God Valley Incident
Grand Line, First Half.
"Captain! Bad news!"
"That Marine warship's catching up again!"
"What? Quick, speed up, faster!"
Panic erupted on the pirate ship as it surged forward, desperately trying to escape.
Yesterday, after raiding a small town, the crew had been celebrating with a feast on board, basking in the success of their latest plunder. They laughed, drank, and dreamed of their bounties rising again.
But just as the celebrations reached their peak, a Marine patrol ship appeared on the horizon.
Before they could even think about charging in for more glory, the warship accelerated straight toward them.
From the sky, molten magma shells rained down, blasting the deck into chaos, leaving pirates sprawled everywhere—the alcohol knocked right out of them. It was only due to a sudden shift in the unpredictable weather of the Grand Line that they had managed to avoid being caught.
They thought they'd escaped after running all night, but that warship was still hot on their tail.
...
On the other side.
As the warship sped up, the Marine lieutenant commander in charge of the ship's cannons turned to Sakazuki and asked, "Rear Admiral Sakazuki, we've entered the firing range. Should we open fire?"
"Fire. Full speed ahead. Prepare for boarding," Sakazuki responded in his cold, emotionless voice.
As the distance closed, both sides fired their cannons at once.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The warship's cannonballs roared through the air, slamming into the pirate ship. Half the shots landed square on target, tearing into the hull and nearly stopping the ship dead in the water.
The pirates, panicked and scrambling, fired back. But their aim was wild and unfocused, more out of fear than strategy. Most of the pirate ship's cannonballs missed, flying off into the sea. Only a few managed to head straight for the warship.
Just then, a figure leaped from the deck of the warship, stepping through the air with Geppo and heading directly toward the incoming shells.
The sound of a blade cutting through the air followed...
Several cannonballs were sliced cleanly in half, falling harmlessly into the sea without leaving a scratch on the warship.
Sakazuki gave a slight nod.
"Well done, Doberman."
The young swordsman, landing back on deck, grinned sheepishly at the praise.
Doberman was someone Sakazuki had saved during the elite class graduation exam. Time had flown by in the training camp, and the pressure had been far more intense than in later years.
The world was in chaos during this time. Pirates ran rampant, especially with the Rocks Pirates forming a growing alliance. Their activity had surged in recent years, leaving the elite class cadets with barely any time for peaceful training.
After reaching the minimum passing standard, they were quickly graduated and sent to sea to combat pirates. Doberman was one of those cases. During Sakazuki's graduation exam, he passed through a small town and rescued Doberman. Recognizing his potential, Sakazuki brought him back to headquarters for further training.
Compared to the original timeline, Doberman joined the Marines much earlier.
This year, with the Rocks Pirates making major moves, Marine Headquarters was on high alert, preparing for war. Even the instructors from the academy were dispatched, leaving the newly recruited elite class cadets without teachers.
As a result, Fleet Admiral Kong made a temporary decision: the recruits would be split into groups and placed on various officers' ships for hands-on training.
When it was Sakazuki's turn to select members, he handpicked several hardliners who believed in absolute justice.
Then, without delay, he began leading them on pirate extermination missions. Over the course of a year, they wiped out numerous pirate crews.
Not a single one was left alive.
Zephyr had also noticed this issue and tried to talk to Sakazuki multiple times, but neither could convince the other.
Boom!
As the warship accelerated, it crashed into the pirate ship. The already battered pirate ship was nearly split in half, with the hull starting to leak water.
"End this quickly," Sakazuki commanded.
Marines leapt onto the pirate ship, engaging in brutal combat.
"Don't back down! Kill those Marine dogs!"
"Kill!!!"
With a roar from their captain, Spring-Arm Lenko, the pirates were driven into a frenzy. Each one grabbed a weapon and charged at the Marines like mad beasts.
"Spring Punch!"
Lenko's arm transformed into a spring, tightly coiled before slamming forward with tremendous force. The Marines who couldn't dodge in time were killed almost instantly.
Although people in the pirate world have strong physiques, if they meet someone stronger, they are no different from ordinary people.
"Spring Dash!"
