Kong, carrying Bucca with the air of a desperate savior, continuously tapped the air with his Soru (Moonwalk), enhanced by wind.
Perhaps incredibly lucky, his escape route was clear of any elemental moths. However, a large swarm followed him, clearly intent on hunting him down.
Chatun didn't care about the disappeared Baleru. He was almost scared silly by the blood on Kong and Bukar's faces just now.
If anything happened to Bukar, he would definitely be blamed for failing to protect him.
"Want to leave?! Get past us first!!"
"That brat tricked us just now! I'm not leaving without taking down a Navy Vice Admiral!"
The six Gunners emerged, blocking Chaton, who was preparing to use Soru to pursue Kong.
"You... all deserve to die!!!"
With Bukar gone from the mansion, chaton could finally unleash her full power.
He's body swelled again, transforming into a ten-meter-tall boar-humanoid, surrounded by earthy-yellow energy, mysterious and powerful.
"Tenkan: Push Mountain, Fill Sea!!!"
The top floor of the city lord's mansion was crushed by Chaton's massive body. With a squeeze of her hands, the entire rooftop area was compressed like clay. The six Gunners were instantly buried under the rubble, their weapons shattered, blood gushing from their mouths and noses.
"Heh heh... for..."
"The glory of Snezhnaya!!!"
Without hesitation, the six Gunners detonated their energy cores.
The explosion of ice and water elements transformed the entire rooftop into a giant ice sphere.
"Damn it... you got off easy!"
Seeing the six Gunners' life signs disappear, chaton chased after Kong.
Kong, carrying Bukar, felt his vision blurring. Not only was his stamina depleted, but the blow to his head had been a desperate gamble – otherwise, with a Celestial Dragon killing him, a mere Lieutenant Colonel bodyguard would have suffered more than just superficial wounds.
Feeling he'd reached a safe distance, Kong landed on the ground, fighting off dizziness.
He placed Bukar beside him, looking at his pitiful state and gritting his teeth again.
"Crack!"
His fists slammed against his ribs, the sound of bone breaking echoing. A large mouthful of blood sprayed onto the ground.
But it wasn't over yet. He needed to push himself to the brink of death; it was the only way to survive.
This action... he'd been impulsive. But even if he had a do-over, what would he do differently? He would still choose to act impulsively, he didn't want to regret it.
The image of the little girl with white hair, dead before his eyes, was still vivid. The girl's blood still seemed to swim before his eyes.
He was afraid. He was terrified that one day, the person dying before him would be Paimon. To prevent such a tragedy, he had to be impulsive.
Before, he had always thought, "Wait a little longer," "Be patient," "Get stronger."
But reality wouldn't wait for him. Opportunities appeared and disappeared in a flash; missing one meant the next was far off.
Now, he truly understood what it meant to seize the day.
The pain of his broken ribs forced Kong to pause for a long while, his vision blurring.
"Still... not ruthless enough..."
He wiped away the blood obscuring his vision, then slammed his arms against a nearby rock.
"Crack!"
Two more fractures. His forearms grotesquely swelled, a bone shard even protruding from his right arm.
"Ugh!!!"
Kong gritted his teeth, silently screaming. The nerves in his brain felt stretched to their breaking point.
With those injuries, he finally kicked his right leg, enduring excruciating pain before lifting Bukar onto his back again.
With his broken arms, he had to hunch his back to keep Bukar from sliding off.
And so, limping, he made his way towards Marineford.
He didn't expect to carry Bukar all the way to Marineford; such a distance was clearly unrealistic.
But Kizaru and the others would undoubtedly come from this direction. Taking this route would guarantee a meeting.
Sure enough, after about ten minutes, Kong heard the rumble of a steam train—the transportation method on the Red Line.
Kong lifted his lifeless eyes. Through his blurry vision, a bright yellow light appeared.
"So scary~ ~"
A sly voice reached Kong's ears, followed by Chaton's worried shout.
"Kong!!"
Kong's mouth opened, his tense nerves relaxing. His vision instantly blacked out, and he collapsed.
Kizaru reached out to support Kong's shoulder. Seeing Bukar, battered and bruised, on Kong's back, he fought to suppress a smile, forcing a serious expression.
"Admiral! Kong... how did he get so injured!?"
Kizaru coughed, handing Kong over to Chaton.
"Vice Admiral Chaton, look after them. I'll go to Bukar's city ahead of time."
"Yes!"
Kizaru vanished in a flash of light. Chaton immediately shouted towards the train.
"Medical team!!! Come quickly!!!"
... ...
Unconsciously, Kong woke up.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!!!"
His chest, limbs, and head—intense pain assaulted him from all directions.
"Kong, you're awake."
A calm and kind voice echoed in Kong's ears. Tsuru sat by his bed.
"Grandma Tsuru? This is... hiss... cough cough..."
Tsuru took a warm towel and wiped the sweat from Kong's face.
"Don't get excited. This is Marineford. You have six broken ribs, superficial lung lacerations, two broken forearms, a broken tibia, and a fractured skull. Consider yourself lucky to be alive."
Kong cried out in pain.
"Bucca... Lord Bucca..."
Tsuru's tone remained calm.
"He's still alive, but he's ruined. Now he's like a vegetative patient; the chance of recovery is slim."
Tears of pain and regret streamed down Kong's face.
"It's... I'm too weak... I didn't protect Lord Bucca!!! I'm guilty!!!"
His cries were sorrowful, his emotions touching.
Tsuru asked,
"You... truly think so?"
Kong shook his head, his voice choked with sobs.
"I feel sorry for the old man... I didn't protect Lord Bucca! The old man will be troubled by the Celestial Dragons again... Waaah... Grandma Tsuru... I... I'm useless!"
Hearing Kong say this, a hint of pity appeared on Tsuru's face.
"Don't cry, you are already 16 years old, you are not that little girl Paimon, and you have tried your best. If you hadn't risked your life to bring Bukar out, he might not even be able to save his life."
"Kong's awake!?"
The door opened, and Chaton ran in with a guilty look on his face.
"Brother Kaji..."
Chaton bowed to Tsuru.
"Senior Tsuru."
Tsuru glanced at him lightly.
"Don't be so formal. We're all Vice Admirals. Vice Admiral Tsuru is incredibly strong. A Headquarters Lieutenant Colonel nearly died, yet you didn't even get a scratch. Impressive."
Chaton's guilt deepened.
"It was my negligence... that led Kong and Lord bukar into danger..."
Kong felt a little embarrassed.
"Grandma Tsuru, Big Brother chaton helped me a lot... If it weren't for him holding back that powerful ability user, I would probably be dead."
"Hmph."
Tsuru coldly snorted, saying nothing more, but clearly expressing her displeasure.
Chaton was about to say something else when someone walked in through the door.
Admiral Sakazuki, codenamed Akainu.
Akainu walked in front of Kong, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Headquarters Lieutenant Colonel, Kong! I, as a Headquarters Admiral, summon you to the World's Highest Judicial Court to investigate the assault on Celestial Dragon Bucca. Come with us."
Tsuru frowned.
"Kong needs to rest now."
Akainu didn't buy it.
"This is an order from the World Government, Lieutenant Colonel Kong. Will you defy orders?"
Kong tried to stand, but his hands wouldn't obey. Tsuru helped him up.
"Kong, listen."
"Understood. Let's go."
Two Marines wheeled a wheelchair in and pushed Kong out.
Chaton, also summoned, volunteered to push the wheelchair. Akainu didn't object, silently leading the way.