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"Buru buru." "Buru buru."
The Den Den Mushi continued to ring incessantly aboard the battleship, until it seemed even the snail was getting tired of calling.
Click.
With trembling hands, Hans finally answered the Den Den Mushi.
"Hello!?"
"Hans, you bastard! Why did you take so long to answer? How's Roy doing?"
The Den Den Mushi instantly erupted in a furious roar, its shell practically vibrating with anger. Judging by the tone and manner, it was clearly Vice Admiral Biros.
"I've already reported the situation. Now hand the Den Den Mushi to the 'Lizard King' immediately! Tell him that if anything happens to Roy, this old man will absolutely..."
"Vice Admiral Biros, that won't be necessary anymore!" Before he could finish, Hans interrupted him.
"What do you mean 'not necessary'? What are you talking about? Don't tell me Roy..."
Vice Admiral Biros seemed to consider a certain possibility, and his voice suddenly grew gloomy.
Even through the Den Den Mushi, Hans could feel the other man's anger.
"No, no.. Vice Admiral Biros, you misunderstand!" He quickly clarified.
But his voice still trembled slightly as he continued, "What I mean is, the battle is truly over."
At this point, Hans swallowed hard and unconsciously looked toward the distance.
Even now, he still couldn't quite believe it.
"Boss...he's already won!"
"...Huh?"
Just as the Den Den Mushi connection began to waver.
On the battlefield, an extraordinary scene unfolded.
The sea that Roy had frozen over previously had completely changed.
At the center of the vast ice field, a gigantic "rift valley" had appeared.
Seawater surged violently into the rift's edge, churning and frothing as fractured ice shards and debris floated to the surface.
At the end of that rift stood a colossal frozen wave.
And embedded within the frozen wave was Hanafuda.
His limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, and his helmet was completely deformed and shattered. His entire body was covered in blood, embedded in the frozen wave. His breathing was faint, yet unbelievably, his eyes were still open.
Before him stood another figure.
Sunlight streamed down onto the Ice Mass, casting the figure's shadow and silently declaring the battle's outcome.
Roy Amos had emerged victorious.
"Huff... As expected of an Ancient Zoan close to Awakening." Roy spoke in a strained voice, "Their vitality is truly tenacious."
For Roy, who had barely scratched the surface of the Black Body Style, that single punch had placed an immense strain on even his formidable physique.
Yet there was no doubt he was utterly satisfied with its devastating power; the surrounding devastation spoke for itself.
However, what truly surprised him was this: Even after taking that punch head-on, Hanafuda was still alive.
His sheer vitality was astonishing.
Just as Roy was marveling at this,
"Boss!" "Boss!" "Wait up!"
The voices behind him made Roy pause.
He turned to see Hans and Fal leaping from the battleship's deck and sprinting toward him.
But that wasn't all.
"Mol? Lanster?"
Roy clearly saw two marines, their bodies swathed in bandages, waving at him from the battleship's deck.
They were the two Marines who had gone missing in the earlier explosion.
"Boss... pant, pant."
Hans and Fal quickly reached Roy's side.
"We found Mol and Lanster at the bottom of the ship, hiding in the water room. They didn't sustain any life-threatening injuries. Here's the Den Den Mushi from Headquarters."
Panting heavily, they handed the Den Den Mushi to Roy.
After hearing their report, Roy's expression finally relaxed a little.
Roy picked up the Den Den Mushi as well.
"Hello... Vice Admiral Biros, sir?"
He assumed the person on the other end was Vice Admiral Biros and spoke quite casually.
"Lieutenant Commander Roy." But the voice that came from the other end made him freeze.
It clearly wasn't Vice Admiral Biros's voice, but a far more dignified and solemn one.
It was a voice Roy was quite familiar with.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
He had seen Sengoku every year at the Marine's mobilization rallies and military exercises, and it was through these events that he had obtained the Great Buddha Fruit.
"It's me."
Sure enough, Sengoku personally confirmed his identity.
Then...
"I've already heard about the situation from Biros, but for the sake of confirmation, let me restate it."
"You defeated the 'Lizard King,' Hanafuda. Is that correct?"
His tone was calm, but judging from the stern expression on the Den Den Mushi, it clearly wasn't.
"Yes." Roy naturally didn't deny it. "He's right in front of me, still barely breathing."
"... "
The Den Den Mushi fell silent.
Even so, Roy could sense the shock the Fleet Admiral felt on the other end.
After a moment...
"Lieutenant Commander Roy, I'm afraid I must tel you something," Sengoku said gravely, cutting straight to the point. "You cannot kill him."
Hearing Sengoku's words, Roy's expression didn't change.
"Because he's a Warlord of the Sea?"
"Exactly," Sengoku declared loudly. "The Warlords of the Sea are one of the government's designated 'Three Great Powers.' The Marines cannot attack them..."
Before he could finish, Roy interrupted him sharply. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I think you're mistaken. It wasn't me who attacked him; it was the other way around. He attacked my ship, allowing 'Fire Fist' Ace to escape, gravely injured two of my subordinates, and even attempted to crush my Battleship with his own vessel."
