Rayleigh's expression suddenly hardened, his overwhelming aura silencing Yuno before he could speak further. Stepping forward, eyes icy, he demanded:
"What do you know?"
Yuno paused, then smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I have no ill will toward that little fellow."
The phrase "little fellow" was cleverly chosen...
Rayleigh halted ten meters away, his eyes narrowing as he studied Yuno.
Yuno lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. "Donkai, Garp."
Rayleigh drew in a deep breath. "I don't know where you learned that… or what it has to do with Roger."
His gaze hardened. "But I am a remnant of the old era. This time, I'll act only because of your connection to Roger. I'll help you hold off Kizaru—for a while."
Yuno snapped his fingers. "Of course, old senior. Just hold him back for me."
"Oi, oi, don't think I didn't hear that!" Kizaru's voice cut in, his expression darkening. "Rayleigh, do you really have some connection to this Quincy guy?"
Rayleigh snorted. "I've lived on Sabaody for years. If I wanted to stir up trouble with those fools, I'd have done it long ago!"
"That's not an excuse."
"Enough nonsense!" Rayleigh surged forward, sword in hand. "Show me how far you've come, Borsalino!"
"You'll be considered an accomplice in this mess," Kizaru shot back, golden light gathering. He remembered their clash back when he was just a vice admiral—barely able to fend Rayleigh off.
But times had changed. He was an admiral now, while Rayleigh had grown old.
Boom!
Their blades and light clashed mid-air, a shockwave ripping across the Grove!
...
Ignoring their battle, Yuno knew Rayleigh wouldn't go down so easily. His Observation Haki spread across the island.
He sensed the merchant ship at the harbor had finished boarding and was preparing to set sail.
Perfect timing.
Lightning and fire exploded from his back, propelling him forward at extreme speed. Within moments, he boarded the merchant ship. The tearing pain surging through his body was unbearable, but he ignored it.
Facing the trembling crew, Yuno said calmly: "Let's go."
"Yes!"
The crew moved immediately—
But then the lookout cried, "Sir, a warship ahead!"
Yuno frowned. "A warship? Reinforcements already?"
After a pause, he removed his mask. Few marines had ever seen the Quincy's true face. Perhaps that was his chance.
He avoided using Observation Haki, wary of being detected. Taking a deep breath, he ordered: "Keep moving forward."
Yet at that moment, Yuno felt it—an unseen gaze. Someone was probing with Observation Haki.
Narrowing his eyes, he spotted a pirate ship frozen in the waters ahead. His chest sank.
Admiral Aokiji…
So even this pirate ship wasn't spared.
Encountering Aokiji at sea was a nightmare. And now, his own ship was locked onto by that chilling Observation Haki.
But there was one angle he could exploit: they weren't pirates, but a merchant vessel.
His mind raced.
...
Aboard the Marine warship, Aokiji's Observation Haki swept outward, scanning every soul aboard the merchant ship.
Finally, his senses settled on Yuno. That aura was strong—too strong for a mere trader.
"Stop them." His eyes sharpened. In this situation, no ship could be allowed to pass without inspection. Pirates could be sunk outright, but merchants had to be checked first.
On Yuno's ship, the crew was pale with fear. If a battle broke out between their Quincy leader and the Navy, they'd be crushed in the crossfire.
"Let them come." Yuno's calm voice steadied them.
The two vessels drew closer. A rear admiral leapt aboard with Moon Step.
"Who are you?" His tone was sharp, the situation making him impatient.
Yuno met his gaze calmly. "We're a merchant ship under the Donquixote family. What's the Navy's meaning here—intercepting a Shichibukai's vessel?"
It was a gamble, but a calculated one. The Marines had no authority to detain a Shichibukai's direct subordinates.
The crew—most of them genuinely Donquixote men—backed his story with their silence.
"A Donquixote ship? Where's your flag? And your officers?" The rear admiral's suspicion lingered. Normally, Doflamingo's ships sailed under his banner, flaunting his protection.
Yuno remained unfazed. "Vice Admiral, this was our young master's order. I'm merely following instructions. If you have doubts…" He calmly pulled out a pink-feathered Den Den Mushi, its shell unmistakably Donquixote property. "…I can call him right now."
The sight of it silenced the Marines.
"…No. That won't be necessary. If it's truly a Shichibukai's ship, you may pass." The rear admiral scowled but dared not press further. The Shichibukai were far above his pay grade.
His Observation Haki swept across the vessel one last time. Finding nothing suspicious, he retreated with Moon Steps and reported back to Aokiji.
Aokiji's gaze lingered on Yuno from afar before he finally nodded. The warships shifted course, parting ways.
Yuno exhaled softly, then ordered: "Submerge. Enter the sea."
"Yes!"
The merchant ship began to sink below the surface—
But suddenly, from the distant warship, two figures descended on Moon Steps.
Kizaru—bloodied and disheveled from Rayleigh's blade—arrived in a flash of golden light.
Aokiji leapt down beside him.
Both admirals struck in unison:
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
"Ice Age!"
Golden light poured like rain, mingling with frost that surged across the ocean.
Yuno's expression darkened. He felt his body tearing, blood soaking through his clothes, but there was no choice—if he didn't stop this, both ship and crew were finished.
Grabbing a fine-iron blade from a trembling crewman, he let plasma coat it, the steel glowing molten red.
