of Hell.
He had only had the fruit for two years.
Mephisto had carried the Earth Fruit for over a decade. He had been trained by Brook and tempered by a whole generation of monsters. His foundation was deeper, his control cleaner, and his strength simply heavier.
"Kid," Mephisto said, Armament Haki wrapping his leg like black iron, "have you even been to the New World?"
He kicked.
The impact blasted Bullet away like a cannonball.
"Have you awakened your Haki? And you still dared to run your mouth while this weak?"
Bullet slammed through rubble, vision shaking.
He had thought he was something special. The strongest soldier of a war torn country. A beast with no rivals on the Grand Line.
But to these people, he was just another loud rookie who had never seen the real sky.
…
They had expected a strong young man who could force his way into the battlefield.
Instead, he was flipped over in a handful of moves.
The second generation of Hell did not even bother to coordinate with elegance. They rotated in, struck, pulled out, struck again, beat after beat. Efficient, ruthless, and insulting.
In the end, both Sakazuki and Bullet were battered into a state that could only be described as educational.
They were captured.
Sakazuki, already exhausted from being suppressed by Hades and Osiris, could no longer stand.
Bullet had it worse.
The rookie who tried to "stand up for justice" in the middle of a pirate brawl had been given special attention. By the time they were done, his face barely resembled the one he started with.
Bullet's eyes stung.
Tears of frustration pooled before he could stop them.
Why?
He had been invincible on the battlefield.
So why was he being crushed by a group of young monsters only a few years older than him?
He did not understand one simple truth.
These hellborn were the best of the best in this era.
They had the Hell Pirates' top resources, top teachers, top secret arts, top Devil Fruits, and the qualifications for all three types of Haki. If they wanted to learn something, the Hell Pirates had it.
How could a wild dog who had only joined the Marines for two years compete with that?
How could a battlefield orphan who had only held his fruit for two years compare to that?
If they were given the same conditions, Sakazuki and Barrett would still be terrifying.
But the world did not deal in "if."
Not today.
Today, they were bound.
Seastone cuffs snapped shut on both of them, and they were thrown into Uju's castle like heavy cargo.
"Retreat, retreat!" Beckman barked, already reorganizing the exit.
Hades and Kanna swept their eyes over the ruined bases and shattered government offices, satisfaction flickering across their faces.
This time, they had collected interest for their father.
At Hades' order, the second generation of Hell fell back to their ship.
"Move," Hades said coldly. "We break every prison in the Grand Line."
They were burning with energy, and stubborn enough to call it resolve.
They knew it was dangerous.
They did not care.
The amphibious sailboat lifted under Marco's Cloud Cloud Fruit. Wind shells roared. Mythical beast users added acceleration with brute force and terrifying abilities.
In moments, they tore away from Sabaody, leaving smoke and panic behind.
Behind them, Shana's "summons" unraveled. The fake Brook, the fake Shiki, the fake Newgate, all of them folded back into ordinary leaves right in front of stunned eyes.
But the damage was done.
For a moment, the whole archipelago had believed the legends had returned.
And that shock would echo all the way to Marineford.
The second generation of Hell, true heirs to Brook's teachings, refused to be stopped.
If they were blocked by the Navy now, they would have no face left to show anyone.
However, they did not return to the New World.
They turned toward the Grand Line instead.
And that decision pushed them straight into the jaws of a hunting net.
Because the World Government and the Marines would not let them go.
…
Accurate intelligence spread fast.
The report that the Hell Pirates had deployed a Pluton battleship was delivered to the World Government and the Navy almost immediately.
The conclusion followed.
The "Four Emperors" in Sabaody were fakes.
Kong's resolve hardened into steel.
He demanded interception.
He even requested support from the God's Knights and the Five Elders.
To capture these second generation Hell Pirates would be to cut off the Hell Pirates' future, to sever the inheritance, to prevent them from growing into another Brook.
In the Navy's encirclement force, a Vice Admiral frowned.
He hesitated.
Then, finally, he pulled out a special Den Den Mushi and made a call in secret.
To Antonio.
He did not know if it was right or wrong.
But he had stood guard in Mary Geoise before.
He had seen the Celestial Dragons up close.
He had witnessed their darkness, their cruelty, their casual slaughter dressed as entertainment.
Monkey D. Dragon, twenty five this year, the same age as Sakazuki, had joined the Navy six or seven years earlier. Yet he was only one rank higher.
