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Chapter 61 - 《One Piece: Magma of Absolute》Chapter 61: Barrett's Homeland

A sharp crack split the silence.

World's spine snapped with a brutal twist, his body folding into an unnatural inverted V. The black Armament Haki cloaking him faded in an instant. His eyes rolled back, body convulsing violently—each breath more ragged than the last, life slipping away.

Releasing his right hand, Sakazuki kept his grip on World with his left. He summoned his Devil Fruit power, and the ground beneath them turned to molten magma in a flash.

A gaping magma pit yawned open, plunging straight down to the fruit storage cellar. Dragging World's limp body, Sakazuki dropped through, landing amidst baskets of fresh fruit.

He hoisted World up with his left hand. His right, hardened with Armament Haki, clamped down on World's throat and squeezed.

The bones and flesh inside were mashed to pulp, the pirate's body giving one last violent shudder—then nothing. All life was gone.

Sakazuki activated his Observation Haki, scanning for any sign of change. His eyes lingered on the surrounding fruit. Three seconds passed... nothing.

He snorted coldly.

Still gripping World's corpse, a torrent of magma erupted from Sakazuki's body, blasting them both up through the earth to the surface. Where the fruit stand once stood, a magma crater several meters wide and deep now gaped.

Dragging World's body toward the center of town to rendezvous with Sengoku, Sakazuki suddenly froze.

Amid the scattered fruit on the street, something odd caught his eye—an oval-shaped fruit with a green stem curled at both ends and swirling cloud patterns circling its skin.

He tossed World aside and strode over, picking it up.

The linchpin of his plan... the More-More Fruit.

A sly smile tugged at Sakazuki's lips. The most crucial piece was finally in his hands.

His chest rippled with magma, opening a cavity in his broad torso. Inside, the magma rapidly cooled and solidified, forming a hidden compartment. He placed the fruit inside, then sealed the cavity with fresh magma, leaving no trace on the surface.

Still, that faint, satisfied smile lingered on his face—a rare sight for anyone who knew him.

He roughly rubbed his cheeks, schooling his expression. In his Observation Haki, he sensed Sengoku approaching—things must be wrapped up on his end.

Sakazuki walked over, hefted World's corpse once more, and went to meet Sengoku. The two reunited.

On the voyage home, several figures in black CP uniforms had joined the warship—spies who'd been embedded on World's crew.

Their original orders from the Holy Land had been to try to capture World alive. If that failed, his fate would likely follow the path of the original history: captured by CP two years later, his ultimate fate uncertain, then frozen and locked away in Impel Down for thirty years. Only when Blackbeard raided the prison would World break free and plunge the world into chaos.

But now, with Sakazuki having beaten him to death, there was nothing left but to haul back a corpse and report in.

Let's hope we don't get punished for this... the CP agents thought with a sigh.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Sengoku's warship glided into port. After a brief farewell, Sakazuki leapt ashore and made his way straight to the Marine Academy.

But in the principal's office, there was no sign of Vice Admiral Morris or Enel.

He asked a guard and learned that Vice Admiral Morris hadn't been to the academy for several days.

Sakazuki raised an eyebrow, a dark line flashing across his brow. Don't tell me...

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He hurried to Vice Admiral Morris's home.

As he approached, he could hear laughter echoing from inside. Sure enough...

He pushed open the door, and the sight that greeted him gave Sakazuki a headache.

The dignified Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, principal of the Academy, former leader of the iron-blooded hawk faction—was playing hide-and-seek with Enel.

This... was just childish!

Sakazuki called out, his face a mix of exasperation and amusement:

"Vice Admiral Morris, Enel."

Only then did the two, lost in their game, notice his return.

Vice Admiral Morris looked a little embarrassed at being caught. Enel just beamed:

"Uncle Sakazuki!"

Sakazuki nodded, then turned to Morris with a helpless sigh.

"Vice Admiral Morris, this is..."

Morris chuckled, "Enel just finished training. We're just playing for a bit."

Yeah, right... But when he glanced at Enel, the boy was filthy and sweat-soaked, his small frame noticeably sturdier than before. Clearly, he'd been working hard.

Only then did Sakazuki accept Morris's explanation.

"Alright, but I heard you haven't been to the academy in days."

Morris coughed, looking sheepish. "Mainly, those teachers Fleet Admiral Sora brought in—I was worried they wouldn't do a good job, so I've been keeping an eye on them."

Sakazuki shook his head. "Why not set up a special room for him at the academy? You can't keep spoiling him like this."

He turned to Enel. "What do you think?"

Enel was startled, then looked up at Morris with determination.

"Grandpa, I want to get stronger. That way, I can protect everyone—and you, too."

Morris gazed at the boy, lost in thought for a moment. Then he patted Enel's head, a soft smile on his face.

"You're right... A real man's journey should be out on the sea."

If he kept sheltering Enel, he'd only be holding him back.

He turned to Sakazuki. "Thank you for the reminder, Sakazuki. These past days, I—"

Sakazuki shook his head, signaling his understanding. The two men shared a knowing smile.

That evening, Sakazuki left Vice Admiral Morris's house, having spent the afternoon training with Enel. He walked through the quiet streets of Marineford, heading home.

Once inside, his chest rippled with magma. He drew out the More-More Fruit, found a spot on the floor, and activated his Devil Fruit power. A magma pit several meters deep formed, cooling rapidly as he buried the fruit inside. He sealed the ground, leaving no trace.

The next day, Sakazuki's personal warship set sail from headquarters once more, patrolling the seas and hunting pirates.

Three years later...

Derek Island.

The island's name dated back 170 years, to the founding of the now-vanished Derek Kingdom. After the kingdom's collapse, the land split into two nations: the Endless War Nation and the Kingdom of Galzberg.

For more than a century, the two countries had waged an endless war, neither side able to claim victory—so the island's name remained unchanged.

On this day, as a Marine warship docked in pursuit of pirates, the life of a certain boy on the island was about to veer wildly off its original path... 

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