A raging storm howled, with lightning cracking through the sky.
The waves churned like furious mountains, and in the dark expanse between sea and sky, a silver streak shot down, linking the heavens to the ocean.
Boom! Clang!
The sound of metal striking stone mixed with the thunder.
A black iron spear, hurled through the air, crashed into a suddenly rising ice pillar, plunging into the sea and sending up a massive spray of water.
Trafalgar Law's gaze flicked briefly from his medical scroll.
Then, an annoyed Sakura smacked him on the head with a pointer.
"Ow!"
Tearing up from the pain, Law tossed the scroll aside in frustration and flopped onto the ground, sulking.
"Sakura-nee, it's been two weeks! How am I supposed to study with all this noise?!"
"You're the one who said you wanted to learn medicine. And aren't you pretty good with Yang Release already?"
Sakura crossed her arms, watching as Law placed a hand on his head, green light glowing from his palm.
Two weeks ago, unable to resist Law's pleading, Sakura had tried teaching him about chakra. She thought it'd be a fun little experiment, but it turned out to be a surprising success.
Chakra, as a force connecting people's spiritual energy, meshed perfectly with this world's inhabitants, who could turn their will into weapons. Law grasped how to use it almost instantly after Sakura shared the knowledge.
Combined with the unique physique of this pirate world, in just two weeks, Law was already extracting and controlling Yang Release chakra.
And Sakura's own chakra had changed after this connection, gaining a certain "origin" quality, according to her Observation Haki.
Near death, yet I rise—am I the ancestor now?
"But they're so loud!"
Law sprawled out on the deck, limbs splayed.
The "they" he referred to were the Navy forces chasing their ship, the Leviathan, for a full ten days.
Led by the former Admiral Zephyr, known for not killing, their fighting style leaned toward drawn-out defensive tactics.
Clashing with them felt like being stalked by a disciplined wolf pack—keeping their distance, wearing you down with a "salami-slicing" strategy until you collapsed from exhaustion.
But… this was nothing like the fiery battles Sakura craved.
That old fox Zephyr had her all figured out. Want a clash of wills? Nope, not giving you that! I'll just poke and prod without going all in—bet that drives you crazy, huh?
"No wonder he made it to Admiral. Not a single one's a pushover!"
Sakura pouted, her sharp gaze locking with the purple-haired middle-aged man on the distant warship.
"Haha, she spotted me, huh?"
Zephyr, standing in the storm, wiped rainwater from his face.
He stepped down from the bow, his right arm surging with Armament Haki as he swung at the sleeping Smoker.
Whack!
"Ow! That hurt, you old geezer!"
Smoker clutched the swelling lump on his head, rolling on the deck in pain.
"Hmph, your turn! A grown man like you can't even outlast Hina or that pirate girl over there!"
Zephyr grabbed Smoker by the collar, dragging him to the bow.
"We're about to drive her to Rubeck Island, where the Navy's set up an ambush for the Donquixote Family. If you don't step up now, once we herd her into the trap…"
Zephyr hoisted Smoker like a cannonball, aiming at the distant Leviathan.
"…you'll miss your chance to fight!"
With a mighty throw, Smoker shot into the sky like a javelin.
Luckily, as a Logia-type ability user, he'd developed flight skills. His body turned to smoke mid-air, and with a burst of propulsion, he floated above.
"That damn old man!"
Smoker's cheek twitched as he growled through gritted teeth.
But, grumbling aside, he knew the old man meant well. Fine, maybe he'd skip Zephyr's funeral someday and cry a few private tears instead.
Planning his glorious future, Smoker dove toward the Leviathan.
"Pirate, surrender now!"
From intel, Smoker knew she didn't use Armament Haki. As a Logia user, he was sure he'd win!
And then… there was no "and then."
With a dark flash of lightning, Conqueror's Haki blasted away all his smoke.
A massive storm-forged sword loomed larger in Smoker's eyes until it slashed ruthlessly across his stomach, cutting him in two.
"Crap!"
Before Smoker's cold sweat could even drip, the storm engulfed him.
"Smoke-Smoke Fruit user, you're really not a good match for me!"
The giant sword, formed from pure thermal currents, devoured Smoker's smoky essence as it pierced through him, transforming into a massive smoke-sword. Sakura raised it like a spear, preparing to throw.
"Hmph, love your salami tactics? Then chase this salami!"
With a cold snort, chakra surged through Sakura's body. Combining the monstrous strength of the Giant Clan with a burst of chakra, she hurled the sword with all her might. It roared across the vast distance, plunging deep into the sea.
"Smoker, no!"
Zephyr's pupils shrank. Ignoring the chase, he used Moonwalk to dive toward the sword's landing spot.
The icy seawater enveloped him but didn't slow him down. Locking onto the position with Observation Haki, he swam swiftly toward the sword.
"Serves you right for using me as a training dummy!"
Sakura unleashed a wave of cold, freezing the sea behind the Leviathan.
The warship, packed with elite Navy trainees, was trapped on the ice, unable to move.
Law activated the coating device, encasing the ship as it began to dive.
Half an hour later, they'd completely shaken off the Navy's pursuit.
"Phew, finally ditched those boring Navy guys!"
In the deep sea, Sakura lounged on a deck chair, humming.
"Why'd you have to go pick a fight with them? Couldn't you just escape quietly from the start?"
Law, after tidying the ship, sat across from her.
"You don't get it. I set sail to travel and fight!"
Sakura wagged a finger at him.
Law looked at the pirate girl, a few years older than him, curiosity stirring. "That's rare. Don't you want to be Pirate King?"
"That sounds like a hassle. I'm not touching it!"
Sakura shook her head, pulling out a permanent pointer and sea chart to check their position.
After a few minutes of cross-referencing, she gasped. "Crap, they chased us right to Rubeck Island!"
"Rubeck… sounds familiar." Law picked up the chart, a spark flashing in his mind. "Didn't Corazon-san say he was going there? Can we meet up with him?"
Sakura didn't know how to respond to Law's innocent request.
Because, at this moment, Corazon was likely already on the island, facing Doflamingo in their fated showdown.
But keeping Law in the dark about Corazon's intentions felt too cruel.
After hesitating, she sighed softly. "We can't go to Corazon."
"Rubeck, Minion, Swallow Island—this is where he chose to settle things with Doflamingo!"
Law's vision darkened, his body swaying.
"What?!"
The thought of clumsy Corazon facing the terrifying Doflamingo made Law's heart race, his expression growing grim.
"Why? Why didn't you stop him?!"
Sakura let the boy throw himself at her, shouting his questions.
But she met his gaze unflinchingly, speaking firmly. "Because this is a man's resolve. He wants to take you into hiding, but first, he has to personally cut ties with his past!"
Whether it's his undercover Navy mission or his villainous brother, Corazon needed to confront these things himself. Otherwise, no matter how far he fled, his past would catch up someday.
And that could put Law in danger too—something Corazon would never allow!
"But… but…"
Law's voice choked, tears blurring his vision.
"Law, don't interfere…"
Before Sakura could finish, Law, gritting his teeth, cut her off.
"Then I'm going too!"
"What?"
"I said, I'm going with Corazon-san to face this! You were about to say not to mess with a man's resolve, right?"
The boy, brimming with passion, declared his will.
"You guys are all hopeless!"
With a smirk, Sakura opened the cabin fully, and the Leviathan surged toward the surface.
After all, what reason in the world could stop a man from charging toward the sea?
So, set sail!