"Nani?!"
Sabo felt a faint sting in his fingers and instinctively looked down.
When he saw that his pitch-black Dragon Claw had failed to even scratch a steel plate, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Like a child who had just discovered a new continent, Sabo tried again.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring echoed. The steel plate—barely larger than his palm—remained completely intact beneath his Dragon Claw. It only left behind a slight bend, which began slowly rebounding, returning to its original shape.
Though young, Sabo knew one thing for sure—this kind of tough and flexible metal had never existed in the known world.
He didn't know what it was, but his quick mind recognized its value instantly. Treating it like a treasure, he shoved the metal piece into his pocket and rushed out of the vault to contact headquarters.
What he didn't realize was that the moment he connected through the Den Den Mushi, his fate began to change.
From being the Revolutionary Army's No. 2 figure behind Dragon—Sabo was about to be transformed into the head of the Logistics Department… the lifeline of the entire movement.
A boy who had once stood on the frontlines… was now being shifted to work from the shadows.
Had Ghidorah seen this, his brain might have literally exploded from rage.
It didn't matter how precious a metal the Munch-Munch Fruit could create—this was never why he had encouraged Sabo to take that fruit.
That power could even consume Devil Fruit users themselves. And paired with the Dark-Dark Fruit, it had the potential to become absolutely unbeatable.
Sabo's fate to spend his life serving the Revolution… was his own doing.
But Ghidorah didn't know this—and even if he did, he certainly wouldn't have had time to care.
At this moment, he had his own problems. Or rather—his own surprise.
---
"Nefertari Ivan… do you know what happens to people who lie to me?"
In the vast desert, Ghidorah stared down at a middle-aged man with a goat-like beard.
On his way to Little Garden, Ghidorah had flown over Alabasta—only to find himself ambushed midair.
By an old acquaintance, no less.
The man before him was Ivan, an ancestor of the Nefertari family. And he hadn't come empty-handed—he'd brought a bombshell.
"The information is true. This is my token of allegiance, if you'll have me," Ivan said, kneeling on one knee before the towering beast.
"Though the Nefertari family only ever possessed a portion of Pluton's secrets, we learned one crucial thing—
Pluton isn't a one-of-a-kind weapon. From what I've gathered, there are at least three of them, based on the serial numbers."
"Once I realized this, I knew our family had lost its way… corrupted by the allure of that terrible power."
Ghidorah's massive, icy-golden eyes narrowed as he considered the words.
"I hope you're not here because you're tempted by it again."
"Nika. Joy Boy. They both achieved immortality. And what happened?"
**"They were erased—scrubbed from history."
"Immortality… it's a damn joke."
Ivan didn't flinch. His eyes remained fixed on the sand as he spoke quietly:
"Eight hundred years ago, we chose the wrong path. I won't repeat that mistake."
"Immortality means nothing to me now. My only wish is to give the Nefertari family a sliver of hope in the chaos to come."
"I can feel it—this time, the upheaval will be worse than anything before."
---
Boom. Huhhh… huhhh…
Ghidorah's massive head suddenly lowered, sniffing at Ivan, then pulled back with a toothy grin and a gust of fetid breath.
"Heh… I hope you're telling the truth. But even if you're not, it doesn't matter."
"You know what I do to liars."
He slowly raised his head again, then bellowed:
"Nefertari Ivan, go retrieve your family's battleship—
War waits for no one!"
With a deafening thunderclap, Ghidorah unfurled his enormous wings, stirring up a colossal sandstorm as he launched skyward, heading further into the Grand Line.
From high above, King (King the Wildfire) had been circling. Upon seeing Ghidorah take flight, he beat his own wings and followed, trailing the massive figure like a fledgling chasing its mother bird.
---
In the Grand Line, even traveling from one island to the next could take pirates a month or more.
Even between neighboring islands, ten to fifteen days wasn't unusual.
But for Ghidorah, it took only a few hours.
Now approaching the prehistoric island known as Little Garden, twilight was falling.
RUMBLE!!!
A cloud of black smoke erupted into the sky, and scarlet lava burst from the volcano, painting the sky blood-red.
"Heh… looks like I've found the right place."
High above, Ghidorah looked down at the active volcano, a flicker of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
He hadn't yet seen the one he was searching for—but instinct told him, without a doubt, that what he was looking for was inside that volcano.
---
BOOM!
Suddenly, a deafening impact shook the forest below. The resulting shockwave uprooted trees in every direction.
Beneath the moonlight, two giants squared off, separating momentarily before roaring and charging at each other again.
Their attacks weren't just aggressive—they were deadly. Every strike aimed for vital points.
Bang!
Duang!!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
These two were like living mountains. Even their most basic attacks sent shockwaves tearing through the jungle, knocking over ancient trees and shaking the earth.
Ghidorah instinctively wanted to swat them both away—but paused when he noticed King behind him.
Without turning around, he spoke:
"Quiet those two big idiots down."
King nodded without hesitation and dove toward the giants.
Shuooo…
Like a fighter jet, King streaked through the night sky, flames trailing behind him. Without a word, he smashed directly into one of the giants, sending him crashing backward with a thunderous explosion.
"Who goes there?!"
The other giant roared in anger, seeing his comrade attacked.
Without hesitation, he swung his massive sword—wider than a door—directly at King.
Though human, King's pteranodon form was large enough to qualify as a giant beast in his own right.
With no room to dodge, he instead shifted midair, reverting to his hybrid form.
BOOM!!
He slammed a Haki-infused kick into the descending blade, sending the giant's attack recoiling.
Seeing this, Ghidorah knew the giants couldn't pose a threat to King and lost interest.
He turned his gaze toward the volcano.
From afar, it didn't look massive. But up close, Ghidorah saw that the crater was wide enough for him to enter directly.
He didn't fear lava—but given the choice, he preferred getting struck by lightning.
Standing at the crater's edge, the scent of sulfur thick in the air, he focused his senses downward.
Gradually… he felt a familiar presence. Foul. Acrid. Unmistakable.
"ROAAARRRR!!"
All three heads of Ghidorah let out an ear-splitting roar, shaking the heavens.
Thunderclouds began forming over the volcano, golden lightning flickering faintly within.
Now certain that Rodan was hidden below, Ghidorah didn't hesitate.
He would wake him the simplest way he knew—
By striking him with lightning.
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