One Piece: Rising to Power as a Warlord of the Sea

Dust filled the air as panic overtook the auction hall. Nobles from various countries huddled together, frightened, like startled partridges retreating to the corners of the room. Amid the chaos, a figure emerged on the auction platform, a man with a shining steel helmet.

Natsu recognized him immediately from memory. He was Gladius, a key member of Doflamingo's family and a user of the explosive Bomb-Bomb Fruit. A devoted follower of Doflamingo.

It seemed that this auction house was one of Doflamingo's enterprises. As one of the dark world's emperors, his dealings primarily revolved around human trafficking and arms supply. He was a supplier to nations and even the Sea Emperor Kaido. While Natsu knew Doflamingo's influence extended across the world, he hadn't expected to encounter it here, in the first half of the Grand Line.

"Hmph, a mere Blue Sea dweller dares to disrespect me, a god!"

A haughty voice echoed across the hall. Natsu's mouth twisted into a grin; as expected, it was Enel. He wasn't sure what had sparked this conflict, but once a fight broke out, there was no stopping it. Natsu wasn't about to play peacemaker to halt Enel's rampage—it wasn't his style, especially not for a mere Warlord. He'd fight if he had to.

Electricity crackled in the air as Enel's lean figure floated down from above. He yawned lazily, gazing at Gladius with disdain. Although he'd never faced someone as monstrous as Natsu, he could tell that this one didn't match his level. His Devil Fruit ability would be more than enough to crush him.

"Damn it! Where did this monster come from?" Gladius muttered, entering a combat stance. He hadn't expected to encounter a force of this caliber on his routine patrol along the Grand Line. Why wasn't someone this powerful reigning in the New World instead of lurking here?

Realizing he was outmatched, Gladius hesitated. If he continued this fight, he'd surely lose.

"Hey, I'm a member of the Donquixote family, an officer under Doflamingo, one of the Warlords of the Sea. You're heading to the New World, right? There's no need to make another powerful enemy before you get there," Gladius announced, hoping Enel would back off. After all, the Warlords' reputation was well known worldwide. Ordinary pirates showed them respect, barring the World Government and the Sea Emperors.

"Warlord? Is that supposed to impress me?" Enel sneered, pulling an apple from somewhere, taking a hearty bite, and speaking as though he couldn't care less.

"Of course it is!"

"Oh, really? Well, that's none of my business!"

"Just a Warlord! He's a god!" Enel thought, bursting with a gleeful arrogance he kept to himself under Natsu's watchful gaze.

With a wave of his hand, Enel summoned lightning from his fingertips. A bolt shot straight at Gladius.

"Boom!"

The lightning exploded, sending Gladius flying with a powerful shockwave that collapsed the walls, reducing part of the auction house to rubble. Lying amid the debris, Gladius silently cursed his ill-fated encounter and his subordinates' loose tongues.

Earlier, Gladius had encountered Enel and Gin on patrol. Seeing Enel's odd attire and massive ears, one of Gladius's subordinates couldn't resist mocking him.

"Big-Eared Bandit!"

These three simple words unleashed Enel's fury. As a self-proclaimed god, no one had ever dared to speak to him this way. Thunderbolts tore through the sky, eradicating Gladius's men in a blink.

Defiance meant death.

Then Gladius had faced Enel, retreating repeatedly along the way until they ended up here in the auction house. He barely managed to hold his ground with Haki, but his strength was insufficient.

In the center of the auction hall, the audience had already fled, leaving only Natsu and Kumo. Another figure lingered in the audience area, a Donquixote family officer—the effeminate, high-pitched warrior of the pirate world, Pica.

"Stone Blast!"

Gladius twisted a gear-like device on his arm, launching several gray, stone-like orbs at Enel. As they neared, the orbs grew, swelling until they exploded before reaching him, the blast shrouding Enel in intense heat.

"Did that work?" Gladius murmured, uncertain.

"Of course it didn't! Yahaha! 30 Million Volts: Thunderbird!"

Enel tapped one of the drums on his back, summoning a giant thunderbird that darted toward Gladius in a flash.

At the same moment, Pica vanished from his seat, reappearing as a towering stone giant to intercept the thunderbird. The clash of lightning and stone sent shards flying across the auction hall. Pica loomed over the scene, eyeing Natsu and Kumo in particular.

"Hmm, so this is what Natsu calls a Devil Fruit user? Interesting."

Enel took another bite of his apple, growing more serious. Since arriving in the Grand Line, he'd come to understand that Devil Fruit powers varied wildly and that power alone didn't define a top-tier warrior; those truly strong had honed their Haki to incredible levels.

In the brief clash, Enel had sensed that Pica's Haki surpassed Gladius's. Without his quick elemental reflexes, he might have been hit.

"Boom!"

Lightning and stone collided again as Pica's stone giant rose to a towering height, lifting a fist the size of a small hill. He swung at Enel and, in the process, targeted Natsu as well.

Clearly, Pica saw Natsu and Enel as allies.

"Hey, hey, you shrill-voiced freak! Quit talking—your voice is unbearable!" Natsu stood up with a look of disdain. Recruiting Enel in his presence? Insulting.

"Ha!"

A vein popped on Pica's face as his expression darkened. He activated his powers, lifting a colossal stone foot to stomp Natsu out of existence.

"Standard Punch!"

Natsu's figure blurred, flashing in front of Pica with an intense, resolute expression. In slow motion, he drew back his right hand, took a stance, and unleashed a punch.

A shockwave burst out as Natsu's fist struck the stone giant, splintering it with a resounding crack. Pica's stone form shattered, scattering fragments that blasted through the walls, turning the auction house into ruins.

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