Cover Story – East Blue Arc, Part 2:
"You're too weak, Smoker! At this rate, you'll never catch up to me in a hundred years!"
At the Loguetown Marine base's monthly new recruit tournament, a white-haired boy, just fifteen, fell in the third round. He gritted his teeth, angrily pounding the ground in frustration. Meanwhile, nearby, a smug Mouse (Nezumi) strolled past humming a tune—having drawn a bye straight into the finals.
...
"Drought – Dugalio…"
Nao recognized him instantly—from a photo in a newspaper he once saw at Gion's hospital bedside.
His brows arched slightly in surprise.
He was one of Jack the Drought's predecessors—or maybe the one before that? Either way, Dugalio's bounty had already climbed to 500 million Berries, and even in the New World, his name carried serious weight.
So what the hell is a guy like him doing here, on some backwater island like Rhodes in the West Blue?
…Looks like what Vito said wasn't entirely bullshit. The Corleone Family really might be partnered with the Beasts Pirates.
"You recognized me, huh?"
Dugalio grinned viciously.
"Didn't think some little Rear Admiral from the West Blue would have this kind of eye—but too bad. You woke me up, you damn brat. And now you can—"
"Go die!"
BOOM!
Before he finished the sentence, his massive body vanished like a blur.
In the blink of an eye, Dugalio was already above Nao, fists clenched, eyes gleaming murderously as he drove a punch down toward Nao's head!
His speed was shocking—completely at odds with his monstrous size.
But Nao reacted instantly.
With a guttural roar, he clenched his right fist tightly, refusing to dodge. Instead, he met the attack head-on!
CLANG!!
The impact rang out like two massive slabs of steel colliding.
Under the immense pressure, like a flash flood erupting, a spiderweb of cracks instantly appeared beneath Nao's feet, spreading wildly in all directions, forcing his body down a good few dozen centimeters.
Dugalio, too, was staggered backward more than ten steps by the violent force of the impact before barely managing to stop, his expression shifting slightly.
"A mere branch Rear Admiral… and your Armament Haki is this refined?"
He narrowed his eyes, staring at Nao's right fist as the dark color of Armament Haki gradually faded, letting out a cold snort.
"Tch… looks like I underestimated you. But fine by me. If you couldn't take even one of my punches, this fight would've been boring as hell."
"So much pointless yapping."
Nao shot him a glance, clearly uninterested in verbal sparring.
His right arm still tingled with aftershocks, but he didn't hesitate. He gripped the hilt at his waist and—
SHHHING!
In one smooth motion, drew both swords.
A blinding white arc of sword energy tore through the air—spanning dozens of meters, shrieking toward Dugalio like a tidal wave.
SHHHRIPP!!
As the gale surged forward, Dugalio's long golden hair whipped wildly in the wind. But his expression didn't change.
With a snort, he raised both hands—curving them into claws—and reached out to grab the incoming slash.
WUMMMMM!!
The powerful slash, which could easily bisect a warship, struck his hands like crashing into a steel wall. The energy trembled violently in place, its momentum frozen midair.
Then—CRACK!
With a sudden jolt of strength, Dugalio snapped it in two.
The sword energy disintegrated into glowing light, scattering like fireflies.
"What… the hell was that?"
Nao's eyes narrowed.
It was the first time someone had dispersed his sword energy like that—and with brute force no less.
His gaze dropped to Dugalio's hands, now slick with blood.
So it came at a price after all.
But in the next second, Nao's expression changed again.
The wounds on Dugalio's palms began healing visibly—flesh knitting back together in seconds. Ten seconds later, his hands were completely restored—no blood, no marks.
That level of regeneration… That's not normal. Not for a human.
Nao stared up at the towering nine-meter hulk before him.
Could he have Giant blood?
Or is it like Kaido, a former test subject of the Marine research facility?
While Nao was thinking, Dugalio mistook the silence for fear.
He burst into a wide, malicious grin.
"A swordsman too, huh? That last slash had some bite."
He sneered, cracking his knuckles.
"But if that's the best you've got, it ain't nearly enough. Try harder, kid. I haven't even felt a tickle yet!"
SWOOSH!
As soon as he spoke, Dugalio charged—and this time, he drew the massive iron hammer on his back.
It was shaped like Kaido's kanabo—but even larger. Towering nearly three stories tall, it looked like something from a giant's forge.
Coated in Armament Haki, it cast a suffocating black shadow as it came crashing down toward Nao.
"You're dead, brat!!"
BOOOOM!!
The hammer slammed into the ground like a meteor. The entire street shuddered violently. The pavement exploded outward, and deep fractures raced across the city, swallowing buildings in their path.
Nao on the other hand, was directly sent flying by the impact, crashing through several buildings like a cannonball, finally coming to a violent stop when his body slammed into a giant steel statue in the center of the plaza.
In an instant, rubble flew, and dust filled the vast plaza.
"Well, well. That shut you up, didn't it?"
Dugalio snorted, resting the hammer on his shoulder.
He strode casually across the shattered street into the plaza.
"What, already turned to pulp?" he mocked. "That'd be disappointing."
He was one of the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates. There were barely a handful of people in the world who could take that hammer head-on and survive.
A little West Blue Rear Admiral? Not a chance…
CRUNCH!
Suddenly, the sound of shifting debris interrupted his gloating.
Dugalio squinted through the smoke—then froze.
A silhouette was rising slowly from the rubble.
Nao.
He stepped out of the dust, body battered but standing tall. Aside from a few rips in his clothes—there wasn't a single serious wound.
Even his chest, which had caved in from the hammer blow, was visibly expanding back out—like a sheet of memory steel snapping into shape.
What. The. Hell?!
Dugalio's eyes bulged in disbelief.
Even he couldn't tank that hit without transforming into his Zoan form. And this kid—this Marine brat—had just taken it full force and was still walking?
What the hell is this guy made of?!
"Not enough," Nao said flatly, spitting blood onto the ground.
A few teeth clattered out with it—but when he grinned again, his mouth was full, flawless.
"…Feels like getting scratched by a flea. Big guy, your toy club's still a long way from being enough to kick my addiction."
Addiction?
Dugalio frowned. What the hell was he talking about?
But then the next words hit like a bomb.
"…And now you've reminded me—about that sneak attack you pulled half a year ago."
Nao's eyes turned razor-sharp. "The one that almost blinded Gion."
His body flashed forward, appearing right above Dugalio's head.
"My wife—who's only ever taken one kick from me—almost died at your hands."
Nao's voice dropped to a murderous whisper.
"Just thinking about it pisses me off."
"So do me a favor—and…"
"Pay the price!!"
As Dugalio looked up in shock, Nao's twin swords crossed above his head.
And came crashing down.