Standing in front of Kaguya was a beautiful young girl. She had light blue hair, deep amber eyes, elegant eyebrows, and jade-like fair skin. Her tall figure and graceful curves exuded youthful vitality.
She was…
"Ain?"
Kaguya looked at the girl in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
After Kaguya had disappeared and been declared a wanted criminal, Ain had defected with Zephyr and vanished. Even Monet's vast intelligence network couldn't pinpoint her—only that she had joined Zephyr's newly formed "NEO Marines."
The NEO Marines were created by Zephyr out of frustration with the World Government. Disillusioned by its corruption and the existence of the Shichibukai system, he founded his own faction.
But unlike others who fell into darkness, Zephyr hadn't allied with pirates. On the contrary, the NEO Marines aimed to annihilate all pirates—more radical than the Navy itself.
Kaguya saw this as Zephyr's attempt to avenge his family, murdered by pirates. Despite everything, he still held a flicker of hope for justice—otherwise, he would have turned fully against the Navy long ago.
So Ain should've still been with the NEO Marines. What was she doing here?
"Sensei, I'm so happy to see you again. I knew it—those rumors had to be false. You couldn't have died!" Ain clutched her chest, visibly emotional. Her cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes glistening.
"Something happened before, so I didn't get to say goodbye. I'm sorry," Kaguya replied.
"That's not important," Ain quickly shook her head, smiling brightly. "Just seeing you again is enough."
Looking at the young girl who had blossomed from a loli into a stunning beauty, Kaguya couldn't help but sigh. Girls really do change with age. Ain was now radiant and far more beautiful, her youthful charm accentuated—especially her full chest, rising and falling with each breath, drawing attention.
Kaguya walked closer. As Ain looked at her with hopeful eyes, Kaguya reached out and hooked a finger under her chin, smirking. "Missed your sensei, did you?"
Ain's face reddened like a peach blossom, her amber eyes misty. "I did. I thought I'd never see you again."
If there was anyone Ain admired most, it was Kaguya.
From the moment they met, she had become Ain's idol. Her strength and poise left a deep impression. Becoming her student was the greatest honor—something few could claim. The envious stares of rejected cadets proved that.
The more time Ain spent with Kaguya, the more she was drawn to her. Eventually, her admiration turned into something more—even if she herself didn't realize it.
When Kaguya disappeared and was later declared a criminal by the World Government, Ain was furious. She couldn't believe someone who had given so much would be treated like that.
Angered, she joined Zephyr's NEO Marines, hoping to use their intelligence network to find her beloved teacher. Sadly, years passed with no news.
Just when she was losing hope, word came—her teacher had reappeared in Marineford. Even though the truth was uncertain, she had rushed over.
Now seeing Kaguya again, her joy was written across her face.
But just as Ain awaited her next move, Kaguya let her go, leaving her slightly disappointed.
"Why are you here? Don't tell me… you're trying to stop me?" Kaguya asked curiously.
"Well…" Ain hesitated, then gathered her courage. "Sensei, I hope you won't do this."
"Oh?" Kaguya stared at her, intrigued. "Do you have a special reason?"
Ain bit her lip. "I know the World Government treated you terribly—smearing your name and declaring you a criminal. But I know you'd never do those things."
Staring into her clear eyes, Kaguya almost wanted to confess: the World Government may have targeted her unfairly, but the crimes… she really had committed them.
"But the Navy is different. After you were branded a criminal, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, and many others opposed the decision. No one betrayed you—their hearts are still with you," Ain said urgently.
"If I'm not mistaken," Kaguya said, "you've left the Navy and joined NEO, haven't you?"
Ain stiffened, nervously twining her fingers.
"She joined NEO for your sake!"
A booming voice rang out. Kaguya turned to see a towering man approaching. His chiseled features looked carved from marble, glasses perched on his nose, and a massive mechanical arm drew immediate attention.
"Commander?" Ain gasped. "Why are you here?"
Zephyr grinned. "My subordinate sneaking off? Of course I'd follow. Besides—" he looked at Kaguya. "I wanted to meet the woman who, singlehandedly, brought the entire Navy to its knees."
Upon hearing Zephyr's words, Kaguya was a bit surprised. She turned to look at Ain, who stood nearby. Ain's gaze was evasive, her ten fingers entwined together, and her cheeks gradually turned red.
At first, Kaguya thought that, like in the original story, Ain had joined the NEO Marines because she was Zephyr's student. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
However, what did surprise Kaguya was Ain's resolute decision to leave the Navy after being wanted by the World Government. Such a decision took great determination.
