Chapter 1: The Marine Hunter
Vòlt is born on Ohara, an island where for generations the translation of the Poignee Griffe, ancient stones inscribed with the history of the planet, has been passed down. These stones include explanations of what happened 800 years ago during the 100 Years of Darkness, when the World Government took power in a despotic manner. His father, Bruce, and mother, Dayànne, raise young Vòlt, and they also have a younger sister named Biky and a younger brother named Giongis. When Vòlt turns six, his maternal grandmother, the archaeologist Mert, teaches him how to translate the Poignee Griffe, despite the fact that doing so is forbidden by the Government.
One winter day, when Vòlt is eight, his father bids him farewell, saying he is leaving to fight for justice. A few days later, Vòlt and his siblings are taken by their mother out to the open sea, embarking on a cold journey in a rowboat that costs Biky and Giongis their lives, as they die from the cold after a day of sailing. Dayànne, exhausted after two days at sea, dies of hypothermia near the island of Moncirl. Vòlt, in a state of hypothermia, believes he is doomed but is saved by his paternal grandmother, Nendia, who rescues him after seeing a light on the water and takes him to her farm. Meanwhile, the Government orders the destruction of Ohara by the Navy.
Vòlt befriends Mirk, the son of Nendia's late sister, and they become playmates. The two attend private lessons, but while Mirk works hard, Vòlt often skips them to train in the woods hunting wild boar or help a carpenter cut wood in exchange for sailing lessons. Vòlt hopes that by becoming stronger, he will one day be able to set off and fight for justice like his father had done. Although Vòlt does not fully understand the reasons for the destruction of Ohara, he knows that the culprit was the World Government. He harbors a deep resentment and, one day, when a couple of Marines arrive on the island to collect taxes, he throws a ball in one Marine's face and jumps on him. However, he is quickly knocked down with the butt of a rifle. Grandma Nendia tries in every way to calm Vòlt's anger, determined to prevent him from meeting the same fate as his father.
At twelve, Mirk is sent by Nendia to a carpenter academy, something Vòlt refuses to do, as his sole focus is now to become strong enough to avenge his homeland. To that end, he dedicates himself to rigorous training, gradually increasing his strength. Over the years, Vòlt fights several older boys who bully him because he is an orphan. In no time, he becomes the strongest on the island and realizes that he is close to being ready to follow his destiny.
When Vòlt turns sixteen, Nendia falls seriously ill. On her deathbed, his grandmother decides to give him a letter she had found in Dayànne's notebook years earlier. The text of the letter is written in coded Poignee Griffe language, so Vòlt cannot read it, but believing in its importance, he decides to have it tattooed on his arms. Afterward, Vòlt sets off in a small sailboat, determined to find a Devil Fruit, which according to rumors would grant him the power he needs to fulfill his goal. Vòlt sails across the West Blue, exploring the inland vegetation of various islands and spending nights in inns. After several months, he realizes that finding a Devil Fruit on his own is nearly impossible, and he begins to run out of money. He decides to try becoming a bounty hunter to earn money and eventually buy a Devil Fruit from the black market.
He rips a bounty poster from the wall of a tavern for a bandit named Woozin, whose bounty is 10,000 berries, and decides to try capturing him. After days of searching with no results, one evening Vòlt, demoralized, is drinking beer in a tavern when a waitress screams after being taken hostage. It was Woozin, attempting to rob the place. Vòlt smashes a goblet over his head and slams him against the wall, knocking him unconscious. After collecting the bounty, Vòlt buys two axes and prepares to hunt down criminals.
At eighteen, Vòlt finds accommodation in a motel in the city of Mester, the main crossroads of the Venitin archipelago. He deposits his money in a bank and decides to aim for higher earnings by hunting pirates with bounties of around one million berries. After a few months and several bounties, he gains a certain reputation. One evening, however, a group of competitors targets him while he is unarmed in the nightclub Caprice. After stepping outside the club, the bounty hunters tell him they want to settle scores because, according to the provocateurs, Vòlt had been eyeing one of their women. Vòlt responds that he was only wondering how much extra the guy would have to pay her as a penalty, given her "poker face." The man pulls out a dagger and attacks Vòlt, who, with a quick move, anticipates him and knocks him down by tackling him at the neck with his outstretched arm. The group of bounty hunters attacks Vòlt together. The young man fights to the best of his abilities, managing to take down most of them. However, at one point, some of the hunters draw pistols from their boots and aim them at Vòlt, stating that it was time to thin out the competition. Suddenly, the enemies are surprised by two young men who point their weapons at their backs and force them to leave unarmed. The two, introducing themselves as Skot and Dimer, explain that they are bounty hunters interested in collaborating with Vòlt to raise the target level of their objectives. Having seen Vòlt's strength in his solo fight against a dozen men, they were deeply impressed and propose forming an alliance. Vòlt accepts, and from that moment, the group carries out a series of missions that yield significant earnings, making Vòlt and his companions the most feared bounty hunters in the archipelago. The group also becomes very close friends and enjoys nights out at the Caprice nightclub.
Once Vòlt gains the trust of his colleagues, he opens up about his past. His friends are shocked, and they unanimously decide to help him in his plan to annihilate the Marines.
