Half a day later, on the vast sea.
A black ship, about fifty or sixty meters long, sailed through the water.
At the top of the tall, sturdy mast, a black flag with a white skull and two crossed knives was proudly displayed.
"Is that the pirate 'pug' Glass Dooley, with a bounty of 58 million Berries, leading the Dooley Pirates with over a hundred crew members?" Wilhelm thought, looking through a pair of binoculars.
High above in the sky, massive eagles soared through the air, their wings beating steadily.
With his luxurious robes and long silver-white hair flowing in the wind, Wilhelm looked as noble as a king, someone not to be challenged.
He continued observing the pirate ship miles away, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "This is perfect. It's the perfect chance to test how far the ability of my newly discovered natural Devil Fruit power can go..."
He paused, then added, "Also, isn't that guy 'pug' Dooley an ability user?"
Wilhelm had always been curious.
Using the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the "Ability-Transfer Fruit," he could transfer a Devil Fruit ability into a dead object, causing it to "eat" the Devil Fruit and gain the ability, even though it was a non-living thing.
He wondered what would happen if he cut off a person's bone, let it "eat" a Devil Fruit ability, and then reattach it. Would the person have two Devil Fruit powers?
Though he wasn't sure it would work, Wilhelm was excited to find out.
A few miles away, on a large, black pirate ship, a tall, muscular, and menacing figure stood at the bow.
"pug" Dooley, the pirate with a bounty of 58 million Berries, shouted to his crew: "The feast is over, but the wine's all gone! You bunch of idiots better get ready for battle!"
"Captain, there's something up ahead!"
On the observation platform of the mast, one of the lookout pirates, holding a pair of binoculars, shouted to "pug" Dooley.
"What's going on?" "pug" Dooley asked, surprised.
He quickly looked ahead and noticed a small, distant white spot on the sea. It was unclear, but it was definitely something.
"Looks like... a vulture?"
The pirate on the lookout couldn't help but be surprised as he watched the huge bird getting closer. The sky ahead was clearing up, revealing the massive eagle flying toward them.
"Is there such a big bird in this sea? This is the first time I've seen something like it," the pirate thought, having only ever seen huge Sea Kings before.
"A... giant eagle!? No way, it's way too big!"
"Is it really coming toward us?" Dooley asked, pulling out a pair of binoculars from his pocket. He looked through them, then frowned in surprise. "It looks like it's heading straight for us..."
"Captain, it looks like there's someone on the eagle's back..."
The lookout, who was watching through his binoculars, spoke in disbelief and confusion.
"What?"
Dooley also spotted the figure on the eagle's back. His sharp, sinister eyes narrowed as he focused on the silver-white figure. This combination of a giant bird and a person was certainly unexpected on these seas.
"Wait, is it coming for us?" Dooley muttered, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"This is the first time I've seen a bird this size. I wonder what it tastes like..." another pirate joked.
"Does this guy not recognize our Dooley Pirates' flag? Is he looking for trouble?" one of the crew members added.
Around Dooley, dozens of pirates gathered, none showing fear or concern. Instead, there was a sense of eager excitement, arrogance, and cruel smiles on their faces.
These pirates exuded a dangerous aura—fierce and bloodthirsty, clearly not people who hesitated to kill when necessary. A giant bird of prey wasn't enough to scare them, especially since the figure on its back appeared to be alone.
"Crazy!" someone muttered under their breath.
Soon, the giant eagle flew directly over the pirate ship.
Before any of the pirates could react, the silver-white figure leapt from the eagle's back and descended toward the ship.
"Swoosh--"
A cold flash of light appeared.
The beautiful and sharp Tenseiga (a traditional sword) danced through the air wildly.
"Ah..." Several bloody heads flew into the air.
A stream of blood splattered onto the surrounding pirates, catching them completely off guard.
"Aww-"
The huge eagle quickly shrank in size.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into an incredibly fierce beast, with snow-white wings, the head and body of a mastiff, and a thick, snowy mane.
Its savage, bloodstained mouth was filled with sharp, chilling teeth.
It looked like the legendary monster—half bird, half lion—a Griffin!
"What?!!!"
The white shadow of the creature suddenly flashed.
It jumped straight onto a pirate who couldn't react fast enough.
With one swift bite, it tore out the pirate's throat.
The attack was brutal!
"You're asking for death!"
"Damn bastard..."
"So bold, kill them!!!"
The sudden chaos caused the pirates' faces to twist with shock and rage. They yelled in fury as they swung their weapons, charging at Wilhelm and the snow mastiff Finley, who was still in the "Griffin" form.
"Let's see how you handle my blade!" Wilhelm said indifferently, drawing his sword.
The faint blue gemstone on the hilt gleamed with a strange light.
A chilling, cold aura spread from the sword, causing the temperature to drop sharply.
The pirates felt an eerie coldness creeping up on them, making them shiver uncontrollably.
"The Coldness of Under world!" Wilhelm whispered.