"Whoa, whoa... how terrifying... You actually took care of everyone... even the Celestial Dragon...?"
Kizaru landed on the deck, just a meter away from Yemu, and casually glanced around at the scene.
Marines lay unconscious all over the warship's deck, but strangely, not a single one of them appeared to be physically harmed.
Still, that didn't matter. Kizaru's glasses reflected a flash of golden light as his gaze swept past the corpse of a Celestial Dragon, then focused on the two pirates in front of him and the barely-breathing Rear Admiral. His body shimmered with golden radiance as he slowly raised his right leg.
"Well... no helping it now... kid... Speed is weight. Ever been kicked at the speed of light...?"
"Hmm!"
But the kick never landed—because another voice rang out behind him.
"Speed is weight, huh... I like that line. Well then, Marine... ever been struck by lightning?"
Kizaru, who had just been casually stroking his beard with an air of disdain, suddenly froze. He turned his head to see a foot crackling with blue lightning—his pupils dilated as he stared at it.
"Whoosh..."
Without hesitation, Kizaru spun and redirected his glowing kick toward Enel instead of Yemu.
"Boom!"
The two forces collided—lightning and light clashing in a burst of energy.
"Boom!!"
The air around them rippled like waves as a visible shockwave radiated outward, centered on the three of them.
In the clash of strength, Kizaru stood his ground, completely unmoved, while Enel clearly started to falter.
"Oh... terrifying... So it's the Goro Goro no Mi... No wonder you're so bold."
Even as he said this, Kizaru found the time to glance sideways at Yemu. Though his face wore a mocking smirk, deep in his eyes was a flicker of wariness.
"So, captain... what's your ability?"
"Hahaha..."
Yemu let out a loud laugh, casually tossing Gasparde's unconscious body aside. He drew the Meito at his waist—Shishimaru.
"Of course I won't disappoint you."
"What the..."
A red-hot glow flared across the lenses of Kizaru's golden glasses.
Roaring flames burst from the blade, coating it in searing heat as Yemu swung it toward Kizaru's neck.
"Not good—"
Without pause, Kizaru extended one hand. Golden light gathered into a long, radiant sword.
"Ama no Murakumo."
"Clang...!"
The flame blade clashed violently with the blade of light, creating a vortex of heat and brilliance. The air rippled, and after the explosion, waves of fire and light rolled out like storm clouds crashing outward.
The Marine warship beneath them groaned under the force. The deck began to split apart, cracks spreading outward from where the three stood at the center.
"Crack... crack..."
At last, sweat began to bead on Kizaru's forehead.
Then—Yemu and Enel unleashed their full power, breaking free from the deadlock. With synchronized motion, they twisted their bodies and launched a second strike.
A slash and a kick.
Kizaru gritted his teeth and gripped the Ama no Murakumo with both hands, raising it to block the attack.
"Bang!!"
Kizaru's body was blasted away like a cannonball, crashing through the warship's deck and hurtling deep into the ship's hold.
"Ugh..."
With a pained groan, the massive warship finally gave in to the destructive force. Starting from the hole smashed open by Kizaru's crashing body, the ship cracked apart down the middle.
On deck, Yemu and Enel stood calmly, staring into the dark void of the shattered hull below.
"How'd that feel, Enel?"
Yemu waved Shishimaru, extinguishing the flames along its blade.
Although Shishimaru was one of the 50 Skillful Grade Meito and even classified as a black blade, its material couldn't handle extreme temperatures for long.
Enel, slightly annoyed, still answered seriously.
"Pretty strong. Physically, I'm no match. As for Devil Fruit powers... maybe. But when it comes to Haki..."
"Hahaha, that makes it all the more fun. If he were too weak, this world would be boring."
Yemu laughed. Enel's expression brightened as well, visibly fired up.
Just then, from the darkness below, the sound of a Den Den Mushi chirped.
"Bzzz..."
"Kizaru, did you catch those two criminals?"
"I'm sorry... this mission might be a failure... Fleet Admiral Kong..."
"What do you mean, Kizaru?"
"There's nothing I can do, Fleet Admiral... these two brats are monsters. One's a Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi user, and the other's got the Goro Goro no Mi..."
"..."
A long silence followed.
Then, deep in the shadows of the lower deck, beams of golden light gathered—Kizaru's figure reformed on the deck, holding a Den Den Mushi and looking troubled.
"How long can you hold them off? I'll send Zephyr over with reinforcements immediately."
"That... I can't say. I'll try my best."
With that, Kizaru hung up and turned toward Yemu and Enel.
"Sorry for the wait. Had to take a call."
"Hahahaha... No worries. If you're not ready yet, I can give you a few more minutes—hahahaha!"
Yemu replied with a grin.
Despite standing on opposite sides, the air between them felt strangely casual, like old acquaintances chatting.
Kizaru looked at Yemu with mild surprise.
"Interesting... no wonder you had the guts to kill a Celestial Dragon. I figured as much—you were waiting here for me, weren't you? With the powers you two have, you could've escaped ages ago."
"You're right."
In truth, that wasn't Yemu's original plan. His only goals were the Heavenly Tribute... and Fisher Tiger.
But when he reached the deck and heard that the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had been captured... that Shiki was wreaking havoc at Marineford... and that Roger was set to be executed in Loguetown in half a month—he changed his mind.
With Roger's capture, the world had already begun to spiral into chaos. Soon, the Great Pirate Era would begin. Neither the Marines nor the World Government would be able to allocate much force.
So what if a few Celestial Dragons died?
Yemu might be reckless—but he wasn't stupid.
And fate? As he once told Roger:
"I only believe in the destiny I choose!"
Now...
Yemu grinned at Kizaru.
"Can't be helped. As a rookie pirate, I needed to figure out where I stand in this world's food chain. I had to get creative."
"Oh? So that's why you killed the Celestial Dragons? How terrifying..."
This time, Kizaru's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. He had sensed it—buried in Yemu's words was a terrifying ambition.
Then, before the next exchange could begin, Yemu said something that left Kizaru speechless.
"I know this might sound crazy, but before the next round kicks off, let me ask you one thing..."
"Marine!"
"Are you interested in joining my pirate crew? I could really use a reliable partner right now..."
...
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