Chapter 344: The Recollection of the One Piece World (V)
[To your surprise, the craftsmanship behind the wanted posters in this world is incredibly advanced—within just a few days, two new versions were released. They captured your image perfectly, even the star-shaped birthmark on the back of your neck was vividly visible.]
[As for the two enemies you're about to face... To be honest, you've crossed paths with Borsalino several times before, though neither of you ever fought seriously. Back then, you hadn't yet learned from Shanks what Devil Fruits really were—you simply thought they were some kind of superpower. His speed is astonishing, and he possesses formidable swordsmanship, kicking, and marksmanship skills. His strength is nearly on par with yours.]
[Sakazuki, on the other hand, is someone you've never heard of before. But since his rank is even higher than Borsalino's, it's obvious he won't be weak. You can already tell this will be a tough battle.]
[Over the next few days, you resupplied on this island, which you learned is called Drum Island, located at the front end of the Grand Line. The first half of the Grand Line is commonly referred to as "Paradise," meaning a paradise for rookies. With your current strength, there should be no one here capable of challenging you.]
[February 18, 1501—by coincidence, you once again encountered that ugly man Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, who had escaped from your hands earlier. This time, he was eating without paying! The moment he saw you, his first instinct was to run—but with a single time stop and a finger gun, you easily defeated him. You noticed that his physical combat skills and Haki were both quite impressive—his physical strength was certainly not inferior to Shanks'.]
[Now that your status had changed—from bounty hunter to something halfway between bounty hunter and pirate—you didn't really feel the need to kill him, though you didn't like him much either. You impulsively decided to rob his ship, only to discover that he was even poorer than you! He had actually arrived at Drum Island rowing on top of a wine barrel!]
[You could only wave him off in exasperation, telling him to get lost. Before he left, you even gave him some money for travel expenses! The guy wasn't entirely ungrateful though—before departing, he left you a Log Pose. Due to the chaotic hydrological and magnetic environment of the Grand Line, one can easily lose their way at sea. Each island has a unique magnetic field, and the Log Pose must record the magnetic signature of each island before pointing to the next.]
[Now this was something truly fascinating for an Oceanographer! You were intrigued by the principle behind the Log Pose—apparently, the islands and seas of the Grand Line contain abundant mineral deposits, causing the entire route's magnetic fields to fluctuate wildly.]
[During the following days, while you waited for the Log Pose to record the island's magnetism, you continued your training in both physical combat and Haki, focusing especially on practicing time stop. There was a massive species of murderous rabbit here called Lapahn—perfect targets for your training.]
[As the saying goes, once you master one technique, you can understand a hundred more. After grasping the key to physical training, you gradually mastered two techniques known as "Soru" and "Geppo." The former allows one to perform high-speed movement by stomping on the ground dozens of times in quick succession, producing explosive reaction forces that make it seem like you vanish from sight. The latter enables you to kick the air itself and move freely through the sky—undoubtedly taking your power to a whole new level. You have learned the skill Soru (Beginner).]
[Meanwhile, your mastery over time stop also improved significantly. You had always suspected that the duration of time stop was linked to physical strength—since a stronger body provides greater mental energy, thereby extending the time stop period. Just as DIO Brando, being a vampire, achieved a maximum time stop of nine seconds, while the human limit on Earth was only five seconds.]
[Through intense, grueling training, your time stop duration steadily lengthened. Although the cooldown remained the same—requiring you to catch your breath for a while—the active duration increased from two seconds to four, then six, and now eight. Perhaps before long, your physique might even surpass DIO's limit, allowing you to halt the flow of time for even longer.]
[February 28, 1501—once the Log Pose had recorded the magnetic field, it pointed northwest. You purchased another ship on Drum Island and set sail in that direction. However, to your misfortune, a large number of Marine warships were gathered up ahead. At the bow of one stood your old acquaintance Borsalino, alongside a burly young man in a "Justice" coat. Borsalino gave you a sly wink.]
["Sorry, little brother," Borsalino said meaningfully.]
[And in that instant—you realized—the other man was none other than Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Sakazuki!]
[Whether on Earth or in this world, the rank of Vice Admiral is already quite high within the Marines—above them are only Admirals and the Fleet Admiral. They are not to be underestimated.]
[Therefore, you had no intention of holding back. Right from the start, you activated your Stand ability, filling the entire sea area with fog. Using Geppo and Soru, you charged straight at the enemy. The Star Platinum floated behind you like a shadow, launching an all-out assault!]
[The battle that followed was fierce. With the restrictive power of your Fog-Fog Fruit and your near-broken time stop ability, you managed to suppress both Sakazuki and Borsalino. Sakazuki's Devil Fruit allowed him to transform into magma, vaporizing your fog—not exactly a counter, but enough to hinder your movements.]
[However, Borsalino was still holding back; his performance was even weaker than during your earlier sparring matches. Taking advantage of Sakazuki's ignorance, you focused your Stand ability entirely on him alone. As a result, he quickly fell into disadvantage—unable to perceive your Stand's presence, nor understand what was happening during the eight seconds of stopped time. He was forced into a purely defensive position, roaring in confusion and frustration as he suffered blow after blow.]
[If not for his highly developed Observation Haki, which allowed him to anticipate danger and elementalize just in time, he would have already died within your time stop. Even so, his body was soon covered in wounds.]
[The battle finally ended in your minor victory. After several consecutive time stops, your stamina was nearly depleted, but Sakazuki was gravely injured and had to be carried away by Borsalino. Most of the Marine fleet they brought was sunk in the process. (Mission Progress: Iconic Battle Scenes 2/5)]
[March 2, 1501—this unexpected encounter sent shockwaves throughout the seas. Everyone was stunned by your display of power. Borsalino had only just been promoted to Commodore and wasn't widely known yet, but Sakazuki was already regarded as one of the most outstanding Marines in recent years—a future Admiral candidate!]
[High combat power brings high bounties. A few days later, your bounty skyrocketed once again—this time, to an unprecedented 900 million Berries. In the latest issue of the World Economic Journal, a special article personally written by news tycoon Morgans listed you among the five most dangerous pirates to emerge in the half-year since the start of the Great Pirate Era—alongside Whitebeard, Big Mom, and others. "Dangerous and ruthless," the report called you. You couldn't help but laugh at yourself.]
[March 7, 1501—you arrived at the island following Drum Island: a nation called Alabasta, one of the original Twenty Kingdoms that founded the World Government. Covering over ten million square kilometers, the Log Pose required five days to record the island's magnetism.]
[To your pleasant surprise, you encountered Shanks again here. Having seen the news of you defeating Sakazuki and Borsalino, he had come specifically to find you.]