Silence—deadly silence.
After witnessing the scene, which resembled an icy purgatory, every Marine present widened their eyes in shock, staring blankly at the thousands of ice coffins, utterly lost and stunned.
Only Kizaru was the exception.
He gazed up at the ice coffins, saying nothing, his eyes betraying no surprise, as if he had already known.
Nao, after a brief moment of stunned silence, suddenly recalled the hawk-eyed Missaya who had died by his hand two months ago, and the ice coffins drifting on the sea…
The same size and model, both containing young boys and girls.
He understood. He understood everything.
"See? I told you not to randomly press buttons, kid. But you just had to."
William's languid voice suddenly broke the silence in the chamber. "Things were already settled. Wouldn't it be better if everyone just went home? Now everyone's so awkward…"
"What is going on here?!"
A hot-blooded young Marine Captain, his eyes red, couldn't help but rush forward, demanding sharply: "Where did these children come from, huh?! And what are you planning to do, keeping them here?!"
The Captain's spittle splashed all over William's face.
"Too noisy."
William's face was still filled with a gentle smile, but his eyes turned cold. "You know, I absolutely hate it when people yell."
Thwack!
A gigantic whip made of pale pink petals suddenly grew out of the ground, striking the captain's face with a loud crack.
The Captain immediately lost several teeth, his face swelled high, and with a scream, he was sent flying backward by the immense force.
Just as he was about to crash into the iron wall, a flash of golden light appeared—Kizaru. He blurred into place, catching the young captain effortlessly before setting him gently on the ground.
Still calm, Kizaru looked up at William and spoke quietly.
"I need an explanation, Your Highness."
"As expected of a Glint-Glint Fruit user, truly astonishing speed…"
William's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Then he looked at Kizaru, smiling faintly.
"But… an explanation? Vice Admiral? Have you been so chilled by the cold that your mind's gone fuzzy, hmm? What makes you think my actions require an explanation from you?"
"There's no point in saying this."
Kizaru gently shook his head. "You should be aware, if you don't explain things clearly, neither I nor my subordinates will leave this place."
"..." William smiled slightly, then suddenly turned his head and calmly instructed, "Bub, bring down a few processed goods. Let these Marines see them."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The simple-faced brute said in a muffled voice.
He walked into the massive, icy purgatory-like cold storage, looking left and right, selecting for a moment.
Then, he suddenly stomped the ground, leaping up to take two ice coffins from the topmost eastern section, carrying them under his armpits towards the giant steel door.
Thud.
The ice coffins were laid horizontally on the ground. All the Marines' gazes focused, and they saw that inside, too, were frozen two half-grown children, a boy and a girl.
The boy was about fourteen or fifteen, with blond hair and a handsome, straight nose. His bare upper body had strong, muscular pecs.
Yet, his legs were oddly pale and slender, as if grafted from somewhere else.
The girl in the other ice coffin was even more striking.
Only her face resembled a human's. Her arms were from a Longarm Tribe member, her lower body was a fish tail, and on her back sprouted a pair of light blue, petal-like wings…
"Well, aren't they exquisite artworks?"
Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, Bub chuckled foolishly, scratching his head and saying happily:
"I customized these exactly to my clients' specifications. They took a lot of effort."
"Bub is a Connect-Connect Fruit user. He can freely connect and merge the bodies of living beings, keeping them active. Animals, plants, various races—all are included."
Windsor Kale, beside him, folded her arms and sneered: "And these 'goods' he processes are in high demand; many noble families have to pre-order to get them. Some of the rare ones are even exclusively supplied to the Holy Land…"
The Holy Land?
Marijoa?
Orders from the World Nobles?
The Marines present were utterly horrified, exchanging uneasy glances.
"The World Nobles, huh…"
Kizaru also rubbed his temples, muttering, "How troublesome."
No wonder there were rumors that William was making progress in restoring his World Noble status. So, he's connecting with those guys in Marijoa through these kinds of transactions…?
"It seems you've finally realized what kind of situation you've gotten yourselves into."
William finally spoke now, smiling as he clapped his hands. "So, Vice Admiral, now that it's come to this, do you feel you need more explanation, or will you pretend you saw nothing, take your subordinates, and leave Hot Nest Peninsula?"
"..."
Kizaru closed his eyes, seemingly suppressing something, but when he finally opened them, he let out a soft sigh, shaking his head slightly:
"Let's part ways here, Your Highness William. However, before we go, I must warn you: there should always be a bottom line to everything, otherwise, no one can predict what will happen in the future…"
"Are you threatening me?"
"I wouldn't dare, Your Highness."
Kizaru coldly dropped that last remark, then turned and led the way out. Rear Admiral Gumiiru and the others, though filled with reluctance, eventually sighed one by one and followed him.
