Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
After a night of exhaustion, Sengoku finally had a short break.
He was eating snacks and drinking tea.
"Once Gyon brings Kevin back, the Five Elders demand he be publicly executed to show the world the consequences of harming the World Government," Sengoku's eyes flashed with a cold light.
Suddenly, a Marine rushed in, flustered.
Sengoku's heart sank.
What happened now?
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Kevin appeared in Sabaody Archipelago and fought with Vice Admiral Onigumo."
Crack—
Sengoku's left-hand senbei and right-hand teacup both shattered into pieces.
He lowered his head to read the specific details.
Veins slowly bulged on Sengoku's forehead.
"Lawless, absolutely lawless!" Sengoku slammed his desk, stood up, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot.
Vice Admiral Onigumo's fate was unknown.
Kevin had invaded the Holy Land only last night, and today he dared to openly appear in Sabaody Archipelago.
"Send troops! Immediately dispatch a large force to Sabaody Archipelago to encircle and annihilate him!!"
His roar echoed through Marineford once more.
As he tried to calm himself and suppress his anger, Sengoku's expression suddenly changed drastically.
"Sengoku, that's not right," Chief of Staff Tsuru, who was beside him, reacted quickly: "Gyon just sent back a message half an hour ago saying she was pursuing Kevin in the New World. Now Kevin is in Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Did Gyon pursue the wrong person?"
Their eyes met, and they both saw the unease and panic in each other's eyes.
...
...
Sabaody Archipelago.
A brand-new pirate ship, with a thin coating on its hull.
It was a coated pirate ship that Gyon had seized, one that was ready to depart for the New World.
"Goodbye, Shaki," Kevin waved to her from the shore.
Shaki: "Go, don't linger. The Marine main force will arrive soon."
Kevin looked at Rayleigh.
He was about to say his goodbyes.
He noticed Rayleigh frowning slightly, looking as if he had something to say but was hesitant.
"Mr. Rayleigh, is something wrong?"
Rayleigh was still lost in thought.
"The Captain is talking to you, are you mute?" Shaki flicked her cigarette butt at Rayleigh, and the burn startled him awake.
"Hiss, so hot," Rayleigh frantically shook off the burning cigarette butt, looking disheveled before he felt Kevin's gaze.
He composed himself.
He looked at Kevin seriously.
More accurately, he looked at the blade at Kevin's waist.
As if having made a decision, he said, "Kevin, do you want a Supreme Grade Swords?"
Kevin's eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked in surprise, "Supreme Grade Swords, are you referring to Roger's 'Ace'?"
The Twelve Supreme Grade Swords!
In the original work, only Hawkeye Mihawk's Black Blade Night, Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, and Roger's Ace appeared.
One of the Five Elders possessed a sword, suspected to be the Supreme Grade Swords Shodai Kitetsu, but it was unconfirmed.
Only three confirmed Supreme Grade Swords exist.
"Of course, if possible, I would," No swordsman would refuse.
Especially Kevin.
He was a swordsman. Since gaining Gyon's full combat power three months ago, he had trained desperately, transforming his strength into full combat power, mastering it, and experimenting with various weapons.
Normal blades.
It was more like a sword, which he was unaccustomed to using. He always felt like he couldn't unleash his full power, and his attacks felt sluggish.
The blade Kevin was currently using...
could only be described as a good blade, not a famous one. The blade was heavier and wider, which made it a true greatsword.
"Mr. Rayleigh, is Ace suitable for me?" Kevin's eyes sparkled.
Kevin wasn't interested in Black Blade Night; its shape looked awkward, and he probably wouldn't find it easy to use.
Cloud-Gathering Cut was even less suitable.
In terms of shape, the Supreme Grade Swords "Ace" was very similar in size and weight to the blade Kevin was currently equipped with.
"What's unsuitable about it?" Rayleigh chuckled, "Ace isn't just directly given to you. It requires qualification. Only those who are qualified can use Ace."
"Qualification?"
"Yes, it's not a qualification where you meet certain conditions. Instead, Ace will choose its own master. If you can use it, you can; if you can't, no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to." Rayleigh fell into a reverie, explaining one by one:
"Before Roger surrendered, he entrusted Ace to us, asking us to find a new successor for Ace. But until now, no one has been able to use Ace."
"That kid Shanks, he admired Roger the most and immediately wanted to inherit Ace, but unfortunately, he couldn't use it. He cried with frustration." At this, Rayleigh couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"All the members of the Red Hair Pirate Crew tried, and no one succeeded. I remember three years ago, that kid named Mihawk also tried, and he didn't succeed either. He did get Black Blade Night now, a lucky kid."
Speaking of which,
Rayleigh seriously asked Kevin, "Do you still want to try?"
Currently on the sea,
the top Swordsmen were Hawkeye Mihawk and Red-Haired Shanks. Other Swordsmen were a step below them.
Everyone believed that the Strongest Swordsman would definitely be one of the two.
They both failed, and Rayleigh suspected that no one in the current era was qualified to use Ace.
He was afraid of discouraging Kevin and wasting his time; he had been conflicted just now.
"Others failing doesn't mean I will fail."
Rayleigh smiled approvingly, "Alright then, take this Vivre Card. Ace is with Jabba right now. He seems to be living in seclusion in the East Blue. Go find him. If you successfully use Ace, he'll be very happy for you to take Ace."
Kevin took the Vivre Card.
Jabba's Vivre Card.
"Alright." Kevin nodded. The East Blue, huh?
He hadn't planned on going to the New World immediately anyway. He intended to get stronger and gather more crew members before heading to the New World.
The East Blue was fine too.
"Shaki, Rayleigh, goodbye." Kevin boarded the ship, bidding farewell to the two.
"Go."
Watching the ship depart,
Rayleigh sighed with emotion, "Youth is truly wonderful."