After docking his boat on the shores of the blazing island, Ryu sprang from the boat and landed upon the scorched earth with effortless grace. The moment his feet touched the ground, a wave of heat crashed against him like a raging sea beast.
His sharp eyes swept across the island, and what he saw caused his expression to darken. Homes were reduced to smoldering rubble, the streets drowned in ash and smoke, and even the civilian settlements had not escaped destruction. The once lively island now resembled a kingdom dragged through hell itself.
Flames danced wildly beneath the darkened sky as the wind carried the ashes through the air. Ryu slowly narrowed his eyes, his hand drifting toward the hilt of his blade.
"What the hell happened here…? Did pirates were bold enough to attack this island! Where the hell were the Marines?! This entire place was left to burn… and they call themselves protectors of justice?!"
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed across the ruined island, answering Ryu's questions from somewhere unseen. The unexpected reply caused his eyes to sharpened as his hand instinctively tightened around Chi Hime's hilt.
"Pirates didn't reduce this island to ashes, boy… the ones who did this were the Marines themselves."
"WHOOSH!"
Before Ryu could even respond, a violent gust of wind suddenly exploded before him, roaring like a raging tempest. The sheer force of it pushed him backward several steps as his kimono whipped wildly in the air. His eyes narrowed sharply while dust and debris spiraled around the ruined island like a storm announcing the arrival of something monstrous.
All of a sudden, a man wearing a deep green cloak stepped out of the violent gust of wind right before him. A hood shadowed most of his face, yet the crimson tattoo etched across the left side of his visage stood out like a burning scar. The air itself seemed to grow heavier the moment he appeared, as if even the winds feared his presence.
Ryu's hand clenched the hilt of Chi Hime hard as he lowered his body into a sharp, battle-ready stance. His eyes locked onto the mysterious man beneath the green hood, every muscle in his body tightening like a drawn bowstring.
His instincts screamed at him to turn around and run—to flee this place without looking back. But Ryu gritted his teeth, forcing down the fear clawing at his chest.
"No way…" he muttered under his breath, his gaze hardening. "I'm not running from anyone."
The wind howled between them as the two stood locked in silence, the tension thick enough to split the sea itself.
'This guy… he's a monster. A real monster! Just standing in front of him makes me feel like some helpless rabbit staring down a Sea King! My whole body's screaming at me to run… and worst of all… my instincts are telling me he's far stronger than even Grandfather!'
Ryu swallowed hard, his throat turning dry as cold sweat trickled down his face. Every instinct in his body screamed danger. Still, he tightened his stance and prepared himself for battle, refusing to show even a shred of fear.
The man merely stared at him for a moment before a faint grin spread across his face, as though he had found an amusing toy. His sharp eyes locked onto Ryu, filled with overwhelming pressure, before he finally spoke in a calm yet intimidating voice.
"Heh… I can see it in your eyes, boy. You already know you don't stand a chance against me. So why haven't you turned tail and run? Instead, you're gripping your Sabre like you actually plan to fight me."
Ryu smiled at the man but his eyes is sharp while watching him intently.
"If I turn my back and run now… then I'll never be worthy of chasing the pinnacle of swordsmanship! A swordsman who abandons his resolve in fear isn't worthy to be called a Swordsman."
The man let out a low chuckle at Ryu's words, his sharp gaze narrowing with clear interest as though he had just stumbled upon an amusing little monster in the making.
"Heh… easy there, boy. I ain't got any intention of harming you." The man raised his hands casually beneath his deep green cloak, his sharp eyes gleaming with amusement as the wind howled around them.
The man slowly turned around, his cloak fluttering in the air as his eyes swept across the ruined island before him. Flames still danced among the shattered buildings, smoke rising endlessly into the heavens. A deep sorrow flickered in his gaze, and after a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh filled with weariness and regret.
"As I told you before… the ones who turned this island into a sea of flames weren't pirates. It was the Navy itself… they unleashed a Buster Call and wiped everything away without mercy."
Ryu's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the man's words and said to him.
"Buster Call… I remember hearing my old man ramble about it a few times whenever he got drunk off his ass… but back then, I never paid much attention to his words."
The cloaked man's brows lifted slightly at Ryu's words. For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his calm expression, before fading into something sharper—amusement mixed with growing interest.
"Heh… your old man sounds like he knew his way around the seas. Must've had made quite a name of himself in his younger days to know something like that."
Ryu let out a low chuckle, the sound carrying a sharp edge of pride at the mention of his grandfather, his eyes gleamed with a fierce light.
"Come with me, boy," the man said calmly, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade drawn in the dark. "Walk beside me… and in return, I will answer every question you have."
