The crystal-clear wine in the glass, radiating a fresh fruity aroma, made Kizaru unable to resist raising his cup.
Having a drink shouldn't be a problem, right?
It's not like there are World Government or Marine spies ten thousand meters up in the sky.
"If it weren't for the World Government's wanted poster, I think we might have become friends."
Seven feigned surprise: "Friends with a Marine?"
"Just like Captain Roger and Marine Hero Garp? Mr. Borsalino, am I really capable of that?"
Click~ Click~
Gan Fall quickly pressed the Picture Shell, not only taking photos but also starting a video recording, while simultaneously using a Tone Dial to record audio.
After finishing all this, he turned and left dashingly.
Seeing this, Kizaru's signature sleazy smile slowly froze on his face. Although he didn't know what those shells were, he felt something was not quite right.
"It seems I've been played by you."
Seven didn't take the bait, instead shifting the topic.
"I heard that you and Monkey D. Dragon are good friends. Could you introduce me?"
As soon as these words came out, Kizaru narrowed his eyes, and information about Barzeb quickly flashed through his mind.
Joined the Roger Pirates at the age of nine.
Last year, when the pirate crew disbanded, he disappeared along with Roger. After Roger surrendered, Barzeb's whereabouts were unknown. It wasn't until last month that he appeared in Loguetown, and then immediately at the port of Sandy Island, he kidnapped a World Government prisoner.
How did the other party know about Monkey D. Dragon?
Was there a traitor in the Marines?
Could it be that Barzeb and Dragon share the same ambition and hope to reach some kind of cooperation through him as a middleman?
"How troublesome!"
Kizaru downed the wine in his glass in one gulp: "I am a Marine; catching you is my duty."
"Understandable." Seven drew his blade.
"It's only natural for the Marines to catch pirates."
"Brother Borsalino, I hope the upcoming battle won't affect our friendship."
Kizaru's eye twitched: Friendship my foot! Friendship!
You're talking as if we've known each other for years. We just met for the first time today, okay?
Hearing that the two had reached an impasse, Mihawk didn't wait for Seven to act. He had already launched a Flying Slash and swung his blade at Kizaru.
It was rare to encounter someone with Admiral-level combat power; the black blade yoru was already impatient.
Originally, Mihawk planned to bid farewell to Seven after the banquet and return to the sea to continue challenging various Great Swordsmen, reuniting to set sail in two years.
He never expected an expert to deliver himself to their doorstep.
Since he was here, there was no reason to miss out.
Kizaru casually drew the ama no murakumo sword and easily blocked the black blade yoru, his movements as smooth as flowing water.
At thirty-four, Kizaru was in his prime.
Even without consuming the Glint-Glint Fruit, his swordsmanship had already reached the level of a Great Swordsman.
In the original timeline, during the Sabaody Archipelago incident, Kizaru had held the ama no murakumo sword and sparred with an elderly Rayleigh... performing a health-preserving swordsmanship exchange.
Out of respect for Mihawk, Seven did not immediately join the battle. Instead, he took the photos just taken from Gan Fall.
In the photo: Seven sat in the main seat, with Kizaru and Mihawk on his left and right, the three of them raising their glasses to drink together.
To be honest, it really was easy to cause misunderstandings.
"Old Gan, where's the doctor?"
Gan Fall was stunned: "Lord Thunder God, didn't you ask him to get the Octopus Balloon from me and go hide in the Blue Sea?"
Seven rubbed his temples: "Never mind then."
That doctor fellow... he really values his life.
Forget it, they aren't on the same path. Seven decided to respect others' fates and let go of his urge to help.
Excellent pirates on the sea are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Finding some like-minded crew members shouldn't be that difficult.
As for immortality.
It wasn't something a fifteen-year-old Seven should consider. Immortality might seem like a blessing, but in his eyes, it was an eternal cage.
The weight of life lies in the unknown.
What Seven enjoyed were every thrilling and exciting moment in the process of life: setting sail, discovering treasure, outsmarting enemies, and drinking with companions.
If life were infinite.
Then all the excitement of adventure, the joy of success, and even the relief of escaping death would be diluted.
eternity would dilute the value of every moment, making everything dull and tasteless.
Alright, Seven couldn't keep making things up.
Mainly, he was only fifteen. He should at least wait until his body was fully developed before considering immortality.
Otherwise, wouldn't he be a bit short on size?
Besides, who can be sure that Seven won't obtain immortality in the future?
He was, after all, a noble cheater.
"Lord Thunder God, we can also fight."