Vice Admiral.
He was a model Marine. The son of a hero. A man who had "successfully" arrested many big pirates under arrangements that even he did not fully understand.
His merits were enough to qualify him as an admiral candidate.
But because of his age, and because he carried the name of D, he stopped here, just like Garp.
To "appease" the father and son, the World Government had generously given Dragon a top tier natural Devil Fruit.
The Wind Wind Fruit.
They turned him into a terrifying logia, and they thought that would be enough to bind him tighter.
But over the years, Dragon had watched countries wage war for Heavenly Tribute.
He had watched civilians driven from their homes.
He had watched the Celestial Dragons drown in luxury while the world starved.
Since childhood, Brook's words about equality and peace had sunk deeper than he wanted to admit. They had taken root in the worst possible place.
He had even met the giant Mori of the West Sea Self Defense Force. The two had spoken until dawn, feeling like brothers who had met too late.
Yet Dragon remained a Marine.
He could not ignore his identity.
He could not betray his father's expectations.
So he did nothing.
Not yet.
He had awakened Conqueror's Haki, but never revealed it. Not to the Navy, not to the World Government, not even to Garp.
And recently, he had realized something frightening.
His patience with the Celestial Dragons was running out.
He feared that one day, he would not be able to control himself.
That one day, the hand protecting them would become the hand that killed them.
------------
On the Grand Line, near the waters controlled by Enies Lobby, the roar of battle echoed across a remote island.
"No… still nothing!"
Hades crushed a jailer's throat with one hand and tossed the corpse aside. The truth was unavoidable now.
There was no trace of Brook in this prison.
Not a rumor. Not a record. Not even a whisper.
"Big brother…"
Kanna's voice was low, heavy, and annoyed all at once. She held a Den Den Mushi to her ear, listening to Linlin's furious scolding spill through the receiver.
"Mom's tearing us apart. She wants us out of the Grand Line, back to the New World. She says there's no news of Dad here, and she's ordering us to stop causing trouble."
Her eyes darkened.
"In fact… the information we found was already known by Antonio and Mom. We just didn't know."
With Antonio's Den Den Mushi network and Dragon feeding him intel, most of the Grand Line's prison activity was already monitored. And in all of it, Brook's name never appeared.
This whole raid was rage masquerading as a plan.
Uju swallowed hard, feathers puffed up in panic.
"My little ancestors, the Navy's encirclement is almost here! We have to retreat, now!"
He already regretted everything. He never should have helped them hide this from Linlin and Redfield. If he failed to bring them back safely, he would not be forgiven, even if he died ten times over.
They had left Sabaody and immediately began smashing nearby prisons. Three in two days.
Nothing.
And now, as if their route had been written on a chart and handed to Marineford, the Navy was coming.
A real collision was inevitable.
"Move!"
Hades sprinted back toward their ship, voice snapping like a whip.
"Kuzan, freeze the sea and those warships!"
They were not equipped to face the force being deployed against them.
Two admirals.
Seven or eight Vice Admirals.
That was not a fight, that was an execution.
Dragon had already leaked the Navy's lineup to Antonio, and the news had turned Linlin's fury into something volcanic.
But the second generation of Hell had underestimated one thing.
The Navy's determination.
More than a dozen figures abandoned their ships entirely and ran across the ice like hunting beasts, their speed countless times faster than the warships below.
Hades' heart sank.
This was wrong.
He urged the ship to accelerate, ordering every system to push harder.
Then two shells screamed through the air.
They struck the flying ship with brutal precision.
A deafening crack rang out. Smoke poured from the hull.
The lightning drive system died first.
Then the wind shell system.
The ship's speed dropped like a guillotine had fallen.
"It's Garp!"
Uju's voice turned shrill.
"The Navy Hero! Everyone inside, now! Run!"
Doors opened across Uju's back, and one by one, the crew was shoved into the castle. No arguments. No pride. Pure survival.
"Abandon ship!"
Hades' eyes sharpened.
"We evacuate by flying! Seven Star Demon Sword, help us!"
Hades and Kanna spread their wings and shot into the sky. The Seven Star Demon Sword transformed instantly, becoming a colossal Quetzalcoatl. It beat its wings once and a storm erupted, black clouds swallowing the horizon as violent winds slammed into the pursuing forces.
But even without ice beneath them, the Navy kept coming.