When Vòlt is twenty, his cousin Mirk visits him and explains that he has completed his postgraduate studies. After exchanging stories, Mirk tells Vòlt that he hasn't forgotten his cousin's dream of revenge and has looked into the cost of Devil Fruits. Since the prices are exorbitant, Mirk suggests it would be better to try stealing one from the Marines, the only organization large enough to acquire several fruits each year. However, in order to intercept the Marines' ships, the group would need to acquire a fast and lethal vessel. Relying on Mirk's construction skills, the group invests part of their money into building a war speedboat. After several months of work, the "Harleydial" is launched in the harbor. It's a high-speed boat powered by compressed air, equipped with torpedo launchers.
In the following years, Vòlt boards several Marine ships, searching them with his companions for Devil Fruits, though without success.
By the time he is twenty-five, Vòlt has a bounty of 20,000,000 berries, the highest in the West Blue. He is dubbed "Marine Hunter" by the newspapers. Unfortunately, the bounty attracts the most infamous hunter in the West Blue, Das Bornes, who, upon arriving in Mester, faces off against Vòlt and his companions. Bornes appears to have an indestructible body thanks to the power of a Devil Fruit, and in a short time, he kills everyone except for Vòlt, whom he delivers alive but in critical condition to the Marines. Bornes, impressed by Vòlt's strength, decides to spare him, intending to fight him again in the future. Vòlt is devastated, and in his cell, he loses his fighting spirit. After nearly a year, the hunter finally deciphers his tattoo, which turns out to be a message revealing that his parents were Bakkanian on his mother's side. They were part of the revolutionary people who opposed the World Government and were annihilated during the Hundred Years of Darkness, 800 years ago. His parents urge him to fight until the very end. That very evening, Vòlt, filled with rage, breaks through a wall of his cell and escapes. He retrieves the Harleydial and decides to target Commodore Daigin, the highest-ranking Marine officer outside the West Blue. After several weeks of searching, Vòlt locates the commodore's ship docked at an uninhabited island. The bounty hunter docks the Harleydial and ventures into the vegetation.
Suddenly, Vòlt hears a whistle as a Marine discovers a strange fruit that appears to be a Devil Fruit. The hunter climbs up a tree and reaches the soldier, then jumps on him, knocking him out and snatching the fruit. However, before he can take a bite, he finds himself surrounded by a dozen Marines, all aiming their weapons at him. The alarm is raised, and Vòlt quickly becomes encircled. The soldiers order him to drop the fruit if he values his life, but Vòlt threatens to eat it and consume its power. The situation reaches a tense standoff.
Suddenly, a blow to the back of his neck knocks Vòlt unconscious. It was Commodore Daigin, who had arrived and attacked him from behind. The Marines tie Vòlt's wrists and drag him aboard the ship, despite his resistance and futile struggles, cursing the Marines as they bring him along.
Once aboard, Daigin, an imposing figure wearing a samurai iron helmet, repeatedly strikes Vòlt. However, in a good mood due to the discovery of the fruit, he says he wants to spare Vòlt's life and imprison him instead. Vòlt is taken to the brig, where he is untied. Meanwhile, Daigin orders the fruit to be placed in a chest and stored in the ship's hold.
A few minutes later, the ship is rocked by an explosion. Vòlt had set a timer on the Harleydial, which had fired three torpedoes, one minute apart, after an hour of delay. The ship begins taking on water and tilts. The second torpedo strikes near the brig, tearing apart the wall of Vòlt's cell. Seizing the opportunity, Vòlt dives into the sea and re-enters through the hole, making his way to the ship's hold. There, he ambushes the Marines who were retrieving the chest with the fruit, steals it from them, and dives back into the sea before the third torpedo hits and destroys the ship's bow, which is already sinking.
Vòlt swims as fast as he can, clutching the chest, and reaches the Harleydial. He speeds away on the boat, disappearing into the distance.
After several hours of travel, he reaches the first inhabited island, Minàcura. Once there, he heads to the local hardware store owned by a man named Hook, asking if he could force open the chest. However, as he walks through the village streets, his presence catches the attention of some pirates, who organize an ambush. The hardware store owner suggests they go to the back of the shop. Once there, he secretly contacts the Marines, warning them about a chest with their seal, brought by a man in great haste.
After some time, the bounty hunter enters the back room, stating that he doesn't have much time and, in order to rush the process, he begins smashing objects around him. Within half an hour, the Marines arrive in the village with a small ship. Around twenty Marines surround the building, but just as they're about to break in, they're attacked by island pirates, who are also interested in the chest. Meanwhile, with further pressure, Vòlt manages to force the hardware store owner to open the chest.
At that moment, Vòlt grabs the fruit and eats it, despite the terrible taste. The battle outside seems to be winding down, and the only pirate left standing is a large man with an iron mace. He introduces himself as Rust and yells at Vòlt to come out and face him.
Vòlt steps out of the store and shows the empty chest, saying there's no treasure. Rust, unconvinced by the explanation, charges at Vòlt in a fit of rage. Vòlt dodges the various blows but can't figure out what power he's gained from the fruit. He tries to make gestures and concentrate, attempting to create something in the air or move objects.
