The year is 1521 of the Sea Calendar, the second year after the Great Cataclysm.
Ever since Tesoro acquired the abilities of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit from Smoker, who died in the New World.
Leveraging the advantage of a Logia-type Devil Fruit, he rapidly expanded his influence from a slave trader to controlling six surrounding islands within a mere year.
He established Slave Island, proclaiming himself the Slave King.
This Great Cataclysm presented opportunities for countless ambitious individuals, but it was also their final revelry...
--
The first half of the Grand Line, Slave Island.
Once a bustling island, it now appeared somewhat dilapidated but was exceptionally lively.
As far as the eye could see, there were people...
Slave overseers, their ferocity rivaling that of pirates, patrolled with whips.
Countless slaves on the island wore collars and were bound by chains and shackles.
Regardless of age, all were hauling stones and building materials, transporting them from the docks towards the island's center. These were the residents of the surrounding six islands.
From a distance,
A colossal female statue was slowly taking shape at the island's center.
This was Tesoro's starting point, and the place where he first met Stella...
Upon gaining his Devil Fruit ability, he immediately spent a fortune to gather forces and occupied the island. The slave trader who had once watched the two with amusement was long dead at Tesoro's hands.
The former location of the slave shop was now the center of this massive female statue, around which construction began.
He finally possessed money, power, and authority, yet he could never find her again...
He could only express his inner torment in this manner...
Opposite the giant statue stood a castle.
On the terrace of the castle's top floor, Tesoro, impeccably dressed in a suit, held a glass of red wine and gazed yearningly at the giant female statue under construction:
"Stella..."
He downed the remaining half bottle of red wine in his hand.
*Crack!*
He smashed the wine bottle on the ground, his eyes slightly reddened:
"Do you see this..."
"I have so much money, I will become the world's greatest slave owner..."
"I..."
*CRACKLEEEEEENNNNNN!!!!*
A bolt from the blue.
A thick bolt of lightning descended from the gray, mist-filled sky.
This castle, nearly a hundred meters tall and level with the statue, was split in half.
In an instant, the luxurious terrace was destroyed and charred black.
Tesoro, also in a suit, was thrown to the ground, coughing up blood, his breaths shallow.
This earth-shattering event shocked everyone on the island. Some of Tesoro's confidantes, disregarding everything else, gathered their men and rushed towards the castle.
However, lightning bolts struck from the sky, turning them into charcoal one by one. For a time, no one dared to move.
On the castle's top floor.
*THUMP!*
Tesoro, struggling on the ground, was kicked away, crashing onto the original throne.
The throne, cast entirely in gold, was where Tesoro used to sit daily, watching Stella's statue. Now, someone else occupied it.
Enel slowly approached, sat on the golden throne, and looked down at Tesoro. He raised his leather boot and directly stepped on his head.
*CRUNCH—*
A sound of cracking bone echoed. He ground his foot, the crunching of shattered bones like musical notes. Enel's indifferent voice rang out:
"A dog like you."
"Dares to call himself king..."
Enel was no longer emaciated. He had gradually accepted Sakazuki's death, but the change in him was profound.
His physique was somewhat leaner than before, his expressionless face shrouded in a somber aura. This oppressive presence
caused the Marines, who had previously feared Barrett, to find Barrett amiable in comparison when they saw Enel's demeanor.
Enel's cold, somber expression, as he looked down at Tesoro beneath his feet, grinding his head with his boot.
Tesoro, pinned underfoot, suffered unbearable head pain.
It wasn't just the bone being crushed by the leather boot, but also the shock from the lightning strike. His brain felt like it was exploding, yet he managed to speak:
"Wh...y..."
Tesoro, struggling, couldn't comprehend why the Marines would appear here.
He recognized the person before him: Enel, the 'White Dragon,' a candidate for Admiral.
Communication was poor across the world now. He was certain no one had escaped to report him, so how could he have provoked the Marines?
He had even prepared the treasure to bribe the World Government...
He never expected the Marines to come directly to his doorstep...
Enel remained silent, indifferently looking down at him.
His black leather boot pressed down, gradually turning Tesoro's neck almost 180 degrees, forcing him to look at the giant female statue under construction.
*BOOMMMMMMM!!!!*
The massive female statue was also split down the middle by lightning, collapsing abruptly.
But Tesoro was powerless to struggle. His expression shifted between terror, rage, and despair as the pressure on his head increased.
He wanted to use his abilities, but his weakened body left him without any strength.
With fear, confusion, and boundless resentment and rage...
*CRUNCH—*
His skull was completely crushed, spilling blood everywhere.
Inside the Devil Fruit Recycler inserted into his back, the fruit slowly took shape.
Enel stood up. The golden throne beneath him flickered with electricity and flowed into his hand, transforming into a golden scepter.
He raised it slightly, electricity crackling on the scepter, and slammed it onto the ground.
Countless lightning bolts descended from the sky. All of Tesoro's subordinates, under Enel's powerful Observation Haki, none escaped. All were turned into charred remains by the lightning.
