At the summit of the Red Line stood the Holy Land
Mary Geoise.
The sacred domain of the World Government.
A city resting between the first and second halves of the Grand Line, bridging paradise and the New World.
Here resided the descendants of the world's creators:
The Celestial Dragons.
Here convened the rulers of allied nations during the Reverie, held once every four years.
And here governed the highest authority in existence:
The Five Elders.
A faint sea breeze drifted unnaturally across the Holy Land that night.
Salt-laced.
Alien.
Wrong.
Before dawn arrived, Mary Geoise would know chaos.
And the harbinger of that chaos was a lone adventurer.
A fish-man driven by fury and compassion.
Fisher Tiger.
With nothing but his bare hands, Tiger scaled the sheer face of the Red Line.
Stone tore his skin.
Gravity clawed at his body.
Yet neither pain nor height could halt his ascent.
His resolve burned hotter than any flame he would soon unleash.
And then
Fire.
Mary Geoise erupted into an inferno.
Flames devoured noble estates.
Smoke choked the sky.
Screams shattered the illusion of divine serenity.
Slaves.
Broken.
Branded.
Forgotten.
They were freed.
Chains severed.
Collars shattered.
Some fled blindly.
Some collapsed in disbelief.
Others…
Turned upon their tormentors.
Order disintegrated.
Panic spread faster than the fire.
The Cipher Pol Aigis Zero (CP0) agents immediately shifted into emergency formation.
Their priority was absolute:
Protect the Celestial Dragons deemed politically essential.
Those left without protection howled in terror:
"Where is CP0?!"
"Summon the Marines!"
"Where are the Admirals?!"
Within the Roselith Estate, Saint Roselith Seraphina sensed the disturbance before alarms were raised.
Observation Haki.
The Voice of All Things.
The world itself trembling.
Without hesitation, she rose.
Bare feet silent against polished marble.
She rushed toward a familiar presence.
"Hancock!"
The door burst open.
Boa Hancock jolted upright.
"Seraphina?! What happened?!"
She immediately sensed Seraphina's urgency.
Her breath slightly uneven.
Her composure strained.
"Hancock, gather your sisters."
Seraphina's voice was calm but carried unmistakable command.
"I'm sending you home. Now."
"…What?"
"There's no time."
Hancock did not question further.
Trust overrode confusion.
Within minutes, the three sisters stood ready.
Fearful.
Hopeful.
Uncertain.
"Bruce."
"I am here, Saint Seraphina."
The man in the white suit stepped forward instantly.
A CP0 agent assigned to her protection.
Disciplined.
Loyal.
Observant.
"I entrust Hancock and her sisters to you."
Seraphina's tone hardened.
"Escort them safely beyond Mary Geoise."
Bruce hesitated.
"…My duty is your protection."
"No."
A single word.
Absolute.
"My safety is not in question."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"You know my strength."
Silence.
Then
Bruce straightened sharply.
"Yes, Saint Seraphina."
"I will complete the mission."
He saluted.
Not merely from obligation.
But respect.
Bruce had long since recognized what others failed to see.
Seraphina was unlike any Celestial Dragon.
"Hancock…"
As they turned to leave, Seraphina called softly.
"We are friends."
A pause.
"For life."
Hancock's chest tightened.
"…Yes."
She forced a smile through trembling emotion.
"Friends for life."
Under Bruce's guidance, the sisters slipped through the burning Holy Land.
Through smoke.
Through madness.
Through collapsing authority.
At the hidden docks, a small vessel awaited.
They departed Mary Geoise under the cover of chaos.
Four years.
Four years Hancock had endured within the Holy Land.
The first half drenched in despair.
The latter illuminated by an impossible friendship.
She would never forget.
Neither the pain.
Nor Seraphina's promise.
Flames soon spread toward the Roselith Estate.
Slave uprisings intensified across neighboring domains.
Among the freed were former pirates, warriors, and fighters whose spirits had never fully broken.
Manor defenses faltered.
Several lower-ranking government agents fell.
The perimeter trembled.
"Protect my daughter!"
Victor Roselith's voice thundered.
"Saint Seraphina must not be harmed! Ros Ros!!"
Guards scrambled.
Half the forces redirected.
"Father."
Seraphina's voice cut cleanly through the chaos.
"I require no protection."
Victor turned.
There she stood.
Composed.
Unshaken.
Relief washed over him.
The guards steadied.
Command structure restored.
Yet intruders had already breached the outer estate.
Silent.
Hidden.
Deadly.
But Seraphina perceived them effortlessly.
Observation Haki mapped their intent.
The Voice of All Things revealed their presence.
"Three hostiles, eastern corridor."
"Two more above the gallery."
The guards reacted instantly.
Neutralization was swift.
Precise.
This was the night Victor Roselith fully grasped the truth.
His daughter…
Was extraordinary.
Elsewhere, tragedy unfolded.
A neighboring Celestial Dragon residence fell completely.
Security collapsed.
Its nobles slaughtered.
Survivors subjected to unspeakable cruelty.
But fortune or Seraphina's intervention preserved the Roselith Estate.
No elite combatants emerged among the attackers.
The rebellion fractured under disciplined resistance.
Then came the thunder of justice.
The Marines arrived.
Among them
A Vice Admiral whose presence radiated volcanic wrath.
Vice Admiral Sakazuki.
Seraphina sensed it instantly.
A force of absolute destruction.
Overwhelming.
Relentless.
Magma roared.
Pirates vanished.
Chaos bent beneath annihilation.
Even without sight, Seraphina understood.
Against such power…
She would not last two minutes.
This world was merciless.
Strength was law.
And weakness…
Was erased.
From that night onward, Seraphina's resolve crystallized.
Training was no longer optional.
It was survival.
She turned to Bruce.
"I wish to learn your combat techniques."
Bruce blinked.
"…My fighting style?"
"Yes."
"I sensed your movement."
"High-speed displacement."
"Refined."
Thus Bruce began teaching her the Rokushiki.
The Six Powers mastered by elite government agents:
Geppo.
Soru.
Tekkai.
Rankyaku.
Shigan.
Kami-e.
Seraphina's talent defied reason.
Understanding came instantly.
Execution followed rapidly.
Within a single month
She mastered all six forms.
More startling still…
She began adapting them.
Refining them.
Transcending them.
Through relentless experimentation, Seraphina awakened a terrifying level of bodily control.
Muscle fibers.
Hair strands.
Internal rhythms.
Even organ tension.
Her consciousness permeated her entire form.
Every movement became deliberate.
Every reaction flawless.
Months later, news spread across the seas.
Fisher Tiger, captain of the Sun Pirates.
Slave liberator.
Enemy of the Holy Land.
Dead.
Though Seraphina had never met him…
She stood in silence upon hearing the report.
A man who challenged the gods.
A warrior who shattered chains.
Whatever the world declared him to be…
His spirit deserved respect.
And legends…
Never truly died.