Sailing: A Retired Veteran Awakens with Genryusai Template

"F, what happened?!"

"Even though it's noon, the temperature in the Sabaody Islands has never reached this level!"

"It's so hot—I can clearly feel the water in my body evaporating rapidly."

"If this continues, there's a risk of death!"

The first place on the Grand Line to notice the abnormal rise in temperature was naturally the closest islands—the Sabaody Archipelago.

Many people subconsciously gulped down water, but the scorching thirst in their throats refused to subside.

And it wasn't just one or two individuals.

No, almost everyone on the Sabaody Islands felt the same way.

"Rayleigh...what the hell is going on?!"

Shakky stepped out from the bar not far from the grass and turned her gaze to Rayleigh.

She had sensed the unusual heat in the air and immediately looked to the man standing beside her.

Rayleigh's eyes were fixed in the direction of the sea outside the Sabaody Islands, his expression tense and grave.

Seeing this, Shakky frowned deeply.

"Did something happen out there?"

She followed Rayleigh's line of sight, her own gaze falling upon the sea.

And then, she froze.

Her pupils contracted slowly, reflecting the shock she felt in that moment.

At some point, steam had begun rising from the waters surrounding the Sabaody Islands.

The sea itself appeared to be boiling—like a massive cauldron of water brought to a raging boil.

Shakky quickly turned her eyes upward, squinting at the blazing sun in the sky.

But as she lowered her gaze once more to the sea, a dreadful realization struck her.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"What is going on over there? Could it be... that the 'sun' has descended upon the Grand Line itself?!"

BOOM!

The battlefield on the Grand Line was ablaze—literally.

Flames soared into the heavens, their scorching intensity so fierce that they seemed to consume the very sky.

The sea evaporated at an alarming rate, and the flames spread relentlessly across the battlefield, occupying the entire horizon.

At the heart of this inferno stood a lone figure.

A figure radiating a terrifying and overwhelming presence.

"Kong Shock Punch!"

Kong, realizing something was amiss, clenched his fist tightly, summoning all of his nearly tangible Armament Haki into a single, powerful blow.

With a deafening roar, the fist was unleashed.

The air around it exploded instantly, creating visible shockwaves and ripples in the space around him.

The force of the attack was enormous—enough to shatter mountains.

But...

The moment Kong's punch collided with the flames, it was as if all that power vanished into thin air.

"What...?!"

Kong's entire body was covered in Armament Haki, but he staggered back, his expression one of disbelief.

"How... how is this possible?! My attack—my strongest attack—had no effect?!"

As Kong reeled from the shock, the flames continued to surge, spreading out from Bai Ye's body.

They consumed everything in their path, their sheer heat warping the air and turning the sea into a boiling cauldron.

"Fire that occupies the heavens... is this the true power of your flames?!"

Kong's voice trembled as he watched.

At that moment, a large portion of the flames suddenly surged back, drawn into the blade in Bai Ye's hands—Ryūjin Jakka.

Seeing this, Kong's eyes widened in horror.

"No... it's just like the reports Marine Admiral Kizaru gave us... this is the true danger of this man."

Kong was beginning to understand.

The overwhelming heat and destructive power of Bai Ye's flames weren't due to any external force, such as Akainu's lava fruit power.

No.

This heat, this devastation—it all came from Bai Ye himself.

Kong's mind raced.

The creature standing before him now...

This was no ordinary opponent.

He was far more terrifying than anything Kong had ever faced before, far deadlier than even the infamous Rocks Pirates of 38 years ago.

The World Government had severely underestimated him.

Suddenly, Bai Ye's figure disappeared.

"Shunpo!"

Kong barely had time to register what had happened before a searing wave of heat washed over him.

Instinctively, he pulled back, but it was too late.

Bai Ye's blade came crashing down, cloaked in flames so hot they began to melt Kong's flesh on contact.

Kong gritted his teeth, suppressing a scream as his wrist turned to ash, forcing him to sever his own forearm to stop the flames from spreading further.

"This kind of monster... should not exist in the world...!"

Kong's voice trembled with fear as he watched Bai Ye ready his next strike.

"Wait! Wait!"

Desperate, Kong shouted out, his voice trembling with both pain and fear.

"Bai Ye, the former colonel of the North Blue G-64 Marine branch... is the information obtained by the World Government correct?!"

Hearing the mention of the G-64 branch, Bai Ye paused momentarily.

"What do you mean?" he asked coldly.

Kong, seizing the moment, continued.

"If the old man told you that before the start of this demon-slaying operation, orders had already been sent to the North Blue... what do you think the outcome would be?!"

Bai Ye's expression didn't waver, but he understood Kong's implication.

The World Government had targeted his past, his roots, the very people he once protected.

Kong smirked through the pain.

"If you kill me now, the third phase of the demon-slaying operation will begin. No matter how powerful you are, you'll die here. Do you understand?!"

But Bai Ye's expression remained unmoved.

Without a word, Ryūjin Jakka cleaved through Kong's head, engulfing it in flames.

The commander-in-chief of the World Government's army—their ultimate weapon against Bai Ye—was reduced to nothing more than ashes.

As his body crumbled, Kong's lifeless expression seemed to question everything:

"How could this man... not care? Does he not fear the consequences?!"

But Bai Ye had already made his decision.

The World Government's actions had only solidified his resolve.

For Bai Ye, this war wasn't about revenge for his past.

It was about justice.

Justice that would bring the World Government to its knees.