One Piece: New Order-Chapter 53: Borsalino Joins

The pirate swordsman's corpse hit the ground with a sickening thud. His skull had been torn open, red and white matter spilling out across the earth in a grotesque smear.

In the distance, a flash of lightning sparked from Enel's hand. It connected to the small Ark Maxim floating in the sky. After the little Ark descended, the young marine reached out and gently patted the frightened child's head, trying to soothe him.

The three-year-old had faced death more than once in a short time. Now that the danger had passed, his tiny body finally relaxed, and he slowly drifted into sleep. But the furrow between his brows never eased; it was clear his young mind remained restless.

The small Maxim floated quietly behind Enel as he walked over to Sakazuki. With a somber expression, he handed over a Den Den Mushi.

"Uncle."

The child had clutched the snail tightly throughout the chaos, refusing to let go even when he was nearly crushed. Maybe it was because the Den Den Mushi was something his mother had left behind.

Sakazuki took it in silence, offering only a brief nod.

He stared at the snail for a moment, then dialed.

...

Elsewhere, high in the sky, Zephyr soared through the air with Geppo, speeding toward Tanley Island.

The Den Den Mushi rang in his hand.

He answered instantly and said with an anxious tone, "Delia, how is it? I'm almost there!"

But instead of his wife, Sakazuki's voice came from the other end. "Admiral Zephyr, it's Sakazuki. The child is safe."

At first, Zephyr felt a wave of relief. But a second later, the meaning behind those words hit him like a thunderstrike. His expression went blank, and he suddenly lost focus, falling from the sky.

Splash!

He hit the ocean below hard. The cold water jolted his senses, and he kicked upward, launching himself back into the air with Geppo. Still soaked, he shot through the sky again, continuing toward Tanley Island.

His voice was rough and strained as he spoke, the words difficult to force out. "I understand, Sakazuki. Thank you... I'll be there soon."

The vice admiral's deep voice came through the Den Den Mushi again. "Understood."

The call ended, and Zephyr continued flying at full speed.

Drops of water fell from his face. It was unclear whether they were seawater... or tears.

"Delia..."

...

On the other side, putting down the Den Den Mushi, Sakazuki turned his eyes to Enel.

It had been over half a year since they last saw each other, and the boy had grown taller again. Now nearly 160 centimeters, he looked sharp in his marine uniform.

Sakazuki signaled for Enel to leave the Maxim where it was. Then he started walking toward a merchant ship anchored near the coast.

As they moved, he asked calmly, "What have you been learning lately?"

The boy replied, "During the daytime, I study navigation and technology. At night, I train in hand-to-hand combat with Grandpa."

Sakazuki gave a nod of approval. "Make sure you study the tech side seriously. Once you've got the fundamentals down, I'll arrange for you to train with the Science Unit for some hands-on learning. Who knows, maybe you'll even improve the Maxim one day. For example... the storm launcher on top. What if you could integrate that into your golden staff? That way, you could control thunderclouds directly."

Enel's eyes lit up. He hadn't thought of that.

After all, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit didn't give him the ability to create thunderclouds by itself. And Maxim had been designed specifically for that purpose.

The Devil Fruit's limitless electricity powered the entire system. Once the Ark activated, the storm cloud launcher inside used that energy to generate countless thunderclouds, covering the sky. That way, Enel could control the clouds and summon Raigo, a single blast powerful enough to wipe out an island.

His eyes grew brighter the more he thought about it.

He could already picture it: raising his hand, storm clouds blanketing the sky, lightning crackling and roaring on command. The image of his own power overwhelmed him for a moment.

Whack!

A finger flick hit Enel hard on the forehead, snapping him back to reality.

Sakazuki's voice drifted over. "Quit daydreaming. Learn the basics first."

The boy rubbed his forehead, pouting a little. "Hmph."

Before long, Sakazuki stopped walking. They had arrived.

He activated his Devil Fruit. Lava flowed from his body, surging toward the edge of the merchant ship, forming two massive magma hands coated in Armament Haki.

Rumble—!

With the roar of crashing waves, the magma hands lifted the entire merchant ship and set it down gently on the shore. Only then did Sakazuki tell Enel to bring over the small Maxim, and wait there for Admiral Zephyr's arrival.

...

A few minutes later.

Zephyr could already see the faint silhouette of Tanley Island up ahead. Ignoring the blood running from his torn, muscle-ripped legs, he pushed forward, straining every last muscle to go faster.

From the sky, he spotted a figure on the deck of a merchant ship by the coast and dove straight down.

Landing with a heavy crash, Zephyr staggered and fell. His body was shredded, legs covered in gashes, muscles frayed to the point of tearing. He had crossed multiple islands using Geppo without rest. The pain was unbearable. Only sheer willpower had carried him this far.

But when his eyes landed on the lifeless body of his wife, he could no longer hold back. Struggling, he dragged himself forward, crawling to her. He held her in his embrace, trembling as silent grief overwhelmed him. No words came, only tears.

'Delia...'

He called her name again and again in his heart, overwhelmed by endless regret.

Sakazuki and Enel stood below the ship, unable to offer any comfort.

When Zephyr finally recovered some semblance of composure, they handed him the sleeping child.

As he cradled his son, a flicker of life returned to his hollow eyes. He looked at the child's furrowed brows and felt his chest tighten all over again.

The quiet around them felt frozen in time.

There was nothing left to do but wait.

...

North Blue, Fuwahana Island, 194th Marine Branch.

Inside his office, Base Commander Jorisen was leisurely reading a newspaper.

Several years had passed, and strands of gray had begun to appear at his temples.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Reporting in."

A knock came at the door. Still holding his newspaper in one hand and a teacup in the other, Jorisen said, "Come in."

A young marine clerk opened the door and entered, leading in a young man whose face looked oddly sly and mature for his age.

"Commander, this young man wants to join the Marines," the clerk said. "He's a Logia user. He's eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit."

"What?!"

Jorisen slammed both the newspaper and the teacup onto the desk, staring sharply at the strange-looking young man.

At the same time, Borsalino opened his mouth with that peculiar, slow, sing-song tone of his.

"Hello there~ Commander~"

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