Ryu gave a light shrug and fell into step behind the cloaked man, his sandals crunching over shattered stone and ash-scorched earth.
As they ventured deeper into the ruins, the devastation only grew worse—broken timbers jutting from collapsed homes, smoke still curling lazily into the sky like lingering ghosts of a forgotten battle.
Ryu's gaze sharpened, scanning the wreckage as he finally spoke, his voice low but steady.
"Why would the Navy wipe out an entire island…?" Ryu's voice tightened, disbelief cutting through his words. "Aren't they supposed to protect people…?"
His eyes sharpened, shifting toward the ruined horizon.
"And what the hell is a Buster Call?"
The cloaked man's eyes sharpened, a flash of anger cutting through the calm like a drawn blade. For a brief moment, the air around him grew heavy, as if the very wind hesitated to breathe.
Then, just as quickly, he exhaled.
The tension in his shoulders loosened, and his gaze dropped slightly.
He looked back at Ryu, voice lower now, steady but edged with restraint.
"Buster Call…?" the cloaked man said calmly, as if weighing the words in his mind. "It is a military operation used by the Navy."
His tone darkened slightly.
"A fleet of ten battleships is deployed… and five Vice-Admirals lead the assault. Once it is issued, the target must be erased without mercy."
"The fleet unleashed its full might without mercy. Cannon fire rained down in relentless waves, tearing through the target's defenses and reducing everything in its path to ruin."
"Buildings collapsed into dust, forests were scorched to ash, and the very land itself was scarred beyond recognition. Nothing is spared, nothing remained untouched."
"By the time the bombardment ceased, the island lay in silence—utterly erased, with not a single trace of life left behind."
Ryu's eyes widened at the revelation, his breath hitching for a brief moment. He forced himself to inhale deeply, steadying the chaos rising in his chest before it could spill into his actions. Slowly, he exhaled, regaining control, his gaze sharpening with renewed focus.
"…I see," he said at last, his voice lower and calmer than before, though still edged with tension.
"I've heard my grandfather say the World Government is corrupt… but I never imagined it ran this deep."
The cloaked man let out a low chuckle, but there was no warmth in it—only something hollow, distant, like a memory that had long since turned to ash. For a brief moment, his gaze drifted away, as if slipping back into a past he no longer wished to acknowledge… a certain event that had carved itself permanently into his life, reshaping everything he once believed.
But the silence was abruptly broken.
"TAP!,TAP!, TAP!"
Clear. Deliberate footsteps. Closing in.
Both of them instinctively turned their attention toward the source, the air around Ryu growing heavy as the unseen presence drew nearer, but the cloaked man gave a small smile as the footsteps were getting nearer and nearer.
"TAP!, TAP!"
Ryu's jaw went slack the moment the figure stepped into view.
The man emerged from the ruins like something out of a nightmare—towering and bizarrely disproportionate, his head far too large for his frame, as if the world itself had misdrawn him. For a second, Ryu's mind refused to accept what his eyes were telling him.
Then instinct gave way to shock.
He jabbed a trembling finger forward, voice cracking as he shouted,
"W-What the hell is with that's guy's head?!"
The green-cloaked man let out a low chuckle, his shoulders shaking slightly with amusement as he watched Ryu's stunned reaction.
But the atmosphere shifted in an instant.
The man with the enormous head snapped forward, veins bulging as his face twisted in fury. "Hey! You think this is funny?!" he roared, his voice echoing sharply through the ruined surroundings as he glared daggers at Ryu.
"I am a genius scientist, you brat!" the man snapped, his voice sharp with pride. "This oversized head of mine isn't a curse—it's the power of a Devil Fruit!"
He tapped his temple with a smug grin.
"The Brain-Brain Fruit. The more I learn… the more I study… the larger my intellect grows—literally!"
Ryu was speechless upon hearing this and said.
"The world is really a big place than I ever imagined… filled with wonders beyond reason," Ryu muttered, eyes scanning the man's big head in amazement.
"I never thought a Devil Fruit like the Brain-Brain Fruit could even exist…"
The green-robed man let out a low chuckle, his voice carrying a teasing edge as it echoed through the ruins. With an amused tilt of his head, he turned his gaze toward the man with the massive, exaggerated skull-like head and raised a hand in casual greeting.
"Dr. Vegapunk it is good to see you my friend."
Dr. Vegapunk smiled and nodded to the green cloaked man.
"Good to see you too Dragon, who is this disrespectful boy?"
Ryu rolled his eyes at Dr. Vegapunk and replied.
"My name is Miyamoto D Ryu."