Eventually, the hunter decides to stop thinking and closes his eyes. A growing warmth in his right fist grabs his attention. Vòlt realizes that, although he can no longer swim, such sacrifices must be made if he's to achieve his ultimate goal. This realization strengthens his resolve, and his right fist begins to glow.
As Rust charges at him, ready to strike a diagonal blow, Vòlt anticipates the move and lands a powerful punch to the pirate's face, knocking him unconscious. His fist, now glowing a phosphorescent red, was charged with energy, and it's clear the pirate has been severely burned.
Vòlt's eyes gleam with joy as he realizes the full extent of his new power. He feels more confident than ever, certain that he's ready for the fate ahead. Deactivating the technique, he rummages through the pockets of the fallen and escapes with the loot.
Daigin, meanwhile, waits angrily on the island where his ship had been sunk. The commodore calls for help using the lumacophone for himself and his subordinates; in addition, he contacts Captain Hina's ship, requests a bounty increase on the marine hunter, and orders his assassination to CP8's head of the secret services, the government agent Nero, who is an expert in assassination tasks.
Vòlt knows that the Navy is hot on his heels, and that he needs time if he wants to master his newfound power to face the commodore, whose physical strength would otherwise make him an insurmountable enemy. Without wasting any time, he rushes to the Harleydial and heads east to put distance between himself and the Navy. Over the following days, he stops at small islands where the Navy is not present, getting closer and closer to Reverse Mountain. His goal now that he has learned a new power is the Grand Line, where the Navy's headquarters, which he plans to destroy, is located. During his travels, he avoids several Navy ships using his spyglass. On one island, he discovers a wanted poster stating that his bounty has now reached 40,000,000 berries. Rather than being concerned, Vòlt is thrilled.
Meanwhile, Captain Hina's ship reaches the island where Daigin was. He speaks to the woman and tells her to search for Vòlt to the east. Hina offers the commodore a ride, but Daigin refuses, saying that he doesn't want to leave on a subordinate's ship and prefers to wait for his other ship that departed from his headquarters in Kano, the country of flowers. Hina, irritated, sets sail with her own ship.
After about two weeks, during which Vòlt only interrupted his journey to have dinner and spend the night at inns on small islands, the hunter happens upon the wreckage of a destroyed boat at sea. A fainted girl is clinging to it, and Vòlt rescues her. Once she regains consciousness, she introduces herself as Miv and says she survived a sea monster attack that destroyed the ship and killed her father, a merchant. Vòlt asks her which island she's from, and then, with Miv on board the Harleydial, heads toward the island in question.
Meanwhile, Daigin is joined by his ship, and the commodore boards, ordering them to set sail for Irsha, the last island east of the West Blue. Daigin suspects that the marine hunter intends to enter the Grand Line, and the commodore doesn't want to allow it.
The next day, Vòlt arrives at Miv's homeland, an island called Corlain, the second-to-last inhabited island of the West Blue in that direction. At this point, he decides to stop for three days to stock up on food and torpedoes in preparation for the Grand Line. He rents a room and then takes Miv to her uncles, who own a farm in the island's central countryside. On the second day, Vòlt spends time training at the village dojo, where he learns to instantly activate plasma on his hands, delivering powerful punches that can demolish heavy stones. The dojo master, a man named Ghin, seeing Vòlt's strength, asks him to eliminate a giant crab, three meters tall, that came from the Calm Belt and has been attacking the fishermen's boats in the bay behind the island. Vòlt agrees, and the next day, he heads to the beach where the crab is drawn to the fishermen. When he faces the giant crab, Vòlt blocks a claw strike with both hands coated in plasma, then quickly moves into the crab's guard and strikes its belly with a punch he calls "Red Punch," killing it.
At lunch, Vòlt and the fishermen are eating the crab at a local tavern. The hunter is about to finish his meal when a shady figure enters the place. Silence falls over the tavern. The man, wearing a feathered hat and several necklaces, introduces himself as Nero and claims he's been tracking the marine hunter's speedboat for weeks. He then sits next to Vòlt and asks sarcastically if he has seen a desperate guy on the run from the Government. The hunter smiles, drinks his beer, and replies that the only desperate person he's seen is a guy with a clown hat, desperately looking for slaps. Nero flips the table.
Vòlt suggests that it's better not to damage the tavern and proposes to the government agent that they settle their differences outside in the street. Nero agrees, promising that the matter will be resolved in just a few seconds.
Once outside, Nero claims to be the best agent of CP8, in the service of the Navy, and says that a promotion is at stake if he delivers the marine hunter's head and the stolen Devil Fruit to Daigin. With that, he demands Vòlt return the chest. However, the hunter smiles and informs Nero that unfortunately, his promotion will have to wait because the chest had been opened a long time ago, and the fruit, now inside his stomach, is irretrievable.
Furious, Nero asks Vòlt if he would prefer to die slowly or quickly. Vòlt tells him that he should have brought some weapons, but Nero responds that he only uses them when he's not serious. The government agent then explains that he is knowledgeable in some of the lethal Rokushiki techniques, which only the strongest members of the World Government and the Navy are capable of learning.
