As the system notification finished, a terrifying aura surged from Takumi, spreading outward in all directions.
Though it only lasted for a brief moment, everyone present, except for Kizaru, Enel, Kaku, Boa Hancock, and her two sisters, immediately fainted.
Only Kizaru and Enel remained standing.
Hancock, her two sisters, and Kaku were knocked to the ground by the pressure.
Though Enel wasn't knocked down, for that brief instant, his body froze, and an overwhelming feeling of suffocating fear took hold of him.
Compared to Enel, Kizaru seemed relatively unaffected.
"What a scary kid you are, always recklessly throwing out Haki like that," Kizaru remarked, his expression odd. "But this time, it's clear your Haki has improved since Shabondy. You've got a pretty high mastery of it, so why can't you control it properly? You even knocked out your own allies. Weird."
Takumi couldn't be bothered to explain. "You made a promise. Make sure you keep it, or next time we meet, I'll kill you first."
"Oh my, I've been threatened," Kizaru said, glancing around at Takumi's crew. By now, Kaku, Hancock, and her sisters were back on their feet. Though they didn't look great, it was clear they were on Takumi's side. "So many against little old me. I'm really, really scared," he said sarcastically.
"This guy sure has a mouth on him…" Enel muttered. He wasn't exactly happy that Takumi had used Haki on everyone indiscriminately, but no matter what, he was still on Takumi's side. "Can we really trust the Navy?"
"Well, I am an Admiral," Kizaru said with a smirk. "And there's a Warlord of the Sea here too. I gave you my word, so I'll keep it. You're free to go."
In truth, Kizaru didn't want to fight.
Initially, he had come to wipe out Takumi and his crew, but the Celestial Dragon had made it clear: no killing. And when it came to the Celestial Dragons, Kizaru had to follow orders.
Enel and Kaku both turned to Takumi, waiting for his decision.
With a wave of his hand, Takumi said, "Retreat."
Without another word, he used Shave, disappearing in the direction of their ship.
Enel and Kaku exchanged glances, then quickly followed.
Hancock, watching them leave with a complicated expression, was about to follow when Kizaru called out to her.
"Hey now, I can't carry all these people by myself," Kizaru said with his usual drawl. "How about you three help load these guys onto the ship?"
Sandersonia turned to Hancock and said, "Sister, you go ahead. I'll handle things here with Marigold."
Hancock nodded and, without another word, sprinted toward the eastern coast of Amazon Lily.
Kizaru didn't bother to stop her, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Such a young guy... but already such a womanizer."
"Womanizer?" Marigold echoed, confused. "Admiral Kizaru, are you talking about Takumi?"
Kizaru waved a hand dismissively. "Of course. Back in Shabondy, he let loose his Haki all because of a mermaid. And now, he did it again here for Boa Hancock. Always for a woman. If that's not being a womanizer, I don't know what is."
"Huh?" Sandersonia's mouth twitched in embarrassment. "But sister's powers don't work on him. I thought he was… well, emotionless."
Meanwhile, back on the ship…
As soon as Takumi, Enel, and Kaku were aboard, Enel swung his golden staff to give the ship a burst of power.
Just as the ship started to take off, Hancock landed on the deck, staring at Takumi with a complicated look on her face. "Thank you for what you did earlier."
Takumi waved dismissively. "You can go now."
Hancock bit her lip, her cheeks flushing slightly as she turned away, clearly embarrassed. "You helped me so much… Is it because you like me?"
Takumi looked at her, completely deadpan. "No. I don't."
It was like a bolt of lightning struck Hancock. She stumbled back in shock. "That can't be true! If you didn't like me, why would you go so far as to offend the Celestial Dragons for me?"
"Yahaha!" Enel burst out laughing. "That's hilarious! You've got it all wrong! If he liked you, do you think he would've knocked you out with his Haki?"
"That's not fair! He also knocked you out with his Haki!" Hancock shot back, not giving up.
Enel rolled his eyes at her, as if she were stupid. "That's because he's an impulsive, violent maniac. Kaku and I get beaten up all the time. You get used to it."
Kaku let out an awkward chuckle. You're the one who hits me all the time, you know...
"No, this can't be!" Hancock still couldn't accept it. She turned back to Takumi, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Takumi, I refuse to believe you don't have any feelings for me!"
"Not a single one," Takumi replied coolly. "I don't like women who are way older than me."
"Huh?" Hancock looked devastated. "But I'm only twenty-six…"
"I'm fifteen, thanks," Takumi said, clearly done with the conversation. "Enel, show her out."
"Roger that." Enel's mouth curled into a mischievous grin as lightning crackled from his fingertips. "So, are you going to leave on your own, or do I have to help you?"
"Oh, one more thing," Takumi added, turning back to Hancock.
She looked at him expectantly.
"If you ever lay a hand on my crew again, I'll kill you," he said coldly.
For the third time, Hancock looked utterly crushed, nearly collapsing on the spot.
By the time she made it back to the shore, her mind was in a complete haze. Takumi's words kept echoing in her head: "I don't like you," "I don't like older women," "I'll kill you." Coupled with the fact that he'd used Haki on her without hesitation, her initial feelings for him dropped from 80% to about 10%...
As Enel piloted the ship away from Amazon Lily, he turned to Takumi and asked, "So, where to next?"
Takumi opened his personal stats panel and glanced at the next sign-in location. "Kuraigana Island," he said.
"Kuraigana Island? Where's that?" Kaku asked curiously. "Is it on the Grand Line?"
Takumi nodded slightly, pointing in the direction of Kuraigana Island.
Kaku scratched his head, thinking hard. "I feel like I've heard of it before, but I can't quite place it…"
"Tch, who cares where it is," Enel said dismissively. "As long as we're following the captain, we'll be fine."
Takumi ignored the banter between the two. His gaze was fixed in the direction of Kuraigana Island—the current residence of the man considered to be the world's greatest swordsman...