Coron Island.
Whitebeard had mentioned this name just yesterday.
Located near the entrance to the New World, it was once one of the islands that offered refuge to the Whitebeard Pirates.
Later, Marine Headquarters seized the island and established the G-14 branch there, using it as a base from which to steadily expand their control over the New World.
The base commander was none other than Vice Admiral Dor, the same one who had previously fought Shano.
Upon realizing this, Shano's brow furrowed slightly.
Why would Blackbeard, a pirate who had recently defected from the Four Emperors, visit the naval base?
Was he just passing by, a coincidence?
Or… perhaps he had other plans?
Shano pondered for a moment, then quickly shrugged it off, turned off the Marauder's Map, and stepped on the throttle of his motorcycle.
Either way, it didn't matter.
No one could stop him from killing anyone he wanted to kill!
———
The next morning.
Coron Island.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the base fortress of the G-14 branch was faintly visible.
The pure white stone walls were mottled by the erosion of the sea breeze, exuding a cold and solemn feeling.
At this time, on the top floor of the fortress, in the office of the base commander.
"Haha, Vice Admiral Dor, I gave you a whole night to report, analyze and so on... You should have thought about it enough by now, right?"
Blackbeard crossed his legs and slumped on the sofa, his toothless mouth grinning.
Opposite him, behind the desk.
Vice Admiral Dor, wearing a navy cloak of justice, held a cigarette in her mouth, frowned, and tapped the table lightly with her fingertips.
On the pile of documents spread out in front of her, black and white words were densely packed, recording all kinds of intelligence information provided by the other party.
"Frankly speaking, the deal you proposed is indeed very tempting," Dor said slowly.
"The internal situation of the Whitebeard Pirates, the personnel configuration of each division, the distribution of troops in the core territories… this information is priceless to the Navy."
"But…"
She raised her head and looked up and down at the pirate who was said to be a veteran of the Whitebeard Pirates, but had always been unknown, and sighed:
"I don't trust you."
"Huh?"
Blackbeard's smile froze, a trace of gloom flashing in his eyes, but in an instant he returned to his nonchalant look:
"Thief hahaha, so you are worried about this. But for a deal of this level, how can you, a vice admiral, make the decision? You should still let your headquarters—"
"Marshal Sengoku listened to my report in person last night."
Dor interrupted Blackbeard, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said lightly:
"His opinion is the same as mine."
"Marshall Teach, a 'son' who has followed Whitebeard for more than 20 years, suddenly rebelled for no reason? And took the initiative to hand over important information to the navy?"
"This is too bizarre. It's hard not to suspect you're a double agent. In comparison, if Borsalino suddenly turned out to be Whitebeard's son, it would not be so surprising."
"Hey, hey, you really think highly of my character!"
Blackbeard opened his arms and laughed wantonly. "I'm actually quite happy to hear you say that. But to put it bluntly, with this attitude of yours, you want me to make a pledge of allegiance, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
At this moment, a steady voice came from outside the door.
Immediately afterwards, the door was pushed open with a creak.
"Marshal Sengoku?!"
Lieutenant General Dor widened her eyes and looked at the visitor in disbelief. "You… weren't you still at headquarters yesterday? How come you are here?"
"I rushed here overnight."
Sengoku's face was tired, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he had been up for several nights in a row.
"The surveillance ship of the G-1 branch urgently reported yesterday that Whitebeard and Shano had met. I was worried there would be any changes, so I came to the New World to take charge for a few days."
Sengoku didn't say the rest.
But Dor still reacted immediately.
Normally, a general would be dispatched to take charge of such matters, but the one who came was the marshal himself.
It seems that the three admirals are currently performing field missions and are not at headquarters…
"Please sit down, marshal."
She quickly stood up, gave the sofa chair to Sengoku, and stood behind him.
"Marshall Teach."
Sengoku was not polite. After sitting down, he took off his seagull hat and rubbed his temples.
"From what Dor said, what you want to seek is the position of Shichibukai, right?"
