Zaraki paid no mind to the awed gazes around him.
Casually brushing nonexistent dust from his shoulder, he looked up at the legendary pirate in the sky, then glanced at Smoker, who had just half-risen nearby and was staring at him in pure shock.
Since he had already made a move, there was no need to hold back any longer!
"Save your strength, White Hunter."
Zaraki didn't turn his head, his voice perfectly calm. "As you are now, you don't even have the right to stand before him. While a Logia body is convenient, it makes you too reliant on elementalization. When faced with a true Haki master, you're nothing but a glaring target."
Those words struck Smoker's sore spot, yet he couldn't refute them.
The raw powerlessness he felt in that instant was something he had never experienced before.
"Lieutenant Isuka." Zaraki raised his head, his gaze passing over the ruins to the Golden Lion hovering in mid-air.
"Take your commanding officer and these... burdens far away, the aftermath of the battle to come could kill you all."
"What about you?" Isuka supported Smoker, her voice trembling. "That's the Golden Lion... a monster that requires the full force of Marine Headquarters to confront! You plan to face him alone?"
"Monster?" A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Zaraki's lips as his fingers stroked the cold hilt of the Yubashiri.
A shiver ran up his spine to the back of his head.
Stirred by a strong enemy, the template of Kenpachi Zaraki brimmed with irrepressible excitement!
"Precisely because it's a monster, it's worth cutting down, isn't it?"
In mid-air, Shiki exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, a flicker of appreciation breaking through his arrogant eyes.
"Jahahahaha! Interesting! Truly interesting!"
Shiki's booming laughter caused the floating islands above to tremble.
He spread his arms wide, exactly as if embracing this unexpected young man.
"In this weakest of seas, the East Blue, to see a kid with such eyes! Hey, kid, that Haoshoku Haki earlier was yours, wasn't it?"
Zaraki didn't answer.
He quietly adjusted his breathing, mobilizing every muscle in his body to its absolute optimal state.
"Stop playing watchdog for these weaklings or wasting yourself in a place like this!" The Golden Lion leaned forward slightly, the heavy pressure instantly spiking.
"Those ants down there will only restrain your true nature! Come, be my right-hand man! Just nod, and I'll give you half of Loguetown, even half of the East Blue as a gift! We'll prove to that bastard Roger who the true king of these seas is!"
This legend of the old era extended an open invitation to a sixteen-year-old boy in front of everyone.
Beside the ruins, Zoro tightened his grip on his sword, Nami covered her mouth in fright and even Smoker momentarily forgot his pain, staring in shock at Zaraki.
If Zaraki nodded, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"Sounds good."
Zaraki's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Isuka's heart clenched, her face instantly turning pale.
"However," Zaraki shifted his tone, raising a hand to point at the sky-obscuring floating island overhead, bright flames igniting in his eyes.
"I have no interest in being an old man's babysitter! Want me to join? Fine."
He abruptly drew his sword.
The Yubashiri traced a sharp arc in the dim light, its black tip pointing directly at the Golden Lion's nose.
"If you can beat me, what's the harm in selling you my life? But if you lose, I'll take that golden head and kick it around like a ball!"
The entire scene fell dead silent.
'He's insane.'
'This kid is absolutely insane.'
No one in this world had ever dared to speak to Golden Lion Shiki like that.
"Jahahahaha! Good! Excellent!"
Golden Lion laughed so hard tears nearly streamed from his eyes.
With a fierce wave of his hand, the empty air beneath his feet seemed to turn into solid steps.
"Arrogant brat! Then let me see if you have what it takes to survive in this era! If you don't want this broken town reduced to rubble, follow me!"
Rumble—
The massive floating island began to rise slowly, and the solid ground where he was standing start to float up Zaraki.
Zaraki offered no resistance, allowing the ground to lift his body into the air.
"Zaraki!" Carina finally couldn't hold back, shouting as she ran forward two steps, only to hit an invisible barrier.
Hovering in mid-air, Zaraki looked down, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces below.
"Don't follow me." His tone brooked no argument.
His eyes lingered for a moment on Zoro, Sanji, and Nami before finally settling on Carina. "This is my fight. Take them back to the ship!"
"But..."
"If I'm not back in three days," Zaraki paused, his tone taking on a rough hint of amusement, "then get word to old man Garp, tell him to go and collect my corpse."
With that, he didn't hesitate any longer.
His entire figure transformed into a streak of black shadow, plunging straight into the dense cloud layer of the floating island.
As Zaraki's figure vanished, the massive island rapidly ascended, disappearing into the thick cumulonimbus clouds in the blink of an eye.
All that remained on the ground were a group of people with varied expressions and the corpses of monsters strewn everywhere.
The rain stopped.
But the oppressive gloom felt heavier than the downpour.
Isuka helplessly released her grip, letting Smoker lean against a broken brick wall. She stared at the empty sky, her nails digging deep into her palms.
'Did that kid deliberately provoke the Golden Lion to move the battlefield just to prevent Loguetown from being caught in the crossfire?'
"Damn it..." Smoker slammed his fist against the ground, fresh blood seeping from the corner of his mouth—this time, out of anger at his own weakness.
...
At the exact same moment, in the waters near the entrance to the Grand Line.
A massive warship with a dog-head figurehead cut fast through the waves.
On the deck, a burly silver-haired old man sat cross-legged, munching loudly on a handful of rice crackers.
"Bogard! How much longer until we reach Headquarters?" Garp stuffed the last piece of cracker into his mouth and shouted indistinctly.
His adjutant, Bogard, adjusted his hat brim, glanced at the nautical chart, and replied flatly, "About two more hours, Vice Admiral Garp. If you hadn't insisted on taking a detour to buy those donuts, we would have arrived an hour ago."
"Bwahahaha! Donuts are a man's romance!" Garp laughed heartily, rubbing his hands together with the look of someone eager to show off good news.
"I can't wait to see what kind of twisted expression those old fossils will make when they hear about the 'surprise' waiting for them in the East Blue!"
Thinking of the massive commotion that kid Zaraki had caused back in Foosha Village, the glee in Garp's eyes deepened.
Sixteen years old.
Awakened all three types of Haki.
A terrifying talent to learn anything at a glance, and that relentless, crazy drive to grow stronger even at the risk of his own life.
"That old fool Sengoku keeps whining about the Marines' lack of new talent. This time, even if that brat isn't with me, I'll make them understand what kind of monster the East Blue has been hiding!" Garp slapped his thigh, feeling so cheerful he wanted to hum a tune.
Of course, he had absolutely no idea that the brat he was bragging about was currently thousands of meters in the air, locked in a brutal life-or-death struggle with the legendary pirate who had once destroyed half of Marineford.
The warship sliced through the sea, leaving a white wake pointing straight toward Headquarters.
On the docks of Marineford, a line of fresh new recruits stood in orderly formation, led by a towering purple-haired man, awaiting the return of the Marine Hero.
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