Lenko compressed his spring-like limbs again, launching forward at high speed, leaving afterimages behind him. His fists stabbed out repeatedly like a relentless spear, sending Marines flying one after another, blood spraying as they crashed onto the deck.
Nearby, Doberman, who was fighting, noticed the situation. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and charged at Lenko.
"Beast Fang Slash!"
He swung his blade, releasing a sharp, cutting force.
Faintly, an animal-like shadow roared within the sword's aura, slashing toward Lenko with ferocity.
Lenko twisted his body, raising his arm to block. But the sheer force of the strike pushed him back several meters, his feet scraping against the deck.
Doberman seized the advantage, swinging his blade relentlessly.
Lenko had no choice but to defend, forced into a passive stance. In his rushed attempts to block, he took a few slashes. Yet his movements stayed sharp, proof that the strikes still lacked the power to slow him down.
Even so, he couldn't find an opening to counter. He was stuck on the defensive.
This was the difference between a self-taught brawler and someone trained under a proper instructor.
Pirates rarely had professional training. Even with decent strength, Lenko's movements were sluggish, his ability to seize opportunities clumsy and flawed.
Still, his toughness couldn't be denied.
He had fought his way through countless battles to survive this long. Even while taking hits, his endurance and raw physical resilience showed. Despite Doberman's relentless onslaught and the accumulating wounds, Lenko barely faltered.
Suddenly—
Doberman shifted his stance, changing his attack. His sword slashed out in a new, unpredictable arc.
Lenko instinctively raised his arm to block.
In that split second, Doberman's left hand shot forward, one finger extended.
"Shigan!"
The strike was fast, precise—aimed directly at Lenko's eye.
Splat!
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
Lenko screamed in agony as his left eye burst, blood spraying everywhere. He stumbled back, clutching his ruined eye.
Seizing the moment, Doberman struck, his blade slicing down in a deadly arc. It bit halfway into Lenko's neck. But before he could finish the job, Lenko's left hand shot out, catching the sword.
Adrenaline surged through Lenko's battered body. Knowing he wouldn't make it out alive, he roared, "You're dying with me!!!"
Gripping the blade tightly, Lenko yanked it free from his own neck with a sickening tear.
With one final burst of strength, he pulled hard. At such a close distance, Doberman was unable to dodge in time.
Just as Lenko's right fist, charged like a spring, was about to land on Doberman, a lava bullet shot from a distance, fired from the tip of Sakazuki's finger.
The bullet flew through the gap between the two and struck Lenko head-on.
Boom!
The projectile exploded on impact, sending molten lava splattering across his body.
"Arghhh!!!"
A painful scream rang out, followed by silence. All that remained was a pool of bubbling lava, hissing and releasing thick, acrid smoke into the air.
At some point, Sakazuki had appeared silently behind Doberman.
This was a training exercise, and casualties were inevitable. But the numbers had to be controlled. With a flick of his finger, more molten bullets rained down, wiping out most of the remaining pirates. The few left were terrified and quickly surrendered.
"Treat the wounded," Sakazuki ordered coldly.
Following his command, the Marines began tending to the wounded in an orderly manner, while another team was sent to gather supplies from the pirate ship.
The remaining Marines, without needing orders, returned to the warship. All the prisoners were then escorted onto the pirate ship, bound and subdued.
A group of terrified pirates huddled together, whispering nervously.
"Hey... are they going to release us?"
"Impossible, right?"
"But they all went back to their ship."
"Let's wait and see... maybe we can sail away once they leave."
Being captured and then returned to their own ship, without any punishment or interrogation, was something they had never heard of or experienced.
...
Meanwhile, on the Marine warship.
"Report! All prisoners have been secured. Also, Headquarters has called. All officers of the rank of Rear Admiral and above are to report to Marineford immediately."
"Got it."
Listening to the report from Carlo, his second-in-command, Sakazuki replied calmly.
'Summoning all the Rear Admirals and above... is that event about to happen?'
He then coldly gazed at the pirate ship. His right arm turned into flowing magma, forming a massive fist that emitted thick black smoke.
"Great Eruption!"
Boom!
"Return to base."
"Yes, sir!"
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