Suspended in midair, Good dangled the barely-breathing Shiki like a sack of potatoes. The once-mighty pirate could barely keep his eyes open, his entire body limp.
Still conscious, Shiki was filled with frustration.
He was Shiki, the legendary pirate who had once stood on equal footing with the Pirate King, Roger—who had even pushed Roger into a corner! And now, look at him… reduced to this sorry state.
Ever since breaking out of Impel Down's Level 6, everyone he'd met had been completely insane.
Luffy had been a surprise, sure—but at least that was due to underestimating him.
But this… this Marine admiral in front of him—he was absurd!
Was the new era really this terrifying?
Wait… how the hell could this guy even fly?
Shiki struggled to voice his confusion, but before he could, Good let out a goofy chuckle, satisfied with having finally replicated the Double Blade Style template.
He soared down with Shiki in tow, landing on the deck in front of everyone.
The moment he landed, all the nearby Marines looked at him with eyes full of reverence.
And then the applause erupted.
Everyone who had once doubted him now shouted his praises.
"Reckless Maniac Admiral is amazing!!"
"He's so cool!!"
He had completely flipped their impression of him. Good's brutal, primal combat style had ignited a fire in their blood—and more importantly, he'd stopped Shiki from escaping.
This was a major victory.
He had cemented his authority among the troops in one battle.
And then, groggily, Shiki managed to mutter, "That's… my Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit)… my ability…"
And with that, he finally passed out from his injuries.
Good casually tossed the unconscious Shiki aside, like he was taking out the trash.
Thud—the pirate hit the deck hard and groaned in pain, even in his unconscious state.
The Marines silently winced.
That was just… pitiful.
The once-great Shiki, now lying there like roadkill.
The four Vice Admirals approached Good, still bandaged and bloodied. One had lost an arm and was deathly pale from blood loss, but he forced himself to stand and salute.
The four bowed deeply. "Thank you for rescuing us, Admiral Good!"
Originally, they had planned to call him by his title and epithet, but out of respect, they dropped the formality and addressed him simply as "Admiral Good."
Good scratched the back of his head and grinned. "No need to thank me! This was my mission from the Fleet Admiral, so of course I had to get it done!"
That response—simple and honest—only made the others admire him more.
Unlike Akainu with his grim aura, or Kizaru with his aloof indifference, or even Aokiji with his laziness… Good felt real. Genuine. Approachable.
A Vice Admiral stepped forward and declared, "No matter what, you saved our lives, Admiral Good. From this day forward, we will loyally follow you through fire and water!"
The others echoed the sentiment.
Even some of the regular Marine soldiers began to shout their thanks and loyalty.
On the side, Gion watched quietly.
She hadn't expected this one mission to earn Good such deep admiration.
None of the three senior admirals could have achieved this. Not Akainu. Not Kizaru. Not Aokiji.
Was it because Good felt more… human? More relatable?
Maybe it was because he was a little dumb?
She shook off the thought.
Once the voices quieted, Gion stepped forward, a curious glint in her eye.
"Admiral," she asked, raising an eyebrow, "how are you able to use Akainu's Magu Magu no Mi (Magma-Magma Fruit) and Shiki's Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit)?"
The surrounding Marines instantly perked up.
Everyone, from Vice Admirals to foot soldiers, looked at Good expectantly.
They all knew Devil Fruits didn't work like that.
A Devil Fruit could only exist once in the world at a time. After the user died, the power would reincarnate into a new fruit.
On top of that, a single person could only eat one Devil Fruit.
Anyone who tried to eat a second would supposedly explode from the inside.
But Good had just casually used two active Devil Fruit abilities.
How?
Good scratched his head again and burst into laughter. "Easy! I just fought them!"
"During the fight, I somehow learned it!"
Everyone: "..."
The entire deck went silent.
Even Gion stared blankly at him.
…What kind of explanation was that?
You learned it by fighting them?
So what, you could just beat up Akainu and bam—magma powers? Beat up Shiki and now you can fly?
Who the hell would believe that?
Everyone exchanged looks, unsure if he was messing with them or just genuinely that simple-minded.
If he didn't want to tell them, fine… but couldn't he at least make up a believable lie?
Gion sighed.
After spending time with him, she was starting to get used to this.
He wasn't being secretive—he just didn't think to hide anything.
That answer? It was probably his honest truth.
No use asking further.
She turned and began arranging the aftermath.
Shiki was tied up and re-secured, injured soldiers were stabilized, and plans were made to return.
With the branch's two main warships destroyed, only two escort ships remained. The wounded would be sent back to the branch. The rest would accompany the main force escorting Shiki to Impel Down.
Just as Gion was finalizing everything…
Riiing!
The Den Den Mushi in her pocket began to ring.
(End of Chapter)
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