The two opponents stand about five meters apart in a cobbled street. Before Vòlt can even get into a guard stance, Nero charges at him with impressive speed, appearing right next to him after shouting "Soru," and strikes him with a flurry of punches, finishing with a knee to the stomach that sends Vòlt flying backward, about ten meters away.
Vòlt groans from the blow but quickly gets back up, furious. He coats his fists in plasma, but once again, he is unable to defend himself from Nero's sudden onslaught. Nero leaps into the air, attacking with a storm of punches and kicks. Vòlt blocks only a few hits, gets struck in the nose, and starts to bleed. Suddenly, he tries to land a punch, shouting "Red Punch," but Nero evades with a quick dash behind Vòlt and strikes him with a flurry of punches to the kidneys, finishing with a double kick to his back, sending Vòlt flying away.
Vòlt is lying face down, struggling to turn over but too injured to stand up. Nero, mercilessly, runs toward him and starts kicking him in the chest with the sole of his right foot. For about a minute, Vòlt is at the mercy of the kicks, protecting himself with his crossed arms. The situation looks dire, but suddenly, Vòlt grabs Nero's right shin with his plasma-covered hands, tightening his grip until he burns Nero. Nero screams in pain and kicks Vòlt away with his left leg to free himself from the hold.
Vòlt quickly gets up, blood on his lips, and, seeing Nero in pain, mocks him by asking if his wound is burning. At that point, Nero rips part of his pants off his shin, puts on fist wraps, and charges at Vòlt, shouting for vengeance. The two start exchanging a series of rapid strikes and parries, each blow matched evenly. Nero dodges many of Vòlt's attacks by using "Kami-e," showing impressive flexibility. However, at one point, he drops his guard and gets hit with a vicious uppercut to the chin, knocking him to the ground.
Vòlt tells him that unlike his enemy, he doesn't like to hit those already on the ground and orders him to get up. Nero responds that he will pay for his insolence and says he is ready to use his deadliest techniques. He then lifts his leg and delivers an air slash, shouting "Rankyaku," which Vòlt barely manages to dodge. Nero starts bombarding Vòlt with air slashes from different directions. Some of them Vòlt narrowly avoids, others he is forced to block with his plasma-coated fists, but in the end, he ends up with multiple cuts across his body.
Vòlt realizes that in order to defeat his enemy, he will need to use kicks as well. He concentrates and, with great effort, manages to cover his right foot with plasma for the first time, making his shoe glow red. Nero, intrigued, shouts at him to show what he's capable of. Vòlt, gathering all his energy, bends forward.
At that moment, he charges fiercely toward Nero, who swings a large air slash. However, it's not strong enough to stop Vòlt's assault. The air slash is broken by Vòlt's foot, which then lands a straight-legged kick to Nero's chest while shouting "Red Shot." The government agent is violently overwhelmed and slammed into a wall twenty meters away, which cracks upon impact.
Volt is out of breath and, exhausted, lowers himself to one knee, convinced he has won. However, Nero manages to get back up, spitting blood. Annoyed by the crowd of fishermen gathered outside the tavern, already chanting victory, he swings his leg powerfully, releasing a blast of air toward them.
Volt, meanwhile, shouts at Nero to stop, but seeing it's too late, he suddenly leaps forward, positioning himself between the blast and the fishermen. With clenched fists covered in plasma, Volt barely manages to break the blast, but it still tears into his arms and kills six people.
The people nearby scatter, screaming in panic. Volt turns to the side and falls to his knees, devastated by the brutal loss of innocent lives. Blood pools around him. Nero slowly approaches, tears his shirt off, and after complimenting Volt for his strength, prepares to deal the final blow. Volt remains motionless, his face grim, teeth gritted, and hands on his head; meanwhile, a red aura begins to emanate from his body, growing stronger with his rising fury. Nero, sensing the danger of this aura, says "geppo" and begins to leap through the air for several meters, then dives headfirst toward Volt.
At the last moment, Volt seems to snap out of a trance-like state, one in which he had flashes of the despair he felt when his friends were brutally murdered in front of him. He suddenly springs to his feet, completely enveloped in plasma, jumps quickly toward Nero, and grabs him mid-air by the face. He then screams at Nero to die and violently slams him onto the ground, creating an impact that forms a small crater. Nero dies instantly.
With his enemy slain, Volt is overtaken by a destructive fury, charging angrily and mindlessly toward several buildings, demolishing them. Finally, he collapses to the ground and loses consciousness.
About ten minutes later, Volt regains consciousness, his head pounding. Ghin is asking if he's still alive, and once confirming he is, he urgently carries him away as strange noises and screams echo in the distance. Volt loses consciousness again.
When he wakes up, several hours later, Volt finds his arms fully bandaged, with various band-aids on different parts of his body. He's given a ration of soup and water with painkillers. The villagers, who are with him inside a warehouse, explain that Nero is dead, but the village has been overrun by a swarm of giant crabs. Despite his lingering headache, Volt wants to fight, but the fishermen hold him back, telling him his condition is still too fragile. Ghin says he was forced to call for Navy help due to the situation and emphasizes the importance of staying barricaded through the night, waiting. Volt disagrees, but a sedative is administered, and he falls back asleep.
