One Piece: Saving Hancock with the Batto Batto no Mi

Inside the Villa Living Room on Grove 71, Sabaody Archipelago.

Sephiroth met the curious gazes of Tesoro, Stella, and Jim, but instead of elaborating on the origin of Devil Fruits, he said indifferently, "Forget it, let's not talk about this! Some things, the more you know, the worse it is..." A faint smile played behind his mask, hinting at a greater secret.

Sephiroth didn't bring the Husky with him, but instead left it to serve as a guard and "enforcer" at the Umbrella Corporation, testing the limits of its ability. After discussing Company matters, the silver-haired youth put his mask back on and used the Butcher's Blade to lightly slice open a rectangular air door in the air. As he pushed it open, a light green world inside the door was revealed, a peculiar dimensional passage.

Sephiroth stepped in. He carefully sensed it and found that the temporary alternate space constructed using the Doa Doa no Mi could expand or contract at his will, and he could also observe everything in the world outside the door. It had to be said that the Doa Doa no Mi was incredibly suitable for infiltration and assassination—a remarkably sly ability.

Thinking this, Sephiroth first used his Kenbunshoku Haki to sense his surroundings, ensuring there was no danger, and then he used the Butcher's Blade to cut open another door in the world within the door. He pushed the door open and stepped out, appearing in a narrow alley about a hundred meters from the villa, as if teleporting.

"First-class escape ability!" Sephiroth first exclaimed inwardly, satisfied with this new potential. Then, as if remembering something, he stretched out his palm, and a black bat immediately split from his body, flapping its wings, and flew into the air. After waiting for a moment, he sensed through visual sharing with the black bat that it was on a coastline more than two thousand meters away.

Immediately after, he swung the Butcher's Blade again, opening an air door, and connected the two spatial points—where he and the bat were—using the alternate space.

Crack!

As he gently pushed with his hand, the coastline on the other side of the door, as well as the boundless blue ocean stretching out endlessly, appeared before his eyes. With just one step, Sephiroth crossed a distance of over two thousand meters, appearing on the beach from inland, as if defying the laws of physics.

"With the BUG ability of the Doa Doa no Mi, as long as I want to run, who can stop me! Hahaha...!" Sephiroth faced the sea, standing on the beach, one hand on his hip, the other holding his newly upgraded sword, and laughed raucously towards the blue sky, freedom palpable in every breath.

Using the Doa Doa no Mi's ability was not without cost; each time he opened a door, it drained stamina. However... with the Batto Batto no Mi, the one thing he wasn't short of was stamina. As long as he was willing to consume the absorbed lifespans, his stamina could continuously replenish—an almost limitless resource for him.

After discovering the small trick for spatial positioning and estimating his stamina consumption, Sephiroth tried sending a bat to Marineford again, testing the limits of its range. He waited for half an hour before using the connection between the bat that arrived at Marineford and himself to open an air door, directly returning to Marineford from the Sabaody Archipelago.

When stamina was no longer a limiting factor for using the ability, the factor currently limiting Sephiroth's spatial movement was the strength of his connection with the bat. Previously, he hadn't measured the maximum distance he could control, but he had tried it when he was bored, controlling a bat to fly continuously in one direction. He lost sensation of the bat after about two hours. The bat he created with his ability had a flying speed of over 80 kilometers per hour. In other words, his current maximum spatial movement distance was about 160 kilometers.

It seems I still need to strengthen the development of the Batto Batto no Mi... Sephiroth decided in his heart, his ambition boundless.

Two days later, at noon.

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 52.

Hawk-Eyes arrived as scheduled, appearing at the agreed spot with Sephiroth. However... What awaited him was not the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro alone, but over a thousand Marine soldiers led by Major General Doro who had surrounded the area, forming a tight formation.

Sephiroth witnessed this battle live from his dormitory in the Marineford Military Academy through the bat's visual sharing ability. Regarding this, he could only use one word to describe it... Madness!

Under the heavy encirclement of thousands of Marine soldiers, Hawk-Eyes slowly drew the Black Blade Yoru from his back with his right hand. A formidable and majestic aura radiated from him, reinforcing the void and causing the hearts of many Marine soldiers to tremble violently, even before he did anything.

Thump! Thump!

As if falling headfirst, thousands of Marine soldiers lost consciousness one by one and collapsed to the ground, lying helpless. In an instant, only about ten of the thousand soldiers could still stand, struggling hard against the pressure. Hawk-Eyes had just unleashed his Haoshoku Haki. The subsequent battle was utterly without suspense... Major General Doro and the more than ten other Marine soldiers were butchered to the ground without any power to resist, their lives or deaths unknown.

After doing all this, Hawk-Eyes remained expressionless, slowly sheathed his sword behind him, and turned to leave Grove 52, as if what had transpired was merely a minor inconvenience.

Marineford Military Academy Dormitory.

Sephiroth lay on the upper bunk, his hands behind his head, his eyes slightly narrowed. Releasing and implanting Haoshoku Haki were two immensely powerful abilities. Since no one had ever taught him this power, he still hadn't fully mastered it. There had been a few times when he was hunting pirates that he unleashed Conqueror's Haki due to strong emotions, but the effect varied in power. Sometimes he could completely incapacitate enemies, other times he could only project an intimidating aura, and after unleashing it, he would feel immense fatigue.

Although he had tried to figure out how to actively release it, the Conqueror's Haki in his mind was like a tsundere kitten, seeming somewhat aloof. When he wanted to actively release it, it would always stir, but only to tease him, never truly cooperating.

Sephiroth hadn't thought of telling Zephyr that he possessed Haoshoku potential. If he did, he estimated that he would be able to receive relevant training from the Marines and learn how to effectively use Haoshoku. However... Once he revealed his Haoshoku potential, it wouldn't be easy for him to leave the Marines in the future! He would be tied down.

The next day.

With the help of a reporter Sephiroth had arranged beforehand, the news that Major General Doro led thousands of Marine soldiers to besiege Hawk-Eyes but was effortlessly defeated by him made headlines in the World Economic News. In the newspaper, photos of Marine soldiers sprawled across the ground and the figure of Hawk-Eyes floating away formed a striking contrast, showcasing the World's Greatest Swordsman's sheer dominance.

Beneath the photos, the news reporter also used very sharp and slightly sarcastic language to comment on that Marine blunder and question Major General Doro's capabilities. That day, the current Fleet Admiral Kong, upon seeing this news report, immediately darkened his old face and issued a disciplinary decision against Doro, who was still lying in a hospital bed, instantly demoting him from Major General to Lieutenant Junior Grade and reassigning him to a Marine branch in the North Blue—a humiliating demotion.

Later, Sephiroth deliberately inquired about the new Commander of the Sabaody Archipelago Marine Base. It was said to be a Commodore named Keisha, assigned from Marine Headquarters, seemingly a dove—a more moderate individual, a relief for Sephiroth's plans.

At the same time, Hawk-Eyes's bounty also symbolically increased, reaching 650 million Berries—a recognition of his unparalleled strength.