The sun hung low above the Sabaody Archipelago, its light fractured into gold and green as it filtered through the mangrove canopy. The air carried that strange, thick mix of perfume, salt, and fear — the scent that defined this island where freedom and slavery met under the shadow of the World Nobles.
The Oro Jackson glided through Grove 44, its dark sails marked with the crescent moon of the Nyx Pirates.
Citizens froze as the ship docked. The name spread like wildfire across the groves.
"It can't be…" one of them gasped. "That flag— it's her. Nyx D. Ada!"
"—It's her! The Nyx Pirates!"
"Nyx D. Ada! She's here!"
"She's supposed to be the most dangerous pirate alive!"
People scattered. Shops closed. Even bounty hunters turned pale.
On the deck, Ada stepped forward, her red desss fluttering in the wind. The silver moon sigil on her back gleamed faintly as she scanned the island with calm, sharp eyes.
Mihawk stood beside her, expression unreadable. Bullet leaned against the mast, smirking, while young Enel peered over the rail with wide eyes. Behind them, Fisher Tiger watched the bubbles drift upward, his mind far from the chaos.
Ada's voice broke the silence. "Supplies first. Then information. I want new maps and coating materials. We'll need to go deep soon."
Bullet grinned. "Fishman Island, huh?"
Ada nodded slightly. "But first… there's someone we need to see."
Mihawk turned his gaze toward her. "Rayleigh?"
Ada's lips curled faintly. "And Shakky.
————————
They docked quietly, but the ripples of their presence spread fast. Word traveled through the mangrove groves like wildfire — the Oro Jackson had returned to Sabaody, with Nyx D. Ada at the helm.
The marketplace fell silent as they walked through. Ada's coat trailed behind her like the cloak of judgment. The civilians pressed themselves to the walls, whispering prayers to gods who never answered.
They passed through the marketplace quietly. The sound of chains clinking in the distance made Fisher Tiger's eyes darken. Slavery was common here — the World Nobles' cruelty dripped into every street.
Then the silence shattered — a sudden, shrill cry.
"Everyone, bow! The Celestial Dragon Saint Carmois is passing through!"
People immediately dropped to their knees, faces pressed into the dirt. Merchants, beggars, even Marines knelt as the massive glass bubble-carriage approached, slaves dragging it through the mud.
Chains clinked as slaves followed the Celestial Dragon's procession — men and women branded and broken.
Ada didn't stop walking. Neither did her crew.
Mihawk didn't even glance at the carriage. Bullet cracked his knuckles. Enel blinked in confusion. "Why's everyone kneeling?"
Ada didn't slow. "Fear," she said softly. "It's the oldest currency in the world."
The Celestial Dragon's servants screamed for them to kneel.
The Celestial Dragon noticed them, his jeweled mouth twisting into outrage. "You—! You dare stand before me? Kneel before your god!"
Ada's crimson eyes flicked toward him — unamused, unbending.
"I don't kneel," she said flatly, her voice carrying across the grove. "Not to men who hide behind glass."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. The Celestial Dragon's face purpled.
"You insolent worm! You dare defy me?!" His gaze roamed over her, lecherous and entitled.
He sneered, looking her over. "Such beauty… wasted on a filthy pirate. You'll make a fine pet once I've broken you."
The crowd gasped. Everyone could feel the tension crackle in the air — like the moment before a storm hits the sea. Mihawk's hand brushed the hilt of his blade. Bullet's jaw tightened.
Ada finally stopped walking. She turned her head slightly, the faint glint of crimson in her eyes betraying her patience snapping.
"I've met gods," she said calmly, "and they bled like anyone else."
He raised his gun, shrieking, "SLAVE COLLAR HER—!"
Two armored guards stepped forward — and in the next heartbeat, they were gone.
The crowd didn't even see Ada move. A single flick of her wrist — and her pistol was already drawn. A sharp click echoed through the grove.
The Celestial Dragon froze.
Then — BANG.
One perfect shot.
The Celestial Dragon's head snapped back. His bubble shattered. His body hit the cobblestone. His body slumped lifelessly to the ground.
Silence fell, broken only by the slow roll of his empty helmet.
Every soul on Sabaody froze.
The world had just changed in a heartbeat.
Everyone stared — civilians, slaves, even the distant marines on patrol.
Ada holstered her pistol. "Gods don't bleed," she said quietly. "Men do."