"Hahaha, that's right!"
Blackbeard grinned. "Didn't your navy lose another Shichibukai at the end of last year? There's still a vacancy, right? Since that kid went to sea, your navy seems to have been busy recruiting Shichibukai."
Sengoku's movement of rubbing his temples suddenly froze.
"You don't need to worry about such things."
After a moment's silence, Sengoku raised his head and said coldly:
"Anyway, let me tell you clearly. You are just a nobody. Let's not talk about whether you really betrayed Whitebeard or not—whether you have the ability to serve as a Seven Warlords of the Sea is questionable."
"So if you want to get that vacant position, a letter of allegiance is essential. At least hand over a well-known core member of Whitebeard's command to the navy, preferably at the captain level, regardless of life or death. In addition…"
Speaking of this, Sengoku stared at Blackbeard's face. The more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You look familiar, have we met before?"
Blackbeard's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body subconsciously tensed.
"Maybe."
He immediately looked nonchalant, crossing his arms.
"Whitebeard and your navy had so many wars in the past, and I participated in quite a few of them! It's normal to have met you before. But it's really an honor for a dignified Admiral of the Marine Headquarters to still remember a nobody like me!"
"No, it has nothing to do with the Whitebeard Pirates, it was a long time ago…"
Sengoku paused, then decided it was just a vague guess, and there seemed no need to explain it to this guy.
He shook his head and was about to turn the topic back to the letter of surrender when his expression suddenly changed. He stood up abruptly and turned to look out the window.
"What's wrong, Marshal?"
Vice Admiral Dor asked in confusion.
"There's an extremely powerful aura rapidly approaching the base."
Sengoku's face was grim, a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead. "He's unabashedly arrogant, yet so unfamiliar… I've never encountered him before…"
He'd met all four emperors of the New World before.
So, the only one who fit this description was—
"Shano!!!"
Sengoku roared, his head raised. Almost instantly—
BOOM!!!
The entire ceiling suddenly ripped apart, bringing down the upper half of the surrounding walls!
Amidst a cloud of dust, a handsome young man with black hair and dark eyes descended from the sky, stepping onto the fortress's top floor.
"It seems I've arrived at the wrong time."
He glanced indifferently around, finally resting his gaze on Blackbeard. He smiled, revealing his white teeth.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your transaction."
"Shano?!"
The look sent a chill down Blackbeard's spine.
He jumped up from the sofa, clenched his fists, his face extremely grim. "How did you know I was here, brat?"
Yesterday morning, after recovering slightly from his injuries, he had used the fruit's low-altitude flight ability to fly continuously over the ocean for an entire day, suddenly opening a distance of thousands of miles!
How could this guy accurately track his whereabouts?
And how did he catch up so quickly?
Shano had no intention of answering, and didn't even look at him. Instead, he turned his gaze to Sengoku and said slowly:
"Although this is the first time we meet, Marshal Sengoku, you should already know my temper very well. In view of the temporary truce with your navy, you'd better take the initiative to get out of the way. This toothless green-headed fly and I have some personal grudges to settle."
"Personal grudge?"
Sengoku had already blocked in front of Dor, shouting angrily, a golden Buddha light looming on his body:
"I have never heard of personal grudges between pirates being settled in a naval base! What's more, Marshall Teach is now a cooperation partner that the navy is investigating. Can you kill him if you want? With this old man here, how can I let you be so presumptuous!"
"I'm not interested in negotiating anymore."
Facing the faint Buddha light that illuminated the entire room, Shano turned a blind eye and said to himself:
"For Garp's sake, let me say one last thing. Get out of the way. This has nothing to do with you, and you can't stop me. Sengoku, if you keep getting in the way, I'll have to beat you up too."
"How arrogant! How presumptuous!"
Sengoku sneered. "Is it because I've been away from the battlefield so long that a young man like you looks down on me? Has this sea forgotten the fame I once wrought with my punches?"
"Then go ahead and try it."