By morning, with the crabs almost demolishing the walls, Volt realizes a diversion is necessary. He exits through a window onto the roof and, shouting, leads the crabs to chase him as he runs down the main street, jumping over houses with his arms still bandaged and unusable.
Volt heads toward the Harleydial moored on the opposite shore, intending to take the crabs off the island. However, while running, he remembers Miv and realizes he can't just cross the central countryside; he needs to stop and face the crabs. So, when he reaches Miv's farm, ahead of the crabs, he tells her and all the nearby farmers to take shelter inside and stay hidden.
Volt turns and prepares to face the pack of giant crabs, which seem to number around a hundred. Just as he's about to charge toward them, cannon fire rains down from the sky, and a group of about fifty marines attacks the crabs from behind with scimitars and rifles.
A furious battle begins, and Volt dives in with both feet covered in plasma, shouting "Red Shot," kicking and killing several crabs. In a short time, the bloodshed is immense, and many marines are killed or mutilated.
After about half an hour of fighting, the crabs are nearly wiped out, and the last few are impaled by iron rods that Volt recognizes as coming from a woman in the Navy with long pink hair. It is the power of a Devil Fruit.
Volt guesses it might be Captain Hina, known as the Black Cage. She recognizes the marine hunter and immediately orders the remaining nine marines to aim their rifles at him. Volt stands firm, while Miv emerges from her house, tearfully explaining to Hina that this is the man who saved her life and that he should not be attacked. Hina, unyielding, orders Volt to surrender if he wants to live, then uses her Devil Fruit powers to create iron bars with her fingers and tries to imprison him. However, Miv intervenes, so Hina halts her attack.
Meanwhile, in the distance behind the marines, a massive crab appears, standing about fifty meters tall. Volt asks Hina for a truce to face this common threat. Reluctantly, she agrees, and they, along with the remaining nine marines, head to the warehouse to confront the giant crab.
Upon arriving, the crab has already demolished the building, but fortunately, there are no casualties because the fishermen had told Volt that they would take shelter in the underground in case of danger. Hina tries to get the crab's attention, which is focused on devouring the fish stored in the wreckage of the warehouse, by creating iron pipes. However, the pipes break upon contact with the crab's armored body. Even rifle fire and missiles are completely ineffective. The crab's attention is eventually drawn to Hina, and it strikes with a powerful blow toward her. Volt jumps, hitting the crab's claw with his foot covered in plasma. While he doesn't cause any damage, he deflects the crab's strike, which destroys an abandoned house.
At that moment, Volt tries to reach the crab's head, running along its leg with the claw, but a sudden strike from the crab's other, even larger claw sends the marine hunter flying, crashing through the roof of a building.
Hina is left alone for a moment. Taking advantage of the crab's distraction, she manages to trap its smaller legs with a technique called "awase baori," preventing its movement. However, the beast lifts its largest claw into the air, opens it, and launches a powerful strike toward the Navy captain. Hina barely has time to react. To avoid being crushed, she stays centered, but in doing so, she finds herself within the opening of the claw. She quickly creates a cage of iron poles anchored into the concrete, just as the claw closes, causing the barrier to tilt and trapping Hina in its grip.
Hina uses all her strength to hold the barrier, shouting at her men to flee. Seeing her strength starting to falter, she prepares for the worst.
Volt, due to the impact, has fractured a few ribs and needs a couple of minutes to regain enough strength to counterattack. As he climbs back onto the broken rooftop, he sees that Captain Hina is in serious trouble, and for a moment, he considers letting her die. He closes his eyes and thinks back to when he was a child in Ohara, when the other kids bullied him for being fatherless, showing no mercy. Volt reflects that perhaps, just as there were bad people in his homeland, there might be good people in the Navy. If his revenge were to be just, it couldn't involve such people. He remembers how Hina stopped her attack when Miv stepped in—certainly, someone like Nero would not have hesitated to strike, but Hina had.
Volt realizes that it's time to set aside his prejudices. He convinces himself that, deep down, Captain Hina is a good person.
Determined to save her, Vòlt takes off at full speed, drawing the attention of the massive creature, which tries to strike him with its other claw. Vòlt manages to dodge the attack, then leaps onto the claw itself and quickly runs up its leg, using his last energies to cover his right leg, from knee to foot, in plasma.
Upon reaching the head, Vòlt does a backflip and, shouting "Red Reverse," strikes the crab between the eyes, shattering the cartilage and burning its brain to death. The enormous creature collapses to the ground, Hina manages to free herself, and Vòlt falls unconscious beside the crab. Hearing the loud noise, the villagers emerge from the basement and joyfully learn of the death of all the crabs, including the mother crab. Seeing Vòlt lying next to the sea monster, the fishermen want to check on his condition and thank him. However, Hina arrives before them, telling everyone to stay back, and she wakes Vòlt by pressing her foot to his chest.
The Marine Captain asks Vòlt, speaking in the third person, why Hina should not arrest the marine hunter now. Vòlt is about to answer when the villagers intervene, telling Hina that if she had wanted to arrest him, she would have had to step over the bodies of the island's inhabitants, as Vòlt was their savior, and they were grateful to him. A fisherman brings the corpse of Nero in a cart, along with the bodies of the men he had killed, and upon reaching Hina, says that if Vòlt's arms were so badly injured, it was only because he had saved some men from the murderous fury of that Government agent.
