"Hold tight, Robin!"
Saul didn't forget to remind Robin on his back.
Staring at the massive warships before him, he actually felt a trace of sorrow well up inside.
Not long ago, he was still part of the Navy, this symbol of global justice.
Yet in just a few days, he had severed ties with them completely.
But he had no regrets about his choice.
What he regretted was not finding his own true sense of justice sooner.
However, he understood the Navy's sheer strength clearly.
Though he had never witnessed a Buster Call himself, he knew the capabilities of the five Vice-Admirals commanding it well—whether it was Raleigh, Sakazuki, Borsalino, or Kuzan, none were opponents he could handle easily.
Right now, he needed to break through the blockade before anyone noticed his specific position and before the encirclement tightened further around the island.
Boom!
Another volley of heavy cannon fire landed near Saul on the shore, spraying dirt and shrapnel.
The frightened little Robin clung tightly to Saul's tattered coat, pressing herself firmly against his broad back.
She couldn't cry—she had promised her mother before leaving the Tree of Omniscience that she would never shed tears, no matter what happened.
She could only redden her eyes, clench her teeth hard, and silently bolster her own courage.
The cannon fire grew increasingly fierce as the ships adjusted their angles.
Saul couldn't avoid the bombardment in time, and one shell struck him directly in the chest.
"Tekkai!"
By activating the Iron Body technique just in time, Saul avoided serious injury. But the sheer kinetic impact still slowed him down slightly, making him a target.
Kuzan stood on the deck of his ship, watching his former friend with a highly complicated gaze.
He didn't know whether he should rush forward to stop him. If possible, he would rather knock Saul unconscious quickly and let the Navy formally capture him.
If Kuzan used all his political connections with Garp and Sengoku, he might be able to save Saul's life—though the cost would be eternal imprisonment in Impel Down.
But Kuzan was unwilling to make that call.
Because if he did that, Saul would forever hold deep hatred for Kuzan in his heart.
Saul shook his head, crouched down behind a burning building, and said, "Robin, get off my back first."
"The warships ahead are firing too fiercely. I need to take care of them, or they will sink our escape boat."
Robin nodded silently and ran behind a hidden rock.
Saul stretched his long limbs, a simple and honest smile appearing on his scarred face.
"Robin, watch me perform!"
Then he charged boldly toward the warship anchored closest to the shore.
"He is coming!"
"Quick, fire the cannons!"
The Marine commander shouted loudly, and all artillerymen frantically adjusted their positions, aiming at Saul's towering figure.
Kuzan opened his mouth to shout an order, but then lowered his head dejectedly.
He had no authority to order the Marine soldiers to stop defending themselves; otherwise, it would be violating direct military orders during a Buster Call.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Saul charged toward the warship at extreme speed.
Most cannons were fired hastily before adjusting their angles, splashing harmlessly in the water, while the few that were on target were directly swatted away by Saul's massive hands.
He jumped into the boiling sea, wrapping his long arms around the bottom of the warship's hull.
The soldiers on the warship lost their balance as the deck tilted violently.
Everyone stumbled around, only able to grab onto anything fixed nearby to avoid falling into the water.
"Vice-Admiral Saul! It's us!"
"Do not call him Vice-Admiral Saul! He is a traitor!"
"Saul, you bastard! Vice-Admiral Kuzan will avenge us!"
The soldiers' wails and curses didn't shake Saul's determination. His strong arms lifted the warship's metal hull directly out of the water.
"Whether you curse me or mourn, I am not the same Saul anymore," the giant muttered.
"I never intended to be your enemy. If you retreat, I won't harm you. But since you are blocking mine and Robin's escape route... I can only say I'm sorry."
Though Saul said he was sorry, his face showed no trace of apology or hesitation.
"LIFT!" Saul roared loudly.
This massive, Buster Call-class warship was forcibly lifted into the air by Saul's raw strength.
Countless Marine soldiers who couldn't maintain their footing fell screaming from the deck into the sea, but Saul paid no attention as he threw the entire warship far into the distance.
Looking at the warship he had tossed away, Saul's face again showed that simple, honest smile.
"You have gone too far, Saul."
Kuzan appeared before Saul in a blur of motion, standing on the surface of the water, cold air emanating from his body.
"Ice Block!"
Kuzan waved his hands, and a massive mountain of solid ice suddenly rose from the sea surface, growing upward at incredible speed.
Just as the thrown warship reached its peak and was about to crash back down, the ice mountain appeared precisely beneath it, firmly supporting the heavy vessel in mid-air.
The surviving Marine soldiers on the deck all began cursing Saul vehemently.
Several soldiers who had narrowly escaped death even ran to the remaining cannons, intending to turn them and blast Saul to death from above.
"Fuck you Saul!"
"Damn traitor, attacking your own former subordinates!"
"I will kill you!"
Kuzan's Observation Haki detected the angry Marine soldiers on the warship, and he quickly raised a hand to stop them.
"Everyone calm down! Don't move!" Kuzan shouted. "The warship is very unstable on this ice right now. Firing the heavy cannons recklessly could easily cause it to fall from the sky."
Kuzan's voice woke the soldiers who had lost their reason due to anger.
They were not yet truly out of danger, and now was not the time for reckless actions.
Saul, upon seeing his old friend, wore a warm smile. "Kuzan. I never thought we would meet again so soon."
Neither of them had expected that when they reunited, they would become mortal enemies on a burning island.
Kuzan was enraged, his breath pluming in the cold air he generated. "Saul, I don't care what kind of persuasion you have listened to from those scholars... but do you have any idea how many Marine soldiers would have been casualties because of what you just did?!"
"You bastard, those are our comrades who have shared life and death with us!" Kuzan yelled. "Even if you disregard our past friendship, they are still subordinates under my command. Recklessly harming Navy soldiers... how are you any different from those vicious pirates?!"
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