Waters around Duramos Kingdom.
After Kong, Sengoku, and the others took turns hammering it into their heads, Kuzan and the rest finally agreed. Hearts full of resentment.
A soldier's duty is obedience!
After days and nights at sea, a warship reached Duramos Kingdom.
On deck stood three Vice Admirals in Navy cloaks. Three different expressions.
Borsalino didn't care. His beef with Aus was just from scrapping before.
He was already calculating—with Kuzan and Sakazuki holding the line, he could probably coast.
Sakazuki's face looked carved from ice. He hated Aus purely because the guy was a pirate. One who provoked the Navy and messed with the seas on a whim.
Under military orders, he could barely manage to look the other way—like he'd do with the Warlords later.
Kuzan?
Pure hatred. Stubborn refusal to lose. Toward Aus, nothing but hostility.
"Reporting, sirs—Duramos Kingdom ahead."
The coastline's black dot came into view. A nervous messenger with a rifle got shoved forward.
Facing these frost-cold superiors made the lower ranks shake.
"Yeah, yeah... we know~"
Kuzan and Sakazuki stayed silent. Borsalino answered with pursed lips, waving the soldier off. He walked to the starboard side.
Hand shading his eyes, he peered ahead. "That direction... looks like some scary folks are fighting~"
Those exaggerated kilometer-scale slashes and sky-filling sandstorms—even an idiot could tell who it was.
"Black Gun Dortorl Aus!"
Crack crack crack...
Frost spread from Kuzan's body across the deck, freezing it solid. His gaze went colder.
If orders weren't holding him back, he'd unleash everything right now.
Didn't matter if he could take Aus down.
At least he'd make his stance clear.
Whoosh—
Before he could move, a black-red slash flew from that special-effects-filled island straight toward the warship.
Many slashes flew from the island in different directions. This one aimed dead center.
The strike split the ocean in half. Couldn't close for ages.
Marines stared at the massive slash in the distance—seemingly piercing heaven itself, wrapped in black-red lightning, charging unstoppably forward.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Does a slash like that even exist?!"
"It flew from dozens of kilometers away?!"
Kilometer-scale sounds abstract. But picture it—
Massive enough to touch the sky. Three hundred stories tall. Twenty Ultramen stacked up.
At that scale, even giants looked like ants.
Lower-ranked sailors panicked. Some dropped weapons without noticing.
We're dead.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
"Great Eruption!"
Two towering figures stepped forward. A magma fist radiating heat and an ice bird carrying cold blasted out—
Clashed with the black-red slash briefly. Then everything vanished.
Sakazuki and Kuzan's faces darkened. They stared at that distant island. That black-red slash—no mistaking it.
Behind them, footsteps. Sailors cried out and stumbled back.
A long-haired man carrying a black blade slowly sheathed it.
His tall frame reached out, hand landing on Borsalino's shoulder.
"Afternoon, sailors."
"Oh~ Just boarded like that? How scary, Dortorl Aus~"
Borsalino glanced at Aus beside him—half a head taller. Hand on his shoulder. He barely reacted. Just a bead of sweat.
Terrifying speed. Couldn't track it.
Marines surrounded them in a circle, legs shaking as they raised weapons.
Not mentally ready—why so fast?
That legendary pirate...
"Huh? What's this? I came to say hello and you're starting a war?
You're here to escort the Dortorl royals to the Council Meeting, right?"
Aus snapped his fingers. Gentle smile on his face like he wasn't the one with guns aimed at him.
The instant the snap rang out, bullets appeared under every Marine's feet, clattering on the ground.
What?!
When did the bullets—?!
Wait. Right. They were escorting him.
Meaning—no fighting this monster! So what were they scared of?!
"Dortorl Aus!"
Kuzan turned. Nearly covered in frost—expression invisible. His fist clenched, struggling not to slam into Aus's face.
Not attacking was already his limit.
This bastard better not provoke him...
"Yo, Kuzan. Old times~"
Brazenly, Aus acted oblivious. Walked forward, ignoring the cold, casually throwing an arm around Kuzan's shoulder.
Crack crack crack...
Head lowered, silent, Kuzan's cold spread rapidly. Following Aus's arm, it raced across his body.
"Kuzan!"
Furious but rational, Sakazuki couldn't help calling out.
Seconds later, Aus turned into a stylish ice sculpture.
"That should help, right? I didn't come to fight."
Aus's figure vanished from the ice, reappearing on Kuzan's other side. Hands in pockets. Still smiling.
"You think that erases my hatred, Aus...?"
"When I find an opening, I'll still kill you."
"Sure, sure~"
Aus grinned.
"Tch..."
Kuzan snorted coldly.
He knew a man like this couldn't be frozen with one move. Silently walked to another part of the deck.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Sakazuki was more direct. Didn't even acknowledge Aus. Headed straight for the bridge.
He feared he'd lose control and launch Hell Hound unprovoked.
That's why Aus didn't mess with Sakazuki. The guy would genuinely snap.
Hated pirates to his core. Wouldn't waste words.
No fun at all.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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