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Elsewhere, the Straw Hat Pirates encountered a Pacifista. Usopp gaped at the approaching war machine, his jaw practically hitting the deck. "H-holy crap! What's Bartholomew Kuma, a Warlord, doing here?!"
Zoro drew his swords. "If it's in our way, we cut it down, right?"
"Right!" Luffy agreed, activating Gear Second and clenching his fists. Zoro gripped the Wado Ichimonji in his teeth, raising his other two swords, his gaze fixed on the Pacifista, a cold glint in his eyes.Â
"Three Sword Style... Secret Technique: Tiger Hunt!"
HUM!
A torrent of sword energy erupted from Zoro's blades, slamming into the Pacifista with a thunderous roar. Cracks appeared in its armor, revealing the intricate machinery within.
"A cyborg?!" Franky's eyes lit up, his hands positioning themselves in front of his body.
"Coup de Vent!"
BOOM!
Franky's attack followed up Zoro's, staggering the Pacifista. It raised a hand, firing a laser beam at the Straw Hats.
"That was close!" Zoro narrowly avoided the blast, taking a deep breath and resuming his stance.
"Three Sword Style... Hell King's Devil Cutter!"
SWISH!
Zoro blurred, reappearing behind the Pacifista. Sparks flew as three deep gashes opened up on its body.
"Diable Jambe!"
Sanji's leg ignited with intense flames, sending the Pacifista reeling backward.
Franky and Usopp followed up with ranged attacks, aiming for the cracks in its armor. Their combined assault finally disrupted the Pacifista's internal mechanisms, bringing it to a grinding halt.
"Whew! Whatever that thing was, it was tough!" Luffy, Sanji, and Brook, having finally toppled the war machine, caught their breath. Luffy deactivated Gear Second.
Nami's voice was grave. "Luffy, with enemies like that showing up, an Admiral could arrive any minute now."
As if on cue, Zoro, sheathing his swords, shook his head. "No need. He's already here..."
FLASH!
A golden light shimmered, and Admiral Kizaru strolled into view, glancing at the destroyed Pacifista. "Impressive work. As expected of Garp the Hero's grandson, taking down a Pacifista. You know, those things cost as much as a warship."
He continued, his tone laced with a hint of mockery. "That Enies Lobby incident...caused quite a stir, put the old heroes in a tough spot. First, it was Zephyr-sensei, and now it's Garp's turn?"
"Ahhh!" Usopp trembled at the sight of Kizaru, and Nami's face paled. Sanji's expression hardened, while Zoro's eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"So this is a Marine Admiral?!"
Franky sized up Kizaru with a critical eye, while Brook feigned exaggerated terror. "My eyes would be popping out of my skull if I had any..."
Robin nodded, taking a deep breath. "That's Admiral Kizaru of Marine Headquarters."
...
Meanwhile, in another Open Area:
"Trafalgar Law, Eustass Kid...you've reduced PX-4 to scrap. Do you have any idea how much a Pacifista costs?" Sentomaru, the hulking captain of the Science Unit, wielding his massive axe, stood alone, confronting Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid.
After the Celestial Dragon incident, the Science Unit had been the first responders, arriving with Sentomaru and the Pacifistas even before Kizaru.
Sentomaru's voice was laced with irritation. "How am I supposed to explain this to that punk Vegapunk?!"
"..."
Law and Kid, both bearing minor injuries, glared at Sentomaru. Their crews were also battered, but they had managed to hold their own against the Pacifista, thanks to their combined efforts.
"Who are you?" Kid demanded coldly.
Sentomaru scowled. "You won't get any information out of me. I'm Sentomaru, the tight-lipped captain of the Science Unit, the best in the world at keeping secrets!"
Law addressed Sentomaru with a serious tone. "Then, Captain Sentomaru, if you'll excuse us...we've had enough trouble for one day. I'd rather not run into an Admiral right now."
"An Admiral..."
Sentomaru's brow furrowed. "Speaking of which, he should be arriving soon. Fine, I'll deal with you two first!"
He swung his axe at Kid, who responded with a cold snort, raising his hand. A magnetic force pulsed outwards, and Sentomaru's axe was suddenly yanked from his grip, flying towards his own head.
"What?!"
Sentomaru reacted swiftly, halting the axe just inches from his face with a grunt of effort. He hurled it away.
"Controlling weapons...the Magnet-Magnet Fruit?"
Sentomaru glared at Kid, but he showed no fear, charging forward.
Kid waved his hands, summoning a whirlwind of metallic objects that coalesced into a massive, jagged arm, which he slammed down towards Sentomaru. Sentomaru simply pushed forward with his palms.
"Ashigara Dokkoi!"
BOOM!
The seemingly effortless push met the metal arm, and a shockwave erupted, shattering the makeshift limb.
"Hmm?"
Law, observing the exchange, noticed something peculiar. More experienced and perceptive, he spoke up. "Haki?"
"A pirate from the first half of the Grand Line...recognizes Haki?" Sentomaru scoffed, turning his attention to Law, striking him and then proceeding to attack his crew.
Sentomaru wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but his mastery of Busoshoku Haki gave him a significant advantage over Kid and his crew, sending them scattering. Kid, seeing his crew struggling, smirked.
"Because I can use it too!"
"What?!" Sentomaru's eyes widened as he saw Kid's right arm coated in a layer of black hardening. He was sent flying backward by a powerful blow.
It was rudimentary, but it was undoubtedly Haki. "A Supernova using Haki...no wonder that person invited you to become a Warlord."
"I owe it all to that devil. Because of him, I'm driven to become stronger. I gathered information about the New World, even learning Haki from a pirate who escaped from there!" Kid declared proudly.
