Marine Headquarters Academy.

Within the vast training field, blue lightning and golden laser beams flickered and collided.

But all within a controlled range.

Around the edges stood elite class cadets, all staring in awe at the two figures in the center.

Bzzz——

Shoo shoo shoo shoo...

Lightning and lasers clashed, with countless arcs and beams scattering outward.

Whoosh!

The separated lightning and lasers took on human form.

Borsalino tilted his head slightly to the right and said:

"Enel~"

"You're strong like a monster~"

The words were serious, but the tone was sarcastic and sing-song.

Enel curled his lips with a smirk:

"Tch."

"That doesn't sound like a compliment."

As he spoke, lightning sparked at his wrists and ankles.

The golden rings on his limbs melted and deformed, transforming into two short blades.

Drawn by electricity, they dropped into his hands.

Gripping them tightly with both hands, he struck a pose.

Enel grinned wickedly.

Then turned into a bolt of blue light and lunged at Borsalino.

Bzzz——

The sound of electricity rang out.

Enel appeared to Borsalino's right side, swinging both blades downward.

Borsalino made an exaggeratedly terrified face, his mouth shaped as if screaming, pupils shrinking dramatically.

Clang!

At some point, a sword of light nearly as tall as himself had appeared in Borsalino's hands.

It blocked the incoming twin blades.

Looking at Enel, he sighed in mock frustration:

"Are you trying to kill me~?"

"Enel~"

Hearing the sarcastic tone, Enel grinned and said:

"You figured it out, huh."

Borsalino replied:

"So scary~"

"Kids these days~"

Just as he finished speaking, Enel's eyes fired bolts of lightning as thick as index fingers toward Borsalino.

Borsalino exclaimed:

"Ooooh~~~"

At the same time, lasers fired from his eyes.

Lightning and laser collided, producing massive energy.

A small mushroom cloud rose up.

Whoosh!

In a flash of light, the two figures reappeared.

Borsalino opened his mouth dramatically:

"Almost went blind~"

Enel snorted, Haki coating his hands and short blades.

Bzzz——

He turned into a bolt of lightning and charged Borsalino.

Clang clang clang clang...

Blades and swords clashed nonstop.

They broke apart again. Enel spun the short blades in his hands:

"Careful now, Borsalino."

"This is a new technique. Don't die on me."

Borsalino made a troubled face:

"How troublesome~"

Enel grinned, the electricity on his blades stabilizing to a steady frequency.

Whoosh!

He vanished, reappearing in front of Borsalino.

And slashed down with one blade.

A completely ordinary move.

It didn't appear any different.

Borsalino raised his sword to block.

But the moment they connected Borsalino's pupils shrank!

His sword, the Ama no Murakumo, was cleanly sliced in half.

(T/N: Borsalino forms a long, very sharp and durable sword out of light and solidifies it)

No time to think—his body turned into specks of light and blinked away.

Reformed behind Enel.

He let out a long breath:

"Almost died~"

"Too dangerous, Enel."

Enel missed the strike, retracted his blades, and turned around:

"I told you to be careful."

Bzzz——

The lightning-forged short blades melted back into golden rings, returning to his wrists and ankles.

Their Devil Fruit powers made them nearly untouchable.

No matter how long they fought, neither could catch the other.

If one move failed to land, there was no point in continuing. It would just waste time.

Seeing Enel put away his weapons,

Borsalino relaxed immediately:

"Finally done~"

"You've grown so fast, Enel~"

Enel smiled:

"Knowledge is power."

"Want to study with Vegapunk-sensei?"

Borsalino seemed tempted, but at the thought of science, his scalp tingled:

"Too troublesome~"

"I'll pass~"

Enel didn't push it:

"You can come visit sensei with me sometime."

"He could give you some pointers."

Borsalino nodded.

At that moment, Zephyr walked over:

"Alright, time to rotate."

"Let someone else have the field."

Enel called out:

"Understood! Zephyr-sensei!"

Then vanished in a bolt of lightning.

Borsalino sighed:

"Hai~ hai~"

And strolled off slowly.

Watching Borsalino's lazy demeanor, a vein popped on Zephyr's forehead:

"Next group!"

...

Meanwhile, off the field, Enel saw two people waving at him.

He blinked away.

"Karol-san!"

Karol smiled warmly:

"Long time no see, Enel."

Enel chuckled.

Sakazuki praised:

"That last move was impressive."

Enel scratched his head:

"Knowledge is power, right?"

"That's what you told me."

Sakazuki said:

"Looks like you've learned a lot from Vegapunk lately."

Enel nodded firmly.

Suddenly he remembered something:

"Right—Sakazuki-san."

"Yesterday Vegapunk-sensei said he had something to ask of you."

Sakazuki raised a brow:

"Oh? What is it?"

Enel replied:

"One sec~"

He vanished in a flash of lightning.

Seconds later, he reappeared holding a newspaper.

Flipping to a specific page, he handed it to Sakazuki.

Sakazuki took the paper.

Staring at the image of a mythical beast mid-flight, his brow furrowed:

"Does he want it alive or dead?"

Enel blinked:

"Uh... preferably alive."

"This guy's a Devil Fruit user, right?"

"Vegapunk-sensei wants to study the flesh of a mythical creature."

"If it dies, the fruit power disappears."

Sakazuki nodded:

"Yes, it's a Devil Fruit user."

"Fish-Fish Fruit – Mythical Zoan – Azure Dragon model."

"Captain of the Beasts Pirates — Kaido."

Enel nodded:

"Oh!"

"You know him?"

Sakazuki folded the paper and handed it to Karol:

"I've fought him."

Karol was surprised:

"He managed to escape from you?"

Enel was surprised too—was this pirate really that powerful?

Sakazuki shook his head:

"That was a long time ago."

"During the Battle of the Valley of Gods."

"I was about to finish him when Charlotte Linlin suddenly intervened."

"I'd planted a magma bomb inside him."

"She must have rescued him afterward."

"Karol."

"Gather information on Kaido."

...

New World

On the beach near the harbor, corpses were strewn everywhere.

A pirate ship sat securely at the shore.

Another ship had been smashed in half and lay in pieces.

Supplies and treasure were scattered all over.

Under the wreckage, a group was having a bonfire party.

A tall, burly man with horns sat beside the fire.

His "seat" was made from several stacked pirate corpses.

A giant sake jar, the size of two heads, was emptied in one gulp:

"Fuuu—"

He let out a long breath, still unsatisfied.

He reached for another jar.

But was stopped by a similarly massive man—

with black wings and clad in dark armor:

"Kaido-san, you shouldn't drink anymore."

"You've had five jars already."

"Your body can't handle it."

Kaido laughed heartily:

"Oroororororooo!"

"It's fine, King."

"Just one more sip."

He grinned and forcibly grabbed the jar.

"Eh!"

Before King could protest, Kaido suddenly spat it all out.

Then erupted into a violent coughing fit.

Once he recovered, he wiped the corner of his mouth.

His face had turned grim.

Crack!

He hurled the sake jar away—it shattered on impact.

His hand unconsciously touched the left side of his chest.