Fisher Tiger's fists trembled. He had dreamt of freedom all his life, but seeing a human strike down a Celestial Dragon—it was beyond belief.
The next moment, chaos erupted.
"CALL THE NAVY! A CELESTIAL DRAGON HAS BEEN KILLED!"
──────────────
Marine Headquarters — A Few Hours Later
Sengoku slammed his fists onto the table, his face pale with fury.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Sengoku slammed his fists into the table.
"She shot a Celestial Dragon point-blank!" the officer stammered. "Witnesses confirm—Nyx D. Ada!"
Sengoku's face darkened. "Damn it… we knew she was dangerous, but this…she killed a Celestial Dragon! Nyx D. Ada! Do you understand what that means?"
Tsuru folded her arms. "We can't ignore this. The World Government will demand blood."
Admirals and Vice Admirals filled the room, tension so thick it drowned the air.
Tsuru's voice was grim. "Sabaody will be a warzone within the hour."
Akainu's face was stone. "She killed a Celestial Dragon. That's not piracy—that's an act of war."
Kuzan leaned back lazily, but his eyes were sharp. "And yet, part of me thinks she didn't do it out of rage. She's… making a point."
Borsalino whistled. "Ooh~ scary. So what now, old man? She's already famous for blowing up half a Marine fleet last year."
A younger officer ran in, trembling. "Sir! The World Government has ordered immediate retaliation. They demand we send an Admiral."
Sengoku's gaze sharpened. "Then send Zephyr. He's already near the area."
The room fell silent. Even among the Marines, Zephyr — the Black Arm — was respected and feared.
"Tell him," Sengoku growled, "he is authorized to kill on sight. Only an Admiral-level threat can engage her."
─────────────────
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 12
The ground trembled. A Marine fleet surrounded the island, cannons primed. Smoke coiled through the air as Zephyr stepped onto the grove, his white coat rippling behind him.
"Nyx D. Ada," he called out, his deep voice echoing like thunder. "By order of the World Government, you are under arrest."
Ada stepped out from the shadows of the mangroves. The air shimmered faintly around her — her Conqueror's Haki brushing the edge of every soldier's mind, freezing them in place.
"Arrest me?" Her voice was calm, almost amused. "You'd have better luck stopping the tide."
Zephyr's expression hardened. "You killed a Celestial Dragon. You know what that means."
"I know what it meant," Ada replied, her coat swaying as she stepped closer. "It meant reminding the world that even those who call themselves gods can fall."
Behind her, Mihawk watched in silence, eyes sharp with interest. Bullet cracked his knuckles, a grin spreading. Enel's hands buzzed faintly with blue electricity, though he stayed behind Ada's shadow.
Zephyr drew his arm back, blackened with Armament Haki. The air cracked as he lunged forward.
"Smash Impact!"
The ground exploded beneath his fist — but Ada was already gone. She appeared above him, blade drawn, eyes glowing with violet light.
"Pierce: Crescent Divide."
A flash tore through the air, the shockwave slicing apart the mangrove roots. Zephyr barely blocked it with his arm — the sheer force sent him crashing into the side of a bubble grove, splitting it open.
He roared and charged again, his arm coated in even denser Haki. "You think you can destroy the world and walk away free?!"
Ada caught his next strike with one hand, her sword pressed lightly against his right arm. The impact cracked the earth around them.
"I don't destroy the world," she said, her tone even. "I reshape it."
She twisted — a single graceful motion — and drove her knee into his stomach. Zephyr coughed blood, stumbling back. Ada followed, her movements fluid and deliberate.
"Pierce: Starfall Impact!"
Her blade plunged downward, energy flaring in a violet arc. The blast erupted — a dome of pure force that sent every Marine flying back. Zephyr crashed through a cluster of trees, his right arm mangled and blackened.
Zephyr got back up and gritted his teeth and struck again. Ada parried effortlessly.
He swung faster—raw, powerful, relentless. She moved with surgical precision, countering every blow, her movements like a tide erasing stone.
Zephyr roared and lunged with a right hook.
Ada sidestepped, eyes cold.
"Pierce: Lunar Vein."
Her blade flashed once—clean, quiet, merciless.
Blood arced into the air.
Zephyr froze. His arm—his dominant arm—fell to the ground, severed cleanly at the shoulder.
Marines screamed. "Admiral Zephyr—his arm!"
Ada stepped back, blade still dripping, expression calm.
"This is your justice," she said softly. "It bleeds like everything else."
