One Piece: Saving Hancock with the Batto Batto no Mi

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 52.

After plundering the treasures from the three now-abandoned pirate ships, Sephiroth found two typical Sabaody bubble carts and deftly loaded the corpses and treasures onto them separately. The harvest this time was quite bountiful: Gilman's bounty of 210 million Berries, Jones's 180 million Berries, and Viktor's 160 million Berries. Coupled with the bounties from the crew members he had dispatched, the total bounty reached an astounding 840 million Berries! This was Sephiroth's largest earning in the past month, a fantastic figure! If the treasures he plundered from the ships were included, the total would surely exceed one billion Berries—a highly significant sum in the world of One Piece!

With this much money, he had finally gathered the necessary funds to purchase the advanced technology from Vegapunk for creating Devil Fruit-eating weapons!

Recently, due to his terrifying reputation as the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, many small-time pirates dared not come to the Sabaody Archipelago. Only pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million Berries, or those who had committed major crimes and were relentlessly pursued by the Marines, would come to the Sabaody Archipelago to coat their ships and head to Fish-Man Island, hoping for good fortune. Even Tesoro complained to him that due to the sharp decline in the number of pirates coming to the Sabaody Archipelago, Umbrella Corporation's retail sales of firearms had almost stagnated, though wholesale still continued.

Tap-tap! Tap-tap!...

A quiet but firm sound of footsteps echoed. A man wearing a tall black hat adorned with white feathers, a burgundy patterned shirt and a long black coat, white trousers, and shiny black boots, with the large, iconic Black Blade Yoru on his back, appeared before Sephiroth at an unknown point, his head bowed as if in salute.

"Pirate Hunter... Roronoa Zoro!... I wonder if you're interested in taking my head, which is worth a 600 million Berry bounty..."

As he spoke, the newcomer slowly raised his head, his sharp, yellow, hawk-like eyes staring directly into Sephiroth's face behind the grinning mask. The gaze was cold, yet full of challenge.

"..."

Upon clearly seeing the man's face, the corner of Sephiroth's eye twitched slightly behind his mask. He had never expected to meet this person! The newcomer was a legendary figure: Hawk-Eyes, Dracule Mihawk!

Years ago, Hawk-Eyes was already renowned as an unparalleled swordsman. He sought out strong individuals and fought against them. Whether they were pirates or Marines, as long as the opponent was strong enough, he was interested. His strength had long reached the realm of being acknowledged as the World's Greatest Swordsman. However, it was worth noting that for many years, Hawk-Eyes had not entered the New World, the latter half of the Grand Line. He roamed the first half of the Grand Line for years. Sephiroth had once secretly wondered if one reason Hawk-Eyes chose to become a Shichibukai was so he could use the high-altitude lift in Mary Geoise to go to the New World—an intriguing hypothesis.

Hawk-Eyes found it difficult to trust others, so he had always been a lone wolf, and traveling from the Sabaody Archipelago to Fish-Man Island, 10,000 meters underwater, could not be accomplished with just his small coffin boat. He could use his Black Blade Yoru to paddle across the Calm Belt, but he couldn't possibly use his Black Blade Yoru to paddle and dive in the deep sea, could he? These thoughts flashed through Sephiroth's mind, trying to understand the reason behind this sudden arrival.

Seeing Hawk-Eyes about to reach for the hilt of the sword on his back to draw his Black Blade Yoru, Sephiroth quickly shook his head and refused: "Now isn't the time. I've just been through a major battle... I'm very tired and not in good condition..." He glanced briefly at his still slightly swollen arms and his ragged clothes. "Unless, Mihawk, you just want to take advantage of my state, take my head, and gain empty fame..."

"I don't care about such boring things..." Mihawk replied in a calm, flat tone, his eyes remaining sharp. "I merely wish to pursue the field of stronger swordsmanship!"

"In that case... how about we fight another day?" Sephiroth proposed cautiously, trying to postpone a fight he didn't want at the moment.

Hawk-Eyes stared intently at the Butcher's Blade hanging at the youth's waist for a moment before lowering his right hand that had been gripping the hilt. He spoke in a calm and flat tone: "Time, location."

"Ten days from now, same time, same location," Sephiroth replied, trying to buy himself some preparation time.

