Urouge's eyes widened, staring at the slovenly young man before him. Shock rippled across his features.
What did this boy just say?
He claimed he was going to kill Admiral Sakazuki?
Urouge could scarcely believe it. He looks no more than twenty years old, this youth dared to say he would slay the man known as Akainu, the embodiment of the Marines' "absolute justice."
Urouge had already experienced Sakazuki's power firsthand. Even with his immense physical strength and the abilities of his Devil Fruit, he had been swatted aside like an insect. His subordinates had been wiped out in a single eruption of magma. A mere punch from Akainu had nearly ended him. To fight such a man head-on was not bravery — it was suicide.
He tried to speak, his lips trembling. "Benefactor…" But the words faltered on his tongue. The youth had already vanished, disappearing from sight as if the air itself had swallowed him.
Left behind, Urouge could only smile bitterly. His warnings had gone unheard. His battered body could barely move, leaving him helpless. All he could do was watch events unfold, powerless to intervene.
Ashveil soared forward, his presence radiating strength. His eyes sharpened, and a wave of [Conqueror's Haki] burst from him, shaking the very air. The ground trembled as he shot across the battlefield, heading directly toward Akainu.
Elsewhere in Sabaody, chaos reigned. Straw Hat Luffy, battered and desperate, was screaming with grief. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he called out for his crew. "Zoro! Nami! Brook! Sanji… Uwaaaah!"
Towering before him stood the massive figure of Bartholomew Kuma. The Shichibukai held his Bible calmly in one hand, his expression unreadable, eyes heavy with something between prayer and sorrow.
"Farewell," Kuma said simply.
With a thunderous bang, he extended his paw. The Paw-Paw Fruit's power activated, and in an instant, Luffy vanished — whisked away into the sky, unseen and unreachable.
Sentomaru charged forward, fury in his voice. "What do you think you're doing, Kuma?! You owe the Marines an explanation!"
Not far away, Admiral Sakazuki clashed violently with none other than Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King. The forest shook with each exchange. Rayleigh blocked with his blade, sparks flying as molten fists hammered against it.
"You've aged, Rayleigh," Sakazuki snarled, his magma boiling hotter with every strike. "The Dark King, reduced to this. You'll die here, burning to ash. That is the fate of relics like you!"
Rayleigh's brow furrowed, sweat dripping down his face. His stamina was waning. He knew all too well that age had dulled his edge. Prolong this fight, and exhaustion would claim him before magma ever could.
Still, the old man's eyes twinkled with mischief. Between blows, his gaze flicked toward Kuma. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Sakazuki noticed. His eyes narrowed sharply. "What are you planning, Kuma?"
In that instant, Rayleigh slipped away into the chaos, vanishing like smoke. Sakazuki's rage erupted. "Kuma! What did you do?!"
Kuma turned another page of his Bible, calm despite the lava boiling only meters away. His voice was even, almost serene. "My mission is complete. Arrest me if you must, Sakazuki."
The Admiral's fists ignited brighter, his fury reaching its peak. "You dare defy me?! Then you will face justice as a traitor!"
Yet Kuma did not flinch. He had long accepted what awaited him — the grip of Vegapunk, the sacrifice demanded for the Revolution.
"I won't rot in Impel Down," Kuma said evenly, lifting his massive hands. "But if you wish to drag me away, then try."
Just as Sakazuki prepared to strike, a new presence descended from the sky.
"Hold on, Sakazuki," a voice drawled lazily. "Tyrant Kuma isn't yours to take just yet. I still have business with him."
The battlefield fell silent for a heartbeat.
Sentomaru, Sakazuki, and even Kuma turned, their eyes locking on the newcomer.
Landing lightly on the scorched earth was a young man in a short-sleeved shirt, baggy shorts, and worn slippers. He stretched his arms casually, as though he had merely woken from a nap. A faint smirk curved his lips.
Thorne Ashveil had arrived.
Not far away, in the shadow of the mangroves, someone else was watching. Hidden among the foliage, Jewelry Bonney had assumed her older form, long pink hair tumbling past her shoulders. Her heart-shaped lipstick drew a sharp contrast against her pale face, which at this moment was frozen in shock.
"You've got to be kidding me…" she muttered. "I tricked Akainu in order to escape, and now some idiot walks right into his jaws?" Her eyes narrowed. "What suicidal fool is this? Never even heard of him."
Still, curiosity tugged at her. Bonney crouched lower, deciding to watch. Surely this reckless stranger would be obliterated in seconds.
High above the battlefield, a familiar seagull circled. A Den Den Mushi strapped to its belly clicked as it transmitted images back to the World Economic Journal.
Inside his office, Morgans' feathers bristled with excitement as he received the feed. "Sabaody Archipelago, Celestial Dragon scandal, Sakazuki on the move, and now this mysterious stranger interfering… Hahaha! This is headline gold!"
He cackled, slamming his claws on the desk. "The Whitebeard Pirates, Marineford, the Celestial Dragons, and now a new player appearing out of nowhere — the story of the era is writing itself!"
In Sabaody itself, the branch manager of the Journal — a bespectacled middle-aged man — trembled with excitement. Normally, only Morgans would cover such an event. But with the Marineford war brewing, the responsibility had fallen on him.
"Rose!" he called, motioning urgently to his assistant. "Bring the equipment. We're filming history today!"
Rose, barely twenty, tilted her head. "Manager, what's going on? Why are you personally heading out?"
"You'll see," the man said, eyes gleaming. "Film every second. If we get this right, the bonus will last us a lifetime!"
Rose's jaw dropped. "A… a lifetime's bonus?"
Her hands trembled with excitement. Whatever was about to unfold in the grove ahead, it would shake the world.
And at the heart of it all stood Thorne Ashveil, staring down Admiral Sakazuki.
______
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