"Old man!" Sentomaru yelled out in a panic. It was clear that Kizaru was in trouble, but he was powerless to help.
He was locked in a struggle against the Susanoo, or more accurately, getting completely pummeled by it. Though incredibly durable, he was barely holding on. Blood covered Sentomaru's body. It felt like the Susanoo was just throwing punches, but each one carried devastating force. Even he couldn't withstand this forever; his body was on the verge of collapse.
His only hope was Kizaru. He believed that as long as he could hold off this giant, Kizaru would be able to take down Linton. But a glance at the battlefield showed Kizaru kneeling, a black rod piercing his chest. And it wasn't the kind of piercing that went through an elemental form; he was bleeding.
"Oh? Didn't expect the black rod to have this kind of ability," Linton mused. He had only asked the combat AI to give it a try. He knew the black rods could restrict movement, but he hadn't realized they could also affect Logia users. Did this mean they were similar to Seastone?
"Seastone..." Kizaru coughed up blood, the same thought crossing his mind. He felt his strength draining away, a symptom similar to Seastone exposure. But how? He couldn't understand why he was being affected by Seastone. It never occurred to him that Linton, a Devil Fruit user himself, could wield Seastone.
But the reality was that Linton had used a black rod to pierce him through the chest. Kizaru was completely baffled. How did his opponent teleport behind him and then attack with Seastone? How could he possibly defend against that?
"To think that I would..."
"Bam!" Before Kizaru could finish his sentence, Linton followed up with a punch to the face. Already gravely injured and without Haki to defend himself, Kizaru was sent crashing to the ground, creating a large crater.
"Battle end."
"I said, combat AI, can you at least let him finish his sentence?" Linton facepalmed. He had wanted to continue his taunting and lecture Kizaru a bit more, but the combat AI had ended the fight prematurely. This system was both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it was incredibly useful, but most of the time, it just didn't cooperate.
He wondered if upgrading his authority would make the combat AI a little more obedient. He was eager to try, especially with 1.46 million points at his disposal. But after a moment of impulsiveness, Linton held back. He still needed to upgrade and learn new skills for the upcoming Paramount War. After all, it had taken him this long to defeat a single admiral; he couldn't afford to be arrogant when facing multiple opponents.
"Old man!" While Linton was lost in thought, a furious roar broke the silence. He saw a figure charging towards him.
"Bam!" Before the figure could get far, a giant black hand slammed him into the ground. Sentomaru coughed up blood, but his hands still desperately clawed at the ground, trying to get up.
"Doesn't the Navy have any other backup?" Linton asked.
"..." Sentomaru gritted his teeth but didn't answer. Linton knew this guy was usually quite talkative. His silence probably meant he was too exhausted to speak.
Just as he was about to finish off Sentomaru and earn some points, a commotion erupted behind him. Turning around, he saw that the Straw Hat Pirates, who had been watching from a distance, were in trouble.
"Zoro!" Linton saw Luffy furiously charging towards a figure. "What did you do to Zoro?"
Taking a closer look, Linton recognized the figure as a Pacifista... no, according to the storyline, it should be Bartholomew Kuma himself. A quick scan confirmed that Zoro was indeed missing. It seemed that Kuma was following the original plot and sending the Straw Hats flying, though his true intention was to save them.
The situation wasn't exactly optimistic. Although he had just defeated Kizaru, the Navy would undoubtedly send more forces to deal with the situation. And this time, they would likely send another admiral, at the very least. It wasn't safe for the Straw Hats to remain here. Kuma probably made the same judgment and decided to proceed with his original plan to help them escape.
Of course, Luffy, battered and bruised, was no threat to Kuma. With a single step, Kuma dodged Luffy's attack and appeared beside Nami and Usopp. A quick strike from his paws, and the two disappeared.
"Nami! Usopp!" Luffy was going crazy, watching his crewmates vanish one by one. He couldn't stand it and roared as he charged at Kuma again.
But the result was the same. Kuma evaded Luffy's attack, and two more crew members disappeared before his eyes.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Luffy cried and yelled, hating his own weakness for being unable to protect his crew. "Gear Second!"
"Nephew! Give me your hand!" Linton suddenly shouted at Luffy.
Luffy froze, hearing Linton's voice.
"Hurry!" Linton urged.
Although he didn't understand the situation, Luffy knew Linton was powerful. Maybe he had a way to save his crew. He quickly stretched out his arm towards Linton.
However, to his surprise, Linton grabbed his hand and, with a sudden pull, yanked Luffy off his feet. Before he could react, Linton spun around and flung Luffy towards Kuma.
"Hey, do me a favor and send him to Amazon Lily," Linton shouted at Kuma.
Kuma was taken aback but instinctively reacted. With a "bam," a bewildered Luffy vanished.
This action stunned everyone. The remaining Straw Hats stared at Linton in disbelief.
"What the hell are you..." Sanji was about to explode in anger, but Kuma didn't give him a chance. He quickly struck, sending the rest of the crew flying. With that, the Straw Hat Pirates were all dispersed, each sent on their own path of training.
Only Linton, Kuma, and Sentomaru remained.
"Kuma! Catch that guy!" Sentomaru, still trapped under the Susanoo, could only shout at Kuma for help.
"I am not obligated to follow the Navy's orders," Kuma replied flatly.
Sentomaru's shout reminded Linton of his presence. Without turning his head, Linton controlled the Susanoo to slam its fist into the ground. With a tremendous boom, the entire GR12 island split into three sections. There was no doubt that Sentomaru was gone, either buried underground or thrown into the sea.
Now, only Kuma and Linton were left. Kuma looked at Linton. To be honest, he was a little surprised by Linton's appearance. He had come here to save people, but unexpectedly, Linton had defeated Kizaru. Although things hadn't gone exactly as planned, Kuma still carried out his original plan. However, he couldn't quite figure out Linton's intentions.
"You know about my ability?" Kuma asked, taking the initiative. After all, Linton had thrown Luffy at him to be sent away, suggesting that he knew about Kuma's power.
"I also know that you're a member of the Revolutionary Army," Linton suddenly said.
"!" Kuma's body visibly stiffened.
"Don't worry, I'm not on the Navy's side, so naturally, I won't tell them anything," Linton assured him.
This was the truth. Someone who had just defeated a Navy admiral couldn't possibly be working with them. Besides, would the Navy even believe anything Linton said? Still, Kuma asked, "Then who are you?"
"I am... Gol D. Linton." This was the first time Linton had revealed his full name. He had only introduced himself as Linton to the Navy before, mainly because he was afraid it would affect the Paramount War. After all, the war was all about executing the bloodline of the Pirate King. If he revealed his identity now, would the war even happen? Although Linton wasn't afraid of being hunted by the Navy, the Paramount War presented a better opportunity. With both sides fighting, it would be easier for him to collect points.
"Gol... D..." Kuma's expression changed slightly.
"You should know about Ace, right?" Linton said. "He's my nephew, and I'll handle this matter."
"You're planning to... rescue him?" Kuma asked.
"Of course," Linton nodded. "Do you think I'm afraid of the Navy?"
"..." Kuma fell silent for a moment. "If you encounter me at that time, please don't hesitate to kill me, because..."
"Because you'll be brainwashed, I know." Linton finished his sentence.
"Why... how do you know?" Kuma was astonished. Linton seemed to know far too much.
"Have you heard the Gol family motto?" Linton asked with a smile.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"None of your damn business. The Gol family is just awesome and knows everything. What's it to you?" Linton retorted.
"..." Kuma was speechless.
"Get lost," Linton said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Do you need me to send you to Impel Down?" Kuma suddenly asked.
"No need. Why go to Impel Down? Busting someone out of prison is nothing compared to crashing the execution. The execution is still a week away, and I can wait around here. Maybe the Navy will send more people to chase after me," Linton said.
"..." Kuma was truly speechless after being rebuffed like that. After a moment of thought, he left a parting "Good luck" and departed the scene.
(End of Chapter)