Click. Click.
Two pairs of pure Seastone cuffs, firmly locked, secured Sakazuki's wrists and ankles.
"Thanks for your trouble."
Kai patted the Kung-Fu Dugongs that had received his message. They dove into the sea and delivered the cuffs.
"Moo moo!" The Dugongs bellowed happily, patting their chests with satisfied grunts.
Kai turned, looking at the soaking wet Sakazuki who'd just been fished from the sea. This Marine Admiral was now completely drained of all strength by the Seastone's suppression. Only his eyes still burned with unbending fierceness, piercing toward Kai as if trying to incinerate him.
"Sakazuki," Kai sneered, his tone carrying mockery. "A weak person's glare can't hurt a strong person, even slightly. I thought someone like you would have understood this principle long ago."
He paused, his voice turning cold. "You should be grateful you still possess value. Otherwise, you would have been buried under the cold ocean by now. Your colleagues would only see you one final time at a memorial service."
Sakazuki suddenly raised his head, his voice hoarse from weakness yet still stubborn. "What do you plan to do with me?"
Kai responded indifferently. "That's none of your concern."
"If you think using me to coerce Marines into surrendering, you're delusional!"
Sakazuki smiled coldly, each word resonating. "I, Sakazuki, would rather die than ever bow to pirates for survival."
Admirable backbone. Even as an enemy, Kai couldn't help but feel slight respect for this man. He was truly ruthless toward enemies and even harsher toward himself.
However, who said anything about forcing Marines to surrender?
"Enjoy the taste of pure Seastone. This AA+ grade merchandise doesn't circulate on regular markets."
Kai said no more. He grabbed the defenseless Sakazuki and flew toward Rayquaza. He needed someone reliable to watch this dangerous element.
Rayquaza, Deck
Violet had been continuously using her Stare-Stare Fruit ability to monitor the entire battlefield from all angles without blind spots, providing real-time updates to curious Bonney and Chopper.
Suddenly, Violet's eyes widened. "Who's there?"
She spun sharply, her voice sharp and severe. A figure had suddenly entered her rear vision.
Bonney and Chopper startled at the warning, quickly looking over. They saw a man in a white suit with a clown mask standing silently on deck.
Chopper, without hesitation, instantly switched to his strong beast form, shielding Bonney like a living shield.
"Oh? A Devil Fruit user?"
The unmasked Clown CP0 seemed surprised but sounded relaxed, clearly not taking this combination seriously. He'd seen countless bizarre abilities across the seas.
His gaze swept past Chopper and Bonney. From behind his mask came a flirtatious chuckle. "I suggest you surrender directly. Fewer unnecessary sufferings. I promise a quick end."
The response was a scalding tear drop hot enough to melt steel.
"Flying Finger Gun!"
A crescent-shaped air bullet pierced through space, instantly shattering that scorching tear.
Clown CP0 casually withdrew his finger, exaggeratedly shaking his head. "Nn. Not cute anymore. Disobedient children must receive punishment, you know!"
"You don't think so!"
Chopper gathered courage, roaring as he charged forward.
In one swift motion, Clown CP0's casual backhand sent him flying violently. The small form crashed heavily on deck, blood rapidly spreading beneath him
"Chopper!" Bonney cried out with tears.
"Not good!"
Seeing Chopper severely wounded, the previously hiding Kureha and Hiluluk couldn't restrain themselves. They rushed out with medical kits to kneel beside Chopper and begin emergency treatment.
Chopper weakly opened his eyes, anxiously whimpering. "Doctor Hiluluk, Doctor Kureha, go back. It's dangerous here."
His four hooves struggled, still trying to forcibly stand.
"Chopper's bleeding so much," Bonney's voice trembled with panicked anger.
At this moment, the desire for strength had never been stronger. If she grew up and became stronger, she could defeat this bad person.
Suddenly, strange heat flowed through her body.
Bonney was surprised, discovering her perspective had suddenly elevated. Her previously flat chest now showed curves.
"Did I grow up?"
She examined her suddenly matured body, both shocked and delighted. Confidence surged as she looked toward the enemy. "Come on. I'll teach you a proper lesson!"
