On Finn's warship, he stood at the railing, eyes fixed on the distant refugee ship floating at the edge of the blockade.
After a long moment, his gaze shifted to Sakazuki's warship. Sure enough, that man hadn't obliterated the refugee ship with a single magma blast.
"Something has changed after all," Finn murmured quietly to himself.
Before he could reflect further, the Silver Den Den Mushi mounted on the command deck suddenly rang with sharp, insistent urgency. This particular snail received signals from the Golden Den Den Mushi, the trigger for the ultimate Marine sanction.
Seeing it activate, Finn's eyes flashed with cold determination. His voice cut through the air like a blade. "FIRE!"
He wasn't alone in giving that order.
All ten Marine warships surrounding O'Hara roared to life simultaneously, their cannons thundering in perfect synchronization. The sound was apocalyptic, deafening, the collective voice of absolute destruction.
Watching the island that served as humanity's archaeological holy land being ruthlessly devoured by artillery fire, Finn felt a slight twinge in his chest. Not quite regret. Not quite satisfaction. Something more complicated.
At that moment, several CP agents climbed aboard his warship, escorting two figures: Nico Olvia and young Robin.
Robin was still just a child, after all. She turned to look back at O'Hara, now engulfed in smoke and flames, her small face frozen with terror.
Finn glanced at Robin but said nothing.
He harbored no ulterior motives in saving her life. It was simply sentiment from his previous life, affection for a character he'd once cared about. There was no need to overthink it or pretend otherwise.
As long as it didn't interfere with his objectives, there was no harm in saving her. And judging from the current situation, nothing had been delayed. No one even knew she was a scholar.
However, after seeing Robin in person, Finn's mind began turning with new possibilities. Perhaps he could use Robin to manipulate Olvia, and simultaneously use Olvia to control Robin.
If these two leverage points were combined properly... who knew what benefits might result?
Just as Finn was contemplating this strategy, his expression suddenly changed.
At the same instant, a scorching breath of heat erupted from Sakazuki's warship in the distance.
"METEOR VOLCANO!"
Boiling magma exploded skyward like a volcanic eruption, launching from Sakazuki's position directly toward O'Hara Island. Dozens of molten projectiles arced through the air, each one capable of leveling buildings.
Simultaneously, the broken sword hanging at Finn's waist, Sōzai, flew free from its sheath. He swung it forward with devastating force.
"STARFALL IMPACT!" Finn's shout carried raw power.
The sky itself seemed to tear open. A massive meteorite materialized from the heavens, burning through the atmosphere, descending toward O'Hara Island with apocalyptic momentum.
Then, seeing that Sakazuki had already leaped from his ship and was racing toward the island, Finn grabbed his Den Den Mushi and barked rapid-fire commands. "All forces, listen up! Kuzan, block the surrounding waters when necessary. Dalmatian, assist CP-9 members in evacuating O'Hara. Chaton, guard the port!"
The moment he finished speaking, Finn's boots struck the deck with explosive force. He launched himself into the air, propelling his body toward the island.
Near the Tree of All-Knowing, Spandine clutched a wound on his shoulder, blood seeping steadily between his fingers. The CP agency members assigned to protect him lay scattered on the ground, unconscious or worse.
Spandine's other hand trembled as he pointed at a figure standing not far away. "Monkey D. Dragon... you..."
That's right. The person who had suddenly appeared on O'Hara Island was Dragon himself.
He'd rescued Dr. Clover from Spandine's execution attempt just moments ago.
Dragon paid Spandine no attention whatsoever. Instead, he looked up at the enormous meteorite and the shower of lava projectiles falling from the sky. His expression darkened. "Sakazuki and Finn are both here? What troublesome timing..."
It had been pure coincidence, Dragon acquiring intelligence about O'Hara from his intelligence network. He'd learned that scholars on this island could interpret the Poneglyphs, could unlock the secrets of the Void Century.
So he'd rushed here immediately, intending to recruit several scholars to join his Revolutionary Army.
But the moment he'd made landfall, Marine warships had surrounded the entire island, cutting off all escape routes.
Dragon had gone into hiding immediately, observing, trying to determine the Marines' objective. His first thought had been trap. Were they here specifically to capture him?
But he'd quickly realized something was wrong. They weren't searching for him at all. Their target was the scholars.
When the Buster Call launched, Dragon could no longer remain passive. He had to rescue at least one scholar, no matter the cost.
So he'd rushed to the Tree of All-Knowing, arriving just as Spandine prepared to execute Dr. Clover and evacuate.
Dragon hadn't hesitated. He'd attacked immediately.
