Kong slowly scanned each of the Navy Admirals before him.
His heart felt cold and hollow.
He never could've imagined that in just a few short years since being promoted to Supreme Commander of the World Government's Armed Forces and passing the title of Fleet Admiral to Sengoku, the Navy would rot to this extent.
The so-called "Three Admirals" — even with him personally overseeing the battle — had still cowered in fear before the enemy!
"Hahahahaha!"
Kong suddenly threw back his head and let out a loud, bitter laugh.
But within that laughter… was overwhelming sorrow.
He raised his hand and pointed — one by one — at Kizaru, Aokiji, and Fujitora.
"You three... have completely disgraced the name of the Navy!"
"Since you're all too afraid to risk your lives against the enemy… then I will!"
As he spoke, Kong tore the coat from his body and flung it toward Roya.
"I am the Supreme Commander of the World Government Armed Forces,
Former Fleet Admiral of the Navy — Steel Bone Kong!"
"Today, I will personally take your damned life!"
The coat tore through the air with a deafening howl, sharp enough to pierce the eardrums —
a testament to the monstrous strength behind that single throw.
Kong's muscles bulged with unnatural force, swelling like an inflated balloon, as if to broadcast the terrifying power housed within his aged frame.
Even just the girth of his forearms rivaled that of an average man's thighs.
His biceps were thick as a grown man's waist.
At over a hundred years old, he still possessed such physical might —
a living absurdity.
There was no doubt: this superhuman physique was the result of various scientific advancements from the Science Division — a walking product of forbidden tech and military bioengineering.
Then, Kong charged.
Only now did Roya finally shift his attention away from the distant Momonosuke.
He had sensed something strange about that child, but Kong was already upon him — there was no time to investigate further.
With a flick of his finger, Roya unleashed a razor-thin finger gun technique — slicing a gust of air toward the incoming coat.
The moment it struck, the blast of air exploded perfectly — halting the coat mid-flight and shredding it into fluttering fragments.
Just as the fragments fell…
Kong himself slammed through them.
But Roya calmly extended his hand.
Using Observation Haki-infused threads, he took control of the airborne coat pieces and instantly reassembled them — reforming the coat and slipping it neatly back onto Kong's body mid-charge.
The threads tightened—turning the coat into a binding straightjacket, crushing inward as if trying to wring Kong's body into pulp.
Kong's expression twisted. He immediately halted his charge mid-step.
"BREAK—!!"
A thunderous roar erupted as he exhaled with full force.
His muscles swelled again, pumping even larger — trying to brute-force his way out of the binding threads.
But Roya only chuckled.
The threads instantly loosened, seemingly releasing their grip.
Then, without warning, they snapped apart, transforming into dozens of massive needles — each the size of a short sword.
They shot straight into Kong's body — following the direction of his expanding muscles.
The moment Kong felt the danger, it was already too late.
Every pore on his body screamed with pain.
In the blink of an eye, he was turned into a human pincushion.
But Roya's assault wasn't over yet.
The massive needles burrowed deeper, like they were alive — wriggling between muscle fibers, sliding into major blood vessels, and traveling through his bloodstream…
Toward his heart — still pumping violently.
Kong's expression turned impossibly grim.
He was the embodiment of physical might, but even his superhuman body couldn't do anything against tiny arrows already flowing through his veins.
"Then we die together!"
At the final moment, Kong abandoned all hope of survival.
He brought his fists together in front of him — violently clashing them to generate a massive shockwave, aimed straight at Roya to lock him in place.
At the same time, he dropped his right shoulder, twisted his waist, and funneled all of his energy into his right leg.
In the blink of an eye — he unleashed ten consecutive Soru (Shave) steps with one foot!
The toe of his right foot hit the same spot on the ground over a hundred times, generating an explosive reverse thrust that launched him forward like a human rocket.
In that moment, Kong reached his peak velocity and peak destructive power.
His raised right shoulder — arched and coiled — was the focal point for all that terrifying strength.
One step.
Kong shot toward Roya.
The tip of his shoulder was now less than half a meter from Roya's chest.
And inside him, 60% of those thread-needles had already reached his heart.
The next moment, Roya calmly raised his left hand and pressed it against Kong's right shoulder.
All that overwhelming momentum halted instantly.
At the same time, the thread-needles embedded in Kong's heart converged.
And then — detonated.
His heart was violently shredded from the inside, pierced by the threads until it resembled a grotesque sea urchin.
The previously transparent threads burst from his chest, dyed black by the blood of his heart.
Kong's once-bright eyes finally dimmed.
He slowly looked down at the gaping wound over his heart.
His lips curled into an odd, unreadable smile.
With a sigh, he murmured:
"That impact I was charging with…
Where the hell did all that power go?"
Roya didn't even respond.
He casually withdrew his hand, pulled a handkerchief from his coat, wiped his palm clean, and tossed the cloth into the sea breeze.
He didn't care to answer such a pointless question.
Kong pursed his lips.
He gingerly pressed a trembling hand against the hole in his chest and turned around—one step at a time—walking back toward the flagship he had arrived on.
All around, there was a shared sound of relieved exhalation.
Three long, deep sighs.
Kizaru and Aokiji exchanged a glance and slowly climbed to their feet.
But neither of them made a move to flee.
Everyone could clearly sense:
Kong's life force had already faded.
What was keeping him upright… was sheer willpower, driven by a warped obsession.
A few more steps later, his muscular frame — more fit than most young men — finally collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Squard quietly muttered:
"That guy really was strong.
This was the first time I've seen Master actually come into direct contact with an opponent in battle."
Everyone froze.
Only now did they begin to comprehend just how much had been hidden in Roya's simple gesture — that single push of his palm.
No wonder Kong had died still questioning it —
even in death, his pride wouldn't let him believe it.
Roya turned again, scanning the place where Momonosuke had been.
But his eyes narrowed.
That strange child — and the swordsman beside him — had vanished without a trace.
Just a second's distraction… and the crisis had already flared to life.
Roya's instincts screamed in warning.
He quickly unleashed seven or eight threads of Observation Haki, wrapping everyone nearby and flinging them toward his warship in a single sweeping motion.
At the same time, he sent a mental command to Saint Juan Wolf—
Full speed ahead!
With the massive ship's engines roaring, it launched from the shoreline with stunning force and bolted out to sea.
None of the passengers even had time to ask what had happened.
One moment they were on solid ground—
The next, their world spun as they landed hard on the deck of the ship.
In a blink, Roya appeared in front of them.
And behind them—less than a mile away—Punk Hazard exploded in a massive blast of fire and smoke.
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