"Saint Paul!"
Brun and Marrón shouted his name in perfect unison.
The World Noble lay sprawled across the shattered street, glass fragments from his broken bubble scattered like glittering debris around his unconscious body. Blood trickled from his mouth, his extravagant clothes torn and dirtied, an image that should not exist in this world.
For a split second, silence reigned.
Then it snapped.
Brun and Marrón moved at the same time.
Their bodies blurred, coats snapping violently behind them as they vanished from where they stood, the ground beneath their feet cracking from the force of their acceleration. The air screamed as they reappeared in front of Tenjin, killing intent pouring off them like a suffocating fog.
"You will pay for that." Brun snarled.
Tenjin didn't answer.
He simply exhaled.
Brun struck first.
His leg whipped upward in a brutal Tempest Kick, the compressed blade of air screaming as it tore forward, carving a clean trench through the street. Tenjin stepped to the side with almost lazy precision, the blade slicing past his cheek close enough to stir his hair.
Marrón appeared behind him instantly.
"Shave!"
His fist was already coated in deep black Armament Haki, aimed squarely at Tenjin's spine.
Tenjin twisted.
The punch passed through him.
Marrón's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
Roots erupted from the ground where Tenjin had stood, splintering stone and cobblestone as thick wooden tendrils snapped upward. Marrón leapt back midair, barely avoiding being impaled as Brun landed beside him, both CP0 agents skidding across the street.
"Logia…?" Brun muttered.
"No," Marrón replied grimly, eyes sharp. "It's not a standard one."
They didn't give him time to breathe.
Brun vanished again, reappearing above Tenjin with a downward Finger Pistol, his finger hardened with Armament Haki, thrusting like a spear. Tenjin raised his sword, steel ringing sharply as the blade intercepted the attack.
Clang.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, cracking windows and blasting dust into the air.
Tenjin moved.
His sword swept horizontally in a clean arc, forcing Brun to leap back as Marrón came in low, his leg coated in black as he unleashed a crushing Iron Body-enhanced kick.
Tenjin didn't block.
The kick passed through his torso as his body split into twisting roots and bark, the impact dispersing harmlessly. In the next instant, his form reassembled behind Marrón.
Marrón spun, already attacking.
Punch. Elbow. Knee.
Each strike was precise, lethal, enhanced by both Armament and Observation Haki, every blow aimed where Tenjin should be.
None of them landed.
Tenjin weaved between them effortlessly, movements fluid and measured, sword flashing as it redirected attacks, his body phasing and reforming with seamless control.
To the onlookers, it was terrifying.
To Brun and Marrón—
It was suffocating.
"Stop missing!" Brun barked, launching forward with a flurry of Finger Pistol's, his fingers striking like gunfire.
Tenjin finally countered.
He stepped in.
His pommel slammed into Brun's wrist.
Crack.
Brun's fingers bent unnaturally as his attack collapsed, followed by a sharp knee to the stomach that sent him skidding backward, coughing violently.
Marrón appeared above Tenjin, spinning.
"Tempest Kick: Spiral!"
Multiple air blades descended at once, slicing the ground apart.
Tenjin raised his sword.
The blade glowed faintly.
Roots burst from the steel itself, wrapping around the incoming blades and crushing them midair like dry leaves. The roots surged outward, lashing toward Marrón.
Marrón hardened his body with Iron Body, crossing his arms just as the roots slammed into him, sending him flying through a stone wall.
Brun roared and charged again, both arms blackened with Armament Haki, unleashing a full-force punch meant to shatter bone.
Tenjin met it head-on.
Their fists collided.
The shockwave detonated outward, blowing nearby debris into the air and knocking several citizens flat.
Brun's arm buckled.
His eyes went wide as pain exploded through him, bones cracking audibly beneath the pressure.
"Impossible—!"
Tenjin grabbed his wrist.
Roots erupted from Tenjin's forearm, spiraling around Brun's body in an instant, lifting him off the ground like a helpless insect.
Marrón burst back into the street, blood trailing from his mouth.
"Get away from him!"
He launched himself forward, both legs hardened, spinning into a devastating double kick.
Tenjin didn't dodge.
Roots erupted from the ground, piercing straight through Marrón's legs mid-air, stopping him dead. Marrón screamed as he was yanked downward, slammed beside Brun.
The street fell silent.
Both CP0 agents struggled, but the roots only tightened, draining color from their skin.
Tenjin stepped forward, eyes cold.
"You came here to protect a monster," he said quietly. "So I'll treat you like one."
The roots pierced deeper.
Brun and Marrón screamed as their strength vanished, their bodies shriveling as their life force was forcibly drained, their cries growing weaker… and weaker…
Until—
Silence.
The roots withdrew.
