King was seething with frustration. He had long heard of the Marines' growing power— after all, no one could ignore the impact Rowen had made on their forces over the years.
But for his fleet to be completely obliterated without even facing the Marine's main force? That was a disgrace beyond measure, one that couldn't be justified by differences in firepower alone.
It had to be acknowledged that apart from the specially developed Super Electromagnetic Cannon, G-5's devastating seastone-laced mines, and other cutting-edge Marine innovations, much of their standard weaponry— guns, blades, mounted cannons— came from the very same forges of Wano, the ones controlled by the Beasts Pirates themselves.
Yes, there was an equipment disparity, but it wasn't enough to singlehandedly decide the battle.
No, what had determined the outcome was something far more damning—a gap in leadership and intelligence.
With a furious roar, King unfurled his massive wings and dove straight down.
"From that angle… is he trying to flee?" Smoker narrowed his eyes.
King's descent was so rapid that the Marine artillery couldn't track him in time. Yet, his target was an uninhabited section of Chocolate Island— no troops, no civilians, nothing.
Had he lost his senses from the bombardment?
"No! He's trying to break our line of sight!" Koby suddenly shouted.
"The Beasts Pirates aren't the type to retreat! Vice Admiral, we can't let him slip away!"
"What?!"
Smoker's face tensed, a chill running down his spine at King's cunning.
With the pirate fleet wiped out, escape was no longer an option.
If King had charged head-on, the fully prepared Super Electromagnetic Cannon and the extensive artillery network would have torn him to shreds.
As long as he wasn't a Logia user, there was no surviving a barrage of high-powered cannon fire.
That overwhelming firepower was precisely the foundation of the Marines' confidence— their advanced weaponry and scientific prowess.
But King had seen through it. Instead of exploiting his high-altitude advantage, he had chosen a more unorthodox approach— flanking the battlefield to evade the line of fire.
It seemed reckless, but it was undeniably effective.
In a single move, he had neutralized all of the Marines' defensive measures, flipping the situation entirely!
"You lot, hold this position and be ready to fire at a moment's notice! The rest, with me! We're smoking him out!"
The thought of playing cat-and-mouse with a predator like King sent a shiver down Smoker's spine, but hesitation wasn't an option. He barked the order and charged forward.
As Smoker led the assault team toward the crash site, Koby, left behind to guard the artillery, bit his thumbnail anxiously.
"'Conflagration' King… truly worthy of his reputation as the deadliest commander beneath the Yonko."
His sheer brutality and monstrous strength were terrifying enough. But more importantly, even among the Yonko's top lieutenants, King's strategic mind was second only to Red-Haired Beckman in intelligence.
The difference? King had both brains and unrelenting savagery. He was a predator who thought before he struck.
"I just hope nothing catches us off guard, Vice Admiral…"
They had identified his maneuver, but cornering King would be another battle entirely.
— — —
'Whoosh… BOOM!'
The Pteranodon hurtled into the side of a rocky cliff at breakneck speed, sending a shockwave of dust and rubble cascading down the slopes.
Yet the one who had crashed landed without a scratch.
Now back in his humanoid form, King adjusted the sword at his waist and stepped out of the debris-laden cavern his impact had created.
From this vantage point, he had a clear line of sight on the Marines' movements.
"Heh… just as I thought."
A low, mocking chuckle escaped from behind his mask.
Out on the distant plains, Smoker's pursuit force was rapidly closing in.
Given the reach of the Super Electromagnetic Cannon, the moment they located him, an artillery bombardment was inevitable.
To be honest, aside from Kaido, King couldn't think of anyone capable of taking a direct hit from the Super Electromagnetic Cannon and surviving.
Like himself— a Zoan user who had pushed his body to its absolute limits—it was a weapon forged at the peak of scientific advancement.
"But… I have no interest in fighting you."
King let out a cold snort, turned, and leaped off the cliff.
...
Back at the Marine encampment, Koby and a squad of officers remained on high alert, ready to mobilize at a moment's notice.
Despite his relatively low rank, the Grand Line was a place where strength held more weight than titles. Even Smoker valued Koby's abilities, and unless someone was stronger, no one dared to question his orders.
As the team was making final adjustments to their equipment, preparing to support the ongoing battle, Koby suddenly felt a sharp premonition. His instincts screamed at him, and without hesitation, he pivoted on one foot, his muscles coiling in preparation.
"Geppo!"
Boom!!
The instant he launched himself into the air, a long blade, wreathed in eerie red flames, erupted from the ground beneath him. Its searing edge grazed his leg, sending a jolt of excruciating pain through his body.
Flames licked at the wound, burning unnaturally, but there was no time to focus on that. Koby's eyes widened in shock as he turned toward the source of the attack.
"Enemy attack! Be on guard!"
Emerging from the cave's entrance, stepping out of the swirling dust, was none other than King—the very same warrior who had descended from the sky just moments ago.
No one could have anticipated that "Conflagration" King, the Pteranodon Zoan user, would strike from underground.
His Devil Fruit granted him dominion over the skies, yet here he was, attacking from beneath their feet.
"Sharp instincts… but too slow!"
King's muffled voice carried a frigid undertone beneath his mask, void of emotion. The failed ambush didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.
He strode forward, smoothly sheathing his sword. Then, in a single controlled motion, he dropped into a low stance— his right foot stepping forward, left knee nearly touching the ground. His smoldering gaze locked onto Koby, who hovered in midair, and his fingers gripped his blade's hilt with deadly intent.
"Cremation: Flame Ghost."
Like a drawn bowstring snapping free, King's body uncoiled. His sword flashed in a devastating arc, its speed so immense that it seemed to vanish, leaving only a trail of blazing fire in its wake.
Koby's pupils constricted in sheer terror.
"I can't dodge this— I'll die!"
The blade seemed to move in slow motion, yet at the same time, Koby knew it was impossibly fast. Death loomed before him, clear as day.
That's when he noticed—
The flames weren't igniting from the blade itself.
They were spreading in the air, appearing only after the slash had already passed.
"This sword… Could it be—?!"
His mind reeled.
The Flame Blade, "Blazing Concubine"—one of the twelve legendary Saijō Ō Wazamono.
A cursed sword unlike any other.
Its insidious nature surpassed even the notorious Kitetsu series, infamous for dooming their wielders.
Those cut by its edge wouldn't just suffer from the wound alone. The cursed flames would ignite the fat within their flesh, causing secondary burns from the inside out.
A deep enough wound meant certain death—not from bleeding out, but from their own body becoming fuel for an inescapable, self-consuming fire.
The blade stored the remnants of its victims—their oil, their flesh, their essence— feeding its own infernal power. The more it killed, the more terrifying it became.
And yet, the sword held one eerie rule: the moment its wielder perished, all its powers would vanish as if they had never existed.
It was as if it whispered to its wielder—
"Want my power? Keep killing. Entertain me."
A bloodthirsty blade that lured its user into an endless cycle of slaughter.
"Some say the spirits of those burned by 'Blazing Concubine' remain trapped inside the blade itself… Could that be true?"
That fleeting thought barely had time to form before searing pain erupted across Koby's abdomen, a burning gash slicing its way up to his face.
Thud!!
"Captain Koby!!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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