"Captain Kid, you're amazing!"
His crew roared their approval. While they knew they could never surpass "that devil," Kid's determination to grow stronger had enhanced his position as a prominent Supernova.
"Well done, Eustass-ya."
Law, seeing the opening, created a large, shimmering dome.
"ROOM!"
He joined the fray, teleporting himself next to one of Kid's crew members and launching a surprise attack on Sentomaru. With Law's intervention, the tide of the battle shifted. Sentomaru's strength, while formidable, wasn't overwhelming, and Law's Ope Ope no Mi abilities proved to be a significant counter. They managed to push Sentomaru back.
...
Across the Sabaody Archipelago:
The Marines were actively pursuing pirates across the archipelago. The most intense fighting, however, was taking place on Grove 12.
This was where the Straw Hat Pirates, the primary culprits in the Celestial Dragon assault, were cornered. Standing between them and escape were Sentomaru, two Pacifistas, and Admiral Kizaru.
"Zoro! He's in danger!"
Luffy shouted in alarm as Kizaru targeted Zoro. Usopp and Brook desperately tried to intervene, but their attacks couldn't even touch the Admiral. Against a Logia user, attacks without Haki were futile. At the last moment, Robin used her Hana Hana no Mi powers to pull Zoro away from Kizaru's foot. But before they could breathe a sigh of relief...
Kizaru, moving at blinding speed, reappeared before Zoro, his right foot stomping down on the swordsman's chest, his left leg glowing ominously.
"Clever tricks won't save you. It's time to end this." Kizaru sneered, raising his glowing leg. Just as despair threatened to consume them...
A figure suddenly intervened, a gust of wind heralding his arrival. Rayleigh, the Dark King, the legendary right hand of Gol D. Roger, whom they had met at the auction house, blocked Kizaru's attack, buying them precious time.
But the situation remained dire. Even with Rayleigh holding back the Admiral, they still faced two Pacifistas, and their exhaustion was taking its toll. Their chances of victory were slim to none.
"Usopp, Brook, take Zoro and run! Everyone, just focus on escaping! We can't win this fight!" Luffy, despite his usual recklessness, issued the order to retreat, recognizing their hopeless predicament.
...
"Wait, PX-1." Bartholomew Kuma, the Tyrant, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, finally made his appearance.
"If you were to go on a voyage, where would you go?" Kuma asked gently, removing his white gloves. There was no time to react, no time to speak.
One by one, Kuma's paw pads struck, sending the Straw Hats flying. Zoro vanished first, the first to be removed from the battlefield. Luffy's anguished cries echoed through the air.
"I've seen that ability before. Someone was sent flying by him and never seen again!" Nami trembled, voicing the terrifying truth. Were they being obliterated, or was something else happening?
"What did he do to Zoro?! Where did he go?!" Luffy cried, turning to Kizaru.
"Those struck by Kuma's paws are said to fly for three days and three nights. As for their destination, only Kuma knows."
"But one thing's for sure, they're no longer on this island. They could be halfway across the world." Kizaru explained patiently, noticing Kuma's unusual actions. He seemed to be instilling despair, yet his actions hinted at something else: salvation.
He was even providing them with a two-year training opportunity, sending them to locations perfectly suited for their individual growth.
As they spoke, Kuma continued his assault. One by one, the Straw Hats disappeared: Brook, Usopp, Sanji, Franky, who had shielded Nami.
"Luffy, save..." Nami cried out desperately before vanishing.
"ROAR!" Chopper, in his monstrous Monster Point form, despite his enhanced strength, was swatted away like a fly. The bubbles in the sky popped one by one, as if mirroring the Straw Hats' fading hopes.
"Stop it!"
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"
"I said stop it!"
Luffy's desperate screams filled the air as he watched his crewmates disappear before his eyes. The Straw Hat captain, his spirit on the verge of breaking, activated Gear Second and attacked Kuma, desperately trying to protect Robin, the last remaining member of his crew.
But against Kuma's Bear Bear no Mi, the Paw-Paw Fruit, all were equal. Luffy was swatted away with ease, vanishing from the battlefield.
Under Kuma's overwhelming power, Luffy and Robin were both close to breaking, their bodies paralyzed with fear, unable even to flee. They could only watch as Kuma approached Robin. "Farewell."
Kuma raised his paw, ready to deliver the final blow. But his hand froze mid-swing. His instincts, honed through years of battle, screamed danger.
A terrifying presence had locked onto him, and even his cyborg body stiffened. He looked down to see his paw, the instrument of countless defeats and the destroyer of islands, held firmly in place by a black clawed hand.
A figure clad in white, a grotesque bone-white mask covering half his face, descended from the sky, his piercing emerald eyes radiating a predatory aura.
An overwhelming wave of power washed over the battlefield. As onlookers watched in stunned silence, the figure landed gracefully, his gaze fixed on Kuma. Kizaru's mind reeled.
Robin, moments from succumbing to despair under the combined pressure of Kizaru and Kuma, felt a surge of relief and hope. She knew that no matter how dire the situation, as long as this man was present…
As long as he was there, everything would be alright. He was the Black-Winged Devil, The World Strongest Being!
Like the Straw Hat Pirates, Ian was a beacon of light in her dark life, the one who guided her to them. As for the first sun...
That was the Marine who, despite wielding the chilling power of ice, possessed a heart warmer than any other.
Ian adjusted his attire, turning to face Kuma, leaving Kizaru momentarily speechless.
"Everyone, could you give me a moment?" He addressed the tense battlefield.
...
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