After crashing at Ryugu Palace for a while, it was time for Sakura and Tiger to say goodbye to Neptune and his wife.
Lately, government agents had been sneaking onto Fish-Man Island in droves. If the two of them got spotted, the whole island could be in deep trouble.
At the island's port, Sakura hopped onto a speedboat and waved to Tiger.
"Later, Uncle Tiger! No sappy stuff—see you on the high seas!"
That's how sea-faring folks say goodbye: short and sweet. As long as you're both still breathing, the ocean's big enough to bring you back together.
"Yeah, once I get our enslaved brothers and sisters settled in Fish-Man District, I'll hit the waves too."
"Don't let the World Government catch you. Catch you out there!"
Fisher Tiger grinned, throwing both hands up in a big wave.
The coated boat eased out of the dock. For the first time, Sakura got a full, jaw-dropping view of this miracle island.
She stretched her Observation Haki over everything, trying to burn the moment into her memory—then suddenly brushed against another gentle presence.
Looking up, she saw the queen sitting in the island's brand-new school, silently waving goodbye.
"Man, that's nice. Wonder how many more chance meetings like this are waiting for me out there."
Sakura pumped a fist—you got this!—then spun around and hoisted the speedboat's sail.
"Set sail!"
[Hell yeah~]
"Haha, you dork, System!"
The coated boat dove into the deep, heading for Sakura's first stop on her world tour: the North Blue.
The North Blue sky was crystal clear, but a white streak zipped across the surface.
Underneath, the speedboat built by Fish-Man Island's top shipwright, Den, was hauling ass.
Sakura had named it Leviathan. The whole thing was crafted from the fallen roots of the Sunlight Tree Eve, and its killer feature? It had the living properties of the Sunlight Tree!
Paired with the mini-coating device Den installed, the boat could generate its own bubbles without a mechanic's help.
That meant she could dive or surface whenever she wanted, no sweat.
"Now I just gotta figure out how many points it'll cost to take this baby home…"
Lounging in a deck chair, Sakura flipped through the Fish-Man Karate manual she'd snagged from Ryugu Palace.
Her other hand was jacked into the boat's power system, using her Heat-Human Fruit to convert thermal energy into mechanical push.
[Detecting host request. Valuing item…]
[Report: Transporting this vessel requires 800 Achievement Points!]
[Additionally, achievement unlocked: Liberator. +600 Achievement Points.]
[Current balance: 600]
"Hang on—what?! System, you thieving jerk, you skimmed my points?!"
[Please do not slander this unit. This unit has never stolen host Achievement Points!]
"Then where the hell are the 400 I had left?!"
[Initiating scene replay!]
A soft glow flashed in front of Sakura's eyes. The frame froze on that night during her fight with Satan, when she roared: "System, activate Weather Sovereign!"
[Explanation: Weather Sovereign costs 100 Achievement Points per minute. Host used it for 4 minutes 11 seconds. After rounding down, 410 points deducted.]
"Hey, so I should thank you, huh?!"
[You're welcome.]
While Sakura bickered with the System, a massive ship suddenly appeared on the horizon.
[Alert…]
"Yeah, I see it!"
Her Observation Haki exploded outward, stretching miles in a blink and locking onto the ship far beyond normal sight.
The image sharpened instantly. A pirate ship sailing the waves.
The most eye-catching detail? The sail.
A skull with three scars over the left eye, two crossed swords behind it.
"Oh! Old friend incoming!"
Sakura planted one foot on the gunwale, striking a cocky pose.
Out on the water, aboard the Red Force…
The Red Hair Pirates' sniper, Yasopp, picked up the speedboat too. He turned with a smirk and yelled into the cabin: "Hey, Shanks! Pink-haired girl in a speedboat closing in fast—underwater!"
Thud thud thud!!
Heavy, frantic footsteps. The still-half-drunk man snapped wide awake, face lighting up like a kid on Christmas.
"Ooooh~"
The whole Red Hair crew let out a chorus of teasing whoops.
"Shut it, you clowns!"
Shanks spun around, shark-toothed grin bared, fist raised.
Didn't scare them one bit. The only sane one, Ben Beckman, lit a cigarette and asked, "So, what's the play?"
"Do you even have to ask? Steer us right at her!"
Shanks barked at the helmsman. The entire pirate ship veered hard, barreling toward the speedboat.
The two vessels closed fast. In seconds, they were less than a hundred meters apart—then the speedboat breached the surface like a missile.
Griffin slung over his shoulder, black cape billowing, the red-haired man stood at the bow, looking down at the girl.
"Hey! Former Pirate King crew, Witch of Ohara, Liberator of Slaves—Lady Haruno Sakura! How 'bout you become my right-hand woman?"
Zero hesitation, huge grin—he ignored the groans from his crew and threw out the invite.
Ben Beckman, standing nearby, face-palmed and took a long drag. "Sorry, I hate getting interrupted on the road, Shanks!"
Sakura folded her arms, aura just as intense. "Hard pass."
"Aww, that's a shame…"
Their eyes flashed with Observation Haki.
"But Sakura! I'm a pirate—and treasure left in front of a pirate gets plundered!'
He yanked Griffin from his hip and leaped off the ship.
"Got cocky in a few years, huh? Come take it if you can!"
Thermal currents spiraled around her hands. A massive storm sword materialized. Sakura vaulted high from the speedboat—
BOOM!
Two blinding beams collided without warning. A torrent of black lightning blasted both ships apart.
On the Red Force, Lucky Roux got plastered against the mast by the gale, one hand clamped on his bandana.
"Yo, doesn't Shanks have a crush on her?! What the hell is this?!"
He yelled at the vice-captain.
Beckman leaned on the mast, cigarette in hand, and sighed. "Probably why he'll never land her…"
The guy's brain was 90% fighting. Who woos a girl like this?
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions ripped from the center of the sea. Then bone-chilling cold erupted skyward, flash-freezing the entire area into a snowy wasteland.
Shanks and Sakura stood dead center on the ice, swords locked.
"You've powered up big time. No wonder you stormed that place and walked out in one piece!"
Shanks lightly touched a fresh mark on his left arm—the one holding the sword.
"But if that's all you've got, you're coming aboard my ship today, nice and quiet!"
Spin—
Shanks flicked his blade. A razor-thin, impossibly fast slash shot from the tip—too quick to track, materializing right in front of Sakura.
"Learned to talk pretty smooth, huh, Shanks? Here—have it back!"
Sakura slammed her storm greatsword into the ice. She cranked the thermal cycle to max, forming a high-speed vortex.
Shanks' flying slash got sucked in the moment it touched the blade—then fired right back out under her control.
Shwick!
Shanks' Haki screamed. He twisted—just in time. The redirected slash carved a nearby iceberg clean in half.
"Your fruit's thermal interference—what the hell was that?!"
No more ranged slashes. Shanks charged in close, Griffin howling.
Black lightning crackled around him. The blade screamed, sharp enough to cleave steel.
"The power of knowledge, baby! Hahaha!"
Sakura yanked her storm sword free. A spark ignited inside the vortex.
This was fruit development she'd cooked up after fighting Satan—countering his venom-coated spikes.
Instantly, the thermal flow shifted. A burning Möbius strip rose along the blade in prismatic light. Pure light and heat blazed from the edge.
Heat-Human Fruit · High-Temp Mode · Ascending Torch!
A tidal wave of flame surged, swallowing Shanks whole.
Near-infinite, terrifying heat kept climbing. Even the ice Sakura herself made started steaming.
Far off, the frozen Red Force crew screamed from inside the ice block:
"SHANKS!!!"