Many of the Fairy Tail guild members had serious trouble with this seemingly simple task of just following the fight with their eyes. After all, Sinbad was the Ultimate Lifeform in every sense of the term, built for battle in the truest and most literal sense of the word.
His very existence was designed and optimized for combat. He grew stronger as he fought, his power increasing with every exchange of blows. He adapted mid-combat with frightening speed, learning from his opponent's techniques and improving his own skills on the fly with each passing second. His body absorbed information and integrated it instantly, making him a constantly evolving threat.
His strength also grew as he fought, but in a way that was distinctly different from normal Saiyans. Unlike the typical Saiyan warriors that needed to be severely injured and brought to the brink of death before the Zenkai boost took effect and multiplied their power,
Sinbad's unique Zenkai boost took effect continuously mid-combat without requiring any injury at all. It functioned similarly to Broly's constantly rising power, feeding off the battle itself. Although his version was somewhat slower and more gradual in its escalation compared to Broly's explosive growth, which seemed to be the critical reason why Sinbad didn't outright lose control of himself and go completely berserk like the legendary Super Saiyan was known to do.
BOOM
The sound of impact echoed across the guild hall like a thunderclap. Makarov's weathered hand caught Sinbad's incoming fist mid-strike, his fingers wrapping around the small knuckles and completely stopping the attack's momentum.
He casually ignored the powerful shockwave that radiated outward from the point of contact, a wave of compressed air that sent those watching and standing too close stumbling backwards, some falling to the ground entirely.
"You're strong… what do you plan to do with this strength?" Makarov asked with a light smile playing at the corners of his mouth, his tone conversational and curious. Although his expression seemed relaxed and friendly, his experienced eyes were narrowed slightly with calculation and assessment, studying the child before him with the gaze of someone who understood the weight of power.
"I dream of traveling the world. My mom asked me to build a pirate crew and sail the boundless sea as a free man… although my true goal is to break free of fate." Sinbad said softly, his young voice carrying a weight of determination that seemed far too heavy for someone his age.
The words came from somewhere deep inside him, a core conviction that defined his entire existence. He didn't like or accept what fate apparently had in store for him, the predetermined path laid out by prophecy and destiny.
So his goal was crystal clear: to build a crew of loyal companions and set sail across the oceans so he could grow stronger with each passing day, eventually becoming powerful enough to break free from fate's chains entirely.
If accomplishing that meant becoming the king of the world and standing at the absolute pinnacle of power… then so be it. He would do whatever was necessary.
"Break Free of Fate?" Makarov asked with a raised eyebrow, genuine curiosity, and a hint of concern coloring his voice. It was an unusual goal for anyone, let alone a one-year-old child.
"Yeah, I don't want to be Joy Boy or whatever," Sinbad said softly and dismissively, as if rejecting the title of a legendary figure was no big deal.
But his casual words caused Makarov's pupils to shrink dramatically at the mention of that specific name, his entire body going rigid with recognition and shock. It was a reaction Sinbad completely didn't notice since he was currently looking down at his own palm.
But to Makarov, hearing that name provided immediate and shocking answers, suddenly explaining why this child possessed such overwhelming power at such an impossible age.
"Joy Boy? What makes you think you're him?" Makarov asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice carefully controlled as he tried to act normal and hide his internal turmoil.
"It's a long story, but my mom thought I was… and so did Imu," Sinbad said lazily while sticking his pinky finger up his nose, picking at it without any self-consciousness. But then he suddenly froze mid-motion, as he realized that he had misspoken and revealed far too much information.
"Can you forget that? I wasn't supposed to say that." Sinbad said lazily, although knowing the mess up, he didn't really react as he did.
But Makarov was honestly too shaken and stunned by the revelation for words to remotely be able to form a coherent answer. Meanwhile, Sinbad was internally cursing at his new body's uncontrollable childish habits and lack of filter. Just because his full name was Monkey D. Sinbad didn't mean he had to be so recklessly careless with secret information.
"Imu? You know him?" Makarov finally managed to ask, his voice dropping to a serious tone.
"Yeah, he is the one who killed my mother… or should I call it, IT," Sinbad said softly. Since he had already said so much and revealed the secret anyway, he figured he might as well finish explaining the full story. There was no point in half-truths now.
