The Communications Den Den Mushi in Borsalino's hand had gone quiet again, but he stayed where he was, as though the silence had pinned him in place.
Maintenance robots swarmed past with tools and replacement parts. He didn't spare them a glance. He stood motionless, frozen in the middle of the bustle.
"Bring… eternal peace to the world?"
The words slipped from his lips, so soft they were almost swallowed by the air.
Slowly—almost reluctantly—the familiar sardonic curl returned to his mouth.
"How terrifying…" he murmured, so low it felt meant for no one, not even himself.
He pushed the laboratory door open and strolled inside.
"Dr. Vegapunk," Borsalino said with an easy smile, catching the scientist's faintly surprised look, "Saint Saturn, Excellency, is already aware that something happened here."
"I told him it was a minor experimental accident. The repair budget—and the next round of funding—will be approved and delivered within three days."
An experimental accident?
Vegapunk froze, confusion flickering across his face. Then he met Borsalino's bright, unbothered smile, and understanding snapped into place. His posture stiffened.
"Exactly," Vegapunk said at once, forcing the words out with practiced calm. "No one could have predicted such an accident… Borsalino, if it weren't for your protection, I might have been in real danger."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Borsalino chuckled and spread his hands, as if to say: what else could he do?
"Don't mention it. I'm only a hired hand too, Dr. Vegapunk."
He paused, then added, tone light—almost cheerful.
"Still, Saint Saturn, Excellency, wants you to accelerate your current research. He asked me to deliver a message."
Borsalino recited it without changing expression.
"'The day your research succeeds will be the day we bring an end to war in this world. Your research will usher in an era of eternal peace across the seas.'"
Vegapunk fell silent.
A few seconds passed.
"I understand," he said at last, turning away. Something shifted in his eyes, quick as a blade catching light.
"This world… will indeed know peace."
---
New World. A certain stretch of sea.
On the docks of a coastal town, battle cries tore through the sky.
Blood ran in the streets and seeped into the surf.
Civilians who had fled to safety watched the slaughter with blank disbelief, as if their minds refused to accept what their eyes were showing them.
Just moments ago, these pirates had looked untouchable—arrogant, brutal, cutting down the Kingdom Guard Squad like it was sport.
Now they were being harvested like wheat beneath a scythe, driven back in terror by a unit of black-cloaked soldiers.
"These guys… they're too strong!"
"They're just a bunch of Marine traitors!"
"Damn it!"
Voices broke and scattered with the retreat.
The pirates stumbled backward, faces drained of color, while the dark figures advanced in perfect formation.
They barked threats about dying in battle, but the hands gripping their swords trembled uncontrollably.
It was crushing.
The Evil Axe Pirate Crew had rampaged through the New World for years. They'd even fought Big Mom's forces over territory and lived to boast about it. They had ridden out storms that would have swallowed lesser crews whole.
But they had never faced a force like this.
These NEO Marines moved like a single body. Every member fought at Captain level—or higher. Their coordination was ruthless, their tempo merciless, their groundwork flawless.
They lacked the heavy firepower of the official Marines, yet their cohesion and discipline made Marine Headquarters look clumsy.
"Damn it! We fight!"
A bald pirate finally snapped. His face twisted with ferocity as he raised a blood-red scimitar and lunged out of the crowd.
Whoosh.
A silver-white blade flashed low across the ground—so fast it barely registered—then vanished.
The bald pirate stopped in mid-stride.
He didn't fall. He didn't even sway.
For an instant, the battlefield went eerily quiet.
Then a thin crimson line appeared across his chest, widening slowly, as if the air itself had decided to split him open.
Whoosh.
Scalding blood burst from the seam like a waterfall.
The bald pirate clawed at the wound with shaking hands, but his legs gave out. He collapsed hard, lifeless before he hit the ground.
The sight ripped the courage out of the remaining pirates. They trembled openly now, teeth chattering, eyes wild.
"The Evil Axe Pirate Crew," a smooth, magnetic voice carried across the blood-soaked harbor. "Total bounty: three hundred and thirty million berries."
A tall, elegant figure stepped forward from the black-cloaked ranks.
Pink high heels clicked against the ruined ground. A high black ponytail swayed with each measured stride. The cloak on her back made her look like the embodiment of a verdict—cold, distant, absolute.
"In the name of Justice," Gion said, voice calm and cutting, "the NEO Marines will execute you here and now."
She raised her golden Meito, her expression detached—like she was reading a line from a ledger.
The pirates recoiled, panic buckling their formation.
They spat out bravado they no longer believed, clinging to it like a life raft.
"Damn it… if our Captain were here…"
"Our Captain's worth over two hundred million! He's a Great Pirate!"
"Even Big Mom's Executives have fallen to him!"
Hearing them, Gion tilted her head slightly.
"Your Captain?"
The words had barely left her lips when a shadow plummeted from the sky.
It hit the earth at breakneck speed.
The impact shook the town. Dust and smoke erupted upward, and a crater yawned open in the middle of the port like a wound ripped into the ground.
At its center lay a man clutching a colossal black axe.
"C-Captain?!"
The pirates recognized the corpse and went rigid. Their pupils shrank to pinpricks. Terror seized their hearts and squeezed.
Before the scream could fully escape them, another figure dropped from above like a cannonball.
Boom.
He landed with a shockwave that rattled bones. His wide black cloak snapped upward, revealing an inverted cross—an emblem that radiated murderous intent.
"Black… Black Arm!"
"Black Arm Zephyr!!"
"The former Marine Admiral!!"
"Damn it!!"
"What's he doing here?!"
"He killed the Captain!!"
The pirates shrieked, on the verge of collapse.
"Black Arm?" The purple-haired man's grin spread, feral and sharp. Sunglasses covered his eyes, but the contempt in his voice was unmistakable. "Sorry. I haven't used that name in a long time."
He flexed the fingers of his remaining arm into a claw.
"My name now is… Z!"
He drew in a breath, and the air itself seemed to tighten.
"Pirates! Face the judgment of Justice!"
He slammed his lone arm into the ground.
BOOM!!
It was like a mountain collapsing.
The entire port town shuddered.
Stone pillars erupted from the earth in a dense forest—jagged spears thrusting skyward, rising in a violent, unstoppable surge.
To be continued...