After all, despite the name "NEO Marines" including the word "Marine," they had never been recognized by the World Government. Instead, they were treated as traitors who had defected from the Navy, worse off than pirates, even hunted by Navy fleets. This wasn't something the average person could endure, especially someone like Ain who had just graduated from the Naval Academy.
"If you're only doing this to take revenge on the Navy, then I think you'd better not," Zephyr walked over and said. "The ones who truly made the decision were the Five Elders, not them. Even if you kill them all, it would just be meaningless slaughter."
Kaguya glanced at him and said, "I never thought that one day I would be lectured by a Navy traitor."
"I have never betrayed the Navy, nor have I betrayed justice," Zephyr snorted. "I merely differ in methods. Those people are too soft-hearted. To deal with pirates, you must exterminate them completely to eliminate future threats!"
"Your thinking is too extreme, Zephyr!" Sengoku shouted from the side. "Killing blindly won't eliminate pirates completely; it will only cause more innocent casualties!"
"So you recruited those vicious criminals to be the World Government's lapdogs?" Zephyr said coldly. "Is that the justice the Navy speaks of? Do you know how many innocent lives these people have taken?"
"In order to achieve victory, some methods are necessary," Sengoku said. "Besides, this is the World Government's decision. As the Navy, we have no jurisdiction."
"If it was wrong from the start, then everything that comes from it will also be wrong," Zephyr said coldly. "If you use such crooked means to pursue justice, then what you gain in the end will not be justice."
"Is that your reason for betraying the Navy?" Sengoku's forehead bulged with veins as he clenched his fists and shouted.
"You're too rigid, Sengoku," Zephyr pointed at him and said coldly. "Because you've compromised too much with the World Government and the Five Elders, it's led to this irreversible situation. It's all your fault!"
"Uh, hold on a second," Kaguya coughed lightly and said, "I don't mind you two arguing here, but it seems like someone is about to collapse."
Zephyr and Sengoku were stunned and looked toward Fujitora. He was half-kneeling on the ground, face flushed, panting like an ox, drenched in sweat as if pulled from water. His hand holding the sword trembled slightly, clearly on the verge of exhaustion.
Just then, Fujitora could no longer hold on. His hand loosened, and the sword dropped. At the same time, the meteor in the sky suddenly accelerated, dragging a long tail of flames as it plummeted rapidly toward the ground!
Everyone was shocked!
Seeing the massive meteor about to fall, at the critical moment, Kaguya raised her hand toward it. A cold gleam flashed in her icy eyes, and a golden light burst from her palm. In an instant, it transformed into a golden pillar shooting into the sky, blasting toward the meteor!
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
A brilliant flash of golden light streaked across the meteor!
Boom—!
A deafening explosion echoed through the clouds. The massive meteor shattered, rocks splintered and scattered, breaking into countless fragments that fell like a rain of flowers from the sky, dazzling like festival fireworks!
The stunned crowd stared at the sky, now resembling a firework display. This meteor, which had brought despair, was effortlessly destroyed by her hand. It was several times larger than Marineford, so large it almost blocked out the entire sky.
"Alright, but now—" Kaguya turned around, a smirk playing on her lips. "Shouldn't we talk about the conditions?"
"Conditions?" Sengoku was taken aback.
"That's right," Kaguya said matter-of-factly. "Since I mercifully spared you all, shouldn't you be weeping with gratitude and thanking me for not killing you?"
Sengoku's face turned red with anger. "Don't joke around!"
Kaguya crossed her arms, looking down from above with a cold snort. "What, do you want a beating?"
Karp chuckled and patted Sengoku's shoulder, whispering, "Hey, Sengoku, you can't beat her."
Kaguya looked at Karp a few more times. Clearly, he had figured something out, which was why he could remain so calm. It seemed he wasn't as carefree as he appeared on the surface.
Makes sense. A guy who could battle the Pirate King Roger on the Grand Line for so long couldn't be someone to take lightly.
But just then, a figure suddenly darted over from not far away, bringing roaring flames and thick smoke, and in a flash appeared behind Kaguya. Raising a magma-coated fist high, he punched fiercely at Kaguya's back!
"Die, Kaguya!"
"Hellhound!"
The attacker was none other than Akainu!
Everyone was shocked. They hadn't expected the heavily injured Akainu to suddenly strike!
But just as the blow was about to land, Kaguya suddenly vanished!
Akainu's heart sank with a sense of foreboding. A cold, familiar voice whispered in his ear, making his pupils contract sharply!
"How reckless. Since you're so eager to die, I'll gladly oblige!"
Startled, Akainu turned around, but just as he did, a fair hand shot out, and in an instant, Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bones pierced through his abdomen like lightning, reducing him to ash in a single, ruthless strike!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven