Shiki couldn't help but recall the scene at the bar when he first saw the newspaper reporting on Klein. His face instantly flushed with shame.
Back then, he'd boasted shamelessly, telling that kid to come to the New World—saying he'd show him what a real pirate looked like.
And now…
He hadn't even seen the guy in person. Just a single scroll from him had left Shiki seriously wounded!
What the hell was this!?
An utter disgrace!!
"Blegh—!" Shiki spat another mouthful of blood. As a "Float-Float Man," he felt like he was floating even more than usual—his head spun, and his vision blurred.
Failure!
Failure!
Goddamn it—what a failure!!
This wasn't the result he, Shiki, wanted at all!
Boom—
The pirate ship crashed into the sea, sending up a towering splash. Cries of pain, wails, and desperate pleas for help echoed all around.
From every direction, sharks with dorsal fins breaking the surface swam in, drawn by the scent of blood.
"That slash just now…" Kong's expression was frozen in shock, his pupils trembling uncontrollably. "If it had been me, I wouldn't have been able to block it either!"
"In just a few months, his slashes have undergone a complete transformation since the evaluation test!"
His mind flooded with chaotic thoughts—
Has his Conqueror's Haki grown this much?
Just how strong is Klein now?
That move—he didn't use it during our last fight at all!
A slash—launched from a scroll?
Too many questions bombarded his brain, leaving it a mess!
He was utterly dazed.
It wasn't until he landed on the Marine warship that he snapped back to reality. The moment his feet hit the deck, he barked at the nearby soldiers:
"Someone explain to me—what the hell was that scroll that released a slash!?"
"Vice Admiral Kong," a Marine soldier stepped forward and handed him the scroll. "It was left behind by Klein-sama. He told us only to use it at a critical moment. None of us expected it to contain such a powerful slash..."
S-Class Ninjutsu – Divine Departure!?
As Kong received the scroll and saw the name written on it, his pupils contracted sharply. Once again, he was stunned. "Klein… using a scroll to release a slash. Could it be…"
"Has he become a Devil Fruit user!?"
Any strange occurrence, for those with some insight, could usually be chalked up to the power of a Devil Fruit.
"Yes, apparently it's some kind of Paramecia-type—Scroll-Scroll Fruit."
"Scroll-Scroll Fruit…?"
Kong stared blankly at the strange scribbles on the scroll. "His slash is far too strong. Just a few months… What the hell happened in that time? His strength…"
…had already far surpassed his own.
That meant—
An Admiral!?
Could it be that Klein now possessed strength equal to a Marine Admiral—one of the top powers in the Navy?
Kong's heart clenched.
"His growth… it's way too fast. A monster among monsters!"
He had been working his ass off these past few months, hoping to reclaim his past failure someday.
But now, Klein hadn't even shown up in person. Just a single scroll had seriously injured Shiki, someone Kong had spent one or two months chasing down!
"That bastard…" Kong stared down at the scroll in his hand, his face grave. He murmured, "He's really… suffocatingly strong—"
"Even geniuses have their limits. But him? He's just… demoralizing."
The harder he worked, the wider the gap became.
How was anyone supposed to bear this kind of blow?
Even without a direct fight, Kong could tell—the result of facing Klein would only be one thing…
Defeat.
A deep sense of powerlessness and frustration washed over him, leaving him completely numb.
A long silence.
Finally, Kong asked, "Where is Klein? Why isn't he on the ship?"
"Klein-sama went to Elbaf."
The response made Kong's expression shift in surprise. "Elbaf? That's the land of the giants. What the hell is he doing there!?"
Sure, the Navy currently had a few Vice Admirals from the giant race, but their relationship with the rest of the giant tribe wasn't exactly great.
The current king, Harald, was pushing for peace and trade, promoting strong diplomatic ties with other nations. That had upset the World Government, which had attempted to block him multiple times.
The Marine soldier replied dutifully, "We don't know. Klein-sama didn't tell us. He just ordered us to wait for him here."
"I see." Kong frowned and handed the scroll back. "I still have missions to attend to. I won't wait."
His own Marine warship had already drawn near. Kong turned and leapt aboard, sailing off.
The sea breeze whipped past.
Kong couldn't stop thinking about the moment Shiki was defeated. The scene played again and again in his mind, his spirit restless.
"Klein… compared to him, anyone else's brilliance is drowned out by the sun-like radiance he gives off."
Right now, the idea of surpassing Klein felt hopelessly far away.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nearly shattered will.
"I can't give up. If one or two years isn't enough—then five or ten!"
His eyes sharpened once more.
"My pursuit is justice. I'm not doing this just to reclaim one past defeat from him."
Last time, he'd lost to Klein in battle. The youth's overwhelming strength had left him more pressured than ever before. But he'd turned that pressure into motivation through sheer willpower.
This time…
The pressure was so intense, it felt like suffocating.
And yet, suddenly, he smiled wryly:
"The game's not over yet—we're all dark horses."
Elbaf.
Underworld.
Before the snow-capped mountain.
"Mwah~"
"Mwah~"
"Wifey~"
"Hubby~"
"Mua~"
A mass of glowing red magma and a bundle of bluish light snuggled together in a sickeningly sweet embrace, making kissing noises and rubbing against each other with a soft 'squeak squeak.' Nearby, Zeus looked completely dead inside, feeling like it had been hit by ten thousand emotional crits.
Back when it was just Prometheus, life had been carefree. But now…
With 'Red Dog' and 'Blue Chicken' cuddling up every damn day, Zeus felt like the third wheel in this relationship.
It turned and floated away, muttering to itself:
"I should really keep my distance from them."
"So this is what humans call love? What does it even taste like!?"
"They look so happy, so joyful… so why can't I feel that way?"
"…"
The sorrow of one Homie is not shared by another. All I feel is noise.
When Klein and his group arrived in front of the snow-capped mountain, they spotted the infatuated Homies still smooching away.
The corners of Klein's mouth twitched. He was baffled.
'Damn… it hasn't even been that long, and Homies are already dating now?'
"Truly eye-opening."
"They say netizens can find any picture on the internet… except a girlfriend. Starting to wonder if that's true."
Still, he didn't bother stopping them. After all, Homies didn't even have reproductive organs. Let them do as they pleased.
Klein just smirked with a hint of mischief and teased, "Hey Os, even the Homies are paired up now. When are you finding your soulmate?"
Os had just been admiring the two cuddly Homies in fascination—and now the fire had suddenly turned on him.
He immediately shut down, completely speechless and slightly depressed. "…"
"Heh heh…" Gloriosa chuckled lightly behind her hand. "Don't worry. With Os's skill and determination, I'm sure he won't lack for wives in the future."
"If it really comes to it, I can introduce you to a few warriors from Amazon Lily."
Os turned beet red on the spot, stammering nervously, "Uh, um… that, that…"
Suddenly, a cry of alarm rang out:
"Zeus is missing!?"