Dragon's eyes narrowed the moment he heard the Ryu's name. For a brief instant, a subtle smile crept across his face, so faint it almost didn't exist at all.
Ryu, unaware of the shift in the man's expression, pressed on without hesitation, his voice steady as he continued speaking.
"You still haven't answered me, Dragon-san," he said, eyes locked in suspicion. "Why would the Navy go as far as to destroy this island?"
The air seemed to grow heavier at the mention of the incident Dragon's face darkened as the trio walked deeper into the ruins but the who answered Ryu's question was Dr. Vegapunk.
"Because the archaeologists of this island dared to dig into the Void Century, the World Government issued its absolute prohibition—any research into that forgotten era is forbidden."
Ryu was confused and continue to ask.
"What is the Void century? And why the World Government forbid the research on it?"
Dr. Vegapunk glanced at Ryu for a moment and sighed.
A faint, knowing silence passed over the cloaked man before he finally spoke, his tone low and heavy, like the weight of buried history itself.
"The Void Century… is a hundred years of history that has been erased from the world's record," he said.
Ryu's eyes sharpened. "Erased?"
The man gave a slight nod.
"Anything that happened during that time… kingdoms, wars, alliances, even names—none of it exists in the official history. It's as if the world itself was rewritten."
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"And the reason the World Government forbids its research… is simple."
He turned his gaze toward the ruined horizon.
"Because the truth of that century threatens the very foundation they stand on."
Ryu's fist slowly tightened.
"So… they're hiding something."
The cloaked man didn't answer immediately. When he finally did, his voice was colder than before.
"No."
A pause.
"They're hiding everything."
"This island… it was once known as Ohara—the greatest library the world had ever seen," Dr. Vegapunk said quietly.
"Scholars from every corner of the seas would journey here, drawn like moths to a flame… all in pursuit of knowledge, all eager to study the truths hidden within these halls."
"The archaeologists of Ohara once chose to defy the world's greatest taboo and unravel the secrets of the Void Century."
"But that pursuit of forbidden truth became the very reason their homeland was condemned… and erased in fire and silence."
Dr. Vegapunk sighed heavily in his heart and continued.
"Even my good friend Dr. Clover died here yesterday."
Dragon gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw tightening as his fist slowly curled at his side. A heavy silence pressed against him, as if even the wind dared not speak.
In his mind, the image of the gentle scholar resurfaced—Dr. Clover. The old man's calm voice, his unwavering conviction, the quiet dignity of someone who had devoted his entire life to the pursuit of forbidden truth.
Dragon's eyes sharpened beneath the shadow of his brow. The memory wasn't just painful—it was a reminder. Of what had been lost… and what still needed to be challenged.
When the trio finally reached the edge of a pond, Ryu came to a sudden halt.
His jaw dropped.
He blinked once… then again… as if his mind refused to accept what stood before him.
In front of the trio, a colossal figure stood knee-deep in the pond, casually retrieving books as if they were seashells scattered along the shore.
The giant's presence was overwhelming—so massive that even the surrounding ruins seemed like mere shrubs beside him. Each movement sent ripples across the water, and droplets slid off his fingers like rain off a cliff face.
Ryu froze.
For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
The giant's wild orange hair and thick beard cascaded down and wrapped around his face like a roaring lion's mane, each strand swaying as if it had a life of its own. His presence alone felt like a storm carved into flesh and bone, towering over everything in sight.
Ryu mind refusing to process what he was seeing. For a few long seconds, not even his breath moved.
Then reality snapped back into him.
"W-WHAAAT?!"
His voice thundered through the surroundings, bouncing off the air like a crashing wave as he roared at the top of his lungs. Shock and disbelief twisted his expression, overwhelming him completely as if reality itself had just been ripped apart in front of his eyes.
Ryu's eyes shot wide open as he took a step back, his voice cracking in disbelief.
"This guy… he's ridiculously huge! How is something like that even exist? Don't tell me… he's another Devil Fruit user like Dr. Vegapunk!"
Dragon's lips curved ever so slightly, a rare trace of amusement flickering in his usually stern gaze as he observed Ryu's reaction.
Beside him, Dr. Vegapunk let out a soft chuckle, his shoulders bouncing faintly as he watched Ryu with clear amusement, as if the boy's reaction was yet another fascinating experiment in human curiosity.
"He didn't eat any Devil Fruit, Ryu-chan," Dr. Vegapunk said with a calm, almost amused tone. "That man is a Giant by birth… one of the proud warriors of the Giant race that exists in the Grand Line."
Ryu froze for a moment, the words still echoing in his mind. Slowly, his gaze drifted upward toward the towering giant before him.
