"Oh my, how terrifying~~ Sakazuki, look at that. You scared away all those pirates who might have given us useful information."
Kizaru spoke lazily, his tone stretched and casual, as he watched three pirate crews scramble back onto their ships and flee desperately toward the open sea.
Zzz…
He slowly raised a finger and casually aimed it at the retreating vessels.
Buzz!
A blinding yellow light gathered at his fingertip before bursting forward in a straight beam.
Boom!
The first pirate ship was struck head on, erupting into a violent explosion. Flames surged skyward, illuminating the sea in a glaring orange glow.
Seeing their companion annihilated in an instant, the remaining two pirate crews pushed their ships even harder, sails snapping as they tried to escape.
But no matter how fast they ran, they were still slower than light.
Zzz!
Boom!
Zzz!
Boom!
Two more beams pierced the distance, striking the fleeing ships without deviation. Explosions followed one after another, towering flames engulfing the decks as desperate screams echoed across the water.
The surviving pirates jumped into the sea in panic, only to find Marine warships already surrounding them from all sides.
The Marines looked down at the struggling figures in the water with cold amusement before opening fire from above, mercilessly striking the pirates' heads as they thrashed helplessly.
Unfortunately for them, these Marines were under Admiral Sakazuki.
Had they encountered other Marine units, imprisonment might have been possible. Survival, however, was never an option here.
"Enough wasting time on this trash."
Akainu did not even glance at the burning wreckage behind him as he strode toward Grove 24 of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"That pirate is causing chaos on this island."
Intelligence from Marine informants had already confirmed that the Arrogant Emperor, Shirogai Yamikuro, had clashed with one of the Supernovas and wiped out an entire group of rookie pirates.
More troubling still, Celestial Dragons were somehow involved in this incident.
The Marines needed an Admiral present to stabilize the situation and support the CP units stationed on Sabaody.
After all, aside from an Admiral, no one was capable of standing against the Arrogant Emperor.
"Tsk, I do all the dirty work, and in the end, I still get blamed."
Kizaru sighed exaggeratedly as he followed behind Akainu, hands tucked into his pockets while heading toward Grove 24.
"Didn't we agree to keep things low key~~?"
---
"Run! Run! An Admiral has landed on the island!"
"Captain, move! An Admiral is here!"
"Retreat! Damn it, did that five billion Berries pirate attract an Admiral again?"
"I knew it! Pirates worth billions are nothing but trouble! Wherever they go, disaster follows!"
"Straw Hat Pirates, right? Next time I hear they're nearby, I'm turning around immediately!"
Along the way, pirates scattered in all directions the moment they spotted the two Admirals.
This was the true might of the Marines.
Absolute suppression, like a predator looming over helpless prey.
Figures like Shirogai and Monkey D Luffy were abnormalities among pirates. Under normal circumstances, no pirate would ever dare challenge an Admiral directly.
Unless they were completely insane.
Even those with confidence in their strength chose to retreat into the shadows, unwilling to clash with the sharp edge of Marine authority.
---
Crack, crack, crack…
The pale blue ice suddenly fractured.
With a violent burst, the frozen figure inside shattered the ice, Armament Haki instantly coating his entire body.
Boom!
Ice shards flew outward as the trapped man broke free.
"Huff… huff… I almost died…"
Scratchmen Apoo collapsed to his knees, his entire body trembling as he ripped off his headphones and rubbed his face repeatedly, confirming that he was still alive.
"Captain! You're alive!"
Members of the On Air Pirates rushed out from hiding, lifting Apoo up with visible relief.
"You idiots…"
Apoo said weakly, glaring at them.
"You really thought I was dead?"
"Captain, it was a misunderstanding!"
The pirates protested anxiously.
"We just finished fighting. Those two monsters weren't moving at all. How were we supposed to know if they were alive or dead?"
Following their pointing fingers, Apoo looked toward the distant street.
Two unmoving figures stood there.
One was a frozen ice sculpture.
The other resembled a dark stone statue faintly glowing with hardened magma.
"That monster… turned them into decorations?"
"Yeah! All the Supernovas were defeated. Some got frozen, others turned into stone. The white Arrogant Emperor was frozen, and the red one became magma…"
"I see…"
Apoo's lips curled into a wicked grin. He slammed his chest, producing a deep, rhythmic sound.
"Hehe… looks like they didn't die either. Should I just shatter them now and finish the job?"
"Boss, no!"
One of his crewmates cried out in terror.
"Our scouts at the docks reported it. An Admiral has landed and is heading straight for Grove 24!"
"An Admiral?!"
Apoo froze, his hands dropping instantly.
Without another word, he turned and bolted.
"Retreat! Damn it! Of all times for someone this troublesome to show up!"
Pirates might challenge other pirates, but Admirals were a different matter entirely.
They represented the will of the world itself.
Once targeted by an Admiral, freedom on the seas became nothing more than a dream.
---
Crack… crack…
Moments after Apoo fled, the ice and magma statues shattered one after another.
As expected, none of the Supernovas had died.
"Captain! You're alive!"
"That's great! We thought you were cooked alive!"
"Monk! Move it! An Admiral is coming!"
Panic spread instantly as the Supernovas received the same news.
---
Tap, tap, tap…
Trafalgar Law ran swiftly with his remaining crew toward their docked submarine.
"Bepo," Law said while rubbing his aching head, "how long was I frozen?"
"About a minute, Captain."
Bepo's eyes were red, tears barely held back.
"I really thought you were dead…"
"He was holding back," Law said bitterly.
"He never intended to kill us. If Shirogai truly wanted us dead, we wouldn't have survived the first encounter."
Law exhaled slowly.
"A pirate worth five billion Berries… the reputation fits."
He recalled the flying ice projectile that struck him despite his attempt to escape. Ice had spread instantly, freezing him solid before he could react.
"Don't come closer," had been the last thing he said before losing consciousness.
"…Strange."
Law suddenly frowned.
"It feels like I forgot something important. Like I signed some kind of agreement."
No matter how hard he tried, the memory refused to surface.
---
"Since we've met, let's sign a contract."
Inside the slave warehouse of Auction House Number One, Shirogai Yamikuro sat cross legged, a calm and amused smile on his face.
To an outside observer, it looked less like a negotiation and more like a fox eyeing a nest of golden egg laying hens.
___
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