One Piece: The True Codex

The Blue Sapphire Pirates were being utterly overwhelmed, retreating step by step, completely oblivious to the fact that a Marine warship had silently appeared in the distance.

Unlike the Blue Sapphire Pirates, the Morgan Pirates had stationed lookouts who were constantly scanning their surroundings. As soon as the Marine warship was spotted, a crew member immediately dialed the Den Den Mushi to report the situation.

A few nautical miles away, on an uninhabited island where two ships were anchored, William sat in the captain's cabin with his eyes closed, resting. It wasn't until the Den Den Mushi on the table began to ring that he opened his eyes and answered the call.

"Captain, the target has arrived!"

"Got it. We'll head out immediately."

After hanging up, William made several more calls, issuing orders to other parties before stepping out of the cabin and commanding his crew to set sail.

The time and location had all been meticulously chosen by William. He had no intention of letting anyone leave this place alive. The Blue Sapphire Pirates were merely bait; they weren't the real target. The true objective was Captain Roy.

Back at the site of the naval battle, the two pirate crews finally noticed the uninvited guest when the Marine warship came within cannon range.

A Marine ensign saluted Roy, who was observing the scene through a spyglass. "Sir, your orders?"

"Fire!" Roy commanded calmly without lowering the spyglass.

"Yes, sir!"

The cannons roared, their shells occasionally landing near the two pirate ships and sending towering plumes of water into the air. When the shells hit the ships, screams of agony followed.

The Marine artillery showed no distinction between friend or foe. While the Blue Sapphire Pirates attempted to disengage from the battle to escape, the Morgan Pirates, under Harden's leadership, clung to their enemies like madmen, refusing to let them go.

Harden, his face twisted with a savage grin, glared at the distant Marine warship. He shouted to a subordinate beside him, "Did the message get through?"

"It did!" the subordinate shouted back. Just as he finished speaking, he noticed small black silhouettes appearing on the horizon. His face lit up with excitement as he pointed toward the sea. "They're here!"

Seven ships approached the battlefield in a semi-circular formation, gradually closing in. Among them, one particularly slender and streamlined sailing ship stood out. Its hull skimmed the water's surface, with a long, sharp prow slicing through the waves like a pair of scissors. With the wind at its back, the ship moved at an incredible speed.

This was a clipper ship, a new design based on William's memories from his previous life. It had been painstakingly constructed by the shipyard in Maple Leaf Village. As the shipyard was still new, and William's knowledge was limited, it had taken nearly a year to produce even this one functional prototype.

The ship had numerous flaws—poor stability, low maneuverability—but it had one undeniable advantage: speed. Although it fell far short of the clippers William remembered, it was still significantly faster than other sailing ships.

The Marines also noticed the approaching ships, and a sense of unease crept into Roy's heart. He hesitated, unsure whether to continue bombarding the original targets or redirect the cannons toward these new enemies.

While Roy wavered, the strange, fast-moving clipper ship had already closed much of the distance between them.

Finally, Roy made up his mind and ordered his men to target the speeding clipper.

Although the Marines' cannons were far more advanced than those of the pirates, their current position was unfavorable, and they couldn't fully unleash their firepower. Their aim was also less than ideal.

Most of the cannonballs splashed into the sea around the clipper, but the ship's poor stability caused it to slow down slightly nonetheless.

Standing at the bow of the clipper, William pressed his lips together. As the two ships drew closer, he suddenly unsheathed his blade. With one swift motion, he sliced an incoming cannonball in half. Then, placing the blade aside, he stepped onto the deck and leaped into the air like a bird.

At the apex of his jump, his body exploded with a loud "boom," transforming into a mass of water vapor that surged toward the Marine warship.

Roy, who had been watching everything unfold, felt his expression darken. From between clenched teeth, he spat out three words: "A Logia user!"

He immediately turned to a stunned officer behind him and barked, "Bring me the Seastone handcuffs, now!"

The officer scrambled to obey, while Roy, his face grim, drew his sword. However, he knew all too well that without mastery of Haki, he stood no chance against a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.

As he slowly retreated, the water vapor that was William began to coalesce into a vague humanoid shape, descending rapidly.

"Heat release!"

A Marine standing by the gunwale was the first to be struck. The water vapor passed through him, recondensing into William's solid form behind him.

During the transition from vapor to solid, William released a massive amount of heat. By the time his body fully materialized, the Marine was already writhing on the ground, screaming in agony. His skin was bright red with burns, covered in small beads of condensed water. As he clawed at his injuries, the surrounding Marines instinctively stepped back in fear.

Some Marines fired their guns at William, but the bullets merely left small holes in his body, which emitted steam before quickly sealing up again.

Because William's body was in its vaporized state, his blade couldn't be carried with him. He had left it aboard the clipper. Now unarmed, he reached for the curved saber hanging from a Marine's waist.

The Marine tried to push William's hand away, but as soon as his hands made contact with William's body, he let out a scream and recoiled as if shocked by electricity.

At this moment, William's entire body—his hands, feet, shoulders, head—was emitting scorching steam. The transparent vapor turned into white mist upon contact with the cooler air, indicating that his body temperature was nearing boiling point and struggling to contain the expanding steam.

With the saber now in hand, William swiftly turned the blade and dispatched the Marine in front of him.

He then locked eyes with Captain Roy, who was standing at the rear of the group, his face grim. Their gazes met, and William grinned. With a powerful push off the deck, he shot toward Roy like an arrow.

As he moved, the steam surrounding his body thickened, eventually erupting in a violent explosion. The intense heat and force knocked over several nearby Marines, while others farther away clutched their scalded skin and screamed in pain.

The crowd between William and Roy was cleared in an instant. William, now a mass of steam wielding a curved saber, continued his charge toward Roy. Emerging from the mist, his solid form reappeared, and he thrust the blade directly at Roy's heart.

Roy let out a muffled grunt, but to William's surprise, the blade stopped short. Roy's skin seemed to be covered in a layer of iron, blocking the steel blade with his bare body.

"This is... Iron Body from the Six Powers?"

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

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