Two dry, lifeless husks collapsed onto the broken street.
Tenjin turned away.
Behind him, the crowd stared in stunned disbelief.
Saint Paul lay unconscious.
CP0 lay defeated.
And the Marine Captain stood alone.
---
The Captain Guard of the Royal Family, Gigi stood frozen.
His hand hovered halfway to his sword, fingers stiff, as if his body had forgotten how to move. The street before him was a scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Two CP0 agents, figures whispered about in fear and awe, lying collapsed on the ground like discarded husks.
Dry. Colorless and empty.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed.
Those two… he thought, eyes trembling as they remained fixed on the bodies. Those two were personal guards trained to protect a World Noble. Monsters among the government's shadows.
And yet—
They were dispatched with ease.
His gaze slowly lifted.
Captain Tenjin stood with his back turned, sword lowered at his side, coat fluttering faintly in the lingering breeze. There was no sign of exertion. No heavy breathing.
Just calm.
Cold, absolute calm.
The Captain Guard felt a chill crawl up his spine.
What a monster…
No, he corrected himself almost immediately.
A calamity.
This was not something that could be ignored. Not something that could be smoothed over with apologies or excuses. This went far beyond Lvneel Kingdom, far beyond even the North Blue.
His heart began to pound.
I need to tell His Majesty. Immediately.
He took a careful step back.
Then another.
When no one stopped him, he turned and quickly slipped away from the scene, weaving through narrow streets until the noise, the fear, and the suffocating pressure faded behind him. He didn't stop until he reached a quiet alley tucked far from the main roads, hidden from prying eyes.
Only then did he steady his breathing.
He glanced left.
Then right.
Satisfied no one was watching, he reached inside his coat and pulled out a Den Den Mushi. The tiny snail blinked sleepily as he flipped it open, its eyes widening as the call connected.
---
Within the Royal Palace of Lvneel Kingdom—
Crash!
A crystal glass shattered violently against the far wall, fragments raining down across the polished floor.
King Hanatama stood rigid, chest heaving, his face twisted in pure fury.
"That, that stupid World Noble!" he roared.
The veins along his forehead throbbed visibly as his hands clenched into fists.
I humbled myself, he thought bitterly. Lowered my head. Swallowed my pride. Treated him as something higher than myself—
"And he still treated me like garbage," Hanatama spat aloud.
A maid nearby flinched, shoulders trembling as she bowed her head even lower, praying not to draw his attention. The other attendants stood perfectly still, eyes downcast, well-trained enough to know that any movement now could earn them his wrath.
Hanatama paced back and forth, teeth grinding.
Who does he think he is…?
The answer came immediately.
A god.
The very thought made his stomach churn.
Just then—
Purururururu.
The Den Den Mushi on his desk began to ring.
Hanatama stopped mid-step, turning slowly toward it.
"What is it now?" he snapped.
He stormed over, snatching it up with an irritated glare.
"Who is this?" he barked.
The Den Den Mushi's face shifted, taking on a familiar expression.
"Hanatama-sama," came Gigi's tense voice. "It's me. Gigi."
Hanatama frowned.
"Gigi?" he repeated. "Why are you calling me? Shouldn't you be protecting that World Noble right now?" As he sat down on his desk chair.
There was a brief pause on the line.
Then—
"That's… exactly why I'm calling, Hanatama-sama," Gigi said carefully. "Saint Paul is, well. Should I simply say… the mission has failed."
Hanatama's eyes narrowed.
"Mission failed?" he echoed. "What does that mean?"
Gigi swallowed audibly.
"Well… Captain Tenjin just hit Saint Paul with a rather devastating punch," he said. "And immediately after that, he swiftly dispatched Saint Paul's two guards."
Silence.
The world seemed to freeze around Hanatama.
He stood up so abruptly his chair screeched backward across the floor.
"…He did what?" Hanatama whispered.
"That idiot," he said slowly, disbelief flooding his voice. "That idiot actually hit a World Noble?!"
"Yes, Hanatama-sama," Gigi replied grimly.
Hanatama went to take his chair again and pulled it towards the desk and sank back into his seat.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then—
He chuckled.
A low, quiet sound at first.
The maids glanced at one another nervously.
The chuckle grew louder.
And louder.
Until Hanatama burst into raucous laughter, clutching his stomach as tears welled at the corners of his eyes.
"Ah, hahaha!" he laughed. "Captain Tenjin…!"
His laughter twisted, becoming sharp, almost hysterical.
"He truly is an idiot, isn't he?" Hanatama said, wiping a tear from his eye.
Slowly, a wide, unhinged grin spread across his face.
"It would be such a shame," he continued softly, "if news like this were to make its way to Marine Headquarters."
His eyes gleamed with malicious delight.
A grin full of teeth.