Roy's voice remained remarkably calm throughout his explanation.
"A man who dares to harm my comrades cannot expect me to back down simply because of his so-called 'Warlord of the Sea' status. I don't recall ever joining a Marine that operates under such constraints!"
By the end of his sentence, his voice had risen sharply.
Hans and Fal, standing nearby, were momentarily stunned, then their faces filled with emotion.
Their boss had already taken down a Warlord for their sake, and now he was standing up to the Fleet Admiral himself.
How could they not be moved?
"..."
Sengoku fell silent once again.
At the same time, Roy faintly heard what sounded like cheerful laughter coming from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
A moment later, Sengoku's voice sounded again, but this time it carried a hint of helplessness.
"Lieutenant Commander Roy, I can understand your position. The Marines are not as heartless as you believe. Our decision to spare Hanafuda was not solely based on his status as a Shichibukai. There are other reasons at play."
This was clearly the limit of what he could reveal.
"I guarantee this: If Hanafuda dares to retaliate against you, the World Government will strip him of his Warlord Status immediately and dispatch a force led by an Admiral to hunt him down!"
His words were righteous and resolute.
Then he immediately continued,
"As for the two injured crew members aboard your ship, Seaman First Class Mol and Seaman Apprentice Lanster, neither of them is in mortal danger. Headquarters will provide compensation and additional merits for their service."
He spoke as such.
But after hearing this, Roy shook his head again.
"No, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Even if compensation is to be given, Headquarters shouldn't bear the responsibility. Moreover, you may not know that, aside from my two true friends, comrades as close as brothers, my battleship and I also sustained damage in the recent battle."
As he said this, the expression on the Den Den Mushi became increasingly strange.
Then, cutting off Roy's exaggerated claims of "I've broken twenty ribs, suffered a compound fracture in my arm, and there's a high chance I'll be crippled" Sengoku said bluntly, "Lieutenant Commander Roy, just state your demands directly."
He had clearly already grasped Roy's intent. This kid had obviously planned this out.
Hearing this, Roy smiled.
"'Lizard King' Hanafuda attacked me unprovoked, causing severe consequences. I expect him to provide adequate compensation."
"I've heard he collects Devil Fruits as a hobby. I want him to hand over two Devil Fruits... and 2 billion Beli in cash to cover medical expenses for me and my men."
The dagger was finally revealed.
Hearing this, Sengoku seemed speechless again.
After a long pause, he said,
"You're Zephyr's disciple. As far as I know, Devil Fruit users can't train in Zephyr's Black Body Style..."
"I know." Before he could finish, Roy interrupted him once more.
He naturally understood that consuming a Devil Fruit openly was out of the question, both to maintain his hidden identity and to continue his training under Zephyr.
However, not eating a Devil Fruit had nothing to do with whether he could obtain their abilities.
So...
"I'm asking for them on behalf of my subordinates." Roy spoke righteously. "They want to grow stronger, and as their senior officer, I have an obligation to help them!"
The moment he finished speaking, Fal and Hans felt as if they'd been struck by lightning.
They stared at Roy in disbelief.
"Boss...you..."
'What kind of concern was this?'
During the previous battle, they had deeply felt their own weakness. At that time, they had indeed considered becoming stronger.
But they also knew their limits. They weren't geniuses.
Yet now, Roy had guessed their thoughts and proactively demanded precious Devil Fruits for them.
Each Devil Fruit is a legendary treasure of the seas, worth over 100 million Beli.
Such importance! Such care!
All they felt was warmth swelling in their hearts.
"Boss, you can rest assured! Even if I eat a Devil Fruit and become stronger than you, I definitely... cough, cough... probably won't beat you up! You'll always be my boss!"
Hans's heartfelt declaration was cut short when Roy kicked him flat onto the ground.
After dealing with the Petty Officer First Class who had accidentally revealed rebellious thoughts, Roy continued speaking into the Den Den Mushi:
"In short, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, just as I said earlier, these are my demands."
He looked up at the barely conscious Hanafuda.
"Do you think these demands are excessive?"
Excessive?
There was a moment of silence at the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
Then...
"Hand the Den Den Mushi to Hanafuda. I want to speak with him privately." The Marine Fleet Admiral spoke softly.
"No problem."
Roy had no objections. He leapt into the air, casually tossed the Den Den Mushi, and landed it on Hanafuda's shoulder.
Then, he dropped back down and waved at Hans and Fal.
"You two, come here. Fleet Admiral Sengoku wants to talk to him alone, and you too, Hans. The two of us need to chat privately as well."
As the trembling Hans was dragged aside by the schadenfreude-filled Fal, they could still clearly hear Hanafuda's unwilling yet resolute voice:
"Sengoku, stop dreaming... I absolutely will not..."
He still possessed the pride and dignity of a strong man. Though defeated, he was clearly unwilling to compromise.
But...
"..."
As the Den Den Mushi continued speaking, Hanafuda's expression changed visibly again and again.
Until finally...
The ferocity and viciousness vanished from the Shichibukai's face.
All that remained was gloom.
(End of Chapter)