Following Luffy's gaze, not far away some people were coming and going, some going up in bubble trams and others coming down.
"We're not the only ones who want to enter the New World, so of course there are other people!"
"But these trams are generally provided for the World Government, the Navy, or some royalty; although civilians can also pass through here, they need to pay a high 'toll fee'!"
Kyle explained calmly.
"Then I'll go over first!"
Luffy shouted with slight excitement, grabbing the warship's mast and stretching his arms.
With a 'whoosh,' Luffy instantly shot out, accompanied by his spirited voice.
Seeing this, the others also jumped off the warship one after another and ran toward the bubble tram.
"This thing feels a bit like a ship, doesn't it?"
Kuina's gaze examined the bubble tram; after a moment, she spoke.
Amid the group's curious stares, the bubble tram slowly started, and their perspective steadily rose.
Almost everyone crowded near the edge, watching the ground grow farther and farther away, all of them silent.
For some reason, this feeling of watching themselves gradually leave the ground was strange, causing everyone to stay quiet, simply gazing out.
When the altitude rose to a certain level, the port below was almost invisible, reduced to a tiny black dot.
At that moment, they raised their eyes and looked into the distance, pupils slightly constricting, mouths parting slightly.
They stood atop the summit, viewing all other mountains as small.
In this place, aside from the Red Line behind them, there were no mountains to show the group.
But looking out into the distance from this height, the boundless sea was fully visible.
An inexplicable feeling rose from the bottom of everyone's hearts.
"The sea... sure has a lot of water!!"
Suddenly, Zoro unconsciously let out an exclamation.
Instantly, everyone's gaze turned toward him, expressions odd.
"Zoro, that... that's not your usual level! Why does what you said sound like something Luffy would say?"
Kyle spoke.
He truly hadn't expected such blunt words to come from Zoro, the first poet of the pirate world.
It really didn't quite match his level of sophistication.
Meanwhile, upon hearing Kyle's words, Luffy instinctively nodded, then immediately shook his head, turning to stare intently at Kyle:
"Kyle, what did you mean by what you just said?!"
"Are you saying my cultural level is low?!"
"Yes, that's right, that's exactly what I mean!"
Kyle looked at Luffy and nodded seriously.
"How dare you look down on me! Looks like I'll have to show my stuff!"
Having said that, Luffy cleared his throat and looked out toward the sea; an urge suddenly rose within him.
"Pfft~"
A loud fart.
Everyone: (⊙o⊙)...
"Is that 'showing your stuff'? Are you sure it's not 'showing a fart'?"
Law said expressionlessly.
"Uh... sorry, when the feeling comes, you can't hold it in!"
Luffy scratched his head and spoke, a hint of embarrassment on his face.
....
Amid the group's laughter and cheerful talk, before long the bubble tram brought them to the summit of Mary Geoise.
Kyle looked up, gazing at the distant massive castle, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He spoke softly, in a voice only he could hear:
"Demon? Sooner or later I'll kill you!!"
Given his way of doing things, he would inevitably clash with the World Government and Im in the future.
In other words, he would eventually have to face that demon!
But that was fine; it wouldn't happen so quickly.
Without absolute strength, he wouldn't act too arrogantly.
After all, having Admiral-level strength was indeed decent on the sea, but if it came to facing Im...
Hm! He'd definitely die!!
Shaking his head, Kyle withdrew his gaze and walked with the group toward the New World side.
Along the way, Kyle once again ran into a familiar acquaintance.
Not far ahead of Kyle, Rob Lucci's steps suddenly halted, his gaze fixed intently on Kyle in the distance, his brow deeply furrowed.
Although Kyle's appearance had changed quite a bit compared to two years ago,
Rob Lucci could still recognize him at a glance.
Back then, this was the guy who had punched him flying into Marineford's plaza and even broken his nose.
Even with his Zoan body's regenerative abilities, it had taken over a month to fully recover.
And afterward, he had inquired about the other party's identity.
The grandson of Fleet Commander Sengoku, Kyle!!
"Why is this guy at Mary Geoise?"
Rob Lucci said quietly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
At that moment, a faint voice came over, causing Rob Lucci's body to stiffen.
"If you look at me with those eyes again, I guarantee you'll fly just like last time, Rob Lucci!"
!!!
Kyle's indifferent gaze fell upon him, making Lucci's body tremble slightly.
That punch from two years ago seemed to appear before his eyes again.
He really wanted to act tough, but his body was honest; he averted his gaze.
If it were any other Navy saying this to him, he wouldn't be afraid.
As a member of CP9 within the World Government's CP organization, he usually didn't think much of the Navy.
Because he knew that as long as he hadn't done anything wrong and was merely a bit arrogant in attitude, other Navymen wouldn't lay a hand on him.
Hm! Other Navymen—not including Kyle!
If he acted arrogantly in front of Kyle, this guy would really go after him, with no regard for consequences.
The key point was that he was no match for Kyle at all, completely defenseless against him.
Not to mention the current Kyle; even with Kyle from two years ago, Lucci had no confidence whatsoever in dealing with him.
Rob Lucci turned and left without a word; he was even afraid that if he coughed, Kyle would fly over and attack him.
Watching Rob Lucci's retreating figure, the corners of Kyle's mouth turned up slightly.
This Show-Off King really hadn't developed his fruit fully yet; otherwise, his attitude wouldn't be like this.
Instead, he should have said, 'I don't think you have Admiral-level strength!' and come straight at Kyle.
This was just a small incident; the group soon arrived at the other side of the Red Line. After taking the bubble tram down again, a prepared warship awaited them.
They boarded the warship and set course for Hachinosu!!
Kyle went to the rear of the ship, raised his fist, and wrapped it in Armament Haki, then suddenly punched out.
The violent Armament Haki instantly erupted, forming a shockwave that struck the sea surface.
The sea caved in, forming a huge crater, and the resulting reaction force launched the ship into the sky.
This action was exactly imitating the way Garp had assaulted Hachinosu in the original story.
Say what you will, but this method was still very fast in terms of speed, much quicker than honestly sailing across the sea surface.
And the group wasn't particularly surprised, as Kyle had done this more than once.
The difference was...
"Sabou, come here. You're next!!"
...
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