(Today there will be 5 more chapters coming Give Powerstones please)
"Stella, I've got a mission. You all stay home and train properly while I'm gone."
"You're leaving again?" Stella stepped out, eyes full of worry as she looked at Jin.
The others looked over too. They'd all heard the voice on the Den Den Mushi just now.
"Yeah. The New World's kicking off. Gotta go support." Jin nodded.
"Then be careful, White-bro…" Stella hugged his arm, holding on a little tighter than usual.
"Relax. If I can't win, I can definitely run. No one's catching me if I don't want them to." Jin rubbed her head, smiling. "Just wait for me to come back. I won't disappear for this long again."
As he spoke, he bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Yohohohoho, how romantic!"
"Tsk tsk… are humans always this straightforward when they confess?"
The two young girls turned bright red, heads snapping down at once.
Stella herself completely froze, brain wiped blank by the sudden kiss.
When the comments from behind finally sank in—
"Kya—!" She squeaked, spun around, and bolted back into the house at full speed.
Jin burst out laughing behind her, which only made her run faster.
"Alright. While I'm gone, just train like I told you," he said, turning back to the others. "Stick to the plan."
"Understood, White-bro."
"Got it, White-sir."
Jin nodded, took a step, and leapt skyward. His body swelled as he rose, stretching into a massive golden dragon with outstretched wings.
He beat them once and shot off into the sky.
"Rooar!"
Stella watched the dragon silhouette grow smaller and smaller.
White-bro, please be safe…
When you get back, White-bro… I don't want to lose the person protecting me ever again. I'll be right here, waiting,Shirako swore silently, tiny fists clenched.
When you get back, White-bro… I'll be stronger too,Uta thought, staring up at the sky. I'm not letting everything be destroyed again.
She watched that golden shape vanish.
Marineford.
Sengoku set the Den Den Mushi down, then looked up at the officers in the conference room.
"In a bit, Arakaki Jin will take the selected officers and fly them in as the first wave of reinforcements," he said. "Kachimaru, Gion… Strawberry, Momonga, Gumir, Dalmatian, Chujo. Burning Mountain.
"You eight go first. The rest of you will depart by warship."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Kizaru stroked his chin.
"This time White-chan's ability is really coming in handy," he drawled. "I wonder how strong he's gotten after his 'training trip'~"
Sengoku wondered too.
Ever since Jin killed Golden Lion Shiki, he'd basically stopped making waves.
Everyone said he was already at admiral-level, but Sengoku knew that back then, Jin had still been half a step short.
If he'd closed that gap on this trip… the Marines would have gained another admiral-class fighter.
A Mythical Zoan, a top-tier swordsman, Conqueror's Haki…
If he really reached that level, even Kuzan and Sakazuki might not be able to claim an easy win over him.
The chosen vice admirals left the room, heading out to wait for Jin.
As they walked, Kachimaru muttered:
"No idea how strong that brat is now. This time we're facing the Three Emperors…"
Gion shot him a sidelong glance.
"Everyone else keeps getting stronger," she said. "What about you?"
"Uh…"
Burning Mountain chuckled thickly.
"I've heard of the kid," he said. "But after he took down Shiki, it's been quiet. No fights, no show of strength."
Momonga adjusted the sword at his waist.
"Rumor says he's a 'Great Swordsman' too," he said. "I wonder how much that title's actually worth. Hopefully he's not all talk."
Chujo leaned toward Gion.
"What's his real strength like?" she asked. "Everyone at HQ seems to look at him sideways. Why?"
Gion rubbed her temple.
How to put this…
Because that idiot had basically gone AWOL for months.
And every time his name came up, it was tied to something outrageous.
Just like he'd said himself: in a headquarters brainwashed by "justice", he was an out-and-out anomaly.
"I don't know exactly how strong he is," Gion admitted. "But if Kachimaru and I both went at him together… I don't think we'd be able to bring him down."
"Hmph. For a Mythical Zoan user, if he's still only at that level, he should just resign. The Marines can't afford that embarrassment,"Strawberry said coldly.
Dalmatian remained silent, but the disdain in his eyes was obvious.
Kachimaru clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. Just like White-brat said. In a Marine brainwashed by 'justice', a freak like him will never fit in with the rest of us."
This time, Gion didn't argue.
Sister Tsuru had told her plainly: the higher-ups only ever saw Jin as a weapon.
A tool to swing at problems.
Power, authority? He could forget it.
What was a weapon?
You charged first in every battle.
You took the fall when something went wrong.
Sengoku and the others came out as well. The officers assigned to warships rushed off to assemble their men.
Kizaru looked toward the horizon.
"So fast, White-chan~"
"Hm?" Sengoku followed his gaze.
A massive golden dragon, several hundred meters long, was arrowing toward Marineford, wings beating lazily.
Thanks to prior notice, the sirens didn't sound.
But as the dragon drew closer, its sheer presence pressed down like a stormfront.
The vice admirals who'd looked down on Jin earlier all went stiff.
Yeah. He was doing that on purpose.
"Rooar!"
"What is that?!" marines on the plaza shouted, heads snapping up.
"It's a dragon! Has Kaido come to attack us?! Why isn't the alarm ringing?!"
The field officers who'd just come from the meeting hurriedly explained.
"That's Rear Admiral Arakaki Jin—the 'White Ghost.' He's one of ours. Don't panic."
The moment the rank and file heard "one of ours," the fear on their faces flipped to excitement.
Anyone who looked that powerful, and was on their side, made them feel a whole lot safer.
Jin circled above Marineford once, then slowly descended. He was careful with his landing—one wrong move and he'd crush a building, and Sengoku would chew him out for a month.
His enormous dragon eyes swept over the gathered officers.
"Alright, who's first?" his voice boomed. "Climb on."
"Idiot, rein in your aura!" Sengoku shouted up at him.
Tsuru frowned, looking around at the flushed, struggling marines.
"Jin," she called, "dial it back a little. You're going to suffocate them."
Jin let out a lazy huff.
"Sorry, sorry. Hard to hold back when I'm in full form," he said.
His face, of course, looked anything but apologetic.
"Young White-bro's pressure is pretty scary, huh," Kizaru said, touching his chin.
"Enough. Get on," Sengoku ordered. "You're the first wave."
Kachimaru eyed the space between Jin's horns, clearly thinking something stupid.
Jin's dragon face darkened.
"Kachimaru," he growled, "if you dare jump on my head, you can run to G-5 on Moonwalk."
Kachimaru clutched his chest theatrically.
"Ahh, White-bro, is there no trust between us?"
Jin's narrowed eyes said very clearly: Try it, I dare you.
Kachimaru wilted.
Gion was the first to jump up, landing on the broad golden foreclaw. Chujo followed. With a sigh, Kachimaru climbed aboard as well.
The others exchanged glances, then hopped on one after another.
Kachimaru rapped his knuckles against a scale.
"Clang, clang… Tsk. This defense is obscene."
"Quit messing around." Gion punched him in the arm.
No one else even flinched. They were used to the two bickering.
A translucent barrier of wind formed over them with a soft whoom, shielding the group.
"I'm off, Fleet Admiral," Jin rumbled.
He flared his wings once and shot straight up, then vanished toward the New World—a golden streak over the sea.
"Let's hope they make it in time," Tsuru murmured. "If not… I don't want to think about the casualty list."
Sengoku said nothing.
But in his heart, he was cursing the World Government into the dirt.
They had made this mess.
Now the Marines had to die to clean it up.
And they were still busy tying the Marine's hands behind its back.
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