"Truly an interesting bunch."
Standing at a high vantage point watching them leave, Luffy grinned, baring his teeth.
"They certainly are interesting," Sanji nodded in agreement.
Though... their connection was somewhat special, one might even call it a twisted fate. But... precisely because of that, it made things interesting, didn't it?
"Yohohohoho~"
"By the way, was that guy really not your twin brother?" Brook glanced at Sanji as he spoke.
"Bastard, of course not!" Sanji roared with shark-like teeth bared: "Brook, you damn skeleton, I almost forgot about you!"
What Sanji referred to was naturally Brook's earlier laughter about how much he resembled that other person.
"Yohohoho~"
Dodging Sanji's kick, Brook immediately ran off into the distance while laughing: "But Mr. Sanji, you really did look identical at the time!"
"Bastard!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Watching Sanji chase after Brook, the others burst into laughter.
"They won't get lost, will they?" Zoro suddenly spoke up.
Usopp: ???
"How can those words come out of YOUR mouth?" Usopp leaned closer to Zoro: "You're the guy who can't even find his own ship!"
He'd heard about it - Zoro hadn't remembered it was number 41, but number 1!!
He didn't even know what to say.
Crack!
Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead: "Bastard, I just didn't have time to go back yet."
"Then why did you go to Tree 1?"
Zoro: ...
"Because I remembered it as Tree 1..."
Zoro's voice grew increasingly uncertain, his expression turning awkward.
Meiser: ???
"Number 1?"
"Wasn't it 41?"
Meiser stared dumbfounded at Zoro. How the hell had this idiot remembered the number?
"You... could there have been a bubble covering the '4' when you looked at the number?" Nico Robin speculated.
Hearing this, everyone froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA."
"Zoro, you're just too funny."
Listening to his crewmates' laughter, Zoro's face darkened, but he couldn't refute their words.
Because... that was exactly what had happened.
Thinking back carefully, there had indeed been a large bubble covering part of the number at the time.
He'd thought it wasn't obscuring any digits, but... he'd been wrong!!
Just remembering this made Zoro feel extremely frustrated.
At that moment, Meiser seemed to sense something, his expression suddenly changing.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Meiser's sudden shift in demeanor, the others stopped laughing and looked at him in confusion.
"Marine Admiral Kizaru... has arrived." Meiser said with a grim expression: "Just now, that bastard destroyed my clone...
What a terrifying guy - he can send Supernovas flying with a single kick!
So this is a Marine Admiral...
No wonder they're called the Marine Headquarters Top Force. Their strength is truly fearsome."
Meiser had now figured out the opponent's Devil Fruit Ability—not only was it a Logia type, but it was also light!
Frankly, this ability was truly terrifying.
Not only did it possess devastating destructive power, but its speed was also horrifyingly fast.
If not for his Sharingan, he probably wouldn't have been able to track the opponent's movements at all.
At this moment, Kizaru's aged face surfaced in his mind, along with that signature phrase of his:
"Speed is weight. Have you... ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Light-based powers... that's just cheating!
"An... Admiral?!"
The others paled upon hearing Meiser's words.
"Let's go. We need to get out of here fast," Zoro said.
"You mean that bar from earlier, right?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, let's move." Luffy nodded.
Come to think of it, that bar's fridge had plenty of delicious food inside.
Glancing at Sanji, who was still chasing Brook around, Nami clenched her fists and roared with shark-like fury, "You two idiots, stop messing around!"
Thud!
Thud!
As if using Flash Step, Nami closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, knocking both of them flat with a punch each.
"Sc... scary..."
"Enough talk! Move it, or we're done for if the Admiral catches up!"
"Got it!"
As Meiser hurried forward with his crew, he glanced sideways and muttered inwardly, 'Tree 29's location...'
It was far enough from here that they should be able to reach Shakky's place safely.
He just hoped nothing unexpected would happen.
"Got tricked, huh."
Standing in the middle of the street, Kizaru frowned as he stared at the spot where Meiser's clone had vanished. "No wonder that brat dared to come after me alone—it was just a clone..."
Thinking back, the reports he'd received did mention this guy had clone abilities.
But the problem was, his Observation Haki hadn't detected anything unusual. The presence had felt completely human.
"So this is why the others said they couldn't tell the real one from the clones..."
"How... irritating."
If even a Marine Admiral like him couldn't distinguish the real body, then others stood no chance.
Capturing this guy wasn't going to be easy.
The thought gave Kizaru a headache.
