During his three years of constant patrolling and eliminating pirates, his strength had greatly improved.
Moreover, with guidance and training, he had mastered Observation Haki and Armament Haki.
All that remained was to hone his skills through practice.
Sakazuki now had the aura of his future self.
A white Marine uniform, burly muscles,
And a justice cloak billowing in the wind.
Just standing there was enough to exert immense pressure.
Not to mention Sakazuki never left anyone alive.
Now, the pirates of the North Blue trembled at the mere mention of Sakazuki's name.
Sakazuki was no longer just active in the North Blue.
He would occasionally patrol other seas, making him well-known among the Marines of the Four Blues.
One week later,
The Marine Headquarters dispatched a warship to pick up the elite class candidates, which would arrive at the 194th Branch tomorrow.
On the night before his departure,
Jorison summoned Sakazuki to his office.
"Three years have passed without us realizing it."
"I didn't expect time to fly by so quickly."
"Sakazuki, take this notebook with you."
Jorison handed over a notebook.
Sakazuki looked at Jorison with curiosity.
Jorison chuckled.
"This notebook contains some of my own notes on the internal factions within headquarters."
"As well as the personalities and preferences of certain people."
"I've been in the Marines for the better part of my life."
"I have a decent understanding."
"Before you grow powerful, interpersonal relationships are also very important."
Hearing this, Sakazuki solemnly accepted the notebook.
"Thank you, Commander."
Jorison patted Sakazuki on the shoulder.
"Haha, it's rare to hear you say thank you."
"Don't be so serious and frown all the time. Let's go out for a walk!"
---
The next day, after shaking hands with Jorison in farewell,
Sakazuki boarded the headquarters warship that had come to pick him up.
The warship in charge of the pickup was a large headquarters vessel.
As Sakazuki boarded the warship, all eyes were on him.
In addition to the regular patrol soldiers,
There were also dozens of young Marines who didn't interact much, scrutinizing each other on the deck.
These were all outstanding soldiers recommended to headquarters by the Four Blue branches.
When Sakazuki boarded the ship, many of them frowned inwardly.
Sakazuki's name spread throughout the Four Blues. People knew of him.
The young men had competitive spirits.
When they actually saw Sakazuki, most of them had to frown. The pressure was immense. Sakazuki had no intention of interacting with them.
Guided by a soldier on the ship, he chose a room and lived alone.
After Sakazuki disappeared,
Some of the soldiers who knew each other discussed in groups of two or three.
"Hiss, is that Sakazuki? He really is as rumored."
"Tch, he's just bigger. I don't see anything stronger than me."
"Don't underestimate him. How could he be so famous if he didn't have the skills?"
"We haven't seen it, who knows if it's true or not."
"Besides, this time we're going to compete with real strength."
"As long as you stand out, you'll have a limitless future."
"How can you be afraid of this and afraid of that?"
"That's easier said than done."
"We're still different from those in the Grand Line."
"We still have to fight."
"Do you want to stay in a small place like the Four Blues for the rest of your life?"
""
---
Over the next month, the warship finally finished picking up all the people reported by the Four Blue branches.
It then set off toward the Grand Line.
After passing over Reverse Mountain, Sakazuki thought they would take the Calm Belt straight to Marineford.
But that wasn't the case. Instead, it headed toward the Grand Line.
Thinking about it, it made sense. It was still forty years before the start of the main storyline.
Vegapunk hadn't started developing Seastone warships yet.
On the tenth day of entering the Grand Line,
An alarm sounded. Sakazuki immediately dressed and left his room.
Rear Admiral Wells, who was in charge of the transport, looked solemn.
He shouted loudly,
"Line up!"
Although they were not familiar with each other,
After all, they were all outstanding soldiers from various divisions.
They quickly formed a neat line.
Wells said,
"A pirate ship has been spotted two nautical miles ahead."
"After verification, it's Brute Bone Nos."
"All of you here are outstanding soldiers recommended by the various divisions."
"A mere 24 million bounty pirate should be no problem, right?"
As soon as the voice fell, some students couldn't help but communicate in a low voice.
Wells roared,
"Silence!"
"I'm asking you, is there a problem!"
Seeing the Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral get angry,
Most of the students shuddered and shouted in unison.
"No!"
Wells nodded.
"Very good."
"Order, accelerate."
"Prepare for a boarding battle."
Under Wells' orders, the warship accelerated towards the pirate ship.
Aboard the Brute Bone.
The lookout shouted loudly. "It's not good! Captain!"
"There's a warship chasing us from behind!"
Brute Bone, who had just robbed a merchant ship,
Picked up a huge bone of an unknown beast that was still dripping blood and laughed.
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! What are you afraid of? Turn around!"
"I'm Brute Bone Nos, a big pirate with a 24 million bounty!"
"How dare a mere warship chase me!!!"
His subordinates cheered excitedly.
"Hahahaha, Brute Bone is invincible!"
"Kill those Marine trash!"
"My blade is already thirsty!"
"Oh! Oh!"
"Charge!"
On the warship, looking at the pirate ship turning around to charge,
Rear Admiral Wells flashed a hint of disdain in his heart and ordered.
"Prepare for a boarding battle."
Then he adjusted his mentality, preparing to rescue people at any time.
Although a 24 million bounty pirate was nothing to him,
It was still a bit of a stretch for these Marine seeds.
Just as they were a few hundred meters away from colliding.
Regardless of the tension of other students,
Sakazuki's mouth revealed a cruel smile.
He walked to the bow of the ship and stood still, ignoring the strange gazes of the others.
In his right hand, a magma heart formed, growing larger and smaller, as if it were alive.
A steady stream of magma flowed in, but the magma heart did not seem to grow in size.
When the warship was only a hundred meters away from the pirate ship,
Sakazuki forcefully threw the magma heart in his hand.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Like a meteor.
It crashed straight into the pirate ship's hull. Before the pirates could react,
*Boom!*
Endless magma surged out from the hull, soaring into the sky before crashing down.
Instantly, the entire ship turned into a moving volcano.
"Damn it! What is this!"
"Aaaaaaah!!! It's so hot! It's so hot!!!"
"Captain! Help!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
Unfortunately, no one went to save them, as for their captain.
Unfortunately, he was standing on top of the volcano at the time.
Without any reaction, he was turned into ashes in an instant.
When the two ships made contact, everyone looked at the half-sunken pirate ship.
They all fell silent, gazing at Sakazuki's figure.
An emotion called fear flashed in their hearts.
Countless pirates were covered in magma, melting their bodies.
Limbs and broken arms littered the ship, and everyone's faces showed despair and fear as they died.