Hina, uncertain, turns to Vòlt and asks why he is a marine hunter. Vòlt replies that he wants revenge on all the marines who use justice as a false pretext to impose the despotic rule of a government that massacres people. He adds that Hina, due to her behavior with Miv, had seemed different from the marines he had encountered so far, and that's why he had decided not to let her fall prey to the crab.
In the end, Captain Hina decides not to arrest Vòlt, but promises him that at their next encounter, she won't let him escape. Before leaving, she informs him that Commodore Daigin has established a naval blockade at Reverse Mountain and is about to set up at Irsha to wait for the marine hunter. She tells Vòlt that he has one month to leave the West Blue before she will arrest him. Vòlt bids her farewell, saying that he can't wait to see such a beautiful woman again. Hina boards the ship with the surviving marines and sails away.
That same day, Vòlt is treated by the best doctors in the village and then sleeps for two straight days. When he wakes up, a huge village feast awaits him, where everyone is celebrating with the meat of the sea monster. Vòlt is declared the island's savior, with free food and lodging for the duration of his stay. After about a week, Vòlt is fully recovered. Knowing that he has three more weeks to prepare for his confrontation with the commodore, he begins a rigorous physical training regimen, working to improve his use of his power. Through much practice, he learns to block bullets fired by the fishermen in training, using his palms covered in plasma. Moreover, locked alone in the basement, Vòlt fully embraces his total armor form, beginning to learn to control the fury it unleashes. He wanted to avoid unintentionally hurting someone one day.
During these days, Hina reports to Daigin via snail phone, saying that she hadn't found the marine hunter but only a sea monster crab, which had been capable of devouring agent Nero. Hina finishes by saying that she will continue searching through the various islands, trying to push the fugitive toward Reverse Mountain. The ship captain then makes his men promise to keep the events in Corlain a secret.
Three weeks later, Vòlt bids farewell to the villagers and sets off aboard the Harleydial, heading toward the last island of the West Blue, Irsha, ready to settle the score with Commodore Daigin.
Vòlt travels at full speed, arriving at sunset to disembark on the island. Irsha was one of the largest kingdoms in the West Blue, and right away, Vòlt is amazed by the vastness of the white stone buildings that stretched along the coast up to the base of a tall hill. Expecting an ambush by the marines, Vòlt finds it strange that the beach is filled only with civilians.
After docking the Harleydial, Vòlt ventures into the bustling town, stopping at a restaurant. Once his meal is finished, he goes to pay and notices that the restaurant owner is handing money to some shady figures dressed in elegant coats, with rifles slung across their backs. Curious, Vòlt quietly asks the innkeeper who those men are. The innkeeper, visibly frightened, says they are the food suppliers, but Vòlt doesn't believe him. Soon after, he decides to enter the cellar where the innkeeper had gone. There, he pressures the man, getting him to reveal his name, and reassures him by pretending to be a World Government agent. Flavio, the innkeeper, finally gives in and explains that the situation in the town has been critical for the past two months.
Flavio then tells Vòlt that the gangster Capone Bege, with a bounty of 15,000,000 berries, has eliminated rival criminal families on several islands over the years. Now, settled in Irsha, Capone seems to have acquired some mysterious power that is going to help him make a major leap, aiming for the Grand Line. Vòlt then asks about Commodore Daigin. Flavio replies that when the commodore arrived a week ago, he thought the situation would improve. However, the commodore immediately started investigating Capone, and after visiting "Sicily," Capone's casino, he never returned. As for the remaining marines, they raided the casino when Daigin was delayed, but there has been no news of them either. Flavio ends by telling Vòlt to leave the island because he's too young to die. Vòlt pretends to think about it and then says goodbye.
Vòlt heads to a hotel, and upon entering, the receptionist offers him a drink. Vòlt drinks, gets a room, and goes to bed. During the night, Vòlt feels a bit cold and is suddenly awakened by a bucket of water thrown over him. He looks around and realizes he's on a bench at the city pier, with two men in coats standing in front of him. One, introducing himself as Vito, is thin with large hands resting on equally large pistols. The other, introducing himself as Gotti, is a massive man with what appears to be a rotary machine gun for a right arm.
The two apologize for using a sleeping drug but explain that it's standard practice. They then tell Vòlt that they know who the marine hunter is. Vòlt jumps to his feet and covers his right fist in plasma. However, the two immediately clarify that they mean no harm. On the contrary, they are there on behalf of Capone, who, as a fan of his, would like to meet the marine hunter at his casino. Gotti tells Vòlt that when he returns to the hotel, he will find some elegant clothes for the occasion, along with two tickets to the casino, in case Vòlt wants to bring a woman along. Vòlt, determined to learn the truth about Daigin, says he's interested, says goodbye, and heads back to the hotel, where he spends the rest of the night awake, thinking about what to do next.
The following morning, Vòlt walks through the city center and stops to eat at a restaurant. After finishing his meal, he heads back to the hotel. While walking down a street, he suddenly hears a woman screaming. He runs toward the sound and finds the owner of a shop where Capone's goons are smashing the windows. The woman begs for mercy, promising she will pay them soon, and when she tries to stop one of them, he turns and raises the rifle butt to strike her in the face.
