Arthur glanced at his crew, calm even in the face of chaos, and smiled.
"No one can keep me here," he said softly. "And no one can keep my crew here.
Start the coating and dive immediately. Golden Scale will find the current to Fish-Man Island.
I'll stay behind and play with them—cover your retreat."
"Captain!"
"Boss!"
"You can't—!"
Seeing that they refused to abandon him, Arthur felt a warmth stir in his chest—even Crocodile spoke up.
"Relax," he said. "I know what you're all thinking. I'll be fine.
I'll catch up soon enough. Now follow your captain's order!
Golden Scale, move!"
"Aye, Captain!"
Unlike humans, the ship's spirit obeyed without hesitation. At once, the great vessel began to form its shimmering coating.
"Trying to run? Old man Kizaru doesn't approve of that, hmm?"
Having finally received reinforcements, Admiral Kizaru straightened up, confidence blazing.
"Yata no Kagami!"
A flash of light burst from his palms—twin hands forming a radiant mirror of photons that lanced toward Golden Scale.
Just as he was about to zip through his own beam-path—
Crack!
Thunder roared. Arthur appeared beside the golden light corridor in a streak of lightning, his right arm coated in Armament Haki as he smashed downward.
The beam shattered.
"Oh? That speed… quite surprising," Kizaru murmured, body flickering back into view.
For once, the easygoing admiral looked genuinely intrigued.
He hadn't expected this young pirate to be nearly as fast as light itself.
It made sense, though. Their previous encounters had been before Arthur fused Enel's Thunder-Fruit panel. Back then, his speed, while terrifying, couldn't match the Glint-Glint Fruit.
But now… it was a different story.
Lightning met light—and neither yielded.
For the first time, Kizaru's lazy smile faded into something close to seriousness.
While the two titans exchanged their opening blows, Golden Scale's coating neared completion.
The Marine fleet was already on the horizon.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Cannonfire thundered across the waves. Dozens of shells screamed toward the coated ship.
They didn't need to kill anyone—just sink the vessel.
Explosions blossomed all around, tossing up towering plumes of seawater. The ship rocked violently.
But with three heavy-hitters—Redfield, Crocodile, and Waldo—standing guard, every shell that came too close was intercepted or destroyed.
For the moment, they were holding.
"Captain! Get aboard!" Redfield barked, face grim.
"Boss! Hurry, damn it, there's no time!" Waldo roared.
By the railing, Carmen clung tight, tears glistening in her eyes—whether from fear or worry, even she didn't know.
"Captain… hurry…" she whispered, reaching out with trembling hands.
Arthur smiled, eyes soft.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. See you soon, alright?"
Carmen bit her lip, nodding through the tears that wouldn't stop.
"Golden Scale! Set sail!"
"Aye-aye! Off we gooo!"
Only a ship spirit could sound that cheerful in the middle of artillery fire.
Everyone knew what this meant—Arthur was staying behind.
They might have been legends, but facing the entire Marine Headquarters armada? It was suicide.
And once the ship dived… how could a Devil Fruit user follow?
The vessel began to sink beneath the shimmering film.
The three on deck fought desperately against the barrage; they had no way to stop what was happening below.
They could only watch as Arthur clashed with Kizaru amid the storm of light and thunder.
Arthur drove a lightning-charged punch into Kizaru's guard, forcing the admiral back.
He glanced over his shoulder—the ship was almost gone beneath the waves.
A quiet breath of relief escaped him.
At that moment, Carmen's voice rang faintly across the water:
"I'll wait for you to come back for me!"
"…Huh?"
He caught only part of it—her lips moving as the sea swallowed the ship.
"Wait—did she just say, 'come back and marry me'?"
He blinked.
Seriously? Girls these days are bold.
He shook his head, chuckling. Enough distractions—time to unleash himself.
"Alright," he murmured. "Now that the obstacles are gone… time to really have some fun."
If the others could have heard him, they'd have spat blood on the spot.
All that heartfelt drama—only for him to call them "obstacles."
Still, he wasn't wrong. He hadn't wanted to endanger them or risk losing the ship he'd only just acquired.
With Crocodile and Waldo both Devil Fruit users and Carmen unable to fight, one bad hit could have spelled disaster.
Now, though? No more worries. No more holding back.
He could fight or flee as he pleased—utter freedom.
Kizaru could only watch helplessly as Golden Scale vanished into the deep.
Even the Admiral of Light had to admit—his greatest advantage, speed, had just been matched.
He clenched his jaw, irritation cracking through his usual nonchalance.
"Tch… looks like I'll need a little help."
He raised his hand, golden light flaring once more.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Simultaneously, a voice echoed from a distant battleship:
"Ice Age!"
Admiral Aokiji had arrived.
Two ultimate techniques—one of ice, one of light—unleashed at once.
By sheer, ridiculous coincidence, both aimed at the same target.
Their eyes met across the chaos.
"You damn monkey—you did that on purpose!" Aokiji's glare said it all.
"Heaven and earth as my witness, I swear I didn't!" Kizaru's look pleaded innocence.
Their attacks collided mid-air—frozen ocean and searing photons shattering each other in a brilliant explosion.
When the light faded, the path to the deep was clear again.
Below, Golden Scale slipped quietly into the darkness of the sea—unharmed.
Above, Arthur and the two Admirals faced each other amid the crackling silence.
The Dawn Pirates had escaped.
And somewhere beneath the waves, Carmen's words still echoed in Arthur's ears—
half-heard, half-believed—
a promise born of chaos, and a meeting destined by fate.
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