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As dusk settled, a brilliant sunset painted the horizon.
Silver Axe and Babel drank heartily, reminiscing about their past days working together.
For a moment, it was as if they had traveled through time, returning to those days of fierce competition and cunning on Hachinosu Island.
Back then, most of them were around thirty years old, full of vigor and ambition. Even with Rocks looming over them, there was still plenty of friction and infighting in private.
Yet, speaking of the past now, there was a sense of how much things had changed.
Silver Axe had drunk a lot, his face flushed, and he sighed, "I used to be at odds with Shiki. We often fought on Hachinosu Island over a single disagreement. I can't believe several years have passed in the blink of an eye."
"You often said that Golden Lion Shiki and I were mortal enemies, but no one understood him better than I did... He wanted to conquer this sea, to make the whole world bow at his feet, but such a dream was too absurd."
Silver Axe couldn't help but sigh. In fact, he knew that the reason the World Government had flourished for hundreds of years was that the hidden power within it was far beyond anything they could imagine.
How easy was it to overthrow such a behemoth?
Throughout history, how many powerhouses had emerged on this sea, only to eventually turn to dust before the colossal World Government?
Even Rocks, who once led them and was the most likely to become the King of the World, was reduced to a relatively large grain of sand in the vast river of history.
But people always have something they want to pursue. Sometimes, these ideals and beliefs are more important than their own lives.
This is also why they pursue these things even when they know it's impossible, even if the hope is slim.
Pirates are the biggest gamblers in this world.
Because they gamble with their lives.
Babel laughed heartily, taking it all in stride: "Let the past be the past. If young people aren't hot-blooded, are they still young people?"
Silver Axe looked at the man wearing a string of prayer beads and couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly.
Marlon seemed to have returned to West Blue to start a family, and Gil Bastard was still drifting on the Grand Line all these years.
Since their farewell at God Valley, many of their former companions had started families.
Silver Axe knew that the moment he saw Babel's wife and daughter, he understood that he shouldn't invite him to continue adventuring.
He was a pirate, not a heartless killing machine; he couldn't destroy his companion's family.
Silver Axe ultimately didn't bring up the matter of going out to sea again. Now, unburdened, he chatted freely with Babel as a good friend, with hearty laughter occasionally echoing.
Just then, a series of violent explosions suddenly rang out from outside, like thunderclaps, indicating that someone was attacking the island with cannons.
Babel's wife and daughter were startled, looking at Babel nervously and uneasily.
Silver Axe's hand, holding the wine bowl, paused slightly, his smile freezing: "It's time for me to leave, Babel. Leave the outside matters to me, this pirate."
Silver Axe drained his drink, stood up, the cold gleam of the large axe on his back shimmering. His Observation Haki spread out, immediately enveloping the entire island.
Babel glanced at his wife and children. He had just reunited with an old friend, and he didn't expect such an incident to occur.
If it were before, he would have undoubtedly gone out to fight alongside Silver Axe without a second thought.
However... he had a family.
Babel's expression was conflicted: "I'm sorry, Silver Axe. I'm troubling you."
Silver Axe laughed heartily and strode out of the deep valley.
Outside, Vice Admiral Zoe, wielding an iron hammer, was destroying the structures carved into the cave. Dozens of Fishmen fled in panic. He swung his hammer, smashing it heavily onto a Fishman's head, sending brains and blood splattering.
Blood splattered on his face, making his expression look even more ferocious and terrifying.
Zoe's pupils reflected the firelight, his dark eyes brimming with coldness as he wantonly destroyed the surrounding structures.
"Hey, Babel, I know you're here. Come out quickly! You don't want all your people to be wiped out, do you!" Vice Admiral Zoe shouted, his voice echoing through the valley.
Bang!
Suddenly, a violent explosion rang out. Marines screamed as they were sent flying, falling to the ground and groaning.
Vice Admiral Zoe looked over, immediately startled.
He saw Silver Axe, carrying his giant axe, emerge from the raging inferno, his face terrifyingly grim.
"Hey, Marine, I don't know how you found this place, but isn't it going too far to disturb someone who just wants to protect his family?" Silver Axe said, his tone chilling, as he gripped a Marine Captain's neck with one hand.
"Sil... Silver Axe?!" Vice Admiral Zoe jumped in fright, his scalp tingling, his voice rising eight octaves.
Silver Axe twisted his wrist, the axe gleaming with a cold light. He raised his large axe, Haki coiling around it like a flickering flame, twisting and burning the air.
"Blazing Axe: Myriad Blades of Scorched River!!"
The giant axe fell suddenly!
Boom!!
A terrifying axe-shaped slash, carrying an unstoppable momentum, like a meteor from the heavens, fiercely cleaved down with a surging roar!
The mountain-like slash from his front split the earth a thousand meters ahead into two.
A shocking chasm appeared on the ground, turning all the surrounding Rocks, grass, and trees into scorched earth, with black smoke constantly rising from the chasm.
Vice Admiral Zoe was unable to dodge and had an arm severed, the flesh at the wound scorched by a mysterious flame.
This was a new technique Silver Axe had recently mastered. Through immense power and a frequency of hundreds of oscillations in an instant, the axe blade rubbed against the air at the moment of impact, generating—fire!
If Haki was then imbued, it could unleash slashes imbued with fire!
Zoe's face contorted in pain, sweat dripping from his forehead, his expression grim: "Silver Axe, I didn't expect you to reappear after two years. I will report what happened here!"
He waved his hand, intending to flee with his subordinates.
Silver Axe let out a sinister laugh: "Trying to escape? Do you think I'll let you?"
As his voice fell, Silver Axe suddenly began to run. He ran faster and faster, his footprints leaving distinct marks on the ground.
Like a swift ape, he caught up with the fleeing Marines in the blink of an eye and swung his large axe.
No matter how the Marines tried to resist, their swords and sabers shattered like eggs against a rock upon touching the large axe.
Several blood arrows flew from the Marines' chests, and many Marines were even split in half.
The Marines turned their guns and cannons, firing at Silver Axe. Silver Axe, covered in Armament Haki, braved the barrage of cannon fire, not stopping for a moment.
Zoe's face changed drastically. He quietly retreated, shielding himself with a group of Marine soldiers, pushing them forward into the fray, and frantically shouted, "Go! Everyone, go! He's only one person, he can't cause much trouble!"
Silver Axe charged left and right, cutting down the Marine soldiers in his path like chopping vegetables, blood splattering everywhere.
Vice Admiral Zoe, seeing this, frantically tried to escape, but suddenly his feet left the ground as Silver Axe grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
"Marine? Hmph, self-proclaimed champions of justice. Besides a difference in stance, your actions are no different from pirates."
Silver Axe violently slammed Vice Admiral Zoe to the ground, stomped on his leg with his large foot, raised his giant axe, and heavily brought it down on Vice Admiral Zoe's neck. A head spun into the air, its face filled with unwillingness and terror.
Silver Axe looked at the bodies strewn across the ground, his eyes devoid of any emotion. He loaded the bodies onto the Marine ship, then operated the rudder, dragging his small boat dozens of nautical miles away.
Then, he turned in a certain direction, full throttle, letting the Marine ship race across the ocean, while he quietly boarded his small boat, deciding to head to West Blue.