"What have you done...!"
Chinjao, who had been locked in combat with Junshi, turned his fury toward Kanata's actions.
Even harming a Celestial Dragon would spark a major incident, but murder? That was unthinkable. Neither the World Government nor Navy Headquarters would tolerate what Kanata had done.
The entire world would literally turn against them. Living a normal life was now impossible.
"Hahahaha! You finally did it! I knew you'd pull something big someday, but this exceeds even my expectations!"
"Is this really something to laugh about, you fool? This is unprecedented!"
"Unprecedented? Perfect."
Junshi flashed a maniacal grin, dove into Chinjao's guard, and sent him flying with a devastating blast.
Despite the blow penetrating his Armament Haki defense, Chinjao had already taken significant damage from their prolonged battle. Blood spilled from his mouth as he glared at Junshi.
"I have no interest in power, status, or money. I only desire to fight the strongest."
"...That's exactly why I could never entrust the Eight Treasure Navy to you! With strength like yours, you could have been my right hand!"
"I never intended for you to entrust it to me. Leading armies into battle isn't my calling."
Armament Haki-clad fists collided repeatedly. Intense shockwaves rippled outward, and thunderous explosions echoed across the battlefield.
Junshi skillfully deflected Chinjao's furious assault with a smile on his face. Knowing he couldn't afford to let his guard down, he fought without mercy, giving no quarter.
At least Chinjao was stronger than CP-0. If there was any chance of being hunted down later, it was better to eliminate him here and now.
"You fool!"
Eight-Impact Fist Secret Technique: Spiked Dragon Nail.
A blow powerful enough to shatter the frozen ground struck toward Junshi, who countered with the exact same technique.
"Our bond was severed long ago! I'll forge my own path!"
Their killing blows collided, causing the earth itself to crack from the impact.
The clash that seemed destined to continue until one of them shattered suddenly ended when Kanata leaped in from the side.
"I don't have time to play games right now. The situation is critical."
Chinjao was knocked unconscious by a devastating kick that caught him completely off guard, and he collapsed to the ground.
He was already badly wounded from his battle with Junshi. Taking such a powerful blow without any chance to defend was inevitable.
Junshi looked dissatisfied, but there was no time for complaints.
"We already let one CP-0 member escape. There are Navy warships nearby too. If we waste any more time, we'll be surrounded and wiped out."
"...You're right. There's no time to waste."
"The Den Den Mushi connection might be compromised, but we're in a race against time. We need to get off this island immediately."
Kanata used the small Den Den Mushi hidden in his jacket to contact the ship.
After a few seconds, Kuro's voice came through from where he was waiting aboard their vessel.
"This is Kuro. What's happening? Someone called earlier and Zen rushed out in a panic."
"Right. Get ready to set sail at a moment's notice."
"Got it, though I don't really understand what's going on."
Without asking for further explanation, Kuro agreed to prepare as instructed and ended the call.
Good—they were getting straight to the point. It saved unnecessary complications.
Kanata and Junshi hurried toward the port while discussing their next moves.
"But what do we do now? After what's happened, the Navy will definitely come after us. Do you have any idea where we should go?"
"Of course not. But... well, if they're coming after us, we'll just have to stay ahead of them."
At the very least, they couldn't expect to continue living as they had before. Kanata could handle a few Cipher Pol agents on her own, but Navy warships would be an entirely different matter.
"We killed a Celestial Dragon. We'll be hunted by Navy Admirals, government lackeys, bounty hunters—everyone."
"Having second thoughts now?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I won't retreat. I'll fight to the end, no matter who the enemy is."
"That's the spirit. You can count on me to follow you."
Given that they'd been operating as a merchant vessel until now, some crew members might suggest abandoning ship in the face of such a sudden crisis.
They'd need to make some difficult choices either way.
Still, even if someone chose to leave, Kanata doubted that particular Celestial Dragon would simply let them go.
"That said, we're lacking so many things. We can't accomplish anything without proper resources."
"For now, we'll have to gather supplies while we're still in these waters."
"And we need a ship's doctor. We've managed minor injuries on our own up till now, but we'll need proper medical care going forward."
There was nothing but what they didn't have, making her want to sigh, but time kept marching forward.
One wrong move and they'd be killed without a chance to fight back.
Currently, their greatest enemy was the Navy. The situation would depend entirely on who was stationed to guard the Celestial Dragon.
"Do you know who's commanding the Navy escort this time?"
"...No. From the way you're talking, it sounds like you do, Junshi."
"Ah. The one currently here is a Vice Admiral said to be close to Admiral rank—Sengoku."
☆
Inside the palace of the Flower Country.
Personal security for Celestial Dragons was primarily the responsibility of Cipher Pol, so the Navy rarely accompanied them. Once their maritime escort duties were complete, there was little else for them to do.
However, due to reports of regional instability, Sengoku had been temporarily assigned as additional security.
Sengoku, who had departed headquarters with a determined expression, arrived to find the incident already resolved. With stability restored, he was confirming future arrangements within the palace.
Saint Krysaor had informed him that since safety was assured, only CP-0 was needed for escort duty, so he'd reluctantly remained inside the palace.
