The Grand Line — somewhere near the Calm Belt.
A colossal island-ship plowed through the vast ocean, its enormous prow sculpted into the likeness of Bundy Walde himself. The carved 'W'-shaped mustache on its figurehead perfectly matched the real one on Walde's face.
This massive vessel, known as the Grosseadi, was the pride and obsession of the Walde Pirates' remnants—a project that had taken nearly thirty years to complete.
At its core stood a titanic main cannon, engineered specifically to amplify Bundy Walde's Momo Momo no Mi ability—a weapon capable of annihilating entire islands with a single strike.
Combined with his Devil Fruit power, the cannon embodied his infamous title: The World Destroyer.
But now, black smoke coiled above the once-lush trees on the ship's artificial island. Fires spread violently as the vessel sped across the sea.
"This Marine Admiral is a damn lunatic!" Walde snarled, his teeth gritted in rage. His upper body was wrapped in white bandages, and scorch marks marred his muscular torso.
Even his Armament Haki hadn't been enough to block Sakazuki's magma—his abdomen was still bleeding from a searing blow.
If not for his enhanced speed—fifty times faster thanks to his fruit ability—he would've been trapped and incinerated by Akainu's magma rain back on that island.
Though Walde's destruction cannon could obliterate ships and islands alike, the Marine Admiral's magma power was just as fearsome—pure, unstoppable annihilation.
Each time Walde fired his massive cannon, Akainu met it with a blazing magma fist, detonating the shells midair before they could reach their target.
In every measure—Haki mastery, Devil Fruit development, combat instinct, even sheer physical endurance—Akainu surpassed him.
During the chase, the Grosseadi had been struck by Akainu's Meteor Volcano, igniting vast sections of the ship-island and forcing the crew into desperate retreat.
Walde's pride burned even hotter than his wounds. This was his first time personally witnessing the terrifying power of the so-called Mad Dog Admiral.
Back when he'd been imprisoned decades ago, the name Sakazuki hadn't even existed in the Navy's upper ranks.
Now, to be hunted down by a younger generation—it was humiliation beyond measure.
After all, Bundy Walde was once a man who'd fought against legends—Garp, Sengoku, Roger, and Whitebeard—a pirate from an age of true monsters.
"Captain, please calm down! Your wound's reopening again!"
The Walde Pirates' ship doctor, Naichen, spoke in a trembling voice, her aged hands trembling as she tried to rewrap his bandages.
She had waited thirty years to see her captain again—imagining their reunion would be joyful. But instead, she was greeted by bitterness, hatred, and resentment.
Walde no longer looked upon his old crew with warmth. To him, they were traitors—cowards who'd abandoned him to rot in prison.
His heart had been frozen in rage, and now that rage consumed everything around him.
The old members—Binjack, Gairam, Sebastian, and Naichen—could only look at him with despair and heartbreak.
Back then, Walde had been ambushed by CP agents and lost all power to resist. His elder brother Binjack had made the painful choice to retreat with the remaining officers, hoping to preserve at least a flicker of hope—to someday free their captain.
They hadn't betrayed him. They had saved him, even if it took thirty long, merciless years.
They'd spent those decades scraping together resources, fighting pirates and bounty hunters alike, and pouring their lives into rebuilding the Walde Pirates—for him.
Their dream was the Grosseadi, this enormous ship-island that stood as a monument to their faith.
But their reward for all that loyalty was contempt.
Walde treated them like disposable pawns, his tone cold and commanding. Every word, every glance, was a lash of disappointment.
For the loyal crew who had sacrificed everything, it was agony.
Especially Sebastian, the giant fish-man. Once a towering figure of strength and pride, now he sat slumped and spiritless, his strength withering alongside his resolve.
He had spent three decades waiting for a human captain who no longer existed.
Was it worth it?
The man before them was no longer the Bundy Walde they had once followed with pride.
Their years of sacrifice, their unwavering faith—it all seemed like a cruel joke now.
Pathetic. Heartbreaking.
"You call yourself a doctor, yet you can't even heal a few burns quickly? What the hell do I keep you around for?"
Walde's voice was venomous. His glare cut into Naichen like a knife.
The old woman froze, her wrinkled hands trembling. She wore a pair of cloudy reading glasses, her eyes moist with tears.
This wasn't her captain anymore.
Unable to bear the pain, she turned and fled the room in silence.
"Cough—Walde! You've gone too far!"
A frail voice rose behind him. It was Binjack, his elder brother, nearly eighty years old now, leaning heavily on a cane as he scolded him.
"Do you have any idea what we went through all these years?!" he shouted, his voice cracking with fury and grief.
The effort sent him into a fit of coughing, his body trembling violently—he nearly collapsed right there.
For the first time, Walde's expression softened. Seeing his brother's weakened form tugged faintly at something buried deep within him.
But he still didn't apologize.
He turned his head aside and let out only a cold snort.
"Walde… you've changed," Binjack rasped. "You're not the man you used to be."
His tone shook, heavy with sorrow.
"Do you even know what Sebastian went through to help build this ship? He fought countless pirates and bounty hunters—lost both his eyes in the process! And Gairam, he devoted every ounce of strength to construct the Grosseadi, day after day, year after year!"
"Naichen spent her entire life using her medical skills to earn money—every coin went into this ship's construction fund!"
Tears streamed down Binjack's wrinkled face as his voice broke with rage.
"And now, look at you—snarling at everyone like some rabid dog! You've crushed the hearts of the very people who waited their whole lives for you!"
He pounded his cane against the floor, chest heaving with emotion.
Binjack might have been frail and sickly, but his mind was still sharp. His talent for analysis, communication, and intelligence gathering had kept the Walde Pirates alive for decades. Without him, they would've dissolved long ago.
"...Hmph."
Walde said nothing. He just looked at his brother's trembling form for a long moment, then turned away in silence.
Even as blood seeped through his bandages, he left the cabin without another word.
His thoughts were tangled.
Traitors? Comrades? Family? Subordinates?
He didn't even know what they were to him anymore.
Far behind the Grosseadi, a fleet of Marine battleships gave chase, led by a single man standing grim and unmoving at the bow—Admiral Akainu.
Sakazuki's expression was cold as the lava bubbling beneath his skin. His eyes locked on the distant shadow of the island-ship ahead.
He hadn't expected a vessel of that size to move so fast. Its propulsion system rivaled even the Marines' newest warships.
"I'll see how long that engine lasts," he muttered flatly, his gaze burning into the horizon.
He would not stop until Bundy Walde was captured.
Not only was Walde an escaped Level Six prisoner from Impel Down—he had also taken part in Souta Kiryuu's assault on the Holy Land. That alone made him unforgivable.
For the sake of justice—and vengeance—Sakazuki was determined to crush him, no matter the cost.
Even if it meant sacrificing his entire fleet, he would bring down the World Destroyer.