"This is all wrong…" a defeated voice said. It came from a young male still in his mid-teens, around sixteen. He had medium-length black hair and a serious face. He wore dark-coloured clothing, black and blue.

The other person in the room heard his words, but he had different thoughts: "Missions change all the time, but we can't falter because they clash with our morals," the other young marine bluntly added. Orders are absolute."

This one was of similar age and height of around eight feet (2.44 m), but he carried a vastly different air around him.

He wore a white coat over his white trousers, leaving his chest bare. His black hair messily ran down his face and around his bright, turquoise-coloured eyes. A scar ran down his left eye.

Both of them were bruised and bandaged up from previous battles that seemed to have occurred only days ago.

Their combined faction was known as the Marine Super Rookies, Monkey D. Dragon and Shinrai. Much like the Pirate Supernovas, these two had great potential, even enough to grasp the rank of Admiral!

[Dragon Image (in Discord)]

[Shinrai Image (in Discord)]

.

The two were chatting in a small room onboard a Standard Marine Ship en route alongside five other such ships. "I saw you once at Marineford. You seemed compassionate and timid. Just what made you so reckless?" Dragon questioned.

Shinrai deeply exhaled. His eyes narrowed at the memory of endless flames and great destruction around him. "I saw hell close-up and felt so pathetically weak," he cursed himself, clenching his fists. "I could only watch as a beacon of justice crumbled from the attack of pirates!"

Shinrai locked envious eyes with his colleague: "You have a strong stand in the Navy with your father being as powerful as he is. I don't have that. The only way for me to rise through the rankings is by completing missions without question!"

The young marine burned with conviction, passionately declaring, "I'll become an Admiral and lead entire fleets to ensure the world is peaceful!"

Dragon heard the bold words and had no intention of admonishing who they came from. Instead, he focussed on Shinrai's quest: "We both have very different views on peace."

…

Meanwhile, determination fueled the fleet as it sailed relentlessly toward the dark island of Yozora. Their mission: a military takeover for reasons shrouded in secrecy. Yet, even in their wildest imaginations, they could not foresee the ordeal that awaited them…

…

[Five Hours Later]

[Yozora Island, Dracule Estate]

"Hawk-chan, stay here. Your parents will protect you!"

The middle-aged woman led the child to the uppermost room, hugged him, and ran off on her own. Her mind had only two things to focus on: her child and her husband.

The woman's haste was warranted as five marine ships had arrived off the coast of the dark island. They dropped their thick metal anchors to the depths below, stopping completely.

Five hundred troops made their way down, holding a packed formation. They were greeted by a shroud of utter darkness, broken only by the occasional flicker of fireflies and the silvery gleam of moonlight reflecting off the still waters.

The air was thick with the stench of swamp and death, a nauseating mix that clung to their senses. The only sounds that reached their ears were the incessant chirping of crickets and the slow drip of water from the towering trees, creating an ominous symphony that made the hairs on their necks stand on end.

The marines looked toward Shinrai, the operation's deputy commander, and saluted: "Yes, sir!"

The half-thousand men began spreading out, a single battalion of a hundred troops staking the island sector by sector.

The supervising Vice Admiral nodded from the side, "Good work, Shinrai."

He then looked up and felt the perpetual darkness with speculation, "Such thick darkness makes everything eerie," the decorated marine murmured. "But where did all the pirates go? There aren't even any bodies."

Yozora Island was one of the many land masses outside of Navy jurisdiction that had been hit with the new wave of pirates spawned from the Scorched Sea War. Naturally, the Navy was on the island of darkness to liberate them of their troubles until the new orders arrived.

.

"Vice Admiral Orlov, there's a manor in the distance," Dragon's deep yet straightforward voice resounded, reporting the strange sight.

"Hmm, if there are natives, then that's where they'd be," Orlov concluded. He zoomed in on the distant structure and ordered, "The two of you are leading. I'll watch from the side."

Dragon and Shinrai nodded, and the two began a march to the castle, catching up with a hundred men. Along the way, they were graced with remnants of a vast fight with crimson soil, but once again, no corpses.

…

[Fifteen Minutes Later]

"Augh!"

"Euughh!"

"Guaaahh!"

"Kwauuah!"

Dozens of miserable cries echoed from a snail in Shinrai's hands. The young marine looked serious as his grip over his snail receiver tightened to almost breaking it: "That was the Fourth Battalion. We lost contact with them entirely!"

Dragon heaved a dull breath. He could feel it; someone was watching—a predator stalking his prey. The same enemy who had already taken out a battalion.

"!!!" The instincts drilled into the lad by his father spiked, zooming onto a sole shadow that had appeared atop a tree a few hundred meters away.

The hundred marines cocked their weapons, waiting for the order with hidden fear. Before they could speak, the distant figure's voice arrived: "You would be wise to turn around. Only death awaits your men here."

It was a cold voice lacking emotion. The sharp words sent chills down the marines' backs, forcing them to take a step back.