Vòlt intervenes and stops the gangster's arm, then offers to pay the woman's debt himself. After paying, the gangsters leave. The shop owner thanks Vòlt by offering him a chocolate cake.
Vòlt continues on his way, but as he's almost reached his accommodation, while passing by a dead-end alley, he is grabbed by the arm and pinned to the wall. It's Captain Hina, dressed in civilian clothes, who has used her powers to pin the marine hunter's arm with an iron bar.
Hina tells Vòlt that the month of truce has now passed. Vòlt smiles and asks if it's really necessary to fight, considering that he wouldn't want to harm such a beautiful woman. Hina strikes him in the stomach but, smiling, says that it's not yet time to fight, as she has come to Irsha to investigate the disappearance of Daigin, who has failed to report in for days. She then explains that she witnessed Vòlt's intervention in defense of the shopkeeper, and says that for now, her intention is to arrest the country's gangster leader, Capone Bege.
Vòlt then offers a proposal. He suggests using the two tickets to Capone's casino to get both of them inside, at which point Hina could deal with Capone, but only if she doesn't interfere in the confrontation between the marine hunter and the commodore of the Marines. Once their fight is over, the truce will be finished. The ship captain, speaking in the third person, says that Hina accepts.
As evening falls, Vòlt and Hina, dressed elegantly, meet outside the casino. They enter the main hall, and once inside, a waiter invites the marine hunter to follow him to a private room. Vòlt successfully insists on bringing along what he calls his "lady."
Waiting for them behind a large desk is Capone Bege, a short, stocky man dressed in an elegant suit, with a cigar in his mouth. He addresses Hina, who introduced herself as Cute, complimenting her beauty and her choice to be with a man who has such a respectable bounty on his head. Vòlt is about to speak but is interrupted by Capone's laughter, who says he finds it very amusing when people try to deceive him. The gangster then addresses the marine hunter, asking why he is disrespected in such a way. Angrily, Capone transforms his hands into machine guns and points them at the two.
Hina immobilizes the guards with iron rods. Vòlt jumps to his feet and covers his hands in plasma. Capone, furious, says that he never imagined the hunter would bring marines secretly. He then adds that he had them followed and is aware of their intentions. Vòlt demands to know what happened to the commodore. Capone laughs and replies that they will soon meet him, before opening a small hatch on his chest and sucking both Vòlt and Hina into it with his power.
The two fall into what seems like a castle, and are shocked to realize that Capone possesses the powers of a Devil Fruit. The gangster's voice echoes through the room, saying that they will die from thirst and hunger. Suddenly, a door opens, and out steps Daigin. The commodore, looking visibly thinner than usual, angrily asks Hina what she's doing with the marine hunter. She responds that she only came to help the commodore.
Daigin draws his katana and says he has an outstanding score to settle with the marine hunter. Vòlt smiles and says he has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Hina tries to avoid the imminent fight, asking the two to help her figure out how to get out of there, but the commodore quickly launches himself at Vòlt, striking with a downward slash that the hunter narrowly avoids by jumping backward. The fight has begun.
Vòlt covers both hands with plasma and attempts to strike Daigin, shouting "Red Punch." The commodore blocks the attacks with his resilient katana. Daigin then counters with a series of slashes, which Vòlt evades and deflects. However, he is eventually caught by a kick and crashes against a wall.
Daigin unleashes a series of compressed air slashes that destroy the wall Vòlt was just slammed into. As the smoke clears, Vòlt appears, springing into action, both of his feet covered in plasma, showing he has neutralized the blows. The marine hunter moves at high speed, attacking the commodore from multiple directions with acrobatic jumps. Daigin switches to defense and blocks most of the attacks. At one point, Daigin loses his katana and takes a heavy uppercut, but, showing great resilience, he grabs Vòlt by the neck, lifts him into the air, and slams him head-first into the ground. He then strikes him twice in the chest with both fists while Vòlt is down, before lifting him again and hurling him into a staircase, shattering it. Daigin, elated, is convinced he has killed Vòlt.
However, Vòlt rises, spitting blood and tearing off his now-ripped shirt, leaving him in just his tank top. At that point, he smiles and says that unlike their previous encounter, this time he wouldn't just be taking hits. He then raises his right arm and covers it in plasma from shoulder to elbow. He shouts at Daigin, asking if he enjoys beating up prisoners simply because they can't defend themselves, and then launches himself at the commodore with incredible speed. Daigin recovers his katana and strikes with a powerful slash of compressed air, but Vòlt evades it and lands a devastating tackle to Daigin's neck, shouting "Red Lariat."
The commodore is burned and sent flying violently, crashing through three consecutive walls. Vòlt walks toward him, but Hina steps in his path and, looking disappointed, tells him that now he must face her. The captain also asks Vòlt to explain what exactly the Marines did to him to make him harbor such deep hatred.
Before Vòlt can respond, Daigin, struggling to speak due to his neck injury, interrupts. The commodore focuses on the tattoos now visible on Vòlt's body, asking if the marine hunter is a survivor of Ohara.