"Good!" Hawk-Eyes nodded readily, then turned and left immediately, his figure disappearing as swiftly as he had appeared. In his opinion, someone who could wield such a formidable Demon Sword must possess an extraordinary spirit and would not easily go back on their word. Furthermore, Sephiroth's clothes were ragged and bloodstained, clearly indicating he had just been through a bloody battle and was not in prime condition. Fighting such an opponent, even if he won, Hawk-Eyes felt it would be meaningless.

After watching the other party leave, Sephiroth finally let out a sigh of relief, the accumulated tension slowly dissipating. He dragged the two bubble carts and promptly left Grove 52, heading for a safer location.

As for the appointment in ten days... What!? Sorry, he had no intention of wasting his life or getting beaten. Currently, even with the amplification from the Butcher's Blade, fighting a person with a 210 million Berry bounty required him to use all his strength and trump cards just to barely win. Fighting Hawk-Eyes was still too premature. He would only consider such a thing after cultivating for a few more years...

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 60.

After transporting the treasures back to the hotel where he was staying, Sephiroth changed his ragged clothes, pushed the carts containing the corpses, and headed to the local Marine Base.

When the two Marine soldiers guarding the entrance saw him remove his mask, revealing his somewhat thin and gloomy face, one of them greeted him with a smile. "Mr. Zoro, it seems you hunted a lot of pirates again this time!"

"Yes!... However, the number of pirates coming to the Sabaody Archipelago has been decreasing recently..." Sephiroth replied, a hint of complaint in his voice.

"Hahaha! That's all thanks to your reputation!" The soldier laughed, proud of the impact caused by the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro.

After exchanging pleasantries with the two soldiers for a moment, Sephiroth continued pushing the bubble carts into the Marine Base, heading towards the morgue, where he met the burly Lieutenant Luther.

"Hey, hey, hey! Young man Zoro, you're truly impressive!" Lieutenant Luther exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. "You've brought the corpses of so many wanted criminals at once..." Lieutenant Luther lifted the gray canvas on the bubble cart and saw the pirate heads underneath. He immediately cried out in surprise.

After cross-referencing the wanted posters and identifying the bodies, the burly Lieutenant signed the documents and said: "Gilman, Viktor, Yatru Jones... a total of 840 million Berries. Go up to the fifth floor later, get Major General Doro's signature, and then you can collect the bounty at the finance office."

"Major General Doro...?" Sephiroth repeated, his brow furrowed, the name unfamiliar to him.

"Vice Admiral Kizaru has been promoted to Admiral Candidate and has been reassigned to manage G2 Branch. The new base commander here is now Major General Doro," Lieutenant Luther casually explained and handed him the documents.

Hearing this, Sephiroth's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of concern appeared in his heart. This Major General Doro was a member of Akainu Sakazuki's faction. He also believed in Absolute Justice and employed extremely radical methods. Once, to kill pirates, he completely disregarded the civilians held hostage on the pirate ship and directly ordered warships to fire, resulting in the sinking of the entire pirate ship. For this, Doro even received a severe reprimand from Marineford. If not for Sakazuki's backing, this person would have been sent to military court long ago.

If this person was going to take over the Sabaody Archipelago Marine Base, and Sephiroth graduated and applied to serve here, some issues concerning the Umbrella Corporation would be difficult to handle. The Umbrella Corporation, which sold firearms, was essentially an organization operating in a gray area. It would inevitably have indirect ties to violent groups like pirates. Based on Major General Doro's style of doing things, Sephiroth estimated that even the Umbrella Corporation would be listed as a target for uncompromising crackdown.

Strange!... Why would the Marines send a hardliner to manage the Sabaody Archipelago? Could it be that the Marines have decided to take action and clean up the mess in Sabaody? But the World Government shouldn't just stand by, should they? Many nobles, and even the Celestial Dragons, have illicit connections on this island...

Forget it, I won't worry! I must find an opportunity to curb Major General Doro's arrogance and trap him! Sephiroth secretly made up his mind, his resolve firm. Although Sephiroth was in the Marines, he only saw the Marines as a platform that could give him opportunities to grow. After witnessing the corruption of the World Government and the Marines up close, he would not be confined to any Marine or Pirate position or faction.

He, Karl D. Sephiroth, would be an ambitious figure who would stir up trouble in this era! He would write his own story.

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