The walk to the forest had already been graced with battle, and now the marines were on the platter. Naturally, they were shaken up by this significant threat.

"Don't get panicky," Shinrai yelled from his position. "It's just one of him and a hundred of us!"

Dragon, however, took a more peaceful approach and called out to the distant figure, "If you lower your sword, we can all get out of this unharmed."

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The star marine didn't know who the person was, but he felt the piercing vision fall upon him like a waterfall. Just the gaze alone could force someone into a panic.

'I won't let any more men die.' Dragon knew the enemy was inspecting him and stood tall in return.

"A man must stand up for his values," the swordsman lightly spoke, but the hissing wind carried over his voice. "I will not watch as my home is taken away by the likes of you."

*Shing!* A bright flash went off, blinding the marines, followed by a loud grinding sound. But by the time they looked back, the figure had disappeared.

However, the Marines were more focused on the scar on the earth before them. As one of them pointed out, "I-It's a line!"

"Is it a warning?" Shinrai murmured, gnashing his teeth. "He's trying to intimidate us, push forward!"

"We don't know his capabilities," Dragon disagreed, waving his hand and halting the assault. "We should scout him out first, or we risk the lives of hundreds of men!"

Though his words only evoked a scoff from Shinrai: "You can barely see through this thick darkness. There's no point in sending scouts ahead." He then turned to the waiting marines and gave the command, ignoring his fellow super marine, "Continue onwards!"

"All other Battalions converge on the manor!" Shinrai finalized through his snail, much to Dragon's dismay.

…

The disappearing shadow had sent the marines with racing hearts. Still, they continued moving ahead—the ominous silence amplified the dread plaguing their minds. Soon enough, they had arrived at the castle with reinforcements imminent.

…

[Dracule Manor]

"And here I thought the Navy was on the side of the people," a disdainful voice graced the hundred marines.

Dragon, on the other hand, was left shocked. He looked past the thick darkness, making out the sole figure standing in opposition to the dozens of guns, swords and cannons. The man had all but one arm grasping an oddly thick katana, reflecting enough of the moonlight to unveil the aged face and chill-inducing yellow eyes.

*Drip* *Drop* Blood slipped the hold of the weapon, creating a dooming melody in the soldiers' ears—the blood of their fellow brothers-in-arm.

"Navy high command has seized this island and all of its assets," Shinrai proudly declared, matching the old man's eyes with his equally bright turquoise ones. "Do yourself a favour and stand down, or you will be taken down!"

Dozens of other marines roared alongside him, bolstering their morale; this was a mission of justice. Vice Admiral Orlov was present as well, looking at Shinrai with appreciation.

The swordsman, Dracule Vlad, didn't respond. He simply watched the marine's movements with his hawk-eyed vision. He sighed lightly and said, "Very well then."

*Vvooo* An ominous wind blew as the one-armed man disappeared into the darkness, spooking the soldiers.

Shinrai and Dragon jumped into action, spanning their instincts to respond to the inevitable threat.

"Above," Orlov warned, still leaning on a faraway tree.

.

"Night Sword Style: Midnight Shadow."

.

A gray-coloured slash erupted from the sky, cleaving through the darkness and toward the battalion.

"Take cove–"

Boom!

The attack rained heavily, taking out two dozen men who didn't react in time, bleeding away their cries with the howling winds.

*Vvoosh* Thud!

The air whistled once more as the one-armed swordsman appeared before another dozen soldiers. The marines nearby were all close-range units, choosing to charge at the man from all directions.

.

"Night Sword Style: Crescent Moon Slash."

.

The blade swung in a full circle, carrying zero forgiveness nor any hesitation. It sliced the air without difficulty, doing the same to the first neck it reached. *Swish* The fountain of blood followed behind the graceful blade before it claimed its second victim.

Blood splattered in a perfect circle, dyeing a dreadful design around the swordsman.

Vlad remained unwavering, but he was met with some offense:

.

"Graceful Gust!"

.

A whirling torrent of raging wind erupted from the side, blasting at the sole enemy with great precision. However, Vlad's weapon was more than ready to meet it:

.

"Night Sword Style: Dimension Slash."

.

The oddly thick blade ran downward with great speed, leaving a black trail of energy soon lost in Yozora Island's darkness.

The howling winds were like rabid beasts, roaring and barking to obliterate their target. Vlad's thick blade, however, silenced the assault with a simple slash.

"..." Yellow eyes peered past the center of the torrent as the two halves were divided past the swordsman, exploding toward the surrounding marines while leaving Vlad untouched.

Dragon clicked his tongue, seeing his attack fail. His boots dug into the dark soil, showing hints of hesitation.

"I see pity in your eyes. It will cost you." The whisper in his ears shocked Dragon to his core, but soon, his expression turned painful as he felt the guard of a blade dig into his side, jabbing at his liver and even cracking some lower ribs.

"Augh!" The young star was shot flying to the far right, his body bouncing over the ground and slamming into a leafless tree.

"We'll take you on!" Thirty soldiers ran in, half of them unloading their clips. Their clenched jaws and sweat-ridden faces conveyed the terror in their hearts, opting for them to carelessly pull the trigger.

Vlad zoomed in on the incoming blade, his incredible eyes tracing the projectile closest to him and watching in slow motion.

Five meters away, four, three, two…

*Voosh* The man flickered upwards, leaving the bullets to burst past his afterimage and into the crowd.

With a thud, Vlad landed as ten bodies fell from the crossfire.

…

At the edge of the battlefield stood a hurried Shinrai, calling out to his ally, "Dragon!"

He traced his hands over the injury, hearing Dragon's grunts and feeling the broken ribs. The pained expression of his sole friend left Shinrai furious as he rushed toward the enemy: "You'll pay for this!"

"How reckless," Vlad mused, seeing past the terrified marines and locking onto the incoming Shinrai.

A light whistle as the blade was raised, dripping with fresh blood. There wasn't even a tiny chance for the swordsman to miss this strike.

*Swish!* A simple yet unforgiving slash at Shinrai's throat. Vlad felt the flesh being cut, evident from the ever-so-slight resistance in his motion, alongside the blood that followed.

But there was something else…

"!!!" The swordsman was left shocked as the slice he was making, and the separation of the head was somehow mending itself! The spurting blood died down as new flesh took place before death could arrive.

*Shing!* Vlad met air—Shinrai should have been decapitated by now, yet no head thumped to the ground.

It was beyond unnatural.

'A Devil Fruit,' the man concluded, but it was too late.

"I told you you'd pay for this!" A furious Shinrai had taken the open shot to land a fist on the enemy's chest.

BAM!

Vlad grimaced from the punch at his chest; his aged body was easy to harm as he was sent flying across the ground and slamming into a hedge bush with significant momentum.

.

An ominous silence followed until the deep voice returned.

"Such a curse aging is," the old swordsman mumbled past bloodied teeth. Even in his injured state, he never looked away from Shinrai—the piercing yellow eyes tracked the young marine as he returned to Dragon's side.

Shinrai placed a hand over the broken ribs and lightly huffed, "I'll fix you up."

"Thank you, Shinrai," Dragon thanked, feeling his ribs remedy themselves. Within seconds, he was up and running, back to new.

Vlad ignored the pain as he eyed the enemy. The two yellow-ringed pupils vibrated as if the man was zooming into every fine detail: "It's not even some form of healing ability. Rather, he is simply undoing all the damage I did…"

Orlov's booming voice broke any further standstill: "You two, step back. This swordsman's power is a little beyond you."

Shinrai looked at the towering marine and couldn't help but cry out, "I can deal with him, Vice Admiral! Please give me a chance!"

His voice was laced with desperation. He was clawing for the chance to complete his mission with as much perfection as possible.

Orlov sighed at the star rookie's persistent eyes. He appreciated the drive toward justice, but there were limits to everything: "That's enough. Just take another look at your enemy."

Shinrai turned to the swordsman impatiently, but one good look brought pure shock to his face—Vlad's weapon was far too thick and bulky to be a katana!

"No way…" the young lad absently mumbled. "He was swinging a sword with the sheath still on!?"

Vlad, on the other hand, exhaled a tired breath. He gazed at his prized katana and the sheath that still encased it.

A dark image of the past flashed by his weathered eyes, snippets of the previous siege on Yozora Island that claimed the lives of almost all the other Dracule people.

He even remembered killing his brother with this same sword to alleviate him from the sickness born from infection to his wounds. "I vowed never to allow blood to spill on behalf of this blade, but now it seems I cannot honour those words."

Shing!

The air was sliced and cleaned under the unleashed blade. It had dark characteristics, was flooded with stars and had a design that encapsulated the night sky. However, there were marks of wear and tear from years of neglect.

"This is 'Yozora' of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords," Vlad introduced, holding the blade up at an angle to cover one of his eyes, allowing the other to peer past the ethereal blade. "Remember the blade that will cut you down."

[Sword Image (in Discord)]

.

The Vice Admiral growled and cracked his knuckles. The sight of the old man waving his treasured blade was akin to obstructing justice, a grave sin in Orlov's book.

"I didn't think such a masterful swordsman could live on this desolate island, Orororo!" the burly man said, appreciating his target. "Considering your lack of hesitation from cutting down so many marines, it is a good thing that we found you before you chose to stand against the World Government."

"I am Orlov, Admiral Basara's right-hand man. I suggest you surrender, old man!"

Vlad showed no change of expression; he stood still, his single arm grasping the sharp blade in the face of a battalion of marines, a Vice Admiral and the two star rookies.

*Fwwm* A thick coat of Haki was wrapped around the weapon, unveiling a dangerous luster. His razor-sharp yellow eyes locked onto Orlov, resembling that of a predator to its prey.

"You laid siege to my home," Vlad's indifferent voice cut the air like a knife. "Do not expect any mercy from this blade."

To Be Continued…