Moonwalk.
Hardening their bodies.
Forcing their way through the storm.
They closed the distance anyway.
Small doors opened again along Uju's back. Beckman and Jesus pushed out cannons and fired while sniping midair, trying to shave precious seconds off the Navy's momentum.
Vista and Koshiro sent sword slashes cutting through the rain.
Kuzan launched ice spears like a volley of javelins.
Osiris and Kanna turned back and unleashed dragon breath, not to kill, but to hammer the Navy back toward the sea.
Even if they could not injure these veterans, they could at least disrupt their rhythm.
"These Marines…"
Kanna's eyes widened, disbelief bleeding into her voice.
"They don't care about their lives! They chased us this far!"
"Uju! Kanna! Osiris!"
Hades' voice was urgent.
"Hurry back onto Quetzalcoatl's back. You're too slow!"
He could see it clearly now.
Garp and Zephyr, two monsters who fought with nothing but their bodies, were tanking the attacks and still closing in with Moonwalk, step after step, like meteors that refused to fall.
Osiris and Kanna landed on Quetzalcoatl's back and shouted down.
"Big brother, get on!"
"You go ahead."
Hades' voice was steady, almost calm.
"I'll hold them off. Trust me."
Before either of them could argue, Hades entered full beast form.
His speed jumped several levels in an instant. Dark power roared off him, Haki surging so violently it twisted the storm around his body.
He stopped in midair.
Alone.
Right in the path of Garp and Zephyr as they closed like twin juggernauts.
Behind them, the rest of the Navy was still chasing, Sengoku and Dragon among them.
Dragon, however, was suspiciously slow, as if deliberately holding himself back. With his Wind Wind Fruit and his own strength, he should have been faster than anyone.
Garp laughed when he saw Hades' stance.
"Hahaha! Kid! I never thought Brook would have a son this stubborn!"
It didn't fit the way Brook always fought. Brook was cunning, slippery, impossible to corner.
This boy, though…
This boy was trying to be a wall.
"Don't you dare judge my father."
Hades' eyes burned.
His black wings snapped outward, sending two crescent slashes screaming toward them.
Garp and Zephyr smashed them apart with Armament coated fists, dispersing the blades like mist.
Zephyr's gaze hardened.
"Garp, keep him busy. I'll go after the others."
He tried to slip past.
Hades moved.
He flashed in front of Zephyr and drove a kick into him.
But in the same breath, Garp's fist crashed into Hades' side and launched him away, brutally clean.
"You two…!"
Hades' teeth clenched as pain flared through his ribs.
"You're Taijutsu monsters, and you still look down on me, a Mythical Beast user?"
He couldn't believe it.
Wings, speed, top tier bloodline, yet these two veterans were stepping through the air like it belonged to them.
Garp grinned, eyes sharp with experience.
"Kid, you've got Conqueror's Haki, don't you? Your Armament alone won't break Zephyr's defense."
"You can coat with Conqueror's!"
Hades spat blood and glared.
His arms were still numb from the punch. The pain was ridiculous. Even with Armament and a Mythical Beast body, Garp's fist felt like it had hit his bones directly.
Garp laughed like it was a joke.
"I can't. Don't talk nonsense."
The entire Navy knew he had never awakened Conqueror's Haki. It was a fact carved into his legend.
"Hateful…"
Hades retreated, forcing distance with raw speed. He could not stop them. Not like this.
All he could do was drag them, slow them, buy time.
So the others could escape.
"You're not getting away!"
Garp and Zephyr chased immediately, their killing intent quiet but suffocating. They had to capture the second generation of Hell today.
Their potential was too abnormal.
The next generation of the Navy would never catch up to them if they were allowed to grow.
Hades' eyes narrowed.
"Really?"
He reached into his gear and pulled out a small, exquisitely made bomb.
A polished casing.
A familiar, terrifying design.
"Then try this."
He threw it behind him.
A DYNA stone bomb.
Garp and Zephyr's expressions changed instantly.
Their pupils shrank.
In the same moment, both men hardened their bodies and dropped, diving away with terrifying speed.
"What…!"
The air flashed white.
Then the sky exploded.
BOOM!!!
A dazzling light devoured the storm, and the shockwave hammered outward, slamming into the pursuing Navy and blasting them back like toys.
Hades vanished into the rain and wind, lungs burning.
Sure enough…
Brook's son was never going to be simple.
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