His eyes widened, brimming with pure awe as disbelief melted into fascination, as if he were staring at something straight out of legend.
The giant paused mid-motion as Dr. Vegapunk's words reached him. Slowly, the towering figure lowered his massive head, his orange mane-like beard swaying as he bent down with a deep creak of movement.
His eyes, vast as storm clouds, settled on Ryu.
For a brief moment, everything went silent—only the distant rustle and the faint ripple of the pond could be heard.
Ryu suddenly felt as if the entire sky had leaned closer to examine him.
"Dirishishishi!" the giant roared, his laughter booming like thunder as it rolled across the area.
"You little boy… haven't you ever laid eyes on a giant before?"
Ryu shook his head.
The boy's eyes sparkled with unfiltered awe as he stared up at the towering figure before him, his voice rising with excitement and disbelief.
"No… you're the first giant I've ever seen! What's your name?"
The giant gave Ryu a wide friendly smile and replied.
"My name is Jaguar D Saul little one."
Ryu looked confused upon hearing his name.
"You've got the same 'D.' in your name as me… but I seriously doubt we're related!"
"DIRISHISHISHI!! I was born with this name, little boy! Don't ask me what it means, cause even I haven't got the slightest clue!!"
Saul let out another booming laugh, "DERISHISHISHI!" before turning his massive body back toward the pond. Without another word, the giant continued scooping the drenched books from the water one by one, his enormous hands moving with surprising care.
At that very instant, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the area.
"TAP!, TAP!, TAP!"
The group quickly turned their heads toward the noise, only to see a young man in his early twenties staggering their way, swaying left and right with every step. A bottle of booze dangled loosely in his hand as he kept chugging from it without a care in the world, his face already flushed red from the alcohol.
The man looked like a rogue, with long dark-brown dreadlocks swaying wildly behind him, each strand decorated with tiny beads and odd trinkets that clinked softly as he moved. A braided goatee framed his grin, while thick kohl circled his sharp eyes, giving him the look of a dangerous pirate who had seen countless storms at sea.
A faded black-and-red bandanna rested over his head, while a loose white shirt hung open under a worn blue waistcoat. Around his waist was a rugged sash stuffed with odds and ends, and hanging at his side were a polished pistol and a curved sabre that looked more than ready for battle.
He swept his gaze over Ryu and the others, then lowered himself into a refined bow, moving with the kind of elegance that felt strangely out of place in the rough seas.
"BOHOHOHO! Greetings, gentlemen! The one standing before ya is none other than the great, the magnificent, the unbelievably fabulous Captain Jack Sparrow!" He threw his arms wide dramatically, his grin stretching ear to ear as his coat fluttered behind him like a pirate king making his grand entrance.
The entire group stared at Jack like he had just crawled out of the weirdest corner of the sea, their faces twisted with confusion and disbelief. But unlike the others, Ryu's eyes suddenly began to sparkle the moment they landed on the sabre hanging at Jack's waist.
'EH?! A SABRE?!'
The boy leaned forward eagerly, his fighting spirit practically bursting out of him as he looked ready to challenge Jack to a duel right then and there—only for his momentum to screech to a halt when Jack suddenly threw his head back and yelled in complete disbelief.
"WHAAAT THE HELL?! A FREAKIN' GIANT?! A REAL, LIVE GIANT?! SO THEY REALLY DO EXIST ON THE SEAS?!"
Jack Sparrow jaw nearly crashed into the ground as stars exploded in his eyes with pure excitement. He pointed wildly at the towering Saul, practically bouncing in place like an overhyped idiot.
"THAT'S INSANE! OI, BIG GUY! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!"
Without missing a beat, he slammed a fist against his chest with a huge grin stretching across his face.
"YOU'RE WAY TOO AWESOME TO WANDER AROUND ALONE — JOIN MY CREW!!!"
Saul stood still for a moment then he threw his head back and burst into booming laughter, "DIRISHISHISHI!" The giant's massive voice thundered across the area as he grinned widely at the fiery excitement sparkling in Jack's eyes.
"I like you, little human… " he said. "But sorry I've got no interest in becoming a pirate."
Jack sighed in disappointment then shrugged while chuckling.lightly.
"BOHOHO… that's a shame," he said while scratching the back of his head with an easy grin. "I kinda like you, y'know."
His expression softened for a brief moment before drinking from his booze bottle and shrugging carefree as ever.
"But forcing someone into my crew? That's not my style at all. A pirate crew's gotta be free… if you're not coming of your own will, then it's no good."
Jack swept his gaze over Ryu and the others, a crooked grin tugging at his lips as he spoke in a laid-back, swaggering tone.
"Gentlemen,… I am sure this is Ohara, right?"