Enel stood still, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened them and exhaled slowly, but the violent killing intent in his heart did not diminish.
*ZZZZZZT—*
He transformed into electricity and vanished, heading towards the West Blue.
On the island, countless slaves stood in terror, bewildered by what had happened in such a short time. In an instant, all the slave overseers on the island were dead.
This...
*BWWWWWMMM—WWWWMMM—*
Piercing alarms suddenly sounded, approaching from a distance.
It startled the slaves on the island into confusion.
But they quickly calmed down because the sound was eerily familiar. Numerous slaves rushed to the shore, falling to their knees, tears streaming, crying out...
On the gray, mist-shrouded sea.
Red and blue lights flashed brightly. Battleships, large and numerous, flying the white gull flag, their sirens wailing, sailed towards Slave Island.
The Marines had arrived...!!!
-------
At the former ruins of Mary Geoise.
World Federal Government Headquarters.
Inside the temporary office of the 'Supreme Chairman.'
'Sakazuki' sat at his desk, reviewing the information handed to him by Carol. Nearly half of the intelligence reports were about Enel.
Among them were details of Slave Island's complete recovery and acceptance, and the Devil Fruit Recycler being retrieved by the arriving fleet.
There was also news of Enel's journey to the West Blue and the complete annihilation of the Flower Kingdom's royal family and the Eight Chained Pigs Navy.
Enel had systematically eliminated unstable elements and ambitious individuals overheard through surveillance...
'Sakazuki' set aside Enel's reports:
"Let him vent."
Carol, standing below, frowned slightly:
"But if he continues killing like this, it might expose him."
The primary concern was Enel's conspicuous abilities, his control over lightning, and his undisguised actions. While communication might be severed for now,
if communication were to be restored, incidents across multiple islands, if investigated by those with ill intentions, would surely be discovered...
This would deviate from the intention of secretly purging the world.
'Sakazuki' shook his head:
"Eliminating these individuals secretly is merely to pursue a more peaceful outcome. Even if it's publicized, it makes no difference."
"Why explain or conceal anything."
Indeed...
Pirate powerhouses were all killed, rebellious Marines were all killed, the masterminds behind the World Government and the Celestial Dragons were all killed.
Even though the current 'World Federal Government' was more overbearing than the former 'World Government,' the world was powerless to resist.
Moreover, they were not as overbearing.
Their methods were cleaner and more righteous than the former World Government, targeting only the hidden rats and ambitious individuals exposed by the Great Cataclysm.
'Sakazuki' looked at the intelligence in his hand:
"The Elbaf folk, are they still unwilling to leave?"
Carol replied with some helplessness:
"Correct..."
After all, it was their ancestral land, and persuading them to leave was troublesome.
With the Marines now fully in charge of the New World, Elbaf, once a mystery, held no more secrets. However, there were some unstable elements among the giants.
And they were of the giant royal family.
Considering that some Marine Vice Admirals were giants and the giants who sacrificed themselves on the New World battlefield, they hadn't directly ordered their annihilation.
They had merely ordered the giants to relocate from Elbaf, extinguishing their ambitions.
But it clearly wasn't very effective...
'Sakazuki' casually set aside that page of intelligence:
"Send Barrett and Sout to help them relocate. If they don't want to leave with dignity, then let them leave without it."
Carol nodded from below:
"Understood."
'Sakazuki' continued to flip through the reports, most of which detailed the dynamics in various parts of the world. The world was in chaos.
Before the Great Cataclysm, the Four Seas were entirely occupied and reformed by the Revolutionary Army. However, due to the lack of top-level leadership and severed communication, remnants of the nobility began to counterattack.
Except for the well-established Revolutionary Army bases in the rear, nearly half the islands in the Four Seas were embroiled in war.
This was especially true for the islands in the West Blue, where gangs were rampant. After being suppressed by the Revolutionary Army, the backlash from ambitious individuals was far more intense than in the other three seas.
'Sakazuki' flipped further down, encountering reports of islands where the Revolutionary Army declared independent nationhood. Their high-ranking officials had been secretly eliminated.
The Revolutionary Army islands that had been established were now temporarily managed by special personnel trained by the Marines, operating under a 'substitute' system.
Nodding slightly, 'Sakazuki' reached the last page of the intelligence:
"The New World has stabilized. Organize personnel to advance towards the Grand Line and take control."
"You may go."
The Grand Line and the New World were like a thin thread encircling the entire planet. Previously separated by the Red Line, they were now completely connected.
After reclaiming and securing the Grand Line, they could traverse the Calm Belt from both sides and begin simultaneously reclaiming and securing islands in the Four Seas.
Suddenly recalling something, 'Sakazuki' chuckled:
"By the way, try out the improved Pluton main cannon. See how effective it is."
Carol nodded again:
"Understood."
She turned and left, issuing the orders.
----
Several days later.
New World, Elbaf.
