A crisp sound echoed as Waldo's lumbar spine was snapped, his body contorting into an inverted V shape.
The black Armament Haki that covered his body rapidly receded. His eyes rolled back, his body convulsing uncontrollably, breathing shallowly.
Releasing his right hand, Sakaski held Waldo with his left, activating his Devil Fruit ability. The ground instantly turned to magma.
A vast magma cavity appeared, leading directly to the basement where the fruits were stored. Sakaski, dragging Waldo, descended from the air directly into the storage room.
Gazing at the baskets of fresh fruits all around, Sakaski lifted Waldo with his left hand and, with his right, grabbed Waldo's throat with Armament Haki, squeezing forcefully.
The flesh and bones within Waldo's throat were instantly pulverized by the Armament Haki. His body instinctively convulsed violently, then life completely left him.
Sakaski activated his Observation Haki, sensing for any changes. His gaze was fixed on the fruits around him. Three seconds later... nothing happened.
He let out a cold snort, grabbed Waldo's corpse, and endless magma erupted from his body, surging out from underground and onto the ground.
Where the fruit stall had been, a magma pit several meters wide and deep now appeared.
Carrying Waldo, he began walking towards the town to rendezvous with Sengoku, then suddenly froze.
Among the scattered fruits on the street, an unusual oval fruit caught his eye. Its green stem curved at both ends, and the cloud-like patterns on its skin were concentric circles.
Sakaski tossed Waldo aside, walked forward, and picked up the fruit.
The crucial fruit for the plan... the Mochi Mochi no Mi.
Sakaski's lips curled into a slight smile. The most critical piece had been resolved.
Then, magma churned in his chest, opening a hole in his muscular torso. The magma within rapidly solidified and cooled.
This formed a place to temporarily store the fruit. He placed the fruit inside.
Then, magma sealed his chest, leaving no visible anomaly on the surface. However, Sakaski's slight smile was still enough to surprise people.
He fiercely rubbed his cheeks, quickly adjusting his expression.
Because he sensed Sengoku approaching, it seemed the situation over there had been resolved.
Sakaski walked over, picked up Waldo again, and headed towards Sengoku, their paths converging.
-------------------
Aboard the warship returning, several individuals in black CP attire were present. These were the spies embedded on Waldo's ship.
Originally, the mission from the Holy Land was to try and capture Waldo alive.
If they couldn't capture him, Waldo's trajectory would likely have been similar to the original story.
Two years later, he would be captured by CP and then, for reasons unknown to them, they failed to achieve their objective and directly froze him, imprisoning him in Impel Down for 30 years.
It wasn't until Blackbeard went to Impel Down that Waldo seized the opportunity to escape and wreak havoc on the world.
Unfortunately, Sakaski had now killed him outright. There was no choice but to deliver the corpse to report back.
Hopefully, they wouldn't be punished... thought the several CP spies.
---------------
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Sengoku's warship slowly sailed into the harbor. After bidding farewell to Sengoku, Sakaski leaped off the warship and headed towards the Marine Academy.
However, he couldn't find Vice Admiral Morris or Enel in the principal's office.
He inquired with the gatekeeper and learned that Vice Admiral Morris hadn't been to the school for several days.
Sakaski's brow furrowed, a hint of darkness flashing across his forehead. Could it be...
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He quickly headed towards Vice Admiral Morris's residence.
As he neared Morris's home, he could hear Morris and Enel's laughter from afar. So that's it...
He pushed the door open, and the scene before him gave Sakaski a headache.
The highly respected Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, the principal of Marine Headquarters Academy, and the former leader of the iron-fisted hawk faction, was playing hide-and-seek with Enel.
This... how childish!
Sakaski, with a complex expression, called out:
"Vice Admiral Morris, Enel."
The two engrossed in their game only then noticed Sakaski's return.
Vice Admiral Morris looked somewhat embarrassed at being discovered.
Enel, however, cheerfully shouted:
"Uncle Sakaski."
Sakaski nodded, then looked at Vice Admiral Morris with a helpless expression and said:
"Vice Admiral Morris, this..."
Morris smiled and replied:
"Enel just finished his training, so we were just playing for a bit."
As if he believed that... but then he looked at Enel, who was indeed covered in dirt.
The small body was also more toned. He had indeed become more robust than when Sakaski had left.
Only then did Sakaski believe Morris's words:
"Alright, but I heard you haven't been to the academy for days."
Morris coughed twice, speaking somewhat sheepishly:
"It's mainly the teachers hired by Fleet Admiral Kong. I was worried they wouldn't teach well, so I was keeping an eye on them."
Sakaski shook his head and proposed:
"How about setting up a separate room at the Marine Academy? You can't indulge him like this."
"What do you say, Enel?"
Enel blinked, then nodded firmly at Vice Admiral Morris:
"Grandpa, I want to become strong. That way, I can protect everyone, and you too."
Morris gazed at the determined Enel, lost in thought for a moment.
After a moment, he snapped back, ruffled Enel's hair, and said:
"It was Grandpa's mistake... A man's journey should be the sea."
Looking at the resolute Enel, Morris realized that if he continued to shield him, it would be a great disservice to Enel, actively harming him...
He then looked at Sakaski:
"Thank you for the reminder, Sakaski. During this time, I..."
Sakaski shook his head in understanding. The two exchanged a knowing smile.
------------------------
In the evening, Sakaski left Vice Admiral Morris's residence.
After accompanying Enel through training for the afternoon, he walked through the town of Marineford on his way home.
Upon returning home, Sakaski's chest churned. He retrieved the Mochi Mochi no Mi and found a patch of ground.
Activating his ability, a magma pit several meters deep appeared. After it quickly cooled, he buried the Mochi Mochi no Mi within.
He then directed magma to cool and cover it, restoring the ground to its original appearance.
The next day, Sakaski's personal warship set sail from Headquarters once more, patrolling the seas and combating pirates.
Three years later...
Derrick Island.
The island was named after the founding of the Derrick Kingdom 170 years ago. After the Derrick Kingdom's fall, it split into two nations:
The perpetually warring Nations and the Galzburg Kingdom.
The war between the two nations had lasted for over a century, with no victor yet emerging, hence the island's name remained unchanged.
On this day, as a warship pursuing pirates docked, it caused a certain young man on the island to completely deviate from his original life path...