Vòlt's gaze darkens, and his anger rises. He accuses Daigin of being responsible for the genocide carried out by the Marines and promises that such actions will not go unpunished. Hina intervenes, saying that at Ohara, there were plans to destroy the world with secret weapons, and that the Marines' actions were justified. Vòlt, now consumed with rage, points to his tattoos and says that the only thing that mattered in his homeland was translating the ancient language of the Poneglyphs, in order to understand the terrible deeds the World Government had committed through the Marines to subjugate every nation on the planet during the Hundred Years of Darkness.
Hina, shaken, looks at Daigin. The commodore admits that, since they were going to die in this castle anyway, there was no point in lying. He admits to what Vòlt said, only expressing regret that the Marines had failed to eliminate the entire population of Ohara, leaving two survivors. Vòlt demands that Daigin tell him who the survivors are, as he has heard rumors about a possible survivor named Nico Robin, but it was believed to be just a legend. The commodore confirms it's true, and that Nico Robin, though she disappeared long ago, must now be somewhere in the Grand Line.
Hina collapses to the ground, horrified by what she's learned about the genocide. Daigin tells her that it is precisely to avoid disturbing the minds of the weaker members within the Marines that the truth about Ohara is only known to officers of the rank of commodore and higher.
Vòlt, overwhelmed with rage, exudes a red aura, then shouts at the commodore that this is why the high-ranking officers of the Marines must pay. With tears in his eyes, Vòlt fully covers himself in plasma, shouting "Red Demon," and generates an immense amount of heat.
Meanwhile, Capone, who has gone to the garden behind the casino, is writhing in abdominal pain. He says the heat is unbearable, and orders Vito and Gotti to prepare themselves with their weapons pointed at him, before using his power to throw the prisoners out of the small hatch on his chest. After a blinding light, Vòlt and the others appear in the garden, where they are immediately riddled with bullets. Daigin is killed, but Vòlt manages to protect Hina with his plasma-covered body. Vito and Gotti rush to attack, and Vòlt tells Hina to take care of them while he moves forward to strike Capone. The gangster transforms into a sort of fortress called "Father," and aims its numerous cannons at Vòlt, but the marine hunter is already on him, unleashing a barrage of punches in multiple assaults.
Climbing to the height of the central glass window of the fortress, Vòlt begins to melt the glass. Capone activates the tracks of his fortress, turns toward the casino, and charges, smashing through the building, shaking off Vòlt in the process. The marine hunter injures his back but gets back on his feet. Capone yells at him through a megaphone, telling him to die, and starts firing cannons at him. At that moment, Vòlt gathers all his remaining strength and dashes toward his enemy, darting between explosions that tear apart the Sicily. Reaching the fortress, Capone fires a shot from the largest cannon, but Vòlt deflects it with a kick, sending the blast back into the fortress. The fortress is pierced, and Capone returns to his normal form, with a hole in his chest. After taking a few steps, he collapses and dies.
Meanwhile, Hina, using a steel-cage technique called "Awase Baori," traps Vito and Gotti. She then calls the Marine ships Daigin had set up to form the naval blockade, ordering them to land on Irsha and arrest all the remaining gangsters. She tells Vòlt, who has gotten back up, that this will be her last act as a Marine. The marine hunter asks her if she wants to clear her mind by joining him on a nearby island. Hina agrees, and the two rush to the dock, board the Harleydial, and set sail.
The Marines land, reclaim the town, recover Daigin's body, and arrest the surviving gangsters. Upon reaching the island, Vòlt takes the opportunity to change into clothes he had left in the water scooter's bags. Hina compliments his physique, and he begins to feel a bit proud, but then notices that she has a sad look on her face. She confesses that she is in crisis and wants to leave the Marines after everything she's learned, but at the same time, she desires to continue arresting criminals.
To lighten the mood, Vòlt tells her about his past and then asks her about hers. Hina explains that she ingested a Devil Fruit when she was a child without knowing what it was. She joined the Marines to pursue her ideal of justice by protecting the weak. She adds that many Marines enlist as an excuse to use violence, but she, along with others like Captain Smoker, is different. Vòlt, feeling a bit jealous of this Smoker, asks if Hina likes him, but she replies that relationships between Marines are not allowed, and they are just friends.
Finally, Hina explains to Vòlt how the World Government operates and who the members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea are. At the end of her explanation, they share a moment of eye contact, and Vòlt kisses her. He then says that together, they could change the world. He would head for the Grand Line to fight the Marines and their pirate allies, as well as search for the Poneglyphs containing the hidden historical truths suppressed by the World Government. Hina, on the other hand, would stay in the Marines to spy on the enemy from the inside, preparing a coup by spreading the truth about Ohara to trustworthy Marines.
Hina, happy, agrees. The two spend a week together, making love multiple times.
At the end of the week, before he departs, Vòlt asks Hina if she wants to be his girlfriend. Hina agrees, giving him a snail-phone to stay in contact and a log pose to navigate the Grand Line. She also provides him with directions on how to navigate between the different islands in the Grand Line: autumn, winter, summer, and spring. Vòlt bids her farewell and sets off. His first goal is to eliminate the members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who represent the worst of both the Marines and piracy.
(Thank you! To be continued…)