Dr. Clover had been shot by Spandine, but he hadn't died. Now he stared upward at the meteorite and lava meteors descending from the sky, his expression shocked beyond words.
At that moment, Dragon suddenly raised his hand and swept it through the air like a claw.
Massive wind pressure exploded from his five fingers, detonating Sakazuki's meteor volcano mid-air. The molten projectiles burst into brilliant fireworks that scattered harmlessly across the sky in glowing fragments.
Spandine didn't dare say another word. While Dragon's attention was elsewhere, he scrambled to his feet and ran for his life, sprinting toward the ships.
Just as Dragon prepared to deal with the meteorite, Sakazuki's powerful form came charging through the smoke and debris.
"DARK HOUND!"
Sakazuki had no intention of engaging in conversation. He raised his fist without ceremony, his arm instantly transforming into scorching magma that took the shape of a vicious, snarling dog.
Dragon had no choice. He grabbed Dr. Clover's shoulder, stomped the ground with explosive force, and created distance between himself and Sakazuki while carrying the injured scholar.
Sakazuki's attack slammed into the earth where Dragon had been standing an instant before. The ground ignited instantly, transforming into bubbling magma.
Only then did Sakazuki speak, his voice hard as iron. "Dragon, don't interfere in matters that don't concern you."
"Sakazuki," Dragon murmured, his hand wreathed in swirling wind pressure. His expression had turned grim, almost dangerous. The breeze around him intensified.
At that moment, overwhelming gravitational pressure suddenly crashed down on Dragon's position.
The ground beneath Dragon's feet collapsed instantly, cratering inward. He lowered his center of gravity, his knees bending as though some invisible force was trying to crush him into the earth.
Dr. Clover was in far worse condition. Finn had unleashed this technique at full strength, power comparable to top-tier masters like Dragon himself.
How could an ordinary elderly scholar withstand such force?
He was pressed directly into the ground with a wet crunch. His entire body burst like a mosquito crushed between palms, exploding into a grotesque flower of blood and pulverized bone. Not even a recognizable trace of his form remained.
This sudden, brutal development stunned both Dragon and Sakazuki into momentary silence.
Before either could react, the falling meteorite suddenly accelerated. It slammed into O'Hara Island with catastrophic momentum, covering the entire area where Dragon and Sakazuki stood.
In an instant, both men were engulfed by the impact zone.
The Tree of All-Knowing, which had stood on O'Hara Island for thousands of years, possessed no power to resist a meteorite. It was instantly obliterated, reduced to ash and splinters.
The tremendous impact shattered the island's geological foundations. The entire landmass shuddered from the force. Massive clouds of smoke and dust rose to obscure everything.
Through that obscuring haze, Finn walked slowly toward the meteorite crater. In his hand, he carried a person: Spandine, whom he'd grabbed mid-escape and was now nearly crushing with gravitational pressure.
"Cough... cough... Thank you, Lord Finn, for saving my life," Spandine choked out, inhaling smoke and dust. He quickly expressed his gratitude despite barely being able to breathe.
"Don't thank me. Just get back to the warship where it's safe," Finn said flatly, releasing him and letting him drop to the scorched ground.
Spandine didn't dare delay. He nodded frantically and immediately ran toward the ships as fast as his legs would carry him.
Meanwhile, on the ground not far from the impact crater, a figure emerged from the molten magma itself. Sakazuki rose, his form reconstituting from liquid fire.
The meteorite had been massive, but Finn hadn't infused it with Haki. Sakazuki's natural Logia elementalization wasn't just for show. He hadn't been injured at all, simply converting his body to magma and flowing through the destruction.
"You certainly made quite the spectacle with that attack," Sakazuki observed, looking at O'Hara's completely unrecognizable landscape.
"If the impact weren't large enough, Dragon might have escaped with everyone," Finn replied, his Observation Haki sweeping across the area, searching for Dragon's presence.
That's right. He hadn't been targeting Dragon with STARFALL IMPACT. His purpose was to eliminate all of Dragon's potential targets in one devastating strike.
He absolutely could not allow Dragon to take anyone away alive. Otherwise, there was no telling what kind of chaos that man would cause in the future.
The meteorite had originally been intended for the scholars gathered near the Tree of All-Knowing. Now, judging by the results, all of them had been killed without leaving a single corpse behind. Obliterated completely.
At that moment, a whirlwind swept through the smoke and dust, clearing away the obscuring haze. Dragon's figure slowly walked forward, emerging from the wind itself.
He looked at the devastated O'Hara in the distance, confirming there were no survivors.