Nao was at the very back. He took a step, then looked back three times: at the two disfigured, modified children on the ground, then at the iron wall deep within the cold storage, covered in chilling ice coffins.
At some point, his right hand had quietly settled on the hilt of his sword at his waist.
"Don't be impulsive, kid."
Rear Admiral Gumiiru noticed his action and quickly grabbed his arm, lowering his voice. "This guy is a mixed-blood prince of two great kingdoms, with noble status. And this transaction involves the World Nobles. We absolutely cannot…"
"So we just leave like this?"
Nao turned, his clear black eyes meeting Rear Admiral Gumiiru's. "We let Rear Admiral Buma's revenge go unpaid? We leave these children still buried in the ice, never to see the light of day?"
"We already got revenge for Buma back at the auction house, didn't we?"
Kizaru, walking ahead, spoke languidly without turning his head. "Of course, we can't ignore these children, but not now. A small G-2 Branch like ours can't provoke William. We need to contact Headquarters first, report, and then let the higher-ups make a decision."
"By then, will this exposed cold storage still exist? Will the transferred children still be found?"
Nao said calmly, "You should understand that question better than I do."
"..."
Kizaru stopped.
At this moment, he and the Marines had already exited the giant rock gate and entered the valley.
The afternoon sun filtered through the crevices, shimmering within the valley, dispelling the chill from the cold storage that had clung to their skin.
It was warm.
"That's why I dislike overly proactive and opinionated people, you know…"
Kizaru looked up, narrowing his eyes at the falling sunlight. He suddenly spoke softly: "Kid, standing at the bottom of this valley, what you can see is too limited. Sometimes, things are far more complicated than you think, understand…?"
"No," Nao coldly cut him off.
"The Warlord of the Sea system was only established recently. It still lacks credibility, both with the public and with pirates looking to join us."
Rear Admiral Gumiiru, thinking Nao truly didn't know, quickly whispered in an anxious tone beside him: "Even without considering William's lineage, we cannot rashly attack a Warlord of the Sea without prior authorization from Headquarters. That would make the outside world believe this alliance is nothing more than a scrap of paper, unworthy of trust. By then, our Marines would become extremely passive…"
"If we contact Headquarters now, will Headquarters authorize and agree?"
Nao's gaze was still fixed on Kizaru.
"..."
Kizaru still looked up at the sky in the dark crevice. "You should know better than I do, Nao."
"Then that's that."
Nao's hands, gripping his sword hilts, gradually tightened. Just as he was about to turn back, Kizaru's languid voice came again:
"There are some consequences you might not have fully considered, kid. I have to warn you."
"Regardless of his status as a Warlord of the Sea or a mixed-blood prince, you're just a small recruit without even a proper rank. If you dare to move against William, that's a serious breach of protocol. You'll definitely be held accountable by Headquarters, and even the CP agencies."
"Your monthly assessment will be directly graded as 'Fail,' and any achievements earned during your probationary period will be sealed and reset…"
"Under pressure from two major kingdoms' royal families, you might even be directly sent to a marine court. What awaits you could be endless imprisonment—ten, twenty years? Or a lifetime? I can't guarantee anything."
"So,"
Kizaru finally turned, his expression showing no emotion. "Just abandon your notions and honestly follow me."
"If I were you, I'd listen to your superior, kid," William's smiling voice came from behind. "Youngsters destroying themselves out of momentary impulse—that's just not acceptable, you know…"
Nao stood rooted, silent.
He was naturally aware of these consequences. The chain reactions he'd trigger would make him pay many heavy prices, ones even Kizaru didn't know about.
Over two months of tireless, day-and-night effort. Two side missions that were nearly complete. Hundreds of thousands of points and generous item rewards. And the dream of Gion publicly confessing to him at the promotion ceremony once he returned to Headquarters…
Everything, absolutely everything, would turn into an ephemeral dream the moment he made his move.
But.
He glanced at the word on the white coat of "Justice" on Kizaru's back, then turned back to look at the horrifying ice coffins hanging deep within the cold storage. He ultimately clenched the two swords in his hands.
The Wind Blade, and the Azakana Sword.
One sword to slay evil, one sword to pacify souls.
Hum!
His long-suppressed sword aura exploded in a flash of white light, filling the dgloomy rock cave with searing brilliance!
"I'm going to be impulsive today!"
Nao stomped the ground and shot forward like a beast unchained, blades flashing, charging straight at the stunned William.
His face was as distorted as a demon's, roaring, unleashing the first curse word of his nineteen years of reborn life: "Screw your World Noble bloodline! And screw being a Warlord of the Sea!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin