Grand Line.
Belonging to the Hunter Family, the Archino Family.
Its leader was Don Archino, the Heat-Heat Fruit user.
He could freely control temperature, switching from one degree to ten thousand degrees at will, swimming in magma as he pleased.
Even anything he touched would instantly melt.
A man with terrifying power.
Karol put down the Den Den Mushi and looked toward the icy island.
Because of his Heat-Heat Fruit ability, Don Archino preferred living in places full of snow and ice.
With a sweep of Observation Haki, he instantly locked onto Archino.
Whoosh—
He appeared before the sleeping Don Archino.
His hand touched the man's skin.
Archino's eyes snapped open, his skin starting to turn red:
"What…"
Whoosh—
The two vanished from the castle.
...
"Who's there!!!"
Archino only got the last two words out.
By then, he was already on an uninhabited island.
The moment they arrived, Karol released his grip on Archino and retreated to the side.
Just that brief contact had burned him.
Archino's body was visibly turning red.
Like a blazing fireball.
A towering shadow blocked his vision.
Archino looked up, his heart sinking as a deep, cold voice rang out:
"Marine Headquarters Admiral, Sakazuki."
His expression darkened, his mind racing through whether he had clashed with the Marines recently.
But he only hunted pirates… there was no reason for the Marines to come after him…
Sakazuki said flatly:
"Stop thinking. You haven't offended the Marines."
"It's just that your power is far too dangerous."
Archino's burning body lit up the darkness of night.
The unbearable heat was nothing to Sakazuki.
Looking at that cold face, a growing sense of dread ran through Archino as he said in a low voice:
"That's not enough of a reason."
He instinctively backed away, taking up a fighting stance.
After all… a name carries weight for a reason...
Sakazuki said flatly:
"Not enough, huh?"
Archino's face turned grim:
"Is it?"
Buzz—
Twin orbs of blazing heat appeared in Archino's hands.
Inside was compressed, superheated steam.
Powerful enough to evaporate everything within range in an instant.
But he didn't throw them at Sakazuki.
Instead, he hurled them at the ground before him.
A burst of steam and dust exploded as he vanished into the white mist.
Propelled by the blast, he shot toward the edge of the island at rocket speed.
"Damn it! Damn it!!!"
"Faster!! Faster!!!!"
His power kept erupting in blasts of heat, carrying him like a living missile.
Sakazuki's right arm turned into magma, thick black smoke billowing as his cold gaze followed Archino's fleeing form.
Karol stepped forward, placing a hand on Sakazuki.
Whoosh—
The two vanished.
...
Far below, the island was now just a tiny black speck when Archino finally dared to look back.
"They didn't follow…"
But the moment he looked ahead, the figures of Sakazuki and Karol suddenly appeared in the sky before him.
Sakazuki's demonic, emotionless voice rang in his ears:
"Not enough, huh?"
Archino jerked in shock, trying to turn his head.
ROAR—
Somewhere in the void, a thunderous roar echoed.
Then came a brutal impact, smashing into him.
Even with his thick body absorbing some of the blow, his bones shattered as his body twisted under the pressure.
His mind went blank from the pain.
Archino's body was driven downward by a tiger-shaped shadow wreathed in black smoke, slamming toward the island below.
Sakazuki withdrew his fist, the magma reforming into an arm.
Karol activated his power.
Whoosh—
The two disappeared midair.
...
On the island below, Sakazuki's right hand was clad in Armament Haki.
As Archino, crushed beneath the tiger-shaped shadow, came hurtling down, Sakazuki caught him with one hand.
BOOM!!!
The ground split open into a crater.
Standing steadily in the pit, Sakazuki drove the Fruit Reclaimer into the unconscious Archino's body with his left hand.
His right hand pressed against the man's back, right over the heart.
RIP—
A heart, still pounding violently under a surge of adrenaline, was torn free and held in Sakazuki's hand.
Inside the Fruit Reclaimer, a Devil Fruit slowly began to take shape.
Sakazuki pulled his hand free and kicked.
Archino's body traced a perfect arc through the air before crashing into the sea…
Sakazuki weighed the heart in his hand, his palm glowing red.
SIZZLE—
The heart cooked in an instant, stopping its beating.
With a casual toss, he threw it deep into the island.
Then Sakazuki handed the Devil Fruit Reclaimer to Karol.
"Have you found the holders of the Hard-Hard Fruit and the Smelt-Smelt Fruit?"
Karol put away the Reclaimer and replied:
"The Hard-Hard Fruit user has been found."
"He's the captain of the Trump Pirates, Bear King."
"Recently, he captured an island in the East Blue as his base."
"He's enslaving the locals, apparently to build some kind of super cannon to take over the world."
"As for the Smelt-Smelt Fruit user, he's with the Silver Pirates—Birru."
"No trace of him on the Grand Line right now. The last intel on him was three months ago."
"Judging from his previous route, his destination should be the New World."
Sakazuki nodded.
"Go harvest Bear King first, then deliver all the Fruits to Punk Hazard."
"As for the Silver Pirates, have Demora keep an eye out for them in Sabaody."
Karol said:
"Understood."
...
East Blue, Clockwork Island.
The island had a single spiraling stone staircase winding upward.
Built for resisting pirates and fighting guerrilla battles.
At the top was a massive stone platform where people lived.
From afar, it looked like a gigantic wind-up key.
Originally meant to protect against pirate invasions, the staircase had become a prison when Bear King of the Trump Pirates stormed the island with his Fruit powers.
Now, instead of defense, the staircase prevented residents from escaping.
The secret elevator in the center was under his control, cutting off all retreat.
At dawn, as the sky began to lighten—
Whoosh—
Karol appeared on the shore of Clockwork Island.
A trace of weariness on his face, he looked up at the towering structure.
"Let's end this in one go…"
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total