Alabasta, port.
Sven worked on patching up the stolen pirate ship, doing his best to make sure it would hold together when they rode the Knock Up Stream toward the Sky Island.
If the ship failed mid-journey, there was a real chance Dracule Mihawk would be crushed by the fall.
At the thought, Sven shook his head, pushing away the image.
Their destination was Sky Island, the White Sea, ten thousand meters above the ocean.
Aside from flight, the only way to reach it was by riding the violent Knock Up Stream.
It was a journey filled with danger, where survival usually came down to two outcomes, everyone made it safely, or no one did.
The last time, Sven and Buggy had nearly lost their nerve.
This time, at least, Sven had the power of the Goro Goro no Mi as a safety net.
He muttered under his breath, wondering if someone like Mihawk would even feel fear.
Suddenly, sharp sounds of combat echoed from the distance.
Sven paused and looked up.
Something interesting.
With the speed granted by the Goro Goro no Mi, he could move freely across vast distances in an instant.
As long as he did not run into Kizaru, he had nothing to worry about.
His luck could not be that bad.
Setting down his tools, Sven transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot toward the source of the disturbance.
He arrived silently and observed from a distance.
A group of men in white suits and capes were restraining someone with Seastone handcuffs.
The moment Sven saw them, his interest was piqued.
Agents of Cipher Pol.
But who were they capturing?
Before he could think further, the leading agent suddenly turned toward his hiding spot.
“Kill that man.”
Observation Haki.
Sven did not retreat.
Instead, he calmly summoned a crackling blue plasma blade into his hand and prepared himself.
The fact that they ordered his death without hesitation only made things more interesting.
If he could not win, he would escape.
Simple.
With his speed, leaving was always an option.
And anyone targeted by the World Government was someone worth helping, at least for now.
Sven raised his weapon and acted first.
“Fist Bone Impact.”
Though he spoke the name aloud, what he unleashed was a massive lightning, surging forward with destructive force, aiming to catch them off guard.
The roaring construct of lightning stretched for dozens of meters as it crashed toward the CP agents.
“Iron Body.”
Several voices responded at once. This story is hosted at g.com.
The technique reduced damage, but it was far from invincible.
The lightning tore through their defenses.
Several weaker agents collapsed instantly, unable to withstand the attack.
The remaining agents retaliated immediately.
“Finger Pistol.”
“Shave.”
Their attacks pierced through Sven’s body, scattering him like fragments, but his form reassembled in an instant.
The CP leader narrowed his eyes.
“Stand down.
He is a Logia user.”
His fists darkened as Armament Haki coated them.
Before he could strike, a violent pressure exploded outward.
A red and black aura surged from Sven, splitting the air itself.
This was Conqueror’s Haki.
Awakened when he was eight years old.
Unlike Armament Haki and Observation Haki, Conqueror’s Haki could not be trained into existence.
It was the manifestation of one’s spirit, growing stronger as the user’s will evolved.
Sven controlled it precisely.
The weaker agents dropped unconscious immediately.
Only the CP leader remained standing, his face pale, sweat running down his forehead.
“You…
you…”
The intimidation was absolute.
No one would expect someone who wielded Conqueror’s Haki at this level to lack mastery over the other forms.
But Sven knew the truth.
His opponent had Observation Haki, making him difficult to hit.
His opponent had Armament Haki, making him difficult to damage.
Without advanced Conqueror’s Haki, victory was uncertain.
So Sven stalled.
He was waiting.
With a disturbance this large, there was no way Mihawk had not noticed.
And right on cue, a voice sounded.
“A man like you is quite strange.”
Dracule Mihawk stepped forward, carrying the black blade Yoru.
The CP leader clenched his teeth.
Mihawk ignored him entirely.
His gaze remained fixed on Sven.
“I find myself increasingly curious about you.”
Sven shrugged casually and dismissed his Haki and lightning.
“Out here, you learn a few tricks if you want to survive.”
Before he met Gol D.
Roger, Sven had endured a harsh life alone.
Survival had shaped him long before power ever did.
The CP leader, completely ignored, snapped in anger.
He suddenly drew a pistol and fired toward the restrained man.
Gunshots rang out.
In an instant, Mihawk moved.
Yoru flashed, and every bullet was deflected.
With a single swing, he sent the CP leader flying across the ground, leaving him unable to rise.
Sven moved immediately after.
His plasma blade cut through the remaining agents with ruthless precision.
No survivors.
Mihawk sheathed Yoru and glanced at the restrained man.
“Your ally?”
Sven shook his head.
“I have no idea who he is.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“This is not the place to talk.
We take him with us.”
Caution was second nature to Sven.
The man in Seastone cuffs remained silent but followed them without resistance.
Back on the ship, Sven handled everything efficiently.
“Mihawk, food and water.”
“Put it in the storage room.”
Sven nodded, pulled up the anchor, and set sail.
The ship left Alabasta behind, heading toward Jaya.
Only after they reached deeper waters did Sven begin inspecting what he had taken from the CP agents.
Then he turned to the prisoner.
“Oi.
Why did the World Government capture you?”