"Another Devil Fruit ability user?"
Clown CP0's brow furrowed. Was Kai specifically collecting ability users? Or had Devil Fruits become so common that even children could casually eat them?
Mascots, little girls, and teenagers all had Devil Fruit abilities.
Whatever. They'd all face death anyway.
Clown CP0 decided to stop overthinking. He lifted his leg coldly. "Prepare for hell!"
Harming children stirred no hesitation in him. World Government orders were the absolute truth.
"Rankyaku: Slash!"
As his shin cut sharply, a massive vacuum slash wave roared toward the three.
Although her body had grown, young Bonney's mind remained that of a child. Facing this vicious attack, she froze in shock.
Violet gritted her teeth, flashing forward, trying to shield Bonney and Chopper.
Just as she prepared for sacrificial resistance, a massive and towering figure suddenly loomed before them like a mountain.
The next second, that hand with its paw pad heavily patted against the slash wave.
Boom.
The sharp slash was forcibly smacked away, dispersing into nothingness.
"What do you think you're doing to my daughter?!"
Kuma slowly raised his head. Beneath his grim face burned anger that Violet had never witnessed before, nearly solidified fury.
He'd been searching for this CP0 agent's location on the battlefield. Never expecting the opponent would dishonorably sneak-attack Rayquaza during battle.
Thankfully, he'd arrived in time. If anything happened to Bonney, he'd spend his remaining life in endless self-blame and pain.
"Bartholomew Kuma."
Clown CP0 narrowed his eyes, articulating each syllable with icy killing intent. "From the moment you dared oppose the World Government, you should have expected today."
Before finishing, both his hands extended. His ten fingers became blurred.
"Shigan: Barrage!"
Countless armor-piercing air bullets rained toward Kuma like a violent storm. Kuma stood as stable as mountains. Both palms launched successively.
Air compressed under his palms into transparent bear-paw bubbles, whistling to meet the barrage.
Pow pow pow.
Bubbles and air bullets violently collided mid-air, triggering successive explosions.
Just as combat became stalemate, a leisurely voice came with the ship-side rocking.
"Yo, quite lively here too. Kuma, need a hand?"
"Kai, you're back!"
Violet exclaimed joyfully, her taut nerves finally relaxing considerably. Had the occasion permitted, she would have excitedly thrown herself into Kai's arms.
"Kai brother!" Bonney also excitedly shouted, immediately pointing accusingly at the white figure. "He's the one who beat Chopper like this!"
Bonney's Age-Age Fruit ability had awakened. Impressive timing.
Kai flashed to their side, his voice steady. "Don't worry. Now that I'm here, he won't hurt you."
Clown CP0's shock was tremendous upon seeing Kai's sudden appearance, especially with the restrained captive in his hands.
"Sakazuki actually defeated?"
Impossible. How much time had elapsed since the battle began? Thirty minutes? An hour?
"He was careless. What else?" Kai casually shrugged. Fortunately, Sakazuki loved direct confrontation. If he'd faced someone slippery like Borsalino instead, even with Conqueror's Haki coating as his trump card, he'd face serious difficulties.
Clown CP0 was still analyzing Sakazuki's defeat implications when impatient Kuma couldn't restrain himself. He disregarded combat etiquette, slapping his own body.
Accompanied by strange sounds, his enormous form suddenly materialized behind Clown CP0 via teleportation.
"Oh no!"
Clown CP0 jolted in shock, just starting to turn for counterattack.
Boom!
Terrifying pressure, like physical force, burst from Kai's body. Black-red Conqueror's Haki lightning pierced skyward. Raging Haki made the entire ship moan in agony. The deck, railings, and cabin—all began cracking progressively.
Clown CP0, receiving the brunt, felt his mind go completely blank. His body instinctively trembled. His pupils dilated as the paw-padded giant palm rapidly enlarged.
"Ursus Shock!"
Accompanying Kuma's emotionless voice, massive shockwaves were released right against Clown CP0's body.
"Tekkai!"
At life's critical moment, Clown CP0 barely mustered willpower, mobilizing all muscles for resistance.
"Guh."
Blood gushed wildly through mask gaps, forming mist. The white suit instantly shattered. Clown CP0 flew backward like a kite with a broken string, heavily slamming into the mast before soft-falling to ground, barely breathing.
Surviving Kuma's enraged strike without immediate death showed his years of body tempering weren't wasted. This Conqueror's Haki level.
Sakazuki stared at Kai in disbelief. Because Conqueror's Haki's special nature, it directly embodied the user's spirit and strength. Such scale, such quality—he'd only felt it from Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp.
Even they seemed slightly inferior. One was the sun at 8 or 9 in the morning, the other was the sunset descending westward.
"With your strength, why willingly serve under Kaido?"
Sakazuki asked heavily, his tone conveying utter confusion. He didn't believe Kai willingly submitted because of Yamato's existence.
Simple reason: a man who prioritized romantic entanglement over ambition couldn't cultivate such Conqueror's Haki.
Kai merely glanced at him indifferently, his expression perfectly calm, showing absolutely no intention of answering. He owed no captive any explanations.
Meanwhile, Kuma slowly retracted his palm, exhaling a turbid cloud of air. Battle tension gradually dissipated.
"Papa. So amazing. You won!"
Seeing her father's victory, Bonney immediately cheered, like a happy bird darting toward Kuma's warm embrace.
However, facing his suddenly mature, graceful daughter, Kuma seemed awkward. His honest face was written with embarrassment.
"Uh, Bonney."
His words stuttered. Both hands suspended mid-air, with nowhere to place them. "Could you turn back first?"
Holding his suddenly mature daughter, Kuma's brain went completely blank, cold sweat forming. Did this mean he must immediately teach Bonney about puberty knowledge? That sort of thing? No. I haven't properly accompanied her through her deserved childhood yet.
Fortunately, perhaps because enemies had collapsed and no longer required an adult form for security, Bonney's body soon began to shrink. Very quickly, she returned to that familiar pink-haired child appearance.
"Huh?"
Bonney blinked her large, confused eyes, looking at her small hands and body. "Why did I change back?"
"Those details we'll discuss later."
Kai announced clearly, cutting short this small episode. His gaze turned to Kuma. "Kuma, you'll stay guarding Rayquaza, protecting everyone's safety. Also, watch our captive."
At the word 'captive,' Sakazuki felt his chest tighten. Cast aside. Discarded. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Huh. Why's he vomiting blood again?" Bonney tilted her head curiously.
"Don't mind him," Kai replied casually, his tone flat. "He'll eventually get used to it."
"You." Sakazuki had never suffered such humiliation. Fury made his vision darken, nearly spitting another mouthful of blood.
"Don't worry. I'll handle things here." Kuma nodded steadily.
While they conversed, the Kung-Fu Dugoons on deck had already bound Clown CP0 tightly with Seastone chains. Seastone's extraordinary hardness made it perfect chain material even for non-ability users.
After finalizing everything, Kai didn't linger, turning toward the distant smoke-filled main battlefield. Time to end this war.
Following Kai's instructions, Violet and Bonney now sat on either side of Sakazuki, their eyes unblinking as they stared at him directly. Such undisguised observation—as if studying rare animals—made the formerly revered admiral thoroughly uncomfortable.
He instinctively reached to lower his cap-brim, shielding his face. Unfortunately, his Marine cap had blown away somewhere during the battle.
There was nothing to do but endure this suffocating attention.
After a while, Bonney's eyes lit up. "Hey, Navy Uncle, could you explain how Brother Kai defeated you?"
Sakazuki's face darkened instantly, his chest heaving.
She had to bring this up.
He forced the words through clenched teeth. "Don't know."
But Bonney wasn't deterred. "How could you not know? Wasn't Brother Kai your captor?"
Sakazuki turned away, offering only silence. He'd clearly underestimated the relentless energy of a five-year-old.
"Tell us. Tell us."
Bonney's questions came rapid-fire, an endless barrage. She seemed prepared to continue forever unless he answered.
Sakazuki's jaw tightened with each question, each one forcing him to relive that recent shame.
Finally, his throat constricted. Blood burst from his mouth before he could stop it.