Jack's eyes drifted slowly across the shattered ruins and scorched earth stretching out before him. His posture still carried that familiar swagger, almost careless at a glance—but his gaze told a different story.
Behind his eyes, something darker stirred.
The scent of ash, the broken silhouettes of what once stood proud… it all clawed at memories he had long tried to bury. For a brief moment, the world around him faded, and the echo of his childhood bled back in—painful, uninvited, relentless.
His expression didn't break.
But his eyes… his eyes grew colder, keener, like a blade half-drawn from its sheath.
"I came all the way Ohara to read up on navigation… can anyone tell me what the hell happened to this place?!"
Saul let out a heavy, sorrowful sigh, his expression softened, eyes dimming with quiet sadness as he looked at Jack before answering.
"The World Government has issued a Buster Call on Ohara…" the voice said grimly.
"…what you're seeing before you is the aftermath. This island has been reduced to ruin by the full force of the Buster Call."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence, heavy with the weight of annihilation—silent testimony to the absolute power of the World Government.
Jack's eyes darkened, a crimson hue bleeding into his gaze as fury surged through him. His shoulders trembled, not from fear, but from the weight of buried memories clawing their way back to the surface.
The past he had long tried to forget came crashing down all at once—sharp, relentless, suffocating.
"GRAAAH—!!"
His roar tore through the air, raw with rage and pain, shaking the very ground beneath him as emotion finally broke free from restraint.
"Damn you… you World Government dogs…!" he spat on the ground and threw his booze bottle at the ruins, eyes blazing with rage..
"I swear it… even after I die… I will keep cursing you!"
Ryu and the others froze at Jack's sudden outburst, his voice tearing through the air with raw fury. Even the wind seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if startled by the weight of his anger.
Dragon's gaze shifted toward him slowly, sharp and measured—no surprise in his eyes, only a quiet, growing interest on Jack.
Jack stood frozen in place, his breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned pale, trembling with barely contained fury.
He forced himself to stay still… to swallow the rage boiling in his chest.
But the anger refused to fade.
Jack gaze then locked on the books on the pond and asked Saul.
"Oi, giant… those books—are they all from Ohara's library?"
Saul smiled and nodded his head.
"Those scholars of Ohara… they threw away their lives just to protect these books," he said, his voice low but steady. "I'm taking them with me… to Elbaf."
Jack gave a firm nod, the gesture carrying more weight than words, his gaze settling on Saul with a rare flicker of respect in his eyes.
"Oi, giant-kun," Jack continued, his swagger grin slowly returning. "I'll help you… but in return, I want you to let me read every single book here about navigation."
Saul let out a warm, easygoing grin to Jack.
"I don't have a problem with that as long you don't damage the books."
Jack grinned and he stepped forward toward the pond without hesitation.
With an easy, almost carefree stride, he waded closer to the water where the scattered books drifted like lost treasures on the surface. One by one, he began gathering them, his hands moving steadily as he helped Saul pull the precious books from the pond's grasp.
Despite the ruin surrounding them, there was a strange sense of resolve in the air—two figures silently working together to save what could be saved.
Ryu let out a long sigh as he watched the scene unfold, but a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Without saying a word, he stepped forward.
Slowly, he made his way to the edge of the pond where the scattered books floated on the water's surface. Kneeling down, he began pulling them in one by one, careful not to damage their worn pages.
Jack and Saul gazed at Ryu for a moment, but neither spoke—only continued gathering the drifting books in quiet understanding.
For a brief moment, the ruined silence of Ohara was filled with nothing but the soft sound of pages being saved from the water.
Dragon and Vegapunk exchanged a brief glance—quiet, knowing, like two minds arriving at the same conclusion without a word spoken.
A faint smile tugged at both their faces.
"Seems we're doing this too," Vegapunk muttered lightly.
Dragon gave a calm nod. "No point standing around."
Together, they stepped toward the pond edge where shattered silence lingered over the ruins. The water was still, but the surface was littered with soaked, drifting pages—fragments of knowledge trying not to drown.
Without hesitation, they waded in.
Ryu and the others barely had time to react before Dragon was already gathering waterlogged books with steady hands, while Vegapunk carefully lifted damaged volumes as if each one carried the weight of an entire era.
"These are… precious," Vegapunk said softly, adjusting his glasses as he inspected a torn spine. "Even the incomplete ones."
Dragon said nothing at first, only passing another book up from the water. Then quietly:said, "Knowledge that survives destruction changes the world."
Around them, the effort shifted. What had been chaos became coordination—hands moving in rhythm, books being saved one by one, as the lake slowly gave up its buried history.
__________