"Please, please! Our merchant ship is sinking in the storm, and the crew members are all injured. Can you come and save us..."
It was still the same set of words, and the female marine had memorized them by heart, but the response from the microphone this time was different—
"Of course."
A steady young man's voice sounded, as if he had just taken the microphone and asked with concern:
"Don't panic, talk slowly. How many people are there on your ship?"
At the door, Akainu, who had already stepped out, suddenly stopped.
"More than a hundred people..." The female marine was stunned. She hadn't even talked about the reward yet and hurriedly added, "If you can come, we are willing to give—"
"What are the coordinates? Are there any conspicuous reference points around?"
The female marine's brain paused a bit, and she answered subconsciously: "The coordinates are... There is a small island nearby, and there's an old lighthouse that has been abandoned for years..."
"Then it's easy to find, not very far away. We can arrive in a few hours. Hold on—we'll rush over immediately."
The call ended.
The female marine turned to look at Dor, a bit at a loss.
"Not a pirate."
Vice Admiral Dor curled her lips in disappointment and lit a cigarette. "Purely saving people... guys like that are rare in the New World. Call them back and tell them not to come."
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
Just as the marine was about to pick up the phone again, a rough, strong hand grabbed her wrist.
Dor raised her head in surprise. "Mr. Sakaski?"
"Not a pirate?"
Akainu's expression didn't change, making it hard to guess what he was thinking:
"How could it not be... Dor, you did well. You didn't just catch a fish—you hooked a very big fish."
The voice of that young man...
So familiar, so detestable.
It had only been half a year—how could he possibly forget it?
"Shano..."
Akainu subconsciously touched the scar on his shoulder, eyes going cold. This time, he wouldn't let that guy escape again!
...
Aboard the End.
After the call ended, under Shano's instructions, Nami began referencing the roughly drawn sea chart, directing Jack to turn the rudder toward the specified coordinates.
"Boss."
Smoker frowned. "This call is suspicious. I don't think it can be trusted. Might be pirates setting a trap."
"What if it's real? There are over a hundred lives at stake. We can't just stand by and watch."
Shano smiled and said nothing more. He turned back to the table and stuffed more sushi into his mouth.
Smoker thought for a moment and chuckled helplessly.
That's true.
Why worry? A trap? Does the captain need to care?
Even if it is a trap, so what?
The Four Emperors aren't that bored. The three admirals usually aren't even in the New World.
As for the rest—whether pirates or navy—if they're fishing for them, it'll only end one way:
Looking for trouble.
...
A few hours later.
An old lighthouse covered in moss came into view. It sat at the center of a small island, only a few thousand square meters in size.
A sunken ship could be seen near the coastline, but even when the End was within a few hundred meters, not a single soul had been spotted.
"This is weird."
Nami stood on the second-floor railing, scanning with a monocular, puzzled. "I don't see anyone?"
Whether it was real crew needing rescue or a trap...
There should be someone here, right?
Was that phone call just a prank?
She instinctively looked at her brother but saw Shano's attention wasn't on the sunken ship at all—it was locked onto the old lighthouse.
After a moment's pause—
"You guys stay here. I'll go take a look."
With that, he stepped off the deck, used Moonwalk twice, and landed steadily on the island.
...
Inside the lighthouse.
"He's here! He's here!"
A navy lieutenant colonel practically leapt up in excitement. "That guy actually took the bait!"
"Calm down, stop yelling. Stay hidden!"
A rear admiral frowned and scolded him.
"It doesn't matter. That guy's Observation Haki must've already picked up our presence. Anyway, we're just bait."
Dor, cigarette in hand, leaned on the railing. She turned to ask the signal officer, "Hey, confirm again—what's the status of G-1 and G-5 branch fleets?"
"Report! The two allied fleets have arrived at their designated positions. They've formed a triangle blockade with our fleet and can close the net at any time!"
"Perfect."
Dor sneered. "This time, we wipe them out in one go. That pirate ship and all aboard—don't even think of escaping!"
G-1, G-5, G-14.
Three naval branches, all commanded personally by their base chiefs.
This force was almost on par with a Buster Call. Taking out a small pirate crew was more than enough.
One thing puzzled her, though.
The G-1 commander made sense. He was an old acquaintance of the target and could be summoned easily.
But the G-5 commander, Vergo, was a known recluse. He cared deeply for his subordinates but rarely involved himself with other branches.
Yet this time, upon hearing the target was the Fallen Pirates, he immediately deployed his forces.
Old grudge?
But this pirate crew was formed less than a year ago and had never been to the New World before?
Dor couldn't figure it out—and didn't care. Right now, her eyes were only on the pirate ship in the distance.
