Chapter 1 - 2
North Blue.
On an unknown island.
A young boy lay unconscious on the rocky shore, his small hand clutching a short dagger. His tattered clothes were soaked, and the cap on his head bore two bold characters: "正義." He looked as though the waves had tossed him ashore, another piece of wreckage left behind by the merciless sea.
After an unknown amount of time.
The boy's eyebrows furrowed slightly before his eyes fluttered open. Gradually regaining control of his body, he pushed himself up with his hands and sat upright. His gaze settled on the rippling sea before him.
"I'm still alive?"
A hollow weakness gnawed at his stomach. Instinctively, he reached to rub it—then froze. Something felt off. Looking down, his hands trembled slightly.
This… This was clearly a child's body.
The realization sent a jolt through him. He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the water's edge, staring at his reflection on the sea's surface.
A boy, no older than seven or eight years old, stared back at him. His clothes were ragged, his body thin and malnourished. He held a small dagger in his hand, and in his somber eyes flickered a cold, murderous glint.
'Rebirth? Transmigration? Possession?'
A whirlwind of thoughts stormed through his mind. Suddenly, a wave surged onto the shore, washing over his ankles. The instant the seawater touched him, a crushing weakness spread through his body. He collapsed straight onto the sand.
The abrupt sensation shattered his thoughts. Faced with the unknown, fear coursed through his veins, adrenaline spiking. Only one thought remained in his mind.
'Move! Move, damn it! MOVE!!!'
The moment the tide receded, a sliver of strength returned to his body. More and more, until he could finally force himself to crawl. Using every ounce of willpower, he dragged himself onto a nearby rock that sat above sea level. Once he reached it, he collapsed, gasping for breath.
Then came the aftermath of the adrenaline rush. His already frail body had burned through its remaining energy. Exhaustion slammed into him like a tidal wave. His eyelids grew heavier, fighting was useless—his body's instincts overpowered his will. Darkness swallowed him whole.
……
In the depths of unconsciousness, the boy dreamed.
In his dream, he was born in a thriving coastal town in the North Blue. He had a loving family. His parents ran several shops, and life was carefree.
But that peace was short-lived, Pirates invaded. Everything was lost. His parents were murdered. The town was slaughtered.
When the boy returned from playing in the hills, all that remained were severed limbs strewn across the town and the charred remains of his home. Among the wreckage lay two human-shaped corpses, burned beyond recognition.
Tears streamed down his face as he dug through the night, burying what little remained of his parents with his own hands. A single thought consumed him.
He would kill every last pirate in this world.
With the town no longer safe, the boy snuck onto a merchant ship docked at the port the next morning. Days passed, ports came and went. Finally, he found an opportunity to slip off the ship.
In a secluded coastal corner, he built a stone shelter. By day, he wandered crowded areas, gathering information. By night, he trained relentlessly. When hunger struck, he dove into the sea, catching fish to survive.
Time passed. He turned seven.
Then, one fateful day, as he was training on the beach like usual, something strange drifted in with the waves—a bright red fruit with an odd, intricate pattern.
Curious, he ran into the water and picked it up. Hunger gnawed at his stomach. He hadn't eaten all day. After a brief hesitation, he took a bite.
The taste exploded in his mouth, indescribably vile. He wanted to spit it out but couldn't. Forcing it down, he barely had time to react before a wave of weakness crashed over him. His body went limp, and he collapsed into the sea.
He struggled, but his strength drained away. Darkness claimed him once more.
When he awoke, another soul had taken his place.
……
Nighttime.
The boy lying on the reef stirred once more. But now, he was different. In his dream, he had fully merged with the memories of the boy before him.
Now, he was awake. And he understood everything.
Slowly, he extended his palm. At first, a thick, acrid smoke curled from his hand. Then, his skin turned red. His fingers twisted and morphed. Finally, his entire hand transformed into molten magma.
Drips of lava fell from his fingers, sizzling as they scorched the rock, steam rising into the night air.
Silence stretched for a moment.
Then, he laughed.
First, a soft chuckle. Then, a full, unrestrained burst of laughter.