Gan Fall took the initiative to request battle, and Seven was naturally very satisfied: "There will be opportunities for you to act in the future."
Letting a group of warriors who didn't even have Haki deal with a Marine Admiral isn't called bravery.
It's called seeking death.
It's better to let them gain some experience first and know what true high-end combat power on the sea looks like.
"Old Gan, take the clansmen and hide further away."
At this point in time, Kizaru hadn't yet been promoted to Marine Admiral, and Mihawk hadn't been crowned the World's Greatest Swordsman, but at this level of combat power, the aftershocks of a battle could scrape the Skypieans to death.
Marine Admiral Zephyr once commented on Kizaru: He relies too much on his fruit ability.
Kizaru's weakness was indeed relying too much on his fruit, but his strength was that the Glint-Glint Fruit had almost no weaknesses.
In essence, the fruit techniques Kizaru used should also be something Seven could develop and imitate; lightning and light have too many similarities.
On the field, Mihawk fought more and more bravely.
And the surging battle intent Kizaru displayed suddenly made Seven feel extremely unfamiliar—
Is this slacker actually getting fired up?
If his teammate weren't Mihawk, Seven would definitely have taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. Whether it hit or not was another matter; it was all about outnumbering the opponent.
But Mihawk was different.
Mihawk was too proud and aloof.
It was because he knew Mihawk's personality that Seven would respect Mihawk's choice: a one-on-one duel.
Among the future three Marine Admirals.
Aokiji faced Garp at Hachinosu Island, and Akainu fought a desperate battle at the Marineford War. The two even fought for ten days and nights to compete for the position of Fleet Admiral.
Only Kizaru... during the Marineford War, Akainu was heavily injured, Aokiji was lightly injured, and Kizaru's clothes were barely even dirty.
At Sabaody Archipelago, he kept saying 'how scary' while taking down Supernovas with one kick each.
It seemed Kizaru had never truly put his life on the line, which is why people joked: If the salary is right, he'll take down the Four Emperors.
Of course, the same could be said for Mihawk.
However, nineteen-year-old Mihawk was likely not Kizaru's match.
When Mihawk was knocked back for the third time.
Seven raised the musou isshin, which was coated in Conquerors Haki Coating, and clashed with the ama no murakumo sword.
This strike was with all his might.
Thanks to those simpletons from Teyvat, Seven had the chance to face the divine radiance directly, allowing his Conqueror's Haki to evolve again at a speed far beyond common sense.
In the world of One Piece, Conquerors Haki Coating is the stepping stone to becoming a top-tier powerhouse.
The future great teacher Kaido once said—only Haki can transcend everything.
The massive impact from the ama no murakumo sword, and that purple tachi coated with Conqueror's Haki, were all shocking Kizaru's understanding.
"Conquerors Haki Coating?"
Kizaru even forgot to say his catchphrase, wishing he could kill the intelligence systems of the Marines and the World Government.
What on earth is the King of Meetings doing?!
Such a monster with monstrous strength, Conquerors Haki Coating, and a top-tier Logia ability, and his bounty is actually less than 100 million?
Kizaru: ...
Seven grinned with a brilliant smile.
"Brother, shall we sit down and talk?"
Aside from the musou isshin, Conquerors Haki Coating, and Innate Divine Strength, Seven really didn't have much else he could show against an Admiral-level combatant.
It was better to try and quit while he was ahead.
If the other party discovered his shortcomings, another big battle would be unavoidable.
If Mihawk and Seven joined forces, they could more or less continue fighting Kizaru for a while, but they shouldn't fight on Sky Island territory.
Sky Island's land resources were already extremely scarce. If the island were cut apart by the aftershocks of the battle, the loss would be immense.
Seven currently only wanted to develop steadily; there was no need to fight to the death with the Marines.
If Kizaru was determined to continue the fight, it would just be a matter of risking his life. Over the past fifteen years, Seven hadn't exactly avoided life-or-death situations.
If you die, you die; if you don't, you live forever.
Kizaru glanced into the distance, in the direction where the Skypieans and Shandia warriors were.
Seven understood the look in his eyes: "That's easy to handle."
Red and black Haki turned into layers of ripples, instantly spreading across the entire island, knocking out every living thing except Mihawk and Kizaru.
Seeing this, Kizaru used the force to jump back into mid-air.
Just two criminals, it wasn't a mandatory mission anyway. Besides, no one knew he had met Barzeb, and he had already reported the situation to Admiral Sengoku.
"Barzeb, what do you want to talk about?"