The sea was finally calm.
Fenric stood atop a massive wooden plank, chest heaving as he panted heavily. His face was pale, sweat streaming down, the look of a man pushed to the brink.
The creation of that super-giant tornado had consumed nearly all his strength—body and spirit alike.
Anyone else would have long since collapsed under such a burden. Fenric endured only because of his monstrous stamina and indomitable willpower.
After two hours of rest, he had recovered a fraction of his energy. Trident in hand, he strode across the waves, searching for Akainu and the others.
The Sabaody Archipelago lay destroyed. Without solid ground, Akainu and Fujitora had no place to stand. Both were Devil Fruit users—helpless "land ducks" once they touched the sea. In these waters, stripped of their powers, they were as good as dead.
By this point, the war was all but decided. Fenric had won.
With his own strength alone, he had crushed the Navy's fleet and razed an island to ruins. When word of this spread, his name would thunder across the seas.
Even so, he dared not relax.
Because one man still remained—Garp.
Unlike the others, Garp did not rely on a Devil Fruit. His reputation as one of the strongest in the world came from his sheer physical might. That made him far more dangerous.
Suddenly, movement stirred in the distance.
A voice cried out, "Ugh—!"
Garp broke the surface of the sea, dragging two limp figures onto a splintered log. Both men clung feebly to the wreckage, coughing and gasping.
They were Akainu and Fujitora.
Now, the Navy's top fighters looked like half-drowned dogs. They lay motionless, drained and unconscious.
Such was the curse of Devil Fruit users: once immersed in seawater, they became utterly powerless, weaker than ordinary men.
Hence the world's cruel nickname for them—land ducks.
Still, these "ducks" dreamed of ruling the seas. Such was the irony of the pirate era.
If Fenric bore such a weakness, he would never dare venture offshore. It would be safer to claim a mountain on land and reign there.
"Mundo!!"
Garp's face was grim as he spotted Fenric approaching. His voice strained as he declared:
"The Navy has lost!"
His quick surrender was not out of cowardice, but desperation—to keep Fenric from slaughtering Akainu and Fujitora where they lay.
Fenric said nothing. His gaze lingered instead on Akainu.
Sakazuki—The World Government Red Dog(*Aka(Red) Inu(Dog)).
The current Fleet Admiral of the Navy.
If Fenric struck him down here, the world would shake.
Garp felt the weight of that look and grew uneasy.
"Mundo… what do you intend to do?"
Fenric's tone was calm, but unyielding. "Master, take Fujitora and leave. As for the Akainu—I'll stay with him."
Garp's face darkened. "Mundo, do you truly wish to set yourself as the mortal enemy of the World Government?"
Fenric chuckled faintly, then asked, almost mockingly: "Am I not already? I heard it with my own ears—Akainu swore to kill me at all costs."
Garp froze, then grit his teeth. "Mundo, you understand Sakazuki's importance. If you kill him, the balance between Navy and pirates will shatter.
Without the Navy, who will hold back the New World's lawless monsters? The world will drown in chaos!"
Fenric nodded thoughtfully, then tilted his head. "And what," he asked softly, "does that have to do with me?
Don't forget, Master—I am a pirate."
Garp faltered, words failing him.
Fenric's voice hardened. "Master Garp, I will not spare the Akainu. At sea, you cannot stop me."
As a Reincarnator bound to his mission, Fenric could not be swayed by sentiment or warning. Sparing Garp was kindness enough.
For a moment, he had even considered killing him—yet chose not to. The mission would eventually move to later stages. Offending too many powerful figures now would only hinder him then.
Hearing his resolve, Garp's expression twisted with fury and helplessness.
Before he could speak again, Fenric raised his hand.
A surge of seawater rose like a living thing, sweeping Garp, Fujitora, and the broken log away, carrying them far from the battlefield.
Only Akainu remained, sinking helplessly into the depths.
Bubbles streamed from his mouth as seawater filled his lungs. The shock jolted him awake, but powerless, he could only sink deeper.
Fenric made no move to save him. He simply watched.
In truth, he bore neither hatred nor fondness for Akainu. In the original history, the man had killed Ace and gravely wounded Whitebeard. His cruelty was infamous.
Yet Fenric understood—if he himself were a Navy man, he would be no kinder to pirates.
To spare an enemy was to be cruel to oneself.
Soon, Akainu's figure vanished into the abyss.
For a Devil Fruit user, falling into the sea meant only one thing—death. Whether by drowning or by the fangs of the deep, the end was the same.
Fenric exhaled slowly. "Akainu… even if I hadn't struck you down, your fate would have caught up to you. Perhaps at the hands of Luffy, the story's hero. Better you die here, fulfilling my mission. May you at least escape hell."
His prayer was brief, perfunctory. Then he turned away.
In the distance, a ship approached.
It was the vessel of the Pirate Empress. The other Warlords of the Sea had long since fled.
"Lord Mundo!!"
On deck, Boa Hancock waved toward him shyly, her posture demure, like a timid bride.
Fenric smiled faintly, leapt, and landed gracefully on her ship.
"Hancock, do you have anything to eat? I'm a little hungry."
At the sound of her name spoken from his lips, the Empress trembled with joy, struck speechless.
In the end, her sister stepped forward with a quick bow. "Yes, Senior Mundo. Please wait a moment."