Thinking there would be no particular danger within the country, he was drinking tea and taking a brief respite when his subordinate burst into the room without knocking.
"V-Vice Admiral! Emergency!"
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Sengoku, assuming it was probably some unreasonable demand from the Celestial Dragons, urged his subordinate to report while feeling slightly irritated.
His face pale, the subordinate snapped to attention and delivered the emergency report.
"The World Noble Don Quixote Krysaor has been murdered by a merchant staying in the Flower Country!"
"What?"
His mind went blank.
An act that no one with any understanding of the world's order would ever commit. And yet, it had just been carried out.
Before Sengoku could recover from his shock, his subordinate continued the report.
The CP-0 agent who had been guarding the Saint left these words before dying:
"The perpetrator is a woman named Kanata from the Georges Trading Company, which has been expanding its operations recently. She killed the CP-0 guards and is currently on the run!"
"...She broke through CP-0, killed a Celestial Dragon, and escaped!?"
CP-0 agents tasked with protecting Celestial Dragons were among the strongest in all of Cipher Pol. Breaking through their defenses and killing a Celestial Dragon would require extraordinary skill, Sengoku realized.
Moreover, the fact that she had escaped so smoothly suggested this was a carefully planned crime.
The sun was about to set. Once night fell, pursuing them would become extremely difficult.
However, he was determined that no matter what, he had to capture this female criminal.
"Seal off the port immediately! Don't let her escape!"
☆
Georges was filled with the urge to cry.
He had warned Kanata not to go out because it would definitely cause trouble, but as it turned out, no matter who had ventured outside, they would have caught the Celestial Dragon's attention.
There had been no way out. When he heard the full story, he truly understood that Kanata would never have agreed to what was demanded.
Over the past five years, Georges had come to understand Kanata to some extent.
That's why he'd been surprised when Kanata brought Feiyun along so readily.
"I thought she'd bring her along willingly... but things never go according to plan, do they?"
In the blink of an eye, she had enraged the Celestial Dragon and was about to be exposed and enslaved.
Even now, CP-0 was pursuing them from behind, but Feiyun was faster. She probably wouldn't be caught even if they kept running, but Georges had contacted the ship just in case and requested backup.
Backup that would come flying if Feiyun was being targeted—reliable backup.
"Hee-hee!"
Georges exhaled in relief as he spotted the figure of someone charging toward them at incredible speed.
He'd been riding on Feiyun's shoulders, but the constant jostling made him worry he'd be thrown off at any moment. Zen would be fine, though.
That said, only Kanata was allowed to ride on Zen's back; even Junshi wasn't permitted that privilege.
"Hey, Zen! The CP-0 behind us is targeting Feiyun!"
"Got it! I'll take them down!"
"No, don't go that far."
Zen didn't wait for Georges to finish speaking before colliding head-on with the pursuing CP-0.
Facing the Six Powers martial arts, he didn't back down even an inch, matching them—no, overwhelming them—through sheer fighting spirit alone.
"...He really is something else, isn't he?"
"Of course. He's been protecting me all this time."
The two watched the battle between Zen and CP-0 from a safe distance.
Every time the CP-0 agent blocked Zen's spear, he convulsed as if struck by lightning and stopped moving. It was the power of Electro, an ability usable by those from Zou.
Faced with this foreign power—not a Devil Fruit ability—the CP-0 agent finally dropped to one knee, shielding his body with Iron Body, but Zen's spear, reinforced with Haki, struck through his defense, rendering him unconscious.
Having swiftly defeated the CP-0 agent, Zen caught his breath and approached Feiyun and the others.
"What happened? I rushed out because you said you were being chased, but I can't make sense of the situation."
"Well, you see..."
Georges briefly explained that Kanata had defied the Celestial Dragons.
Upon hearing this, Zen furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.
"I see. The Celestial Dragons... Then we can't stay on this island any longer. Let's return to the ship and prepare to set sail."
"We'll have to abandon everything."
Due to their shortage of manpower, they had brought all the documents and money from their base on Marx Island. Leaving them in an empty office would have made them vulnerable to theft.
There were probably still some items left in the warehouse, but clinging to them would only make them a target. It would be wiser to abandon them.
In any case.
"First, we need to get off this island safely. We have to prepare for departure before Kanata and Junshi return."
Even at a time like this, Georges couldn't ride on Zen's back and had to endure the violent bouncing while riding on Feiyun's shoulders as they returned to the ship.
By the time they arrived, everyone was busy preparing to set sail, and Kuro, dressed in warm clothes, greeted them.
"Hey, you're quick. Kanata just called and said to get ready to set sail immediately."
"I figured as much. Fortunately, we've already unloaded all the cargo."
All that remained was getting everyone aboard, and they could depart.
Since they'd defied a Celestial Dragon, the Navy would probably send reinforcements, and if they did, the port might be sealed off, Georges thought.
In their current situation, where all they could do was pray for Kanata and Junshi to return safely, he desperately tried to think of anything else they could do.
"So what exactly did you do?"
"We defied the Celestial Dragons."
"Really? Hahaha!"