It was wild, manic, utterly unhinged. His laughter echoed into the starless sky, carrying with it all the weight of his past life, his new future, and this incredible world he now found himself in.
He clenched his molten fist.
"From this day on, I will carry everything that was yours."
His eyes burned with resolve.
"I am—"
"Sakazuki!"
……
North Blue. Blood Bull Pirates' ship.
Bang!
With a deafening crash, a massive figure with the body of a man and the head of a bull was sent flying once again, slamming hard into the ship's deck.
The captain of the Blood Bull Pirates, "Blood Bull" Johnny, struggled to his feet.
Around him, his crew lay dead. Beside him, his younger brother, who had taken a fatal blow meant for him, lay lifeless.
Memories of their years at sea, the joys they had shared, flooded his mind. Tears streamed down his face as his bloodshot eyes burned with rage.
"You bastard! What did I ever do to you?!"
"Why?!"
"Damn demon!!!"
Blinded by fury, reason abandoned him. His body transformed into a raging wild bull, and he charged at Sakazuki with everything he had.
Watching the three-meter-tall beast barrel toward him, Sakazuki spoke in a cold, emotionless voice.
"Why? Isn't it obvious? Because all of you deserve to die."
While speaking, Sakazuki's right arm transformed into a deep crimson mass of molten lava, seething yet refusing to drip. If one looked closely, they could see the magma flowing beneath his skin.
As Johnny charged forward, Sakazuki bent his knees and leaped. With a powerful downward punch, his fist slammed into the bull-headed pirate.
The instant his fist made contact, a torrent of lava erupted from it.
Boom!
The three-meter-tall beast was driven straight into the deck. Magma poured over him, swallowing his body in molten fury.
Johnny's transformation shattered—his bull form faded, revealing his human self.
Yet before unconsciousness could claim him, the burning agony of the lava searing his flesh jolted him awake.
He was barely alive, completely powerless to resist. All he could do was scream in agony.
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
Sakazuki stepped forward, gripping Johnny's throat and lifting him into the air. Slowly, he let the magma creep up the pirate's body.
"Three years," he said. "More than ten villages slaughtered."
His grip tightened.
"Go repent in hell, trash."
As the magma crawled upward, it engulfed Johnny entirely.
His body went still, entombed within a molten cocoon.
Sakazuki turned away, stepping into the cabin. He gathered some treasure, loaded it onto his small boat, then pulled out a compass.
With the sails raised, he set off.
He had barely put a hundred meters between himself and the Blood Bull Pirates' ship when the magma cocoon around Johnny began to pulse—expanding and contracting like a beating heart. Faster and faster.
Then—
Boom!
It burst apart.
Molten rock erupted, spilling over the entire ship. The lava burned and corroded everything, devouring the vessel from within.
Slowly, it sank. Until nothing remained.
All of its sins were buried beneath the sea.
Aboard his boat, Sakazuki paid no mind to the explosion behind him. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a stack of bounty posters. Each one had a large X drawn over it.
Flipping to the last one, he took a pen and marked a bold X over Blood Bull Johnny's bounty. Then, he tossed it to the sea.
'They're all gone, huh? Guess it's time to join the Marines.'
Standing at the bow, Sakazuki gazed at the endless sea. He was no longer the frail boy from five years ago.
With his Devil Fruit ability, hunting beasts had become effortless. With proper nutrition, in just five years, he had grown far beyond an ordinary twelve-year-old.
Draped in a red coat, his features were sharp, his frame broad and powerful. Strapped to his back was a long sword, a trophy taken from a pirate crew he had hunted down.
He had spent three years on that unknown island—training, gathering intelligence, and compiling that stack of bounty posters.
This was reality, not the glorified world of his past life's anime.
Every pirate on those posters was a butcher, leaving behind villages drenched in blood. Even picking one at random—killing them ten times over wouldn't feel like enough.
Everything he had seen over the years only reinforced Sakazuki's belief.
'The only good pirate is a dead pirate.'
Two years ago, he set sail. Following the faces on those bounty posters, he slaughtered his way through them.
