Hot Nest Peninsula
This was a remote island located in the southeastern desert of Sandy Island, surrounded by mountains on one side and sea on three sides. It was one of the few lawless zones in the entire Alabasta Kingdom.
The Marine battleship anchored in a recessed area on the east side of Hot Nest Peninsula. This spot was concealed by high mountains nearby; if a ship were hidden deep inside, it would be impossible to discover without going in to check.
"According to the previous arrangements, Buma's Marine battleship should have been waiting for us here."
Kizaru stood at the bow, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed the empty mountain crevice before them. "There are traces of cannon fire on the rock surface. It seems a large-scale battle took place here last night."
Yet, neither the Marine battleship nor the people were anywhere to be found.
The deck fell into silence. Kizaru narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings—then, as if sensing something, his body suddenly burst into golden light and vanished from the bow.
In the next instant, he reappeared, floating before a narrow crevice between the mountains.
The air inside was noticeably colder than outside—and the deeper it went, the more the temperature dropped.
A thin layer of snow remained inside.
Kizaru extended his index finger, wiped some of it, and observed it under the sunlight, his eyes slightly narrowed.
The glittering hexagonal snowflakes quickly melted and dissipated under the scorching desert sun.
A thoughtful expression immediately appeared on his face.
"A Snow-Snow Fruit user?"
A familiar voice suddenly came from beside him—Nao had arrived using Moonwalk, frowning as he asked, "Was Rear Admiral Bruma and her crew frozen by ice and snow? Is that why they were taken out without even getting a chance to send a distress call?"
"Terrifying kid, I just thought of that myself…"
Kizaru gave him a surprised look, then nodded. "Most likely. But I recall the last Snow-Snow Fruit user appearing was four or five years ago, some pirate named Hal from the New World…"
"A New World pirate?" Nao's eyes sharpened. "How would a guy like that end up here…?"
"Ah, you're mistaken."
Kizaru waved his hand. "That guy died long ago. Four years ago, just after Headquarters raised his bounty to 60 million Berries, he got incredibly arrogant and challenged Vice Admiral Garp… No one knows the exact details, but he ended up as mincemeat. It was quite a gruesome sight…"
Nao: "..."
"Though I'm not a hundred percent certain, if it really was a Snow-Snow Fruit user who did this, then it could be quite troublesome…"
Kizaru looked up at the small town beneath the distant cliff, narrowing his eyes. "To actually have a Logia-type user among their ranks, and one who's completely unknown, that underground arms dealer's power might be more formidable than we imagined."
Formidable or not, Vice Admiral Kizaru still had to do what he needed to do.
"Move out."
Kizaru led Nao back to the bow and gave the order. "Take the Marine battleship to the largest port on Hot Nest Peninsula and go ashore to investigate. I don't believe an entire fleet can just disappear into thin air without a trace."
"Shouldn't we conceal our approach?" Rear Admiral Gumiiru frowned, worried about alerting the enemy.
"No need. Buma was discovered even while hidden deep inside here in the middle of the night. If the 'snake' wanted to run, it would've been scared off long ago by us openly arriving in broad daylight."
Kizaru glanced at his wrist-watch. "If the Swimsuit Pirates and the underground arms dealer's people haven't appeared on the peninsula by dusk this afternoon, then we'll clear out Hot Nest Town entirely. Lock up all the outlaws inside and interrogate them one by one."
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
The Marine battleship's entry into the port, as expected, caused a commotion across Hot Nest Peninsula.
Many outlaws fled for their lives, and some shop owners along the street nervously shut their doors. The street became a chaotic mess, making it seem like the Marines were the villains making their grand entrance.
However, among them were also some individuals, whether due to overconfidence in their strength or sheer audacity, who not only didn't flee or hide but instead crouched on rooftops, narrowing their eyes as they surveyed the imposing arrival of the Marines.
"Hey, number three, look over there!"
From a third-story window at a street corner, a slender, effeminate man observed Vice Admiral Kizaru in the distance. "His epaulets, is that a Rear Admiral?"
"It's a bit far; I can't see clearly…"
His companion, a burly man with a full beard, hesitated. "Looks like a Vice Admiral, boss. What are you planning?"
"Planning what?"
The effeminate man spat out the cigarette he was holding and raised his sniper rifle. "Of course, I'm going to take him out! My bounty hasn't been raised in half a year; I don't know what those Marines are thinking!"
"But it doesn't matter. If their Vice Admiral gets killed by me, those idiots will naturally know what bounty level to give me. And by then…"
He chuckled grimly, a fanatical gleam in his eyes. "The entire Grand Line will know the name of Lord Frieza!"
"Boss, isn't this a bit too risky…"
"Less talk! We're hundreds of meters away. If I miss, it won't be too late to run!"
He glared at his partner, then returned his attention to the scope, slowly lining up the shot—crosshairs centered on Kizaru's head.
One second, two seconds, three seconds. The moment Kizaru turned his head, he seized the opportunity and abruptly pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet streaked through the air at a speed the human eye could barely track—straight toward the back of Kizaru's head.
It passed clean through him… and smacked into Nao's back.
"Who threw that firecracker?"
Nao, who had inexplicably taken a hit, looked at the ricocheted, golden bullet on the ground. He frowned, turned his head, searched around, and then fixed his gaze on the window of that three-story building.
"Some overconfident fools have delivered themselves to us…" Kizaru spoke languidly, as if nothing had happened. "How about we start interrogating with those two?"
"Suits me," Nao glanced at him. "My turn?"
"No need," Kizaru looked towards the building. "Let's save time. I'll be right back…"
Third floor, window.
What's going on?
The two pirates were dumbfounded. They had aimed at that creepy-looking Marine Vice Admiral, so how did the bullet pass right through his head and hit that black-haired kid instead?
And that black-haired kid was completely unharmed, not a scratch on him…
"Something's wrong."
Frieza swallowed hard and decisively put away his sniper rifle. "This one's tough. We're getting out of here!"
No response came. He turned his head, confused—only to find his companion standing completely rigid, frozen in place.
At some point, the Marine Vice Admiral they had aimed at had appeared in the room, casually slinging an arm around the burly man's shoulder, smiling pleasantly.
"Oh my, finally noticed me?"
Under Frieza's terrified gaze, Kizaru lifted one leg, golden light surging around him.
"You're a bit slow to react, huh? Tell me—have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"