Next to the original, massive island, a similarly sized island had appeared at some point. This was moved by the current World Federal Government Admiral 'Purple Lion' Sout.
The giants, with their families and belongings, walked towards the new island.
A few children, several meters tall, carrying their toys, walked and chatted:
"Why do we have to move?"
"I don't know. My father said the Marines gave the order, saying it's not safe here."
"The Marines?"
"Isn't that where Uncle John (John Giant, one of the Vice Admirals) is?"
"Yes, but I heard Uncle John died in the New World."
"Eeeek!!!"
"How could that happen!!!"
On the summit of the new island, the royal family of the giants watched the relocating giants with grim expressions.
When the Marines' final ultimatum arrived, it meant they had no choice.
All their ambitions were extinguished. Why?
The strongest two giant leaders of the Giant Warrior Pirates, who had left Elbaf hundreds of years ago, Dorry and Brogy, were only 21 and 22 meters tall.
The Marines' blue devil, transforming in the blink of an eye to a hundred meters tall, made them, giants themselves, seem like infants in comparison.
That ferocious aura, that malevolent malice...
Let alone their Little Prince Loki, who was said to possess strength comparable to a Yonko, even a true Yonko would be no match for that guy...
Furthermore, they were forced to witness a spectacle.
The loyal dogs of the former World Government and their affiliated nations had gathered tens of thousands of troops in the Grand Line, preparing to march towards Mary Geoise to gather intelligence.
From thousands of meters in the sky, they watched as nearly a hundred fleets, shortly after leaving port, were hit by a laser beam that traversed the entire world, originating from the direction of the Red Line.
It instantly annihilated the massive fleet, leaving a crater on the sea surface dozens of times larger than an island, which was then violently filled with seawater.
And this enormous sea crater was several times larger than Elbaf, where they were located.
According to the Marines who forced them to watch this spectacle...
The device that fired this energy laser cannon was mounted on top of the Red Line and could fire indefinitely...
Even with their reluctance...
This royal family, having witnessed true 'power,' dared not resist further and could only obey orders...
Ordering the relocation from Elbaf...
----
Time slowly passed.
It was the beginning of the year 1522 of the Sea Calendar, and the Great Cataclysm was approaching its third year.
The tumultuous world, after two years of chaos, had seen its various factions gradually solidify. The Revolutionary Army, entrenched in the Four Seas, had lost nearly half its territory due to the counterattacks from nobles and gangs.
They were all developing locally, digesting their victories, unaware of the outside world's news.
The Grand Line had been fully reclaimed. Although the source of the problem had been eliminated, pirates still appeared from time to time, but under the Marines' surveillance, none could stir up significant trouble...
New World, Punk Hazard.
The former Marine research facility, after being relocated to Egghead, had gradually fallen into disuse.
However, due to the inconvenience or uselessness of moving certain items, the island retained some military presence and a few Seraphim.
Two figures appeared in the sky above the island.
One large and one small. The larger one wore a samurai outfit, while the smaller one looked somewhat pathetic, just waking up as if from a nightmare, letting out a scream:
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh—"
His body and face bore marks of being scorched by flames, his face covered in snot and tears.
Hearing the Prince's scream, Kin'emon, his retainer, quickly hugged Momonosuke:
"Your Highness!"
The two were Kin'emon and Momonosuke, who had traveled twenty years into the future from Wano Country and had been fleeing ever since.
The long time travel for Kin'emon and his companions, sent away by Oden's wife, had finally ended...
Where Wano Country once stood, only an expanse of sea remained.
Unsure of their location, Kin'emon and his companions could only search for islands day and night with Momonosuke.
What they didn't know was that the sea was the original site of Wano Country.
Kaido was dead, Wano Country was destroyed, and there was no need for it to open its borders...
They encountered a Marine fleet midway, leading to a large battle due to a misunderstanding.
They, along with Raizo, Kanjuro, and Kiku, were forced to separate.
After that, they fled all the way here...
Momonosuke's scream echoed across the island's sky.
It alerted the Marine soldiers guarding the island, and all of them grabbed their weapons and rushed towards the source of the scream.
*WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—*
A barrage of laser beams shot out from various points on the island.
Before Kin'emon could even react, his pupils contracted, his expression filled with terror.
His hand had just touched the hilt of his long sword.
Several laser beams pierced through the stunned Kin'emon's body, and his scream abruptly stopped.
The rough lasers dissolved flesh and blood. In Kin'emon's eyes, Momonosuke, already small, had his arm pierced and dissolved by golden light, his abdomen, left leg, waist, and... head!!!
*Sizzle—*
The crackling sound of oil and the drifting smell stimulated Kin'emon's brain.
But he was powerless to think further.
Because of the terror, the unthinking Kin'emon was also pierced and dissolved by the lasers...
Falling from mid-air, in his final moments, Kin'emon struggled to reach for a piece of shredded flesh:
"No..."
*Plop!*
The two, reduced to mere chunks of flesh by the lasers, fell to the ground.
From a distance.
Guarding soldiers slowly ran over...