Then he looked at Sakazuki and Finn. Finally, his gaze settled on the broken blade in Finn's hand.
"It seems your sword is truly damaged," Dragon said quietly, his voice carrying something like sympathy.
After that soft observation, Dragon's face darkened. He was preparing to scold Finn.
He'd always believed Finn was a man of justice, someone with genuine principles. But today, Finn had taken action and massacred all those unarmed scholars without hesitation.
Dragon was furious.
But before he could say a single word, Finn angrily shouted first. "DRAGON! I never expected you to be such a madman! I used to think that even though you left the Marines, you still possessed some sense of justice!"
Wait. I haven't even scolded you yet, and you're scolding me? With such righteous indignation?
You're the one who killed people!
"You actually wanted to kidnap scholars to revive ancient weapons? I will NEVER let you succeed!" Finn continued his verbal assault.
Dragon froze for a moment, but quickly understood. He felt slightly embarrassed. He realized why Finn had been so ruthless, killing all of O'Hara's scholars immediately.
So that's it. After all this confusion, Finn thinks I came here to steal scholars and take them back to resurrect ancient weapons?
I just wanted to understand that blank hundred years of history, uncover the World Government's dirty secrets, and then raise the banner of revolution against them!
This is a complete misunderstanding!
Doctor, you died tragically!
Finn was certainly aware of Dragon's actual intentions. But even knowing the truth, he would never allow Dragon to access scholars who could interpret the Poneglyphs. Such knowledge would inevitably bring massive changes to the world, changes detrimental to Finn's own interests and position.
Therefore, he'd eliminated all of O'Hara's scholars in one overwhelming strike. At the same time, to avoid completely destroying his relationship with Dragon on the spot, he'd deliberately created this misunderstanding, giving Dragon an excuse to retreat without losing face.
Dragon, who'd originally intended to fight both Sakazuki and Finn to vent his rage, now lost all interest in the confrontation.
He looked at Finn with visible disappointment. "It's not what you think. I have no intention of releasing any ancient weapons..."
"There's nothing more to say," Finn interrupted coldly. He wrapped a layer of Armament Haki around his half-broken sword, the dark coating gleaming dangerously.
Sakazuki's arms dripped with molten magma, streams of liquid fire condensing as he channeled Haki across the surface of the deadly element.
The next second, both Sakazuki and Finn moved simultaneously, one attacking from the left, one from the right, trapping Dragon between them and striking in perfect coordination.
"GRAVITY BLADE: TIGER KILL!"
"GREAT ERUPTION!"
Dragon looked genuinely helpless. He had no intention of accepting this challenge. Without even attempting to engage, he immediately transformed into a wisp of breeze and vanished from both Sakazuki's and Finn's sight.
Sakazuki and Finn changed their attacks at the same instant, combining their techniques. The magma merged with gravitational force, both elements striking toward the air above them.
It was clearly their first time fighting together, yet they demonstrated such perfect tactical coordination.
As expected, Dragon was immediately forced out of his wind form by the combined assault.
"DRAGON'S BREATH!" Dragon pressed one hand against the gravity-infused magma shot toward him by Sakazuki and Finn. Wind pressure gushed forth like the breath of an enormous dragon, a concentrated hurricane pushing against their combined attack.
But it was obvious that Dragon alone couldn't withstand the coordinated efforts of both Sakazuki and Finn together. The powerful wind pressure barely blocked their strike, and it seemed it would be overwhelmed at any moment.
"Isn't this a bit excessive?" Dragon said quietly, his voice strained.
The moment he finished speaking, a violent storm suddenly erupted across all of O'Hara. Hurricane-force winds whipped through the ruins, obscuring everything.
Finn and Sakazuki suddenly exchanged a glance and retracted their power at the same instant, pulling back their attacks.
Within moments, Dragon's presence vanished completely from both men's Observation Haki.
However, neither Sakazuki nor Finn went searching for him or attempted pursuit. After exchanging that single meaningful look, Sakazuki spoke first. "The mission takes priority."
"I didn't expect you'd show mercy sometimes," Finn said with a slight smile.
"Hmph." Sakazuki snorted with clear displeasure, then turned and walked toward the warships without another word.
Finn watched him go, his smile lingering.
In the distance, hidden among the smoke and ruins, Dragon paused before departing. He looked back one final time at the completely destroyed island, at the place where so much knowledge had been lost.
Then he looked toward where Finn and Sakazuki stood.
"I'm sorry, Doctor," he whispered to the wind. "Your death was my fault."
Then the revolutionary vanished, carried away on the storm.
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