Only now did Luffy finally understand why Lucci hadn't chased after them.
It was all because of that strange splitting energy contained within Leno's attack.
It continued to ravage the wounds inside his body, preventing them from closing—he simply couldn't stop the bleeding!
Luffy might have incredible endurance and durability, but even he couldn't withstand continuous blood loss like this.
Earlier, he had just been too fired up to notice.
With Luffy—their top combatant—crippled, the Straw Hat Pirates had even fewer fighters left.
Before long, more wounds appeared on their bodies.
They were steadily forced back by the endless tide of Marines until they reached the edge of a broken bridge.
Behind them lay the raging sea and countless warships. Their retreat had been completely cut off.
Just when all hope seemed lost—
Usopp suddenly heard a faint, yet incomparably familiar voice.
His face instantly filled with disbelief and wild joy!
But when he looked at his crewmates, they showed no reaction.
Clearly, at this moment, he was the only one who had heard that voice!
Tears streamed down his face as he shouted excitedly to his companions.
"He's here to pick us up! I knew it! He's always been our companion!"
"Trust me! Let's jump together! Believe me—minna!"
Seeing Usopp so utterly convinced—even borderline hysterical—
the Straw Hats exchanged glances. It seemed… they too had begun to hear something.
"Jump!"
At Luffy's command—
every single one of them leapt off the broken bridge without hesitation!
As they fell—
the Going Merry appeared beneath them, catching everyone aboard.
And just like in the original storyline, the Merry carried the Straw Hat Pirates away to safety.
Watching Judicial Island slowly sink into the sea, the Marines were filled with helplessness.
They had rushed here—
only to accomplish nothing.
They hadn't even managed to capture the Straw Hat Pirates.
Just as they were hanging their heads in frustration, specks of golden light gathered together.
Kizaru's figure materialized on the deck of a warship.
"Well, well~ My task's complete, and yours is complete too~ Congratulations, congratulations~"
The Marines were speechless.
They were well aware of Kizaru's personality. No one said much as they began to withdraw and return to headquarters.
Why didn't Kizaru chase after Luffy?
Because the Navy wasn't just about fighting and killing—it was also about politics.
Capturing Luffy brought no real benefit and would only cause trouble.
Aside from Akainu, probably no one among the top brass was willing to bother.
Not far away, on a small boat they had seized—
a drenched Leno and Domino,
along with Kalifa and Robin, who lay weak and limp from the seawater,
watched from afar as the Navy fleet and the Straw Hat crew departed.
"A ship spirit like that… truly something you can only encounter by chance."
Leno gazed in the direction where the Going Merry had disappeared and shook his head.
A trace of greed flashed in his eyes.
Within his body, another demon statue seemed to shed a few fragments of stone.
"We'll have one someday too!" Domino said earnestly.
"You're right."
They adjusted their course and headed toward Water 7.
What they needed now was a ship that truly belonged to them.
————
————
Not long after, at Marine Headquarters—Fleet Admiral's Office.
Kizaru pushed the door open. The atmosphere inside was heavy.
Sengoku, Garp, and Chief Staff Officer Tsuru were already waiting.
Even Akainu and Aokiji, who had just arrived, were present.
The moment Sengoku saw Kizaru, he demanded in a deep voice,
"Borsalino! What happened to Judicial Island? And where are the Devil Child, Nico Robin, and Franky?!"
Kizaru found a seat and spoke lazily.
"Judicial Island~ sank~ The Devil Child was taken by Leno~ Franky was taken by the Straw Hat crew~"
"What?!" Sengoku shot to his feet.
Furious, he roared at Garp, who had just stopped eating his rice crackers beside him,
"Damn it, Garp! Everywhere we go, your damn grandson shows up! And that bastard Leno too!"
Garp wiped the crumbs from his face, his expression dark and terrifying.
But his anger wasn't directed at Sengoku—it was directed at Leno.
"Luffy and Leno were both at Judicial Island?! What did Leno do to Luffy?!"
He was so agitated he nearly leapt up, as if ready to grab Kizaru by the collar.
"Please calm down, Mr. Garp~ Luffy escaped~" Kizaru waved his hand. "As for what exactly Leno did to them, I'm not too sure~ I only know…"
"Only know what?! Spit it out!" Garp roared.
Kizaru's mouth twitched slightly.
His tone remained unhurried as ever.
"I only know that when I arrived, their condition wasn't very good~ Mm~ it seemed… every single one of them was injured. And not lightly~"
"Bastard!!!"
Garp exploded in fury, slamming his palm down and shattering the desk in front of him to pieces!
"I'll find that traitorous brat Leno myself! I'll personally drag him back!"
"Garp! Calm down!" Tsuru barked sharply.
"Little Tsuru…"
"Even if you want to find little Leno, you'll need to know where he is first. Let Borsalino finish," Tsuru said coolly.
Garp panted heavily.
He forced himself back into his seat, suppressing his rage, though his face remained grim.
Tsuru turned to Kizaru. "Did you fight little Leno? Why weren't you able to bring him back?"
At that, Kizaru spread his hands helplessly.
"You've all underestimated Leno~ His Devil Fruit ability appears to be the Chop-Chop Fruit. He's completely immune to slashing attacks—even ones coated in Armament Haki. And…"
He paused, his tone turning slightly more serious.
"He's awakened Conqueror's Haki. His Armament and Observation have also improved tremendously."
"You could say… he now fully possesses Admiral-level combat power."
Of course, he was exaggerating.
They hadn't fought to the death—who really knew how strong Leno was?
But once those words left his mouth—
the entire office fell into dead silence.
Everyone was stunned speechless.
They even suspected Kizaru was joking with them.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Just days ago, Leno had been a prisoner—at most at the peak of Vice Admiral level.
And now, in the blink of an eye, he had Admiral-level strength?
He'd even awakened Conqueror's Haki?
Were they the ones who hadn't woken up yet?
Since when did anyone's strength increase that fast?
What, like Koby? That was different—he was the Navy's future hope!
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Garp shot to his feet again, roaring.
"How could that brat's strength improve so quickly?!"
"And the Chop-Chop Fruit was clearly eaten by that kid Buggy! How could there be two Chop-Chop users?!"
"Search me~" Kizaru replied nonchalantly, trimming his nails.
"According to the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, the unawakened Chop-Chop Fruit can't directly affect the external environment."
"But Leno's can~ He split Judicial Island and sank it into the sea. That level of destruction rivals Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. And… he doesn't seem to suffer any recoil from it."
The moment the words "Whitebeard" and "Tremor-Tremor Fruit" were spoken—
silence once again filled the office.
Whitebeard… that monster…
Leno could be compared to him?
Garp rejected the notion over and over in his heart.
He refused to accept that the disciple he had abandoned could have grown so powerful.
If it were true, wouldn't that make him blind and foolish?
"I'll personally test his depth!" Garp clenched his fists.
"If he's really as strong as you say… then I wouldn't be opposed to using gentler means to persuade him to return to the Navy!"
Such confidence.
Meanwhile, Kizaru curled his lips slightly but said nothing.
He had clearly seen the hatred in Leno's eyes toward the Navy—especially toward Garp.
Garp was far too confident. He was bound to suffer for it.
But then again…
What did any of that have to do with him, Borsalino?
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