Shortly after Sakazuki’s magma golden eagle, formed by his ability, flew away.
Clear sky, thunder.
A dazzling bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
It pursued Sakazuki.
***
Zzzzz—
Current landed beside Sakazuki on the head of the magma golden eagle.
Enel materialized.
A rumbling thunderclap followed from behind.
Enel sat cross-legged next to Sakazuki.
He raised his hands high and stretched:
“It’s so warm~”
He lowered his arms and looked at Sakazuki:
“Uncle, why did you call me here in such a hurry?”
Sakazuki replied:
“I’ve signed you up for a tutoring class.”
Enel raised an eyebrow:
“Tutoring class?”
Sakazuki smiled, saying nothing more, and asked instead:
“What have you been studying and training recently?”
Enel put his hands behind his head and leaned back:
“Ah—it’s the same as always.”
“I’m learning various subjects while training my physical combat skills.”
“Ever since Instructor Zephyr joined the school, he’s been extremely strict about physical combat.”
“Hahahaha, Borsalino, that guy, always gets lectured.”
“He’s often pulled out to spar with Instructor Zephyr.”
Sakazuki frowned upon hearing this:
“You haven’t trained your Devil Fruit abilities?”
Enel paused and said:
“No, Instructor Zephyr said.”
“Physical combat and Haki are the fundamentals; don’t rely too much on Devil Fruit abilities.”
“Grandpa Morris agrees too.”
“Is there a problem, Uncle?”
Sakazuki nodded slightly:
“There is a problem.”
“What I’m about to say is both right and wrong.”
Before achieving Devil Fruit awakening, Sakazuki had thought the same.
Enel’s spirit immediately perked up and he sat up.
Sakazuki continued:
“Physical combat is a person’s foundation.”
“Haki determines your lower limit.”
“But what kind of Devil Fruit ability you possess.”
“Is the key factor that determines your upper limit.”
Enel pondered thoughtfully.
Sakazuki went on:
“Powerful Devil Fruit abilities can easily reshape the world.”
“Why was Byrnndi World called the ‘Destroyer of the World’?”
“It was because of his Devil Fruit ability.”
“He could effortlessly destroy islands and wreak havoc.”
“As for his physical combat and Haki, he was merely second-rate.”
“During the Battle of Marineford, Whitebeard’s final strike.”
“The inversion of the seas and the sky.”
“Was not something that physical combat and Haki could achieve.”
Enel recalled the scene of the world turning upside down.
That sense of crisis in the face of nature’s wrath.
It was definitely not achievable by physical combat or Haki.
Then Sakazuki said something that left Enel utterly bewildered:
“The World Government has feared for eight hundred years, and it has never been the endless stream of Haki masters on the sea.”
“But rather a… Devil Fruit.”
Enel didn’t understand, but it sounded incredibly powerful…
The four-winged magma golden eagle slowly descended.
The appearance of the mechanical island below materialized, and a powerful Kenbunshoku Haki swept across.
Locating their position instantly.
The magma golden eagle’s red tail flames and billowing smoke tore through the sky.
Flying towards the forest surrounded by Marine soldiers.
***
On the outskirts of the sealed Mechanical Beast Forest in the Kingdom of Balgimoa.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
“Is this for real?!”
“Look!!!”
“What is that!!!”
“Hiss!!!”
“This!!!”
“It’s flying into the forest!!”
“Something fell out!”
“Quick, dodge!!”
The Marine soldiers surrounding the forest.
Watched the sky-obscuring figure, and quickly dodged the scattered falling debris.
After the debris landed on the ground.
The surrounding snow rapidly melted, spreading outwards.
Some bold soldiers approached to take a look.
“This is…”
“Magma???”
***
Deep within the forest, at Vegapunk’s laboratory.
The people, who had mostly finished their arrangements, waited by a door several meters high.
As Vegapunk pressed a button.
The machinery inside the laboratory began to operate and transform.
A runway directly leading to the iron door appeared, and behind it, through the mechanical operation.
A massive ship-like mechanical creation was slowly pushed forward.
The huge thruster at its rear indicated that it was more than just a simple ship.
As the mechanical creation reached the iron door.
Vegapunk ordered:
“Board quickly.”
“Prepare to depart.”
Caesar Clown, standing beside him, looked at the large thruster behind the ship.
Feeling a bit apprehensive, he asked uneasily:
“Hey, hey, hey, aren’t we going to fall to our deaths?”
Vegapunk retorted:
“Why don’t you find your own way out, you idiot.”
With that, he boarded the ship.
Caesar clenched his fists and shot a resentful glance at Vegapunk’s retreating back.
He followed onto the ship.
Once everyone had boarded.
Vegapunk instructed them to hold on to nearby fixtures.
He took a deep breath and pressed the activation button.
Then, he placed his hand on the large red button.
The thruster at the rear of the mechanical ship began to glow red, emitting heat, becoming increasingly red…
The massive metal iron door slowly slid open.
Everyone stared tensely at the opening.
When it was fully open, it would be their escape.
Vegapunk, with his hand on the launch button, also grew somewhat tense.
At this moment, from outside the partially opened door.
Sakazuki’s indifferent voice was heard:
“I strongly advise you not to press that button.”
Then, a gigantic magma bird’s head appeared at the doorway.
It almost filled their entire field of vision.
Through the half-open door, one could imagine the sheer size of this creature.
Next, this magma bird’s head.
Let out a desolate roar, like that of an ancient beast.
It turned its head towards the sea ahead.
As if to signal everyone to look in that direction.
Those inside the ship swallowed nervously, trembling slightly.
A beam of scorching red light shot out towards the distant sea surface.
Boom boom boom!!!!!!!!!!!
A sky-piercing mushroom cloud formed over the distant ocean.
Growing larger and larger…
The intense heatwave raged and swept towards them within seconds.
The inhabitants of the perpetually snow-covered mechanical island experienced heat for the first time.
Those inside the ship could clearly see.
The sea surface, only traversed by specially made icebreaker ships, was rapidly melting.
The snow-white island, as far as the eye could see, quickly dissolved into flowing water, revealing the long-lost black earth.
The people inside the ship were utterly dumbfounded.
Immersed in their scientific research, they were now directly confronted with the meaning of power for the first time…
Vegapunk, after a moment of shock, slowly removed his hand from the launch button.
Everyone exchanged glances and fell silent, abandoning their resistance.
They waited quietly on the ship, and for many, it was the first time in their lives their lifelong pursuits were shaken.
Could their research truly achieve this kind of power…
Vegapunk looked at the slowly melting snow, revealing the black ground, and it seemed like he had an epiphany.
He quickly ran towards the door and burst out.
Running outside, he looked out at the island where he had grown up.
Gazing at the vast expanse of land, Vegapunk broke into a joyful smile.
He turned and looked towards the distant peaks, where his own past designs were also slowly thawing.
It was a mechanical creation the size of half the island.
It was a giant furnace that the past Vegapunk had designed to solve the islanders’ heating problem.
But later, due to funding and technical issues, it was forced to be halted.
Gradually freezing within the ice and snow.
Looking at the snow-melting island, Vegapunk’s smile widened with happiness.
At this moment, a shadow that blotted out the sun appeared overhead.
Vegapunk finally looked up.
It was a colossal golden eagle made of magma.
The head of the golden eagle slowly lowered.
Enel, still on its back, was staring blankly at the distant sea.
That blast just now was both a lesson for Enel and a warning to these scientists.
Sakazuki walked down.
Looking at the young scientist:
“You are under arrest.”