After drifting for who knew how long, Luffy had already fainted from hunger. Until, the sound of wood hitting something echoed.
Thud!
He groggily opened his eyes, only to pass out again, vaguely hearing voices outside.
"Boss! It's a barrel!"
"It's still sealed!"
"John, help me haul it up—"
And then he lost consciousness completely.
When he woke again, it was already noon the next day. He didn't wake naturally. He woke because of the smell.
His eyes snapped open.
"Meat!!! It's meat!!!!"
He threw off the blanket in a flash. Like a hunting dog catching a scent, he followed the aroma straight to the deck. Then without hesitation, he snatched the meat the three men were just about to eat and stuffed it into his mouth.
He bit down hard, not even spitting out the bones, crushing and swallowing them whole. After gulping down several large drumsticks, he finally let out a long breath.
"Ahhh! I'm alive again!!!"
He grinned at the three stunned men. "Thanks for saving me!"
The trio's faces were covered in black lines as they stared at the smooth, practiced sequence of theft and eating.
"Uh… No problem… "
"Helping someone in trouble is only natural…"
Luffy kept grinning. "I'm Luffy. I'm a pirate! What about you guys?"
The moment he said he was a pirate, the atmosphere on the ship turned strange. The green-haired man who appeared to be their leader immediately went cold.
"Tch… So we saved a piece of sea trash…"
He stood up and placed a hand on the hilt at his waist.
"Fine. I'll send you on your way."
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"
Slash!
A blade flashed like lightning.
The green-haired man's pupils shrank. The killing strike aimed at Luffy's neck had… missed.
Luffy was squatting, one hand holding down his straw hat as he looked up with irritation.
"Hey! What are you doing?! That's dangerous!!!"
The swordsman regained himself and snorted. "You dodged… No wonder you're a pirate. You've got some skill."
Slash!
This time the blade came even faster, cutting down in a vertical strike.
Luffy sprang up in a one-legged stance to avoid it. Still clutching his hat, a bit of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Hey! What's your problem, moss-head?! Keep this up and I'll get mad!"
The green-haired swordsman's veins bulged at the sudden nickname. Drawing a second blade, he attacked again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their figures flickered across the deck as the blades clashed rapidly. The other two men had already retreated, weapons drawn and ready to assist at any moment.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew Luffy's straw hat into the air.
"My hat!"
His arm shot out, stretching unnaturally toward it.
The green-haired swordsman's eyes narrowed. 'A Devil Fruit user…'
He shifted his blade and slashed toward the extended arm. But this time Luffy didn't dodge. He endured the cut, grabbed the hat, and pulled it back.
The swordsman was taken aback.
Luffy wiped sweat from his brow. "That was close. Shanks gave me this hat. If it fell into the sea, I'd be done for."
After all, he couldn't swim.
At the name, everyone on the ship, including the green-haired swordsman, froze.
The blade remained pointed at Luffy, but he didn't attack. His expression turned serious. "You mean… Shanks? The one from the Red Hair Pirates?"
Luffy put the hat back on and looked delighted. "Yeah! You know Shanks too?"
The swordsman looked at this idiot, his lips twitching.
How could someone like this know a legend like that…
He slowly lowered his weapon. "If there's only one Red Hair Pirates on the sea… then yes. The world's greatest swordsman. Red-Haired Shanks."
He stared hard at Luffy, deep in thought.
The green-haired swordsman was Roronoa Zoro. His dream was to become the world's greatest swordsman.
Unlike the original timeline, years ago the man most likely to claim that title, Dracule Mihawk, had died at the hands of then–Vice Admiral "Blue Devil" Bullet. Years later, the world acknowledged a new strongest swordsman.
The title had passed to Shanks, who rose to Emperor tatus despite losing an arm and dominated the New World with swordsmanship alone.
Zoro's target had changed from Mihawk to Shanks. Since setting sail, he had hunted pirates relentlessly to temper his blade. All of it was for the day he would enter the New World… and challenge the greatest swordsman.
* * *
New World, Egghead Island.
Above the clouds, inside a secret laboratory, Vegapunk led Sakazuki and Carlo through a incubation chamber. Rows of steel pillars lined the hall, and between them stood nutrient-filled tanks.