In just two years, he had earned a name—"The Demon."
This wasn't the Great Pirate Era yet. Roger hadn't spoken those final words that would shake the world. But chaos was already spreading.
From the bounty posters he had collected, it was clear—every year, more and more pirates emerged. No matter how many he killed, one man alone could only do so much.
He could refine his Devil Fruit abilities on his own, using knowledge from his past life. But when it came to physical combat—he had reached his limit.
Martial arts, the Six Powers, Haki—he understood the theories. He knew what they were. But without a proper teacher, he couldn't master them.
Take Soru, for example. He knew it involved stepping on the ground at high speed—at least ten times in an instant—to generate explosive force for rapid movement. To an enemy, it would look like teleportation.
But theory was just theory. He had no idea how much force to apply or how to control it.
And Haki—Armament, Observation. He had no real understanding of how to manifest them, let alone wield them.
Trying to figure it out alone would be a waste of time.
So… the first step was joining the Marines.
Set a small goal.
How about—leaving no pirates alive?
……
Half a month later.
North Blue, Fuwahana Island. 194th Marine Branch, Recruitment Office.
"Next!"
A Marine clerk, busy recording names, barely looked up.
"Name?"
"Sakazuki."
"Age?"
"12."
The clerk paused, glancing up from his papers.
Sakazuki was taller and more built than even him. His mouth twitched slightly, but he continued.
"Why do you want to join the Marines?"
A faint killing intent seeped from Sakazuki's body. His answer was calm.
"To wipe out every last pirate in this world."
The clerk raised an eyebrow but nodded knowingly. Another kid with a grudge against pirates—it wasn't uncommon.
"Do you have any special skills?"
Sakazuki's voice remained steady.
"Logia-type—Magma Devil Fruit user."
The clerk froze.
"H-Huh?"
A moment later—
"WHAT?!!!"
He shot up from his seat, knocking over his chair.
The marine recruitment officer took a sharp breath. As a Marine staff member, he had far more knowledge than ordinary people and even most pirates.
He understood exactly what it meant when someone claimed to possess a Logia-type Devil Fruit, especially one with a reputation as fearsome as the Magma-Magma Fruit—a fruit said to hold the greatest offensive power among them.
Without a moment's delay, he led Sakazuki straight into the base, bypassing routine procedures and heading directly for the Base Commander's office.
……
"Reporting!"
"Enter."
Inside the office, Base Commander Jorisen looked up from his paperwork. His eyes first landed on Sakazuki—a tall, broad-shouldered boy with a resolute expression—before shifting to the visibly excited marine beside him.
Jorisen frowned. "What's got you so worked up? As a Marine, you need to control your emotions, Officer Joel."
Joel, still breathless from excitement, quickly blurted out, "Commander, this young man here wants to join the Marines. He's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user…a Magma-Magma Fruit user!"
"What?!"
Jorisen shot up from his chair, his expression instantly matching Joel's shock and excitement.
Sakazuki took this moment to get a good look at Jorisen. The man seemed around forty, his face marked by a jagged scar running across his cheek, and his left arm was missing entirely. His very appearance told the story of a seasoned warrior who had seen countless battles.
Jorisen strode over, his face breaking into a wide, genuine grin. He patted Sakazuki's shoulder firmly, his voice filled with joy.
"Good! Very good!"
For the first time in what felt like forever, a rare, faint smile tugged at Sakazuki's lips.
'This feeling… not bad at all.'
Jorisen studied him for a moment longer, his voice still trembling with excitement.
"Forgive me for the outburst, but this is just… fantastic! Truly fantastic!"
He laughed, his hearty laughter filling the room. After a moment, he settled down, though his grin didn't fade. He then gestured toward the chair across from his desk.
"Come, have a seat."
Taking the registration form from Joel, he read through it as he guided Sakazuki to sit.
"Sakazuki, 12 years old... damn. Reason for joining…"
Once they were both seated, Jorisen set aside the paper and looked at him seriously.
"Sakazuki, welcome to the Marines. I'm the base commander of the North Blue's 194th Branch, Jorisen."
