Over a certain sea in the New World.
A whale was desperately chasing a seal before it, determined to make it a meal.
The seal, its face filled with terror, swam frantically while communicating with the pursuing whale in animal language.
'Hey, can you just give up? There's not even enough meat on me to get stuck between your teeth! You've been chasing me for two hours now, can we take a break??'
'No way! I've already chased you for two hours, and you want me to give up now? Where am I supposed to put my face?? How am I supposed to show myself in whale circles after this?'
'You must be tired from running so long too, right? Why don't you just be a good sport and let me eat you, then neither of us has to work so hard!'
'Dream on!!! If you've got the skill, exhaust me to death! If you can't, then you're never eating me!!'
The seal surged forward again, its speed jumping a level as it shot ahead instantly.
Seeing this, the whale, showing no weakness, thrashed wildly.
Today, he was determined to eat this guy!!
But just then, a massive object suddenly rushed past him, moving incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye it caught up to the seal ahead and passed over it as well.
???
A huge jet of flame appeared in their line of sight.
And that object that had passed over them...
Was a warship!!
A warship with flames shooting out the back?!?!
Boom——
The sound of immense flames echoed as the warship sped off into the distance at tremendous speed.
A 'scratch mark' was left on the sea surface.
This warship was precisely the one carrying Kyle and the others.
As for why there were flames shooting out?
That was, of course, the handiwork of the freshly debuted Logia user, Ace!!
After eating the Devil Fruit, the scenes Ace had imagined of punching Sabo and kicking Luffy did not materialize.
Instead, he was immediately rushed over to serve as a flame jet.
This way, everyone no longer needed to take turns; Ace alone was sufficient.
Having just obtained the power, he definitely needed to train it well, right?
None knew how long passed; the flames gradually weakened, eventually fading away completely, but the ship's own inertia still kept the warship moving at a considerable speed.
At the stern, Ace lay sprawled on the deck like a dead dog, his tongue hanging out, his chest heaving violently.
"Th... that damn it! Th-those bastards!!"
"They're lazing around over there, while I'm stuck here toiling away!"
"I'm... I'm exhausted!!"
Just then, footsteps approached. Ace turned his head with effort; Sanji carrying juice came into view.
Sanji walked over to Ace and handed him the juice.
"Here!"
"You're the best, Sanji!!"
Ace said, deeply moved, sitting up from the ground, grabbing the juice, and gulping it down loudly.
The moment the juice entered his mouth, Ace felt like a new man.
Just as Ace was about to say something more, Kyle's voice suddenly rang out.
"Hey! We've arrived at the destination, come over and get ready!"
Hearing this, Sanji, who had just been about to sit down, paused, immediately grabbed his tray and ran over, leaving behind an utterly dumbfounded Ace.
Arrived?!
Seriously, he had completely exhausted his stamina, and now they tell him they've arrived?
Then how was he supposed to fight??
"You guys are messing with me, right!!!"
On the forward deck of the warship, Kyle gazed at the iconic island in the distance, his eyes glinting slightly.
Then he turned his head, looked at the group, and said:
"I'll go ahead first to scout the situation. You all watch for my signal!"
With that, without another word to the others, Kyle transformed into a bolt of purple lightning and raced towards Hachinosu.
The others, however, were now utterly bewildered.
They called us over, just to say one sentence??
And also, what exactly do you mean by your so-called 'signal'?!
...
Meanwhile, almost in an instant, Kyle had reached Hachinosu.
Using powerful Observation Haki combined with the ability of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Kyle easily infiltrated Hachinosu without being detected by anyone.
Before long, Kyle stood before the prison on Hachinosu.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was still overpowered; it could easily 'hear' the voices of everyone on the island.
In the original story, Enel used this ability to achieve his God's Judgment precision strikes, instilling deep fear of him in the angels of Angel Island.
What Enel could do was naturally effortless for Kyle as well.
He successfully 'heard' the pirates on Hachinosu discussing the king of the Cia Kingdom.
Facing the prison guarded by two men, Kyle easily transformed into fine particles of lightning and slipped inside.
Neither of the two possessed Observation Haki; they were utterly incapable of sensing Kyle's presence.
Once inside the prison, Kyle, as if equipped with a navigation system, precisely turned left and right, finally arriving before a cell.
Hearing footsteps, King Hariza in the cell didn't even look up, immediately starting with sarcasm:
"What? Wang Zhi, can't wait three days, can't swallow your anger, and you've come to kill me?!"
"If you're going to kill me, do it! I'll say it again: I will never hand over the Luster Ore vein to you!!"
Kyle glanced at the somewhat disheveled Hariza but did not speak immediately.
Since his stated mission was to rescue Hariza, he naturally had some understanding of the Cia Kingdom and knew what the Luster Ore vein meant to it.
After a long moment, Hariza, hearing no response, couldn't help but look up. What met his eyes was not Wang Zhi's detestable face, but an exceptionally handsome young man standing outside the cell, gazing at him calmly.
"Who are you?!"
Hariza subconsciously asked.
Kyle did not answer; instead, he countered:
"So, Wang Zhi targeted you because of the Luster Ore vein?"
Hariza frowned deeply.
"You're not one of Wang Zhi's men?"
"I'm here to save you. Right now, you just need to answer my previous question: yes or no!"
Kyle's tone was calm, but carried an undeniable authority.
Even Hariza, a king long accustomed to authority, felt a tremor in his heart. After a moment of silence, he spoke:
"Yes!!"
"He wanted an eighty percent share of our country's Luster Ore vein, and I refused! The Luster Ore vein is the lifeblood upon which our nation's people depend for survival. I absolutely could not make that deal with Wang Zhi!"
"Mm."
Kyle nodded.
He had been constantly using Observation Haki to sense Hariza's condition; any abnormal fluctuation in Hariza's emotions might have indicated he was lying.
But until the end, Kyle detected nothing unusual from Hariza.
That is to say, Hariza was telling the truth; he had indeed made no deal with Wang Zhi.
If so, this king was worth saving!!
Kyle casually waved his hand, and a bolt of lightning shot out, blasting a hole directly through the cell door.
!!!
Hariza's eyes flew wide open as he stared at the terrifying purple lightning before him, his heart pounding with shock.
"I've broken the cell for you, but for now, I don't advise you to walk out of the prison."
"Otherwise, you might die~"
A faint smile appeared on Kyle's lips as he vanished from the spot instantly...
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