Shano sneered, a cold glint in his eyes, and his figure instantly disappeared.
What speed!
Sengoku was startled, a flash of red light shining in his pupils behind his round glasses. Then, with two palms radiating golden light, he suddenly struck to the side and forward!
BANG!!!
The two figures collided in the center of the office, and the violent shockwave instantly shattered the walls.
Sengoku felt a sharp pain in his palm. The fist, swirled with black and red lightning, had pierced his shockwave and slammed into his chest.
"Ah!"
Sengoku spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backwards, slamming into rubble.
"Looks like your strength has declined even more than Garp's! At your age, you don't even need to use your fruit ability, yet you dare to take my attack head-on?"
Shano muttered, taking a step forward, about to pursue, when, as if sensing something, he paused slightly.
Boom!
A powerful fist blasted from the right, accompanied by a faint scent of smoke and Dor's furious roar:
"Sound Soul Explosion!"
Shano, without even turning his head, casually raised his right hand and precisely blocked Dor's incoming fist with the back of his hand.
The veteran vice admiral had already exerted all her strength, but not even a white mark was left, let alone any movement of Shano's right palm.
"I remember you. You dared to attack me even now. You're quite brave."
Shano glanced at her through the gap between their arms.
"But it's not commendable. If I were you, I'd immediately evacuate the lower-level marines to prevent further casualties, instead of rushing to your death here without knowing your own strength."
"You—!"
Dor gritted her teeth, her face filled with resentment. But as soon as she opened her mouth, a sharp, tearing pain shot through her abdomen.
Shano's right foot had already struck her in the stomach.
Boom!
The terrifying impact caused her eyes to bulge, and she flew backward like a cannonball, directly out of the fortress building and crashing into the base square.
"Vice Admiral Dor!"
The marines in the square exclaimed, gathering around her. They were about to help Dor, but they saw her struggling to hold her upper body up.
She glanced around, recalling what she had just heard. After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and shouted hoarsely,
"Everyone! Retreat to the edge and block the outer perimeter of the island. This is not a battle you are qualified to participate in!"
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the fortress, after the shockwave, it was completely reduced to ruins.
Sengoku climbed from the rubble, a golden Buddha light suddenly bursting out. In a breath, his figure expanded to over ten meters in height, almost comparable to a giant.
Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Beast, Great Buddha Form!
"Shano!"
Sengoku's roar resounded like a bell. "Stop! This is a naval base! You will not be allowed to act recklessly!"
"That's right!"
Shano suddenly appeared above Sengoku, grinning, his right leg chopping down like a battle axe. "Only if you show up like this do you have the qualifications to fight me. But I still have the same words for you…"
"Stop getting in the way!"
BANG!!!
The kick, laced with black and red lightning, collided with the Buddha's palm once again. Unlike the last time, the golden palm also pulsed with an astonishing amount of Haki.
He was Admiral Sengoku!
His steadfast belief was justice!
He naturally mastered the art of Haki entanglement!
Boom!
Two streams of Haki collided with roaring thunder, shaking the entire G-14 branch fortress from top to bottom.
A violent shockwave, many times more terrifying than the last, swept in all directions, crumbling the upper structures like paper. Countless documents and fragments of building materials spiraled into the air in the raging wind, then crashed down in unison.
Finally, an all-out clash…
Hahaha, what a chance!
Blackbeard, who had been slowly retreating to the side, beamed with joy at the sight and unhesitatingly activated his ability!
Buzz!
In the blink of an eye, his body shrank dramatically to about half a meter, transforming into a large, green-headed fly with a greasy sheen, flapping its wings and soaring off into the distance.
However…
Just after flying a hundred meters, the air around him suddenly stagnated like a quagmire, and a strong sense of crisis surged in his heart.
This is…
Blackbeard turned his head subconsciously, just in time to see a crimson sword light illuminate the entire field of vision, like a galaxy pouring down, enveloping him in it.
At the same time, Shano's cold voice rang out:
"Where are you running to? Do you want to leave?"