Inside each floated a childlike figure. Some resembled Mihawk, some Hancock, even Jinbe and Crocodile.
Unlike the original Pacifista, which modified corpses, or the earlier Seraphim clones, these Seraphim had black wings like King's, with flames burning behind them. They were the newest models, fused with cutting-edge technology.
At the end of the chamber stood several earlier modified bodies: weaponized Whitebeard Jr., Boa Hancock, and even a modified Mihawk fused with the Clear-Clear Fruit.
Sakazuki's gaze fixed on a tank filled with purple nutrient fluid. "How long?"
Inside floated a Seraphim of Whitebeard Jr. Due to his overwhelming physique, only one had been cloned.
The purple liquid was a custom toxin, formulated after experimenting with the Shroom-Shroom Fruit's spore bomb ability. It would gradually be absorbed, maximizing its lethality.
Vegapunk checked the readings and replied, "About six more months. The accumulated toxic spores will reach peak output."
Sakazuki nodded, a cold edge appearing in his eyes. "Then in half a year… we'll send Kaido a grand gift."
Through accelerated cloning and toxin infusion, something that originally required ten years to accumulate enough poison for one release was now rapidly building power. The explosion would be several times stronger than the original version, capable of killing an entire island.
Inhalation meant death within three seconds.
Loaded into a high-explosive missile and detonated over an island, within thirty seconds it would blanket the entire landmass and exterminate all life.
It had originally been prepared for Whole Cake Island. But with the Marines' advantage growing, it was no longer necessary there.
Then Kaido disrupted Sakazuki's three-pronged encirclement. His recklessness cost the Marines countless soldiers and ships and even destroyed an island.
Red Hair lost his family. Big Mom lost her dream.
Now it was Kaido's turn.
The empire he built over the years… would disappear.
* * *
New World. Wano Front Line.
With reinforcements arriving for Kaido, the two encircling fleets were forced to retreat.
On Vice Admiral Tsuru's flagship, a mech-like figure descended from the sky. A little girl jumped out from its abdomen.
The mech transformed.
Click, clack…
It reshaped into a tall woman.
Baby 5.
The little girl was Sugar, the user of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit.
The female soldiers greeted them warmly.
Years ago, after being temporarily taken by Enel for training, Baby 5 had returned vastly improved. Once limited to basic weapons, she could now transform into advanced individual combat systems. Even mechs.
With Egghead's technology limited by energy supply, mass-producing mechs was impossible. But as a Devil Fruit user, Baby 5 only consumed stamina. Who could resist flight and mechs?
It became such a craze that Tsuru had to issue orders to curb it.
Though stronger than in the original timeline, their potential remained limited.
They entered the cabin to eat. Sugar sucked on a lollipop while holding a Spinosaurus toy. She casually placed it on the table, planning to crush it later.
Their mission was simple. Use mobility and the grotesque rules of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit to ambush careless or weakly armored pirate officers. Turn them into toys. Bring them back. Throw them into a grinder. Crush them.
Then cancel the ability.
If the head wasn't fully destroyed, if eyes or a mouth remained, there would be endless terror. Or screaming. Then death.
Cruel beyond words.
Because once turned into a toy, everyone who knew that person would forget them. No rescue would ever come. No one would remember they existed.
Only when Sugar released the ability would the truth surface.
* * *
New World, Kibu Island.
One of Kaido's central bases.
Although recently wounded in Wano, Kaido now stood here. King, Queen, and all officers of Shinuchi level and above were present.
He had called everyone for a meeting. But as he scanned the assembled forces, something felt wrong.
The subordinates were uneasy from their leader's gaze as well.
Kaido frowned. He felt like something was missing. But what?
An inexplicable irritation surged. His eyes swept across the crowd again, then abruptly snapped toward the Tobiroppo.
Boom!
Overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted. The hall trembled.
Kaido's face darkened with killing intent.
"Tobiroppo. Step forward."
The five stepped out nervously.
Kaido counted. Once. Twice.
His voice turned icy. "Tobiroppo… Why are there only five?"
**
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