Hearing the surrounding residents shouting in alarm, Belo Betty's eyes flickered with interest.
How could she possibly miss something this entertaining?
With that thought, Betty immediately stepped forward and headed toward the commotion.
But just then, Ahiru grabbed the hem of her clothes.
"What is it? Don't stop me from watching the fun."
Betty turned around, trying to pull her sleeve free.
Before she could move, however, Ahiru grabbed her again.
"Commander…"
Ahiru's expression darkened slightly as she pointed in a certain direction.
Betty followed her gaze.
Then her expression froze.
A tall, imposing figure was slowly walking toward the disturbance.
He had a firm, stoic face and wore a black coat marked with a white target-like symbol across the chest. Most eye-catching of all were the bear-like ears on top of his hat.
Bartholomew Kuma.
"Kuma… It's him?"
Confusion flashed through Betty's eyes.
She did not immediately go forward to question him.
Because Kuma was heading toward the source of the disturbance.
Behind him followed a group of fully armed Marines.
Betty and Ahiru exchanged a glance before nodding at the same time.
The two quietly followed behind Kuma, blending into the crowd as they moved toward the noisy street.
Once they got closer, they finally saw what was happening.
In the open space between the gathered civilians stood a young man holding a cold, gleaming blade.
At that moment, the blade was pointed toward a group of pirates whose courage had completely collapsed.
The young man slowly pushed the blade closer while muttering things like,
"Hurry up and hand over the money."
The strangest part was that beside him stood an adorable little girl with pink twin-tails.
She held a notebook in both hands and was seriously writing something down.
Every now and then, she nodded as if she had suddenly gained enlightenment.
What… was going on here?
Was this really a robbery?
Betty paused and listened carefully.
Finally, she heard the twin-tailed little girl quietly muttering to herself.
"So this is what it means to convince people through virtue. I understand now!"
Betty: "…"
Was there something wrong with this child's worldview?
"Who is that?"
Betty frowned slightly and glanced toward Ahiru.
"Commander, she is—"
Before Ahiru could finish speaking, Kairos D. Vale calmly interrupted.
"Enough. Stop wasting time."
Kairos rested Sandai Kitetsu over his shoulder, his tone casual despite the threatening words.
"Yes, yes! I'll give it to you right away!"
The pirate captain hurriedly pulled a bulging pouch of Berries from his waist and offered it to Kairos with a flattering smile.
A bright red handprint remained on his cheek.
It was obvious he had just been beaten badly.
"All right. You can go."
Kairos casually weighed the pouch in his hand before waving them away.
The pirates acted as though they had been granted a pardon from heaven and fled immediately.
Kairos stored the pouch inside the Gate of Babylon.
Then he glanced sideways.
He had already noticed the towering figure standing behind the crowd.
Kuma.
"It's Warlord Kuma!"
The surrounding civilians also recognized Kuma and cried out in alarm.
Amid the commotion, the Marines accompanying Kuma began clearing the area.
To avoid drawing attention, Betty and Ahiru quietly withdrew with the dispersing crowd.
Kairos turned around and faced Kuma directly.
Then he noticed another figure standing beside him.
The man had a broad, powerful build and wore the uniform of Impel Down personnel along with a pilot cap. A cigar hung from his mouth. His face looked vicious, and his jaw was abnormally long and prominent.
Shiryu of the Rain.
"Kairos D. Vale. You really came."
Shiryu's eyes gleamed strangely as his low voice echoed through the now-empty street.
"We've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Oh? You knew I'd come here?"
Kairos raised a brow.
Even while facing two powerful enemies, his expression remained calm.
Meanwhile, Perona had quietly retreated several steps behind him.
She could already sense the tension in the air.
The lessons Kairos had been teaching her recently were clearly working. Instinctively, she had already found the safest distance from the battlefield.
"You've been robbing pirates all along your route. Naturally, you'd rob these pirates too."
Shiryu bit down on his cigar and spoke in a low voice.
They had deliberately left these pirates alone as bait to lure Kairos out.
At the same time, Shiryu's gaze shifted toward Perona beside Kairos.
"Didn't expect you to have this kind of taste. Interesting."
"Ugly freak!"
Perona immediately made a face and stuck out her little pink tongue.
Perona naturally hated ugly things.
And Shiryu's jaw was… especially distinctive.
Shiryu's gaze instantly sharpened.
A murderous aura began to rise from him.
Shing.
The Thousand Demon Dagger was already unsheathed.
Blue light flickered through the cracks running along the blade.
"Trying to attack a little girl isn't exactly gentlemanly."
Kairos held the Thousand Demon Dagger in one hand, his voice low.
Shiryu merely laughed softly without responding.
The famed blade Raiu was drawn as well.
The atmosphere between them instantly tightened.
Even the clash of their killing intent alone caused violent winds to sweep through the street, shaking the roadside trees.
The