Kuro laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned about Kanata, but Feiyun felt guilty and couldn't relax.
She kept glancing in the direction where Kanata and the others were likely to be, asking people to check if any Navy ships were approaching.
She figured that in a situation like this, it was better to focus on anything she could do rather than just sitting around doing nothing.
"Hurry back! If we don't hurry, the warships will be here..."
Fortunately, the Navy warships were anchored at a different port and were currently out of sight.
However, if word of this reached the Navy, the port would be sealed off immediately.
This was a race against time.
"They're here! They're here! It's Kanata and the others!"
Feiyun pointed toward the shore and shouted.
At the same moment, the sound of cannon fire echoed from the sea.
"Zen!"
"Roger!"
Zen deflected the incoming cannonballs one after another. Currently, only Zen could do this, apart from Kanata and Junshi.
Georges instinctively realized they couldn't continue like this if they were going to face Navy Headquarters in the future.
"Hurry up, or we'll be trapped!"
As Georges shouted, Junshi leaped onto the ship and ordered immediate departure.
Even two galleons of the same size would be outmatched in both numbers and speed against several warships. There was no way to escape if they continued like this.
That's why Kanata had decided to stay behind and hold them off.
"Don't be an idiot! It's Navy Headquarters! What are you going to do fighting them head-on?"
"But if someone doesn't hold them off, the ship will be sunk! Only someone who can fight at sea can serve as rear guard!"
Although Sengoku was the only Vice Admiral present, even the other Navy Headquarters officers posed more than enough of a threat. They had no chance of winning in direct combat.
And above all—
"If she fights with everything she's got, we'll just get in the way. You know the scale of her abilities."
"That's true, but... no, I understand. She's our captain, and if she's decided, we follow her orders."
"Wise choice. We'll head to Ohara first. The rendezvous point is near Ohara."
☆
Without Kanata aboard, Georges and the others set sail, but the warship that had been pursuing them suddenly stopped.
The sea had frozen solid, trapping the warship in place.
A woman stood upon the ice, wielding a spear of pure ice. The twilight sun disappeared beyond the horizon, and the moon began to shine from above.
However, the sky was shrouded in clouds, and the moon was obscured, leaving the ship carrying Georges and the others in darkness as it headed out to sea.
But Sengoku, aboard the warship, would not allow their escape.
"Who are you!"
Sengoku leaped onto the ice and addressed the woman he had detected with his Observation Haki.
He didn't expect an answer. As a member of the Navy, it was merely a question of basic protocol.
Nevertheless, there was an answer to his question.
"Kanata. The greatest criminal you're pursuing."
"...So it's you. But now that you've killed a Celestial Dragon, one head won't be enough to settle this. I'll capture all of you."
"I won't let you. And I have no intention of being captured."
Snow began to fall.
Breath froze in the air.
In the bitter cold, Sengoku murmured, covering his body with Armament Haki to prevent himself from freezing.
"...Such power. I see—as reported, you're a user of the Hie Hie no Mi."
"That's right. Being on the sea works to my advantage."
"Don't make me laugh. Do you really think you can defeat me with that?"
Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Daibutsu.
Sengoku, who had transformed into the colossal form of a Great Buddha using that extraordinarily rare power, smiled without a trace of arrogance.
She didn't think she could defeat him. The difference in their strength was obvious even through Observation Haki.
Still, she had resolved to try.
"Let's go. If you underestimate me, I'll take your head."
"Try and stop me. I'll crush you!"
The two charged forward simultaneously, Armament Haki-clad spears and fists colliding—and in that same instant, their Conqueror's Haki clashed, splitting the frozen ground beneath them.
☆
Dawn broke.
The icy sea cracked and shattered, forming massive icebergs in some areas.
The sky remained overcast, and on the frozen, immobilized warship, Sengoku—soaked to the bone—glared at the horizon with a face twisted in rage.
"Defeated... Damn it! Can't you get this warship moving?"
"It's impossible! The sea is frozen solid, and this snow..."
She had even manipulated the weather, freezing both the sea and the warship.
Though the ice had cracked in places from their intense battle, even that had been exploited, and Sengoku had been thrown into the sea.
Otherwise, there would have been no way for her to escape.
(Manipulating the weather to outwit me... Her Observation Haki shouldn't be that advanced.)
Even in the moonless night sea, if Observation Haki was functioning properly, there was no way to lose sight of an enemy.
Additionally, Sengoku's perception could even glimpse the immediate future.
Furthermore, Kanata's attacks had barely grazed Sengoku thanks to his robust physique and Armament Haki. Sengoku's attacks had accurately struck Kanata's physical form, accumulating damage.
There wasn't a single factor that should have allowed her to escape.
There wasn't a single element that should have led to his defeat.
Yet Sengoku had let Kanata slip away.
It was incomprehensible. Utterly incomprehensible—but perhaps she had grown through her battle with him.
He wanted to curse, but restrained himself and gave orders instead.
"Hurry and melt this ice! She should be mortally wounded; she can't have gone far!"
Thinking about how unpleasant it would be to report this to Kong, Sengoku clenched his teeth.
***
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