He was honestly curious and somewhat confused about how Makarov even knew about Imu in the first place, since that name should have been one of the world's most closely guarded secrets.
"I see… It's almost been 800 years, so it does line up." Makarov said, his mind going back through the history he had studied over his long life. There was a massive, unexplained void in this world's recorded history that had puzzled scholars and mages for generations. Their history books only went back approximately 400 years with any real detail or accuracy. Beyond that point was an era that had been completely lost to time, as if those centuries had been erased from existence.
With magic and archaeological efforts, historians and mages were able to, over the long years of painstaking work, recover small bits and fragments of the distant past. These fragments told them a tragic story of how the world had been utterly destroyed 800 years ago in some cataclysmic event.
Although the recovered information wasn't detailed enough to paint a complete picture, the basics were clear: a massive war had happened that reshaped everything. The king of this island had betrayed Joy Boy during that ancient conflict, stabbing him in the back when he was needed most.
But the King had apparently gone on to deeply regret his terrible actions afterward. Historical fragments showed him crying out into the future, leaving messages for Joy Boy when he eventually appeared again.
The messages spoke of how sorry he was, how the guilt consumed him. Before long, unable to live with what he'd done, he took his own life in despair. His death had fragmented this island forever… well, back then, the 4 islands were united under one rule, and Ighar was just one of the few islands. What was once a united island under a single ruler became a divided place where multiple factions and kingdoms fought endlessly for power and territory, without there ever being a true king of Ishgar again. The unity was shattered beyond repair.
Makarov told Sinbad all of this historical information in detail, sharing everything he knew. Sinbad, of course, took this matter very seriously, listening intently to every word. Finding out the complete truth about the matters 800 years in the past was absolutely key to eventually defeating Imu. The ancient history held secrets that could make the difference between victory and defeat.
From then on, Makarov began to personally train Sinbad with focused dedication, taking the boy under his wing directly. He could easily see that Sinbad was fated for greatness, destined to accomplish extraordinary things.
Makarov also began actively looking into matters about the past himself, dedicating resources and time to research. He was hoping to find anything of use that could help Sinbad in the battles to come.
This special attention sadly earned Laxus's jealousy, which began a rivalry between the two young fighters. Well, it was more accurately a one-sided rivalry since Laxus was defeated soundly by Sinbad every single time they fought, no matter how hard he tried or what strategies he employed.
Yes, Laxus by this point in time was already a lightning dragon slayer with impressive powers. But Sinbad easily defeated him every time they clashed, dominating each encounter without much difficulty. This pushed Laxus to go train even harder to one day defeat him, driving the boy to obsession.
When Sinbad was 2 years old, he quietly took on a mission without asking permission first. The mission was to kill some dangerous monsters that had been terrorizing a village. This, of course, greatly displeased Makarov when he found out, and he was ready to punish the boy for acting recklessly.
But seeing how easily Sinbad had cleared the mission, completing it without a scratch and more efficiently than most adult mages, he was forced to acknowledge an undeniable truth: Sinbad, although only 2 years old chronologically, wasn't like any other kids in existence. Makarov began allowing Sinbad to take on missions appropriate to his actual abilities rather than his age.
But Sinbad performed so well on mission after mission, building an impressive record, that when the time came to do the S Class Trial that year, he was allowed to take part in the competition. He became an S-rank mage that same year.
This accomplishment shook the entire magical world to its core, sending ripples through every guild and nation. After all, a two-year-old doing something like that was completely unheard of in all of history. It sounded utterly fake when people first heard the news, and many naturally refused to believe it was true. They assumed it was some kind of publicity stunt or exaggeration.
What was perhaps most shocking about Sinbad's achievements was that he had yet to even awaken his magical power. Everything he had accomplished so far was simply thanks to an overwhelmingly powerful body that just grew stronger as he fought. He was dominating the magical world without using any magic at all.
Year 769 arrived, marking a significant moment. This was the year Fairy Tail's strongest member finally returned from his long mission abroad. The person in question was a legendary figure named Gildarts. The entire town had developed a system where buildings would physically shift and move to give the man a clear, straight path to walk through the streets. This was a necessary precaution; otherwise, everything he touched or bumped into was accidentally destroyed by his overwhelming magic power. His presence was that destructive.
Sinbad challenged him to a fight immediately upon his return, of course.