As for Shano?
He wasn't someone she could handle anyway. That was a job for...
Dor lifted her eyes toward the top floor.
A tall figure wearing a justice cloak and a peaked cap stood in the shadows, arms folded, eyes cold, watching the figure approaching outside.
...
Shano pushed open the lighthouse door. The rotted wood let out a sharp creak.
Dust fell, and the musty air surged.
He slowly stepped inside, scanning the empty first floor, then looked up at the spiral staircase.
"Take him down!"
Dor shouted, drew her sword, and leaped from the second floor. Her blade coated with Haki, she slashed down at Shano's face!
A Vice Admiral?
Looked familiar.
Shano glanced at her and didn't move. The sword slashed directly at his forehead.
Clang!
Sparks flew. The blade bounced off with a loud ring.
Dor's pupils shrank.
Her sword could cut steel—yet slashing Shano's forehead was like hitting diamond. Not even a scratch!
How was this possible?
She had known she wasn't his match...
But even without Haki, she couldn't break his skin?
She instinctively retreated, but Shano casually raised his hand and flicked his index finger—Bang!
A compressed black Haki bullet struck Dor square in the chest.
She was blasted away like a cannonball, smashing into the wall, vomiting blood, her face pale.
"Vice Admiral Dor!"
Angry shouts rang out.
More than a dozen navy elites poured in, guns and blades aimed at Shano, while the rear admiral rushed to lift Dor.
"So you really are just bait."
Shano didn't spare them a glance, and looked at Dor.
"If the navy wants to set an ambush, you're far from enough. Who's hiding upstairs? Borsalino? Kuzan? Or that old man Garp?"
Someone was hiding.
But from the aura alone, they didn't feel much different from the others.
Observation Haki wasn't omniscient. A strong person hiding their intent could easily blend in—just like Blackbeard being treated as a nobody for decades.
But it had its limits.
The moment intent or attack broke cover—it'd be exposed.
Sure enough—
As soon as Shano spoke, he sensed a shift above.
They weren't hiding anymore.
Bang!
The ceiling exploded, and a giant magma fist fell from the sky, crashing down toward Shano's head.
But Shano, already expecting it, vanished with an afterimage.
Boom!
The massive fist scorched the floor, melting it into a deep pit with sizzling steam.
Akainu stepped from the smoke, eyes cold, staring up at Shano standing on the stairs.
Shano looked down, expression calm.
This time, no cherry blossoms floated between them.
"You've been watching long enough. Had your fun?"
Shano said faintly, "I didn't expect it'd be you. Long time no see... Sakaski."
Akainu didn't reply. He raised his arm slowly.
Magma surged, taking the shape of a giant dog's head.
Behind him, Dor and the others fled the lighthouse. Shano let them go.
"Half a year ago on Tor Island, I underestimated you and let you escape... since then, you've made too much noise."
Akainu said coldly.
"But now, this will be your grave."
So he had been watching just to assess Shano's strength...
"Escaped?"
Shano sneered. "Looks like the Admiral's memory is bad. I remember giving you plenty of time, yet you couldn't take me down. And I left you with a scar, didn't I?"
Akainu's face darkened. Magma surged as murderous intent exploded. The temperature inside the lighthouse spiked.
"Arrogant brat!"
He stepped forward and punched:
"Great Eruption!"
Hot magma surged forward, warping the air.
Shano didn't dodge. He clenched his fist and struck!
Boom!
The two forces collided. Haki and magma exploded in a shockwave.
The old lighthouse couldn't take it.
It collapsed entirely under the blast!
In the smoke—
Akainu squinted at the unmoving figure.
He hadn't stepped back at all under that impact.
Huge progress in just six months...
Wait!
Akainu's eyes widened.
Shano vanished.
Too fast—even he couldn't track it.
Swish!
Shano appeared behind Akainu. His leg swept up, sharp like a blade.
Bang!
Akainu reacted in time, blocking—but the force launched him skyward!
Before he could recover, Shano had leapt up after him and was already overhead.
"How's that kick, old dog!"
Shano grinned, Haki crackling with black and red lightning. His fist dropped like a meteor!
"If you're still hungry, take this too!!!"
BOOM—!!!
The blow landed squarely. Akainu plunged like a cannonball into the sea, creating a crater hundreds of meters wide. Water blasted upward.
He sank beneath the waves, heat evaporating water instantly. But soon, more seawater rushed in, engulfing him.
The sea fell silent.
"…"
The navy that had just fled to shore stared, stunned.
"Mr. Sakaski!"
Dor's face went pale with horror.
How could this happen...
A Devil Fruit user—had fallen into the sea.
How could this battle continue?