But this also confirmed one thing for him.
The earlier report about the Straw Hat Pirates heading this way... was fake!!
It wasn't the Straw Hat Pirates who came here—just a clone of that ninja, Meiser!!
"A diversion, huh..."
Heh, what a clever brat.
He'd actually managed to lure the entire Marine force to this side!!
"Which means... they might still be over there?"
With that thought, Kizaru narrowed his eyes as he glanced toward Tree No. 1.
"Truly a terrifying guy. Even that Blood-Eyed Ninja was no match for him."
From a distant rooftop, Scratchmen Apoo, also known as "The Roar of the Sea," watched Kizaru with a deeply troubled expression.
"Damn... even that Blood-Eyed Ninja couldn't take him on."
That Blood-Eyed Ninja had a bounty of 400 million on his first wanted poster—his strength was undoubtedly formidable.
Yet in the end... he still couldn't defeat a Marine Admiral. Was this the overwhelming pressure of the Marine Headquarters' Top Force?
How... exhilarating!
"Captain Apoo, let's get out of here," one of the crew members urged. "If we wait any longer, we might catch the Admiral's attention!"
He had watched as other Supernovas were effortlessly swatted aside by this Marine Admiral. The sheer, crushing power had genuinely terrified him.
If such a monstrous existence set its sights on them, death would be all that awaited.
"Heh, of course we're leaving, but..." Apoo narrowed his eyes. "Running off without doing anything...
"That's just not my style."
The other Supernovas had dared to attack a Marine Admiral—so why shouldn't he?
Even if... the opponent's displayed strength was overwhelming!
"Huh?"
"What do you mean 'huh'? Get moving, kid. Go wait by the shore with the others," Apoo grinned. "I'll catch up after I've taken care of something."
"But, Captain Apoo—"
"Move it!"
"...Aye."
The crew member had no choice but to obey, though he wasn't happy about it.
After all... when the captain gave an order, what else could he do?
With a resigned shake of his head, he turned and followed his comrades away.
Once his men were gone, Apoo turned back, locking eyes with Kizaru. "Running away is only fun after you've pissed off the enemy first~"
With that thought, Apoo leaped down from the shadows, landing on the edge of a rooftop. Activating his Devil Fruit ability, he transformed parts of his body into musical instruments and began to play.
"Hmm?"
Hearing the music from above, Kizaru glanced up in confusion. "Who's this guy?"
What kind of idiot just climbs up high and starts playing music?
Just as Kizaru was pondering this, Apoo grinned and slammed his right fist into his own head.
Clang!
"Slash!"
Thud!
An invisible slash severed Kizaru's arm in an instant.
"Oh?"
"What kind of strange ability is this?"
"Hah! It worked!" Apoo laughed. "Now try this one!"
Boom!
With the beat of a drum, Kizaru's abdomen exploded, splitting him clean in half.
"Hmm... there really are all kinds of abilities out there..."
Lying on the ground in two pieces, Kizaru muttered, "Even music can be a weapon."
"Yohohoo!!"
"Hahaha, seems my ability's pretty effective after all~" Apoo crowed.
A Marine Admiral? Reduced to two halves by his power?!
The thought made Apoo laugh even harder before he promptly turned and bolted.
"Later, Admiral~"
"Aah~"
"What a rude brat," Kizaru remarked. "Blows me up and just runs off..."
As he spoke, he activated his Devil Fruit ability, his body undergoing Elemental Transformation as it reassembled itself.
"So this is... a Logia-type user..."
The pirates watching from afar were utterly stunned as Kizaru stood up, completely unharmed.
How the hell do you fight someone like this...?
"Trying to run away..."
Kizaru narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Apoo, who had already fled far into the distance. "You're underestimating this old man a bit too much."
"Yata Mirror!"
"Yo~"
A mirror-like light appeared in Kizaru's hand, then shot out a beam of yellow light that zigzagged through the air above the streets at blinding speed, catching up to Apoo in an instant.
"What the—?"
Apoo stared at the glow beside him, confusion filling his eyes.
The next moment...
"Yo~"
"Wha—?!"
Apoo's pupils shrank as Kizaru suddenly appeared right in front of him, disbelief flooding his expression.
How the hell had this guy crossed such a huge distance in an instant and gotten right in his face?!
Is this... the power of a Logia type?!
BAM!!
An impossibly heavy kick slammed into Apoo's body, sending him crashing straight into the ground.
BOOM!!
