"Huh?!"
A strange look crossed Kyle's face.
What a coincidence, huh?
A yellow flash in the sky — you didn't even need to think to know what that was, right?
"Oh? Isn't that Kyle?"
The next moment, a rather sleazy-sounding voice rang out in front of Kyle. A mass of yellow light coalesced not far ahead of him, gradually taking the shape of a human figure.
It was none other than a Navy Headquarters Admiral — Kizaru!
Kyle came to a stop, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Admiral Kizaru, what a coincidence! Where are you headed?"
"Don't even mention it! Some fool with a death wish actually killed a Celestial Dragon, so your grandpa sent me over to catch the culprit!"
"Just because I'm fast, I always get stuck with these lousy jobs. How about you put in a good word with your grandpa for me?"
"Or maybe you handle it next time? Aren't you lightning? You're not slower than my light!"
Kizaru's tone carried a clear note of resentment.
Just because he was fast, he should be the one sent on missions?
What, did being fast eat their family's rice or something?
Kyle chuckled and said,
"Now, that won't do! The murder of a Celestial Dragon necessitates the dispatch of an Admiral. I'm not an Admiral, so how could I possibly take on such a task? Right?!"
"Admiral Kizaru, you carry on with your work. I'll be heading back now!"
With that, not giving Kizaru a chance to speak, Kyle transformed into a flash of purple lightning and continued streaking towards the distant horizon.
He left only Kizaru behind, shaking his head and sighing as he watched the receding lightning.
If only he could be as idle as Kyle!
He wanted to slack off, not go on missions!!
"That bastard who killed the Celestial Dragon, you'd better not let me catch you, or I'll make sure to 'take good care' of you!"
Kizaru's voice was gritted with frustration.
If it weren't for that guy killing the Celestial Dragon, he'd be leisurely sipping tea at Navy Headquarters right now, not here hunting someone down.
Whoosh!!
Kizaru's form once again dissolved into yellow light, shooting at tremendous speed towards the direction of the Sabaody Archipelago.
But the chances of him actually catching his target were slim.
After all, he couldn't catch him even when he was right in front of him, let alone by searching the entire Sabaody Archipelago, right?
—
Not long after, Kyle returned to Marineford and headed straight for Sengoku's office.
On the way back, Sengoku had called him, telling him to come see him upon his return.
Kyle had a pretty good guess about why Sengoku wanted to see him. It was most likely to ask if he was the one who killed the Celestial Dragon.
Creak!!
Kyle pushed open Sengoku's door, then closed it behind him, walking straight over to sit down opposite the Fleet Admiral.
Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, Sengoku looked at Kyle and asked,
"Was it you who killed that Celestial Dragon on the Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Yes!"
"Were you disguised?"
"Yes!"
"Are you sure no one saw your true identity?"
"Yes, but he won't talk."
"Huh?!"
Sengoku's expression changed instantly, and he pressed urgently,
"Who?!"
"Silvers Rayleigh!!"
"That old codger?"
"If it's him, then he truly won't talk. Even if he did, no one would believe him."
"No one else?"
"No one else!"
Kyle shook his head.
A visible wave of relief washed over Sengoku, and he shot Kyle an exasperated look.
"You brat, killing Doflamingo and his crew was one thing, but you actually killed a Celestial Dragon too!"
"Couldn't be helped. He was too arrogant, I just couldn't stand it."
Kyle shrugged.
"Well, that's true. Those pieces of trash are exactly like that."
Sengoku nodded in agreement, showing not a hint of blame towards Kyle.
Asking Kyle was only to confirm whether his identity had been exposed.
"Alright! I've already sent Kizaru to go through the motions. When he gets back, he can just write up any old report and hand it to those five old men!"
Sengoku stated.
Kyle nodded and asked casually,
"Has Rosinante and the others returned yet?"
"You think everyone is like you? So efficient, arriving in the North Blue and barely staying a few minutes before rushing off to the Sabaody Archipelago to slaughter Doflamingo and his whole crew!"
"Rosinante and the others have just entered the Calm Belt not long ago. It'll take them a few more days to reach Headquarters."
"Is that so? Then I'll just have to wait for them here at Marineford."
Kyle said, then stood up.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to get some sleep! All this running around has me a bit tired."
"Go on, go on."
Sengoku waved a hand dismissively.
Stepping out the door, Kyle glanced up at the sky as if remembering something. A slight smile touched his lips. He clasped his hands behind his head, humming a tune as he headed home…
—
Two years later~
"ROOM!"
A pale blue, hemispherical domain expanded.
"Amputate!"
Law's body instantly swapped places with a small stone, appearing behind Sabo. The sword in his hand slashed viciously towards Sabo.
Clang!!
The sound of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying.
Sabo's Supreme Grade Steel Pipe had somehow appeared behind his back, perfectly blocking Law's strike.
The next second, Sabo's voice, tinged with amusement, sounded.
"Law, why is it you always just flash behind me? Can't you try something new?"
Before the words fully faded, Sabo spun around violently, his steel pipe swinging towards Law in a follow-through motion.
Thud!!
This impact sounded slightly duller. The blow also landed on Law's sword, not on his body.
However, the immense force attached to the steel pipe transmitted through the blade, instantly blasting Law away.
Sabo didn't stop. He immediately closed the distance, rushing towards Law at high speed.
Law had just landed, his body not yet steady, when Sabo was already upon him, his steel pipe crashing down.
Law's expression shifted slightly, and he immediately rolled to the side.
Boom—
The steel pipe struck the ground. The solid earth instantly cratered, the ground fracturing in a spiderweb pattern from the point of impact.
The resulting shockwave kicked up a rolling cloud of dust, spreading outwards.
Law scrambled to his feet after rolling a short distance, sheathed his sword, took a step forward, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.
A flash of blade light.
A flicker of delight immediately appeared on Law's face.
He hit it!!
He was absolutely certain that strike just now had connected with Sabo. That sensation couldn't be wrong.
After all, they were within his Room. Once cut by his power, the target would be cleanly severed, and being severed essentially meant losing the ability to fight back.
Thinking this, an involuntary thread of excitement ran through Law.
In the past two years, he and Sabo had fought numerous times, and without exception, every single one ended in his defeat.
Although he was older than Sabo, in terms of strength, he was no match for him.
Sabo's position as 'Number Two' had been challenged countless times over these two years, yet it remained as steady as an old hound.
But this time…
He had succeeded!!
Law turned with a smile, wanting to see the shocked expression on Sabo's face after being cut in half. But what met his eyes was Sabo's smiling face, now disconcertingly close.
Looking at Law, Sabo said softly,
"Law, you should withdraw that smile. *I'm* the one who gets to laugh now."
Thud!!
...
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━