Gathering every ounce of his strength, he raised it high.
"One sword… ultimate slash!"
The blade roared down, carrying all of Yuno's power in one devastating strike.
A slash over a hundred meters long erupted from Yuno's sword, cleaving through everything ahead!
The ice shattered, golden light burst forth!
All the pursuing attacks were torn apart by that single strike!
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Beneath the sea, towering waves surged.
Above, the once-calm surface suddenly bulged, before a violent current erupted!
It was as if a Sea King had thrashed in fury beneath the waves, sending endless ocean water soaring into the sky!
A faint sound echoed amidst the roar.
"Two admirals, there's no need to see me off. Farewell! Hahaha..."
The voice shook the heavens, carrying all the way to the distant Sabaody Archipelago!
The people on the island were dumbfounded. Two admirals had chased him—yet the Quincy who had slain the Celestial Dragons escaped?
Incredible!
It was simply unbelievable!
...
On the warship, the two admirals' faces were utterly grim. Aokiji, in particular, felt he had been toyed with.
If Kizaru hadn't warned him, he would have sat by and watched Quincy slip away!
No—he already had watched him leave!
Aokiji frowned, glaring at Kizaru. "What happened? Why were you delayed?"
Kizaru's expression was unusually heavy as he spoke slowly. "I was stopped... by Silvers Rayleigh."
The old man's strength had hardly waned. His mastery of Haki was impeccable—he remained as formidable as ever. And so, Quincy had escaped.
"What?" Aokiji was taken aback. The same Rayleigh he knew?
Kizaru simply nodded.
Aokiji's frown deepened. "Could this be tied to Roger's remnants?"
Kizaru shook his head. "It didn't seem that way. Rayleigh and Quincy don't appear close—perhaps not acquainted at all. Why Rayleigh intervened... I can't fathom."
Aokiji gazed out at the sea, where the waters had calmed once more. "Let's report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku..."
...
As Yuno made his way toward Fish-Man Island,
the News Coo had already spread word across the seas!
Quincy, who once defeated a Warlord of the Sea, killed a Vice Admiral, and whose first bounty had soared past 180 million berries, had now committed an even greater outrage!
He had slain a Celestial Dragon!
He had escaped the pursuit of an Admiral!
The world trembled at the news!
Countless people were horrified and shaken.
Yet even more began to cheer.
...
On an unknown island in the Grand Line.
A man draped in a dark green cloak, hideous tattoos etched across his face, lowered the newspaper and murmured, "Defying the world? Defying the so-called gods? Quincy... may you survive long enough."
This man was Monkey D. Dragon!
Though the Revolutionary Army was still small, their ideals alone were enough to earn the World Government's fear—and CP agents already hunted them in the shadows.
Beside him, a burly figure with heavy makeup and black stockings grinned broadly at the newspaper. It was Ivankov. "Fufufu! Dragon, do you want to reach out to this one? He could be a comrade-in-arms, no?"
Dragon shook his head. "We need steady growth. A man like him is unstable. His path will be drenched in blood... just like the pirates now rising in the New World."
Ivankov's smile faded slightly. "So, they'll clash one day?"
Dragon looked to the horizon and said quietly, "With him in the mix, the balance of the New World will shift again..."
...
Marine Headquarters.
At this time, chaos reigned.
Countless soldiers rushed about in disorder.
In the conference hall—
Every senior officer available was gathered.
The meeting began.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's expression was thunderous. He had just endured a scathing den-den mushi call from the Five Elders.
Their words still rang in his ears: What are you doing? You allowed such a man to escape? Do you even deserve that post?
Each word had left Sengoku seething with rage.
Now, slamming the table, his voice was ice-cold: "Report. What exactly happened at Sabaody Archipelago?"
Kizaru, still stung from Sengoku's earlier fury, stood stiffly. "Quincy's power is formidable—at least candidate-admiral level. Moreover, his manipulation of his Devil Fruit is unusual, amplifying his combat strength far beyond precedent..."
He gave a concise account of the battle, then added, "But his escape wasn't due only to that. The key factor was the arrival of Rayleigh—the former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates."
Gasps rippled across the room.
Even Garp, who had sat with arms crossed in silence, tilted his head slightly at the familiar name.
Akainu's voice was grim. "So Rayleigh is aiding Quincy? Could this man be tied to Roger's remnants? Like Red-Haired Shanks?"
The mention of those names made the room grow heavier still.
Kizaru only shrugged. "That, I cannot say."
Aokiji cut in, "On the way, I saw Quincy's face. He's young—not someone from Roger's era."
Until now, Quincy had always worn a mask, his true face unknown. Aokiji's words drew every gaze.
Sengoku pressed, "Describe him."
Aokiji shook his head. "We were too far apart. I only caught a glimpse—but he's young, no doubt about that."
Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke calmly, "Could he be a descendant of Roger's crew?"
"Roger's son?" someone muttered.
The room froze.
Memories stirred—the incident years ago... Roger's child.
Sengoku exhaled heavily. "The timing doesn't add up."
Garp's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.
Kizaru added, "From their conversation, I don't believe he has any connection to Roger."
"Then why did Rayleigh intervene?" Vice Admiral Doberman demanded.
No one answered.
Akainu narrowed his eyes. "What is Rayleigh plotting?"
At that, the room fell into silence, the weight of the question pressing down on them all—even Sengoku himself.
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