The impact carved out a massive crater in the street!
"Guh—!"
Apoo spat out a mouthful of blood, his face twisted in agony.
That kick... nearly killed him!!
"So this is the power of a Marine Admiral..."
Drake clenched his fists, cold sweat dripping down his face.
The sheer overwhelming force made Drake feel an immense pressure.
Instinctively, Drake touched the spot where Kizaru had kicked him earlier—it still throbbed with pain.
If not for the fact that I'm an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit Ability User, that kick would've knocked me out cold...
With that thought, Drake immediately turned to flee down a side street, muttering, "We need to set sail now, or else—"
"Where do you think you're going?"
Drake froze as the same glowing light from before appeared right in front of his face.
Dude, we're on the same side!
Do you really have to chase me down like this?!
BAM!!
WHOOSH~
BOOM!!
Drake went flying, smashing straight through several buildings in a row.
"You Supernovas really are..."
"Scary~"
Before the words even finished, Kizaru had already appeared right in front of Hawkins, sending him flying with a single kick.
Hawkins:
He had hidden so well—how the hell was he still found?!
"Seriously, where the hell is Sentomaru?" Kizaru scratched his head.
Maybe... he should just head over to Grove 1 and check?
These Supernovas weren't much of a threat anyway—the other Marines could handle them.
He just hoped those brats had already left Grove 1 by now...
Right then, Kizaru's adjutant rushed over with a group of soldiers, shouting:
"Admiral Kizaru!"
"Oh~"
"It's you guys."
Kizaru smiled. "Have you seen Sentomaru anywhere? I've been looking for him forever."
The adjutant hesitated before replying, "Admiral Kizaru... why didn't you bring a Den Den Mushi with you?"
"I did."
Kizaru held up the Black Transponder Snail in his hand. "But no one answered."
"That's... a Telesnail Tapper. You can't make calls with it."
Kizaru: "..."
The adjutant's words left Kizaru utterly speechless.
After fiddling around for a while... He wasn't even using a proper communication Den Den Mushi, was he?
No wonder no one responded despite all that talking.
Watching the silent Kizaru, his adjutant cleared his throat and said, "Admiral Kizaru, here is your Den Den Mushi. Please contact Mr. Sentomaru."
This time, Kizaru said nothing, merely taking the Den Den Mushi calmly.
Then... whoosh—he vanished in a beam of light.
The adjutant:
"Vice Admiral, we..."
The nearby Marines hesitated, unsure what to do now that their Admiral had left without giving them any orders.
"Of course, we capture pirates!" The adjutant pointed at the distant pirate crew. "Can't you see those guys? Round them up!"
"Yes, sir!"
Watching his comrades charge toward the pirates, the adjutant sighed quietly.
Their Admiral had eaten the fastest Devil Fruit, so why... was he sometimes so slow to act?
Ah well, what could he do? He was still their superior.
Shaking his head, he drew his sword and dashed forward.
Meanwhile, Kizaru himself had appeared atop a tall building, pulling out the Den Den Mushi to contact Sentomaru.
"Hello~"
"Uncle, you finally called." Sentomaru said with a headache. "Why didn't you bring your Den Den Mushi?"
"Ahahaha, things happened too suddenly this time, so I didn't have the chance."
Sigh.
Listening to Kizaru, Sentomaru sighed inwardly.
Sometimes, he really had no idea how to deal with this uncle of his.
"Well~"
"We're connected now, aren't we?" Kizaru chuckled. "Besides, I wasn't completely idle earlier. I took care of those guys with bounties over a hundred million."
"The others don't matter much, but the Straw Hat Pirates..."
Standing on the rooftop, Sentomaru rose to his feet, staring at the open space in the distance. "They must die."
This... was also an absolute order from above.
"I know, but I haven't found them yet," Kizaru said helplessly.
After a pause, he added, "Though I suspect they might be near Grove 1."
"No, they're not."
"Oh?"
Kizaru blinked in surprise. "Why do you say that?"
"Because... I've already spotted them!"
Sentomaru grinned. "Uncle, come to Grove 11. I've found the Straw Hat Pirates."
His luck was just too good. He'd only come here on a hunch, but... he'd actually managed to corner them!
"Oh~"
"Good work, Sentomaru!" Kizaru laughed. "I'll be there soon."
"Got it!"
Click.
After pocketing the disconnected Den Den Mushi, Sentomaru hefted his axe onto his shoulder and grinned.
"PX-4, go! Eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Understood."
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