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Noir instantly recognized that distinctive appearance. It was Admiral Aokiji, real name Kuzan. But why was he in the Calm Belt?
Noir glanced at Robin, and sure enough, her face had turned pale. She had obviously noticed Kuzan as well.
Could it be that he's specifically here to deal with Robin?
"Conis, take care of Robin."
"Wyper, the Sea Kings are yours!"
Stepping on the head of one of the Sea Kings, Noir charged towards the Marine fleet, leaving Wyper to face the massive creatures alone, their giant eyes locked on each other.
Wyper equipped his Impact Dials on both hands, planted his feet on Cloud Dials, and engaged in combat with the kings of the sea.
Meanwhile, down in the hold of the ship, Enel sensed the intense battle aura on board through his Mantra. Was Wyper fighting?
A cold smile curved on Enel's lips as he crossed his legs. He hoped those guys would get ambushed, better yet, get wiped out. Then he'd have a chance to escape.
Noir used Fish-Man Karate's water-based techniques to move rapidly, quickly closing in on the Marine. Surfing up from below the warship, he leaped effortlessly onto the deck, landing right in front of the startled marines.
The sudden appearance of an intruder shocked the marines, who quickly raised their guns, ready to shoot at the first sign of hostile action.
The nearby warships also aimed their cannons, ready to fire at Noir.
Ignoring the threats from these small fry, Noir grinned as he greeted the tall figure, "You must be Admiral Aokiji, right? Nice to meet you."
Kuzan, donning a pale green eye mask and draped in his Justice cloak, towered over Noir, who had to tilt his head up to meet his gaze.
But Kuzan remained motionless for a long time, until a Marine officer next to him nudged him, saying, "Admiral Aokiji! The Criminal Noir has boarded our ship!"
"Oh…"
Kuzan mumbled something unintelligible, lowered his eye mask, and sleepily said, "Nani? Have we returned to HQ?"
The officer's forehead twitched in frustration, and he quickly replied, "Stop sleeping, Admiral! Look, it's Noir!"
Kuzan finally lowered his head, his lazy eyes sizing up the handsome young man before him. "Ah… So, you're Noir."
Noir's lips twitched. Sleeping while standing? What a skill.
"You Killed a king of a World Government member nation… Why'd you do that?"
Aokiji's tone was calm, as if he were chatting with an old friend.
Noir shrugged and casually replied, "A foolish pest. I killed him, so what?"
Kuzan nodded. Surprisingly, he didn't react to Noir's brazen words, even agreeing, "Wapol, huh? Yeah, I know him. Just a gluttonous fool. Doesn't really matter if he's dead."
Then Kuzan abruptly shifted the conversation, continuing, "But you've undermined the authority of the World Government. As a marine, I have to arrest you."
Noir shook his head and smiled, "The Marine really is the World Government's loyal lapdog."
With his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at any moment, Noir asked, "So, are you going to make a move?"
Just as Noir, eager to test his strength against an Admiral, prepared himself for battle, he was taken aback when Kuzan suddenly lay down.
Resting his head on his arm, Kuzan yawned and said, "Nah, I'm not interested in fighting you."
Seriously? Just when I was getting ready? Noir's face turned a mix of colors as he struggled to understand Kuzan's thoughts.
Half-closing his eyes, Kuzan remarked, "I'll warn you, Nico Robin is a dangerous woman. You'd be better off keeping your distance from her."
Noir narrowed his eyes and sneered, "You don't need to worry about that."
"Whether it's the Government or the Marine, if anyone dares to lay a finger on Robin, they're welcome to try."
With that, Noir leaped back into the sea in front of the gathered marines, returning to his ship.
As the immense pressure lifted, the marines finally relaxed their tense muscles.
But the officer was puzzled and asked Kuzan, "Admiral Aokiji, why did you let him go? Wasn't Noir our target?"
Kuzan sighed lazily and replied, "The Government is interested in Noir's Devil Fruit ability. They likely want him alive."
It turned out that after Noir's first battle with Crocodile in Alabasta, he had caught the attention of some powerful people.
The Marine was closely monitoring Noir's abilities, particularly after Crocodile claimed that his power could replicate the abilities of other Devil Fruits.
This unique ability had never been seen before in history, and it had piqued the interest of both the Government and the Marine.
No one knew what might happen if such a Devil Fruit awakened.
Then, after Noir killed Wapol on Drum Island, challenging the Government and committing a crime, they finally had a legitimate reason to act against him.
Orders had come down from Sengoku and the Government, with Admiral Aokiji personally leading the mission. Their primary goal was to test Noir and, if possible, capture him alive.
But Noir and his crew had gone up to Skypiea, and it wasn't until now that Kuzan had finally tracked them down.
From their brief encounter, Kuzan could tell that Noir was a lawless rogue who acted on his own whims.
Moreover, judging by the aura around him, Noir's mastery of Haki was likely quite Very High.
Kuzan didn't want to engage Noir in combat, especially with his subordinates behind him.
He couldn't risk Noir attacking them.
The elite marine troops had ironically become a burden. If Sengoku found out, he might send the more ruthless Akainu to handle this mission instead.
But there might be another way to bring Noir into the fold, based on Kuzan's understanding of the Fleet Admiral and the Gorosei.
The Shichibukai...
Kuzan watched Noir leave with an impassive expression.
Whether it comes to that, however, will depend on the Government's next move.
Their next destination is likely Water 7, with Enies Lobby nearby.
CP9, the Government's covert agents, will undoubtedly make a move on that kid. He'll need all the luck he can get…
When Noir returned to his ship, he unleashed a burst of Conqueror's Haki, quickly clearing out the massive Sea Kings.
Wyper, breathing heavily after an exhilarating fight, pointed at the warship and asked, "Who were those guys?"
Noir, with a serious expression, replied, "The Marine. The one leading them was an Admiral, one of the top fighters in the Blue Sea."
Seeing Noir's grave expression, Wyper couldn't help but ask, "Stronger than you?"
Stronger than me?
Noir considered their respective strengths. The Ice-Ice Fruit's power was countered by Amaterasu's flames.
Plus, his mastery of Busoshoku Haki and swordsmanship was outstanding. If they were to fight, he had a high chance of winning...
Unfortunately, the Marine had been too cautious earlier, preventing Noir from copying Kuzan's abilities.
Noir had a nagging feeling that the Marine and the Government had already set their sights on him.
Could they have mistaken his system's abilities for some kind of Devil Fruit that copies other abilities?
Surely they don't actually believe in the existence of a Copy-Copy Fruit, do they?
...
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