On the violently rocking battleship.

Sakazuki stood steadily on the deck, staring at the world-ending scene before him:

“This is the power of natural disasters…”

Although this volcanic eruption was related to Sakazuki.

He merely guided it—what truly erupted was the might of the world itself.

This kind of power is something no human can ever attain…

Sakazuki silently watched the doomsday-like scene, sighing inwardly.

With Sakazuki’s current strength,

Destroying an island was not impossible—but the method would be different.

It depended on stamina, after all. A Logia-type Devil Fruit consumes the user’s own energy.

If he wanted to destroy this island, a few full-powered Meteor Volcanoes would suffice.

At that point, magma would flood the land, covering the entire island. Not a blade of grass would remain. Humans and animals alike would be annihilated.

But that was only surface-level destruction—and it wouldn’t affect true powerhouses.

To erase all traces of the island’s existence with an underwater volcanic eruption like this? That was absolutely beyond his reach.

Even someone as powerful as Rocks—who stood tall despite being surrounded by the eight greatest warriors in the world—

Once struck down, under the wrath of heaven and earth, he too was reduced to ashes, devoured by magma…

The island, covered in magma, gradually collapsed and sank.

Boom!

A deafening roar rang out as a hundred-meter-wide hole burst open in the magma-covered island.

A golden shockwave shot up into the sky, piercing through the clouds.

Then, eight figures leapt out from within.

They clashed with drawn blades for a moment before splitting into two groups and departing in opposite directions—one east, one west.

When Sakazuki saw the golden beam shooting into the sky, he knew that Sengoku and the others were over there.

He ordered the navigator to sail in that direction.

When they reached the edge of the magma and could go no further—

He activated his ability. Two lava giant hands, each the size of a battleship, formed.

Their outer layers were slightly solidified low-temperature magma that wouldn’t damage the ship.

The two giant hands grabbed the sides of the ship, their arms raising it straight into the air.

Then, magma surged beneath the arms as they swiftly carried the battleship toward the golden light.

…

Aboard the Oro Jackson.

The Roger Pirates.

Aside from the three who went to join the battle,

The rest had gone ashore to plunder treasure.

Spencer, with his long ponytail, set down the final chest of loot:

“Whew—”

“What a shame. We didn’t have time to take it all.”

By now, the island had already begun to collapse and disintegrate.

The others spoke up all at once:

“Yeah, there was still so much treasure left.”

“Though even if we’d grabbed it all, we probably wouldn’t be able to fit it on the ship.”

“Such a waste.”

“My heart aches so much I can’t breathe…”

“Seriously.”

At that moment, three figures appeared in the distance. At the lead, Roger shouted:

“Boys!!”

“Set sail!!!”

The crew on the ship, hearing their Captain’s excited shout, responded:

“Oooh!!!”

…

Aboard the Oro Jackson.

Having returned to the ship, Roger gazed at God Valley.

Suddenly, he noticed something:

“Hmm?”

He turned toward the pile of treasure stacked on the deck and asked:

“Where did this come from?”

Spencer, nearby, replied:

“We looted it from inside God Valley.”

“What’s wrong, Boss?”

Roger didn’t answer. He walked over to the pile of treasure.

Suddenly, he thrust his hand into it and pulled out a chest.

Roger grinned.

He reached out and opened the chest.

When they saw what was inside, everyone’s eyes widened.

“Hiss!!!”

“No way!”

“This…”

They all looked at each other—none of them had sensed the child at all…

Even Rayleigh was a little surprised. He hadn’t sensed anything before Roger opened the chest.

But he quickly noticed the issue:

“It’s the chest’s material.”

A flicker of amazement crossed his eyes:

“A material that can block Observation Haki, huh.”

Roger nodded.

“Indeed. But this child is unusual too…”

Perhaps his Voice of All Things had sensed something…

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Roger’s lips.

He reached in and lifted—

The red-haired child, still peacefully asleep…

…

Elsewhere, Sengoku and the others were leaving the island.

Moments later, they saw two massive lava hands racing toward them, holding a battleship aloft.

“What’s that?”

“Sakazuki, huh.”

When the battleship reached the group, it stopped. Everyone leapt aboard.

Then, the massive lava hands carried the battleship out toward the open sea.

“Fleet Admiral, Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp.”

Sakazuki called each of them by name, but when he looked at the other two men—

He fell silent, his expression “puzzled.”

He didn’t speak.

Sakazuki knew these two were Elders—but the others didn’t know that he knew. So he could only remain silent with a puzzled look.

“Sakazuki, these two are Elders of the World Government.”

Fleet Admiral Kong deliberately introduced them, noticing Sakazuki’s confusion.

“Elder-sama.”

Sakazuki stood rigid and called out formally.

The Elders had heard Kong mention Sakazuki before—the most outstanding young Marine of his generation.

Upright and ruthless. As they looked at Sakazuki, a faint smile appeared. They nodded with satisfaction.

Cruel methods weren’t a bad thing. The sea was about to erupt into chaos. Only with iron-blooded means could the scum of the seas be suppressed.

“Sakazuki, what about the other pirates? What are the casualties?”

Seeing the Elders’ satisfied expressions, Kong was somewhat pleased as well.

After all, he himself had high hopes for Sakazuki. He adjusted his tone and asked about the external situation.

“Among the pirates: Rocks Pirates’ Shiki, Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and some mid-level officers.”

“Also a few pirates from the New World—five ships in total escaped.”

“And the casualties?”

“The Buster Call fleet lost seven battleships, with 323 dead, 1,246 seriously injured, and 3,485 lightly injured.”

“The casualty count for the Four Seas branches hasn’t been compiled yet.”

“But… only 874 wounded have been recovered so far.”

Upon hearing that only a few hundred wounded Marines had been retrieved from the Four Seas branches—

Aside from the two Elders,

Everyone else aboard felt a heavy weight in their hearts—including Sakazuki.

Knowing it was one thing, but saying it aloud was another.

By the end, Sakazuki opened his mouth a few times without knowing what to say, then finally forced the words out stiffly.

For a moment, the atmosphere on the ship grew oppressive.

“Kong, compile a list of the fallen soldiers. Issue five times the normal pension.”

“If their descendants enlist in the Navy, they are to be given special treatment.”

One of the burly Elders broke the tense silence and gave instructions to Kong.

Though he had no interest in the lives of these “lowborns”—

Ceremonial words were still necessary. They were all veterans of power games.

Otherwise, relying on identity and strength alone wouldn’t get them this far. Intelligence was also essential.

“Understood.”

…

In the year 1484 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Rocks was defeated and died at God Valley.

The once-glorious Rocks Pirates collapsed.

The remnants that escaped each recruited new crew members and continued to stir up chaos across the seas.

On the Navy’s side, certain individuals were omitted.

The battle at God Valley was heavily publicized in the media.

Vice Admiral Garp was hailed as a “Hero” by civilians and Marines alike—for protecting the peace of the sea.

That same year, due to heavy losses in the Four Seas branches—

Sakazuki voluntarily proposed to patrol the Four Seas and eliminate pirates.

(A/N: Next chapter may provoke some readers—read with caution.)

(Especially those who idolize pirates and think Roger started the Great Pirate Era to save the world—please finish watching One Piece before reading fanfics.)

(Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

—

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