Zephyr dropped to one knee, his breath ragged.
"Monster…" he hissed. "You'll burn this world to ash."
Smoke rose. The grove was burning.
Mihawk sheathed his sword with a quiet exhale. "Admiral-class," he murmured, "and she crushed him in minutes."
Bullet grinned. "That's our captain."
Zephyr staggered to one knee, blood dripping from his mouth. He rasped. "You're no different from the ones you claim to hate."
Ada turned her back to him. "The difference is," she said softly, "I know what I am."
She walked away as the Marines scrambled to recover their fallen commander.
─────────────────
Shakky's Rip-Off Bar
The bar was dim, filled with the scent of sake and smoke.
At the counter, Shakky leaned lazily against a shelf, cigarette between her fingers. Across from her, Silvers Rayleigh looked up from his drink as the door opened.
"Well, well…" Rayleigh's grin was small but genuine. "The sea's been whispering your name for months now."
Ada stepped in, her dress still singed from the fight. "I didn't come to reminisce."
Shakky smirked. "You never do. You've made quite the mess today. Killing a Celestial Dragon, crippling Zephyr… half the Marines are losing their minds."
"She didn't even break a sweat." Bullet chuckled from behind her. "They'll need more than minds to face us."
Rayleigh's eyes studied Ada's face carefully. "You've changed. There's steel in your eyes… but something darker, too."
Rayleigh's eyes then lingered on Ada, studying her carefully. "You've grown, Ada. But what are you after now? Roger's dream?"
Her gaze drifted to the window, where the mangrove lights shimmered like stars. "No," she said softly. "Something bigger. The sea's rotting under their rule, Rayleigh. It's time someone tore the chains off."
Shakky exhaled smoke. "And you think you're the one to do it?"
Ada's eyes glimmered like crimson under the dim light. "Someone has to."
Rayleigh chuckled, though it sounded tired. "You remind me of him, you know. Roger. Always smiling in the face of the impossible."
Ada's lips curved faintly. "He smiled because he believed people could still be free."
Ada then said calmly. "The seas are changing, Rayleigh. The World Government's grip is tightening. Roger opened the world's eyes — but he didn't break the chains. I intend to."
Shakky blew out smoke. "And what happens when they come for you?"
Ada's lips curved faintly. "Then I'll remind them who they should've feared first."
Rayleigh sighed, a small, weary smile touching his lips. "You're walking a dangerous path, Ada. But… I can't help but admire it."
He raised his glass slightly. "To the ones who still chase freedom, even when the sea turns red."
Ada met his gaze and nodded once.
Then she stood, the light from the bar catching the crescent moon sigil on her back.
"We're heading for Fishman Island next," she said. "Fisher Tiger has a home to return to."
Shakky grinned. "Careful, love. The world's watching now."
Ada's voice was calm, but there was something ancient in her tone — a conviction that even time couldn't erode.
"Then let them watch. The tide's already rising."
———————————-
By nightfall, the Nyx Pirates were docked near Grove 13, their ship hidden behind dense mangroves.
Ada stood on the deck, arms crossed, watching the distant fires of Sabaody flicker. The whole island was in chaos.
Enel finally broke the silence. "You… killed one of their gods."
Ada didn't look at him. "There are no gods. Only men who play at being them."
Mihawk glanced toward the horizon. "The world will shake for this."
"Let it," Ada replied. "If the world is built on chains, then it deserves to break."
From behind, Fisher Tiger approached slowly, his steps heavy. "Ada," he said quietly, "I've spent my whole life fighting the surface world. But what you did today… it gives me hope that maybe not all humans are the same."
Ada's tone softened just a little. "The sea doesn't choose who it carries, Tiger. Fishman or human — we all drown the same."
Bullet laughed. "Heh. She's got a point."
Ada turned, looking over her crew — the strongest, most unlikely collection of souls to ever sail under one flag.
"Rest tonight," she said finally. "Tomorrow, we head to Fishman Island."
Mihawk adjusted his hat, smirking faintly. "The world's still burning, and you want to go sightseeing?"
"Not sightseeing. I've got unfinished business there."
———————-
The next morning, the Oro Jackson cut through the mist.
Bubbles drifted up around the hull as the crew prepared for descent.
Behind them, whispers spread through every corner of the Grand Line — of a woman who killed a god, defeated an Admiral, and sailed the Pirate King's ship under a new moon.
Nyx D. Ada.
The Pirate who made even Heaven bleed.