"NANI!!! He actually threw out that Urouge with a bounty over 100 million!"
"That little girl has such tremendous strength! You'd never know it from her appearance!"
Everyone was speechless. Aside from Kizaru and Xiang En, no one would have believed a girl just over five feet tall possessed power comparable to a wild beast.
This naturally included Hawkins.
It was clearly visible that after Kagura caught the falling Urouge and casually flung him away, the indifference on Hawkins's face finally changed.
However, he quickly seemed to sense danger. His pupils contracted, and his body sharply shifted sideways, yet he was still a step too late.
BEEP!!!
A dazzling laser beam shot out, crossing the gap between two buildings. The hundred-meter distance was traversed in an instant, piercing Hawkins's chest without obstruction.
"Captain!"
Amidst the terrified shouts of his subordinates, a fierce explosion roared.
Pfft!
Hawkins suffered a heavy blow, his body rapidly flying back like a kite with a broken string. He crashed through several buildings, finally becoming embedded in a stone wall.
The entire scene fell silent.
This is... Kizaru's ability?
This sudden event left Xiang En momentarily stunned. He instinctively looked towards the sleazy old man next to him.
He saw that the Marine Admiral, who should have been fulfilling his duty to catch pirates, had somehow pulled out a nail clipper and was engrossed in trimming his fingernails, appearing completely unbothered.
How can you be so relaxed, Admiral!
Wait a minute... if that wasn't this guy's attack, then the only person who could use an ability like that is...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Wanted Target One: 'Mad Monk' Urouge, Bounty 108,000,000 Beli!"
"Wanted Target Two: 'Magician' Hawkins, Bounty 249,000,000 Beli!"
Heavy footsteps echoed. Under the unbelievable gaze of the pirate subordinates, a muscular man, taller than the buildings and bearing a resemblance to a bear, stepped out from the shadows with mechanical, measured strides.
"A... A Warlord of the Sea?!?"
"Bartholomew Kuma! How is he here?"
"Oh God, am I dreaming? Do they need both an Admiral and a Warlord just to catch us?"
The pirates completely broke down.
Some who had been secretly observing from the shadows had already started running for their lives.
Of course, this did not include Scratchmen Apoo, the Longarm Tribe member who had been watching stealthily from a rooftop ever since Kizaru met Xiang En and Kagura.
On a rooftop not far from the scene.
"It's getting more and more lively..." Apoo "the Scratchman," one of the Supernovas, secretly watched the activity below. His gaze swept over Urouge, Hawkins, and Kuma, finally resting on Kizaru, Xiang En, and Kagura.
He had just witnessed Kagura attacking Kizaru. The sudden burst of speed and power left him utterly aghast, even from a hundred meters away. He reckoned that if the girl had attacked him at close range, he would already be on the ground.
If the younger-looking sister (Kagura's hair matched Xiang En's) could make him feel threatened, how terrifying would the older-looking brother be when he finally made a move!
I must remember this guy's face; he might be a dangerous opponent in the future!
However, what concerned him most was Admiral Kizaru, who still hadn't made a move. He had personally witnessed the little girl suddenly attack, cleaving Kizaru in half with her umbrella. Yet, the next moment, Kizaru's two halves dissolved into particles of light and reformed.
A Logia-type Devil Fruit user?
That's a tricky ability. I wonder if my sound wave attacks would work?
"Captain, now we have not only an Admiral but a Warlord here too. Shouldn't we run?" Unlike their rock-steady Captain Apoo, the subordinates were already dripping with nervous sweat.
"Not just yet." Apoo looked thoughtful, his gaze fixed greedily on Admiral Kizaru below.
After seeing Kizaru's Logia ability, he knew that he, who had not yet mastered Haki, could not harm him. But if he just slipped away without doing anything, wouldn't he have wasted all this time spying?
Moreover, escaping unharmed after attacking a Marine Admiral—if news of that spread in the New World—every pirate would hold him in high regard.
"You guys go back and load the supplies onto the ship. I'll stay here and leave a little gift for the Admiral, since we went to all this trouble to come here!"
"My apologies, Hawkins of the North Blue. That little girl hit me pretty hard, which is why I'm only just coming to."
A fierce-looking bald man with a thick beard slowly stood up from the ground. He wore the robes of a monk and was considerably taller than Kizaru. He had a pair of disproportionately small white wings on his back compared to his size.
This was none other than the "Mad Monk" Urouge, one of the Supernovas on the island, whom Kagura had caught and flung away!
"Hahahaha! I forgot to warn you, you're not the only one facing a tough enemy!" Urouge patted his blood-stained, fierce forehead. After shooting a gloating glance at Kizaru, he looked at the Pacifista in front of him and laughed maniacally:
"I was also blasted here by that Warlord Bartholomew Kuma! Hahahaha!"
"How about it, you bastard? You're not going to be knocked out after just one hit, are you?"
"Noise!"
The wall collapsed, and the dust cleared. Hawkins walked out slowly, his expression indifferent. Aside from a single, burnt-out straw doll that dropped, he was completely unharmed.
"Today, I have no sign of certain death."
At the same time, a poor unfortunate soul at the harbor who was moving cargo stared blankly at the bloodied hole that had suddenly appeared in his chest before collapsing to the ground in confusion.
"Eh? He took a direct hit from a Pacifista and is still fine? Young people these days are truly getting scarier and scarier!"
Kizaru's carefree, playful voice rang out across the area. Though the content of his words was complimentary, hearing it still felt like being mocked.
Furthermore, as he said this, Kizaru suddenly reached out and placed his hands on the shoulders of two people who were trying to sneak away amid the chaos.
"Little folks, were you planning on leaving without saying goodbye?"
"..."
Xiang En and Kagura, whose shoulders were gripped, stiffened.
"Hahaha, Mr. Kizaru, I didn't expect you to notice that! I guess you really live up to being a Marine Admiral!" Caught in the act, Xiang En felt a bit awkward.
"Kizaru is just a nickname that outsiders use for me. Actually, my real name is Borsalino." Kizaru smiled benignly while patting their shoulders, looking like an amiable old man speaking kindly to his grandchildren, which stunned Urouge and Hawkins.
"Besides, unless this old man is too blind to see, there's no way I'd overlook a huge pot full of food dangling right in front of my eyes, right?"
"What? Pot?" Xiang En was confused for a moment, but quickly glanced sideways as if realizing something.
Sure enough.
Perched on top of Kagura's small head, a comically oversized iron pot, filled to the brim with food, had suddenly appeared.
"Where did that iron pot come from! And when did you put it on your head! Didn't we agree to sneak away quietly!"