Chapter 25 — The Frenzy of a Thousand Dragons
"Everyone fall back. We're going to open fire."
The order came directly from Vice Admiral Garp.
The decision had been made.
All Marines would withdraw from Hidden Dragon Island, and the fleet would bombard the island until it burned to the ground.
"This doesn't look good," Shinji Ikari muttered as he watched the sky.
The newly born dragons had spread their wings and taken flight.
Some of them were already breathing flames, setting the surrounding forest on fire.
"They can fly," Shinji said calmly.
"Artillery won't be enough."
ROAR!
Suddenly—
A massive Allosaurus burst from the jungle and charged straight toward the mountain.
Unlike the blood-red dragons, this dinosaur wore human clothing.
The axe and long sword strapped to its back made Shinji immediately recognize it.
A figure who would one day become famous in the Worst Generation.
"Drake…" Shinji murmured.
Koby stared in disbelief.
"Is that a human… or a dinosaur?"
"Both," Shinji replied.
"Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user. Allosaurus model."
"His name is Drake."
Koby froze.
Drake had once been a Marine officer expected to become a Vice Admiral.
But he had fallen from grace and become a pirate.
His bounty had already risen rapidly.
"Why is he here?" Koby asked through clenched teeth.
"Is he working with them?"
"You should ask him yourself someday," Shinji said.
"But right now, you need to leave the island."
"The battleships will open fire soon."
"The dragons that can't fly will die under the cannons."
"But the hundreds of flying dragons will be much harder to deal with."
Shinji cracked his knuckles.
His aura rose steadily.
Koby stepped forward.
"You're not thinking of facing that mad scientist alone, are you?"
"It won't matter anyway," Shinji replied.
"Cannons won't solve this."
"These pirates specialize in weapons and artillery."
"They never expected to survive the Navy's bombardment."
"Once the Thousand Dragon Frenzy begins, that scientist will destroy every trace of his research himself."
With that—
Shinji jumped down from the tree.
He began walking directly toward the mountain.
"Hold the battleships in position."
"I need to capture that man."
"Otherwise he'll escape and continue harming people."
He glanced back once more.
"That's an order, Sergeant Koby."
Everyone understood.
Once Shinji made a decision—
He wouldn't change it.
They remembered the battles of Summer Island and Storm Island.
Both Yan Feng and Lola had nearly escaped.
This scientist would definitely have his own escape plan.
"Relax," Shinji said with a grin.
"I've got the Storm Shell."
"If things get bad, I'll just ride the wind and fly away."
Hearing that, the others nodded reluctantly.
They trusted him.
But even as they turned to retreat—
They kept glancing back.
Their new mission was clear:
Stop the dragons that couldn't fly
Shoot down the dragons in the sky
If even a few of those monsters escaped—
Entire villages and islands could be destroyed.
Shinji continued walking toward the mountain.
Using Shave, he dodged incoming dragons.
With his fists, he smashed away those that tried to attack.
When he finally reached the inner area—
He quietly removed the belt holding the Storm Shell.
Only he knew the truth.
The storm stored inside it had already been used up.
The wind gathered over the past two days wasn't enough to escape the island.
Shinji looked ahead.
Dozens of elite pirates stood near the cages.
Their bodies had been modified with machinery.
Metal frames were attached to their backs.
Their weapons could spit flames like flamethrowers.
Nearby—
Drake's Allosaurus form was surrounded.
He was trying to break free.
But he was being attacked from all sides.
Ten mechanical arms from the scientist restrained him.
Three fully formed dragons attacked him from the sky.
Flames rained down constantly.
Even Drake was struggling.
"So you're a pirate?" the scientist sneered.
"Why didn't you invade Hidden Dragon Island when Lola was still alive?"
"Did you come here hoping to steal my dragon serum?"
"Don't dream about it!"
"This is the result of my domination of the Grand Line!"
"You Devil Fruit users only have strength similar to dinosaurs!"
"How could you compare with my army of dragons?!"
His mechanical arms tightened around Drake.
Dragons breathed fire while the pirates attacked from the ground.
Drake roared in pain under the overwhelming assault.
At that moment—
A calm voice appeared beneath him.
"Zoan users really are tough."
Shinji stood directly under Drake's claws.
"Navy?" Drake muttered.
"Did you team up with them?"
He kept his tone neutral.
Even in this situation, Drake maintained his cover.
Very few Marines knew his true identity.
CRACK!
The mechanical arms suddenly shattered.
Drake broke free with a roar.
He bit down on a dragon's claw, dragging it from the sky and slamming it into the ground.
"Thakri!" Drake shouted.
"You underestimate the power of Ancient Zoans!"
For a moment—
The battle turned into a stalemate.
But soon Drake was overwhelmed again.
Outnumbered and surrounded.
At that moment, he glanced toward Shinji.
He expected the Marine to help.
But Shinji had already walked past them—
Heading straight toward the cave.
"Hahahahaha!"
The scientist, Thakri, burst into laughter.
"So that brat wants my research results?"
"How naive!"
"I planted enough explosives here to destroy this entire mountain!"
"I'll bury him here along with the corpses of Lola's pirates!"
Suddenly—
Thakri's expression changed.
His eyes widened.
"Wait… that Marine…"
"That's Shinji Ikari!"
"The Navy's so-called Supernova Hero!"
"What?!" the pirates shouted.
"Doctor! Blow him up!"
"Let him be buried with Captain Lola!"
They had been too busy fighting Drake earlier to recognize him.
Now they realized who had entered the cave.
"Shinji Ikari…" Drake muttered.
He was already covered in injuries.
He had only seen Shinji's name in the newspaper two days earlier.
A rookie Marine.
Yet already a monster.
If Shinji died here—
The Navy would lose an incredible talent.
"Drake! Shinji!"
"You'll both die in this explosion!"
Thakri laughed madly.
"My dragon army will escape this island!"
"Then I'll find a new base and conquer the Grand Line!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a new vial of serum.
Unlike the previous ones—
This liquid was blood-red.
At the same moment—
Every pirate nearby took out the same serum.
"You fools!"
"You think I used humans for experiments without reason?"
"This is the perfect formula!"
"A serum that controls mutation!"
"It preserves human intelligence while granting the power of legendary creatures!"
Thakri drank the red serum.
His body immediately began to mutate.
Dragon wings burst from his back.
His body grew larger.
Claws and a long dragon tail formed.
But his head remained human.
It resembled the Hybrid Form of a Zoan Devil Fruit.
Drake frowned.
"That mutation is irreversible."
"You'll either become a full dragon… or stay a monster forever."
Then Drake returned to human form.
He charged forward with axe and sword.
"X-Drake — Hunting Grounds!"
(End of Chapter)
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