At that moment—
even Aokiji noticed the strange commotion behind him.
Turning around,
he froze in disbelief at the sight before his eyes.
There was Kai, who—at some point—had already stepped out of the protective formation of Marine s, walking alone straight toward the horde of pirates that looked like a pack of starving beasts.
For a split second, even Aokiji's brain stalled.
"What's going on?"
"Didn't I just tell that kid to stay put inside the defensive ring?"
"What the hell is he trying to do?"
"Going alone into three thousand pirates? Is he trying to get himself killed?"
"He's insane!"
Even someone as composed as Aokiji was utterly dumbfounded.
He had never seen anyone so fearless before.
A mere four-year-old, facing thousands of bloodthirsty pirates, not only showed no sign of fear, but actually strode forward on his own toward the enemy line.
For a moment, Aokiji thought he was hallucinating.
"Kai, you brat—are you out of your mind?!"
"Get back!"
"Those pirates aren't something you can handle!"
"There are over three thousand of them! Even if you could beat one or two—don't forget, they'll tear you apart the moment they all charge!"
"You're walking into your own death!"
Aokiji panicked.
Even for him, dealing with over three thousand vicious pirates would take a few minutes of concentrated effort to finish.
As for Kai—
a four-year-old who hadn't even eaten a Devil Fruit?
There was no way he could handle that.
Impossible!
Utter fantasy!
Even when Aokiji had just eaten the Ice-Ice Fruit back in the day, he hadn't dared face thousands of pirates alone.
And now—
Kai, who wasn't even a Devil Fruit user, was walking straight into them?
The thought of what was about to happen made Aokiji's blood run cold.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Kai get closer and closer to the pirates, Aokiji was about to move to intercept—
"Attack!"
came a thunderous roar from Oren the Demon, captain of the Demon Pirates.
In the next instant,
a massive boulder came crashing down toward where Aokiji stood.
BOOM!!
The impact shook the sky and earth like thunder,
the ground sank half a meter under the crushing force.
Crack! Crack!
The earth split apart like shattered glass, spreading in a spiderweb pattern across a ten-meter radius.
From the rubble rose wisps of white frost…
And in mere seconds,
Aokiji's body, covered in ice, reformed completely intact.
Not even a scratch remained.
His eyes, now cold as death, locked on to Oren.
An aura of killing intent emanated from him strong enough to freeze the air itself.
Whoosh.
He exhaled softly—
and even the air he breathed turned to frost.
"You bastards… are looking for death."
Aokiji rarely got angry.
But Oren's interference—blocking him from saving Kai—had actually made him furious.
"Boys, move!"
"Grab that brat!"
"Whoever catches the kid first—
I'll make him Fourth Division Captain, and reward him with thirty million Berries!"
"Move!"
Oren barked his orders, his tone dripping with desperation.
He had seen Aokiji's reaction earlier—
that flash of concern when Kai moved—
and suddenly, he understood.
That kid…
was Aokiji's weak point!
If they could just catch him,
they might actually turn this hopeless battle around.
"He's our only chance! If we use the brat as leverage, Aokiji will have to back off!"
To fight Aokiji head-on was suicide.
But to threaten him…? That, Oren thought, was survival.
His first mate, Homa, nodded grimly.
"You're right, Captain. Even if Aokiji's strong, he can't kill us all instantly. We just need a few minutes—and that kid will be in our hands."
"Then Aokiji will have no choice but to surrender."
Oren's face was tight with nerves,
but there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
And then they saw it—
that same kid they'd just targeted—
actually walking out of the Marine s' protection all on his own.
Everyone froze.
"Is he insane?"
Homa's throat went dry.
"That brat's walking straight to his death!"
Oren's eyes widened, then gleamed with savage delight.
"Perfect. If the brat wants to die, we'll help him. He'll make the perfect bargaining chip!"
"Now I'm convinced—he must be some pampered noble's son. Only a spoiled brat would be stupid enough to leave protection at a time like this."
Beside him, his lieutenants Grin and Garson grinned wickedly.
They could already picture the scene of their men seizing Kai—
their victory secured.
"Go!!"
With Oren's order,
three thousand pirates erupted like a tidal wave, charging toward Kai with crazed, greedy eyes.
The ground trembled under their rush.
"Grab that brat and the Captain will reward us!"
"Whoever gets him first, the Division Captain's spot is mine!"
"Dream on, that's my position!"
"All of you shut up! Move!"
"Brat! If you let me catch you quietly, maybe you'll keep your life. If not—
I'll make sure you beg for death!"
The horde descended on him,
shaking the air itself.
From afar,
Aokiji and the Marine detachment—led by Miz—could only watch in horror.
Their faces turned white.
"It's over…"
"We failed the mission Aokiji gave us."
Miz's voice trembled.
He could already imagine the boy being snatched,
used as a hostage against Aokiji.
The first wave of pirates—dozens strong—were already within half a meter of Kai,
their bloody hands reaching toward him.
Closer…
and closer…
"Got him!"
"Hahaha! The Captain's spot is mine!"
"You losers can fight for scraps!"
The nearest pirate, a huge brute, lunged forward—
his hands just about to grab Kai's head—
And at that moment—
Kai finally lifted his gaze,
his expression calm, almost serene.
He stopped walking.
At such close range,
he could smell the pirates' stench—
the blood, the sweat, the rot of a thousand crimes.
"Next…"
"Let me show you all—"
"—the feast born of Conqueror's Haki."
Kai's lips curved upward slightly.
Then—
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye,
a torrent of overwhelming willpower erupted from his body,
like a storm tearing through heaven and earth.
It spread outward from him in a violent shockwave—
a crushing aura that distorted the air itself.
Even space seemed to ripple,
as though it might collapse under the pressure.
Annihilating. Overwhelming. Divine.
This was—
Conqueror's Haki.
An unseen, formless storm of raw domination swept across the battlefield,
devouring everything in its path.
Within moments,
it had covered the entire field.
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