"Woah…"
"After fusing in my laser beams, a Pacifista's combat power—on the first half of the Grand Line—would definitely be able to massacre everything!!!"
On one side of the conference table,
Kizaru lounged with one leg crossed over the other. In that signature, bizarre drawl of his, he spoke with a leering, smug satisfaction written all over his face.
That's right.
Back then,
when Vegapunk was developing them,
he specifically had Kizaru cooperate—over and over again—providing countless shooting samples.
Only then did they succeed in
perfectly transplanting part of the Glint-Glint Fruit's power
onto the Pacifista,
by reproducing it as laser-based attacks.
As for this whole matter—
Kizaru "self-rated" himself at a 26, brimming with pride!
As a Marine Admiral, he considered it an honor to have made a contribution!!!
"Hmph…"
"With Kizaru in front and Pacifistas attacking from behind, the Straw Hat bunch shouldn't be able to escape even if they had wings, right?"
Akainu crossed his arms over his chest
and declared it in a matter-of-fact tone.
Even though,
he couldn't help feeling a little regret that the Admiral deployed to make the arrest wasn't him.
Still—
if it was Kizaru, the outcome would be the same!
Akainu didn't believe for a second that, with the Straw Hat Pirates' current strength, they could escape the hands of Kizaru—the "man of light"!
Not to mention,
a single Pacifista alone
was already enough to make Luffy and the others struggle until they were frazzled and losing their minds!!!
"Heh heh…"
"Garp… from here on out, your grandson isn't going to have a good time…"
Seated at the head of the table,
Sengoku deliberately turned his head toward Garp and spoke with open schadenfreude.
As an old partner,
any chance to see Garp take a hit
was something Sengoku was more than happy to enjoy.
In response,
Garp—this time—
wasn't the least bit anxious.
He opened his snack bag again, casually took out a rice cracker, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed as he said:
"Heh heh…"
"Sengoku, you're overthinking it! Don't forget what the focus of this ranking is—Bartholomew Kuma!"
"As long as he steps in, then with the Paw-Paw Fruit's power, he'll definitely have a way to save them from Kizaru!!!"
Even though
Garp wasn't a prophet
and couldn't possibly know the future plot in advance,
he still felt, on instinct, that this was the case—
and he said it with absolute certainty.
And it really was!
He basically predicted the result on the spot!
In the original events,
the Straw Hat Pirates—
even with Kizaru already targeting them—
ended up, one by one,
getting sent flying by Bartholomew Kuma, individually.
And as for Kizaru—
because Rayleigh had him tied down at the time, locked in a close, drawn-out fight—
in the end he couldn't stop it at all!
He could only watch, helplessly,
as Luffy and the others were blown away—thrillingly close to disaster, yet still making it through!!!
Of course,
none of that had been revealed by the ranking video yet.
But even so—
just the fact that an Admiral had been deployed
was already causing an uproar!
Across the entire pirate world,
almost every single viewer
had their curiosity hooked hard!
And the video footage,
under everyone's fixed, unblinking gaze,
continued seamlessly—tense and thrilling—
as it played on.
Sure enough.
There wasn't much resistance at all.
Sentomaru alone beat Luffy so badly his teeth were practically being knocked into the dirt—pathetic and miserable!
And the Pacifista
had Zoro and Sanji sweating buckets.
And that wasn't even the worst part—
once Bartholomew Kuma appeared,
the sheer, terrifying pressure he brought with him
nearly scared Chopper and Usopp so badly their souls almost left their bodies on the spot!
But…
when things were at their most dangerous—
what nobody expected
was that Bartholomew Kuma suddenly held back.
He didn't offer any explanation.
He simply acted—cleanly and decisively—using his Devil Fruit ability.
Right in front of Luffy,
under Luffy's utterly despairing stare,
he sent Luffy's companions flying, one after another.
Just like that.
In only a few short minutes,
the Straw Hat Pirates—who had been united, determined, and standing together as one—
collapsed into total disintegration in the blink of an eye!
Each person's figure
vanished into the air without leaving a trace!
It looked exactly like…
Bartholomew Kuma alone
had caused the Straw Hats' total annihilation!
And with this scene revealed—
especially with how clearly it displayed
the terrifying power of the Paw-Paw Fruit—
it meant that,
through the ranking video's broadcast,
once it reached the Bleach world,
it naturally caused a massive sensation.
The powerhouses over there
were just as excited by it!
It stirred up yet another wave—
of intense curiosity, heated discussion, and outright worship
for Devil Fruits!!!
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]