"Nice to meet you, Commander."
Jorisen leaned forward, his voice steady but tinged with excitement.
"A Logia user is an invaluable asset to the marines—especially someone with the Magma-Magma Fruit. I need to report this to headquarters before we decide on your placement."
He glanced at Joel.
"For now, Joel will show you around the base and arrange a dormitory."
Sakazuki nodded, understanding the weight of his abilities. He knew joining the Marines would cause waves. Even setting the magma fruit aside, any Logia user who reached their full potential was considered a valuable asset. And magma... that was on the level of a natural disaster.
After chatting a bit more with Jorisen, Sakazuki followed Joel out the door.
Once they left, Jorisen picked up his personal Den Den Mushi and made a call
…...
Grand Line. Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the communication room, a Marine operator picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"Moshi moshi, this is Headquarters."
Jorisen's voice came through from the other end.
"I'm Jorisen, Base Commander of the 194th branch in North Blue. Please connect me to Fleet Admiral Kong immediately. I have an urgent report. This is about a Logia-type Devil Fruit user joining the Marines."
Hearing that, the operator didn't dare delay.
"Understood, one moment."
They hurried to transfer the call to Fleet Admiral Kong's personal line.
……
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Kong was reviewing a stack of documents when the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang. He answered it without looking up.
After the operator explained the situation, Kong had them connect the call to Jorisen.
"This is Kong. What's going on, Jorisen?"
Kong didn't sound distant at all toward his old subordinate, who had been forced back to the Four Blues due to his injuries.
Jorisen's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Fleet Admiral, here's the situation..."
……
North Blue, Fuwahana Island Marine Branch.
Back at the base, Sakazuki followed Joel around. He watched the marines train hard, their shouts and grunts filling the air—a clear sign of Jorisen's effective leadership.
They spent half the day walking around. With Joel explaining all sorts of things—from the structure of the Marines to the famous pirates making waves in North Blue. He also broke down the current power divisions among pirates and crime syndicates.
Later that afternoon, a messenger came to find them, saying Jorisen had summoned Sakazuki—the Headquarters' orders had arrived.
……
Walking into the office, Sakazuki saw Jorisen standing up with a smile.
"Sakazuki, your appointment has been finalized. You've been granted the rank of Lieutenant."
"For now, you'll undergo basic training at the branch. Once that's complete you'll enter the Headquarters for elite training."
Sakazuki nodded, acknowledging the decision.
"Lieutenant, huh? I thought I'd start as a Warrant Officer."
Jorisen laughed. "Haha, only the average Devil Fruit users start as Warrant Officers."
He raised the file in his hand and continued,
"And putting the Magma Fruit aside… I didn't expect you to be the infamous 'North Blue Demon' who's been making waves lately. Well done, those pirates don't deserve to walk away alive."
……
Three years later.
Reverse Mountain, Entrance.
A piercing alarm blared with unstoppable force.
A marine warship accelerated, ramming straight into a pirate ship, splitting it clean in half.
"Charge!"
A cold, indifferent voice echoed from the warship. Immediately, numerous Marine soldiers swarmed over the deck, leaping onto the shattered pirate vessel, launching a brutal boarding assault.
It wasn't a battle—it was a massacre.
In mere moments, the sounds of fighting faded.
One by one, the bloodstained Marines gathered the spoils and leaped back onto their ship, forming orderly ranks.
Purururu… pururururu.
On the marine warship, a Den Den Mushi rang.
A man answered it.
Jorisen's cheerful voice came through.
"Sakazuki, come back. This year's elite class has you signed up. Get ready to report to headquarters."
Sakazuki's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Roger."
He hung up the Den Den Mushi, his gaze falling on the silent, shattered remains of the pirate ship.
His right arm began to shift, molten magma surging and twisting. It morphed into a massive, blazing lava fist.
"Great Eruption!"
Boom!
An earth-shaking explosion erupted. The pirate ship, already broken, was engulfed in a fiery inferno. The molten blaze devoured what remained, leaving behind nothing but smoldering cinders and bubbling seawater.
*
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