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Kureha's scalpel moved with a chilling precision, laying Arthur's body wide open.
There was nothing bloody or cruel about it. It was simply the sacred work of a doctor before her patient.
Bone and viscera were now visible through the fine incisions.
But she wasn't finished. Small pillars suddenly rose from the operating table, lifting Arthur's body until he seemed to be floating in mid-air. Then, Kureha took up her scalpel again and, with one cut after another, nearly dissected his entire body.
The pulse throbbed. The heart beat with a powerful, steady rhythm. The skin of his chest and back was peeled open. You could not only hear the vibration, you could see it.
Arthur finally understood what she had meant.
To be fully conscious, yet to watch yourself be dissected like a lab rat—no sane person could accept such a thing.
From the corner of his eye, Arthur could clearly see his own dark red organs, exposed to the open air. He could even feel the powerful life force thrumming within his own body.
And the crucial part… Kureha's surgery was completely painless.
The sensation was utterly chilling.
Arthur simply closed his eyes, cleared his mind of all distractions, and allowed her to remake him.
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Sea Calendar 1503, mid-year.
East Blue, Cocoyasi Village.
"Waaah… Waaah…"
The morning quiet of the beautiful, peaceful little village was shattered by the cries of two infants. The village began to stir.
One by one, the villagers left their homes to begin their day's work. Some wondered where the crying was coming from but couldn't be bothered to investigate. The village sheriff, Genzo, began his daily patrol as usual.
It was only when he arrived at the front door of his childhood crush, Bell-mère, that he realized the source of the sound.
"Knock, knock."
Genzo knocked gently.
Bell-mère had returned from the Marines yesterday, and the news had made the bachelor, who had been single for thirty-odd years, ecstatic.
"Creeak…"
The wooden door swung open with a long, drawn-out groan.
A woman with a bandanna tied around her pink hair, a cigarette dangling from her lips, stepped out. In her arms, she held two children, one large, one small.
The three-year-old Nojiko, and the one-year-old Nami.
"Bell-mère!"
Genzo's face lit up. He glanced at the two children in her arms. "I heard you retired from the Marines. Are you staying in Cocoyasi for good now?"
Not long ago, in a battle between pirates and Marines, her entire unit had been wiped out. Her comrades were dead, and Bell-mère had lost all hope of survival. But then, on the battlefield, she had seen the three-year-old Nojiko clutching the one-year-old Nami.
Whether it was a surge of maternal instinct or a wave of compassion, a powerful will to live had suddenly bloomed within her. She had taken Nami and Nojiko back to Cocoyasi Village and had decided to become their mother, to raise them herself.
"Yeah, I'm retired," she said, a wide smile on her face as she looked down at the two little girls in her arms. "From now on, I'll be happy just staying at home and watching Nami and Nojiko grow up."
"It's good that you're not leaving. The seas have been rough lately. A few of those so-called 'Supernovas' have been causing quite a stir," Genzo said with a sigh, though he was mostly just happy that the woman he loved was no longer putting herself in danger.
"I don't care if they're Supernovas or not. If they come to Cocoyasi Village, I'll just send them flying," Bell-mère said, full of fighting spirit.
"Anyway, I brought back a fruit that you can't find here—tangerines. I'm going to grow tangerines and raise Nami and Nojiko."
"Hahahaha! Same as always, Bell-mère. So reliable," Genzo said, scratching his head.
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New World, the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates, aboard the Moby Dick.
The banquet was in full swing, the air thick with the smell of sake. Every man was drunk, with none of the usual tension of a pirate crew living on borrowed time.
With the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, as their shield, and with their powerful division commanders, no one had a single worry in the world.
"POPS! POPS!"
Just then, a lookout ran up, panting. "There's a pirate ship heading this way! It'll be here in five minutes!"
"Eh? They saw the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates and didn't change course? Another blind fool come to challenge us?"
Thatch, the fourth division commander, asked with surprise as he carried over a platter of food, his pompadour hairstyle catching the eye.
"This one seems a little different. I think it's that Supernova who made a name for himself in Paradise, Crocodile," Marco said, glancing up, before returning to his lazy posture.
The entire crew was unconcerned. Did they really think every Logia user was as powerful as the Thunder Emperor?
Five minutes passed in a flash.
The Moby Dick and Crocodile's pirate ship met, and a horde of pirates swarmed onto the massive deck of the flagship.
Whitebeard, who was in the middle of taking a drink from his gourd, cast a sidelong glance at Crocodile. "Hm? A good fighting spirit, brat. Are you here to become my son?"
The dismissive tone instantly sent Crocodile into a rage. But the gap between them was too massive to be closed by anger alone.
With a single punch, Whitebeard sent him flying into the sea.
The entire crew erupted in cheers for their father. Only Blackbeard Teach watched from the side, a strange, calculating look in his eyes.
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The first half of the Grand Line, the Hidden Land in the Clouds, Merveille.
The island was called a miracle because its highest point was even taller than the Red Line, which soared ten thousand meters into the sky. It was impossible to imagine how such a small island base could support such a massive peak.
Merveille had been occupied by the Golden Lion Shiki, who had lost all his ambition. He was now single-mindedly pursuing revenge for Roger, working with his crewmate, Dr. Indigo, to research "SIQ," a substance that could accelerate the evolution of animals.
It was a tragic sight—a former emperor, no longer relying on his own power, but pinning his hopes on such a scheme.
But today, an uninvited guest had arrived on the island.
One after another, terrifying sword slashes swept through the island, slicing through the tall trees and the SIQ-enhanced beasts that stood in their way.
"Who has the nerve to cause trouble in my territory?! One of those so-called Supernovas? Or is it that Mihawk?"
To be challenged on his home turf by a pirate of the new era, one he had always looked down upon—Shiki was apoplectic with rage. His Conqueror's Haki erupted, and an unimaginable pressure descended upon the island.
"The pinnacle of the sword. To become the World's Greatest Swordsman is the only reason I set out to sea."
The challenger's voice was cold.
It was Mihawk. He stated his conviction and without hesitation, swung his blade at the Golden Lion.
The great emperors and the near-forgotten legends of the old era were all being challenged by the new generation. And the Thunder Emperor had seemingly vanished from the New World, disappearing without a trace for nearly three months.
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