The storm raged, the sky threatening to tear itself apart.
The gale whipped Dragon's green cloak violently, its folds billowing like the wings of some great, terrible bird.
He stood firm against the wind, his expression calm yet profound, sensing the thickening tension in the air as the young Marine approached.
"Young Marine Captain..." Dragon's eyes settled on Mike.
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
This was the same guy, the one who had appeared so lazy and indifferent at the docks.
But the man before him now radiated an entirely different aura.
His imposing presence seemed to freeze the very air, each of his step carrying a silent, crushing pressure.
'When he's serious... he has this kind of presence?' Dragon thought, inwardly stunned.
'Are all Headquarters Captains this strong now?'
"Dragon," Mike's voice was low and cold, laced with an unmistakable threat.
He spat the ruined stump of his cigar into the churning sea.
"You think you can just walk away after injuring my men?"
"Your men?" Dragon frowned, his mind racing to decipher the meaning behind the words.
After a moment, his eyes cleared with understanding.
"That Marine who intercepted my storm... he was one of yours?"
He recalled the man who had stood his ground, brimming with a courage and spirit that had left a deep impression.
'So that's it,' Dragon realized.
'This guy came for him.'
"Correct," Mike said, his voice as cold as the rain.
"Kuro is my personally appointed chief steward." He paused, his gaze as sharp as a blade, as if it could pierce straight through Dragon's heart.
"If you had accidentally killed him, who would handle all the trivial matters for me?"
As soon as the words fell, a flash of cold resolve flickered in Mike's eyes.
"This debt—we're going to settle it properly."
The air seemed to freeze, the howling wind itself seeming to hold its breath.
A cold, humorless laugh echoed in Dragon's heart.
'I beat up his subordinate, so it's no surprise he came knocking.'
But then, his eyes grew even colder.
'Smoker tried to stop my son from setting sail, and now this Captain dares to directly challenge me?'
'Has the title of 'World's Worst Criminal' lost all its power?'
A surge of intense resentment rose within him.
A mere Headquarters Captain, dare to act with such audacity towards him?
Dragon's clenched fist tightened, his knuckles cracking like thunder.
The wind around him began to howl in response to his will.
"Since that's the case," he growled, his voice was like an ancient roar.
"Then let the world witness the power of the 'World's Worst Criminal' once more."
His anger burned in his eyes, his entire being radiating an overwhelming pressure.
Deep within his heart, a long-dormant fury began to rise.
The world was beginning to forget the terror his name once inspired.
The sky seemed to sense his wrath as the dark clouds roiled, forming a massive, menacing vortex directly above them.
Thunder rumbled, a drumroll heralding the coming battle.
"Come, Mike," Dragon's voice was low, brimming with the power of the storm itself.
Endless currents of air transformed into raging hurricanes, howling and swirling by his side.
"Witness the power of the wind!"
"Vroom—!"
At that moment, the roar of an engine cut through the sea air.
Captain Smoker arrived on his Billower Bike, looking up at the two figures confronting each other in the sky, his eyes widening in shock.
'Mike? What is he doing here? Is that kid trying to settle scores with Dragon?!'
Smoker thought, a surge of panic rising in his chest.
He knew who Dragon was: the most wanted man in the world, the supreme commander of the Revolutionary Army, a former elite Marine and the user of the Logia-type Wind-Wind Fruit.
And Mike? That slacker was just a Captain!
'Have you lost your damn mind?!' Smoker muttered to himself, his heart filled with a frustrating mix of anger and concern.
'Any one of Dragon's titles could crush your 'Admiral Kizaru's adjutant' status!'
'Even if Kizaru is on his way, you could be defeated in an instant!'
He took a deep breath, his frustration boiling over.
He raised both hands to the sky and shouted, "Mike, you brat! He's not someone you can handle! Wait for Admiral Kizaru's backup! Don't be reckless! Get the hell down here now!"
Mike who's standing calmly in the air amidst the growing tempest, glanced down at Smoker's frantic shouting and couldn't help but smile faintly.
'Smokey... always so sharp-tongued, but his heart's still in the right place.'
"Shut it, old man!" Mike's voice cut through the wind, clear and steady.
"..."
Smoker immediately fell silent as he was stunned!
'Did that brat just called me old???'
"Just sit back and watch the show!"
Mike's gaze sharpened, and in an instant, his entire aura shifted.
A strange power erupted from him abruptly.
"Conqueror's!"
His eyes gleamed with a crimson light as an overwhelming surge of pure willpower exploded into the sky.
The sky themselves seemed to tremble under its pressure.
The raging storm, the howling wind, the pouring rain—it all seemed to pause for a fraction of a second, frozen by the oppressive force that descended upon the sea.
It was a power that suffocated, that dominated, that bent the world to its user's will.
"Yo~" A lazy, familiar voice drifted over the churning waves.
"My adjutant is really angry, huh~"
In a flash of golden light, Admiral Kizaru appeared beside a speechless Smoker, a pair of sunglasses perched casually on his face.
He looked up at the sky with a hint of deep amusement in his eyes.
"How terrifying~!"
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