At the same time, Saint Saturn's figure vanished from his position.
No way, no way—he's already getting worked up?
The next instant, his spider-like appendage was already shrieking toward Kyle's forehead.
Fast to the extreme, ruthless to the extreme.
However, at the very moment he launched his attack, Kyle's figure didn't retreat but advanced instead, reversing his black-gold naginata to slam the heavy handle hard into the ground.
"Quake Mountain: Earth Roar Wave!"
RUMBLE—!!!
With Kyle at the center, the earth was no longer a solid surface but transformed into raging torrents.
The ground surged and cracked violently in a fan pattern, throwing up dust clouds and earthen waves dozens of meters high, like a giant beast opening its all-consuming maw.
This sudden earthquake caused Saint Saturn's sure-kill thrust to falter momentarily.
Now's the chance!
Dust filled the air, completely obscuring visibility.
Saint Saturn paid it no mind—he could clearly "sense" Kyle's presence directly ahead.
His appendage accelerated again, piercing through the dust unobstructed and stabbing precisely into that figure's chest!
No blood, no screams.
The pierced "Kyle" dispersed like smoke blown by wind, dissolving into countless points of light that slowly faded away.
An illusion!
Kyle: Got you, sucker!
For the first time, genuine surprise flickered in Saint Saturn's pupils.
His infallible Observation Haki had been deceived? Was it interference from that instant earthquake burst, or did the opponent's fruit ability itself possess perception-deceiving properties?
He slowly retracted his appendage, surveying his surroundings.
The thick dust gradually settled, the forest returned to deathly silence, and Kyle was nowhere to be seen.
Not just Kyle—even the Bartholomew Kuma on the ground and that unconscious big head had vanished without a trace.
They'd escaped.
Not only had they retreated intact from before one of the Five Elders, but they'd also taken the target with them.
Saint Saturn's expression darkened until it could practically drip water. He stood quietly in place, the killing intent in his eyes almost taking physical form.
He would remember that pirate.
...
After confirming they'd escaped danger, Kyle casually dumped the unconscious Ivankov on the ground, leaned against a tree, and took several deep breaths.
That move had looked smooth but was actually extremely perilous.
From the moment he saw Saint Saturn's pentagram formation, he knew this old monster absolutely wasn't something his current self could face head-on.
His Conqueror's Haki hadn't reached the level where it could break through the opponent's immortality, and ordinary Armament Haki against such a monster wouldn't even count as scratching an itch.
No contest!
That "Silent Cloud Piercer" strike being blocked by the opponent's body, with the recoil still making his palm ache—that said everything.
Simple trash talk, ultimate enjoyment—doesn't this count as breaking through his defenses too?
So from the first second of engagement, his goal wasn't to kill the enemy, but to rescue people and... escape.
Smart people know when to run—there's no shame in retreating when outmatched. Does that old bastard dare give him a few more years? Then he'll twist his head clean off!
"You..."
A hoarse voice interrupted Kyle's thoughts.
Kuma was looking at him with an extremely complex gaze—one containing gratitude, awe, and deep confusion.
"Who... are you really?"
Kyle raised his head, the tense, serious expression vanishing from his face as he returned to his devil-may-care attitude, grinning to show his white teeth.
"We meet again. I'm Kyle, just a righteous little pirate passing through."
Kuma clearly didn't believe this explanation, but didn't know how to press further.
This man had first saved them from Charlotte Linlin's clutches, then rescued them again from that incomprehensible horror.
"Why save us?" Kuma asked his deepest question. "We're just... slaves."
Hearing the word "slaves," Kyle's smile slowly faded.
He looked at this powerfully built young man whose face still carried boyish innocence—Bartholomew Kuma—thinking of his rough, tragic life that would even be rewritten as that of a "tyrant."
A man gentle to the extreme, willing to bear everyone's pain; a man who most deserved to turn dark but remained kind his entire life.
Kyle was silent for a moment, not answering his question directly but asking instead: "You said earlier you wanted to become a hero like Nika to save others?"
Kuma hesitated, then nodded firmly.
"Good." Kyle stood and walked before Kuma, looking down at him. "But what if I told you there's no savior in this world at all? That Nika is just a legend—a hope to cling to?"
"That's not... I..." Kuma paused slightly, his gaze wavering.
"The only one who can truly save you is yourself—or rather, everyone can be Nika." Kyle's voice became unusually serious, his golden pupils flickering with a certain light. "You asked why I saved you. Now I'll answer."
"Because I saw defiance in you—defiance against being born a slave, against being slaughtered at will, against this shit-stained world."
"So keep running, Kuma."
Kyle extended a finger and gently tapped Kuma's chest.
"Don't stop. Use your feet to measure the earth, your eyes to see the world, your power to deflect all pain and sorrow. Run, break through, resist!"
"Fight for all the beauty and happiness in this world, still worth protecting!"
Kyle's words struck Kuma's heart like a heavy hammer.
He remembered his father's dying words, Ginny's smile, his companions' desperate, pleading eyes.
So the meaning of resistance wasn't to become someone else, but to become yourself.
So true power wasn't for destruction, but for protection.
Kuma slowly raised his head. For the first time, the eyes that had always been shrouded in inferiority and fear ignited with flames called "conviction."
"I understand." He spoke quietly but with absolute determination.
He stood up, walked to the unconscious Ivankov, and shouldered him like Kyle had done.
Then he extended his right hand, a cute pink paw pad appearing on his palm.
A wonderful sensation flowed from his palm.
He seemed... capable of doing many things.
"Big brother, thank you." Kuma turned to give Kyle a deep look, as if carving this face into his soul. "I need to go save my companions now."
Kyle leaned against the wall, lazily waving his hand: "Go on, remember to run fast!"
Kuma said no more. He aimed his palm at himself and Ivankov, giving the paw pad a gentle pat.
Whoosh—!
Both figures transformed into a streak of light, instantly vanishing from the cave.
"What a convenient ability."
Kyle looked at the now-empty cave and smiled.
He shouldered his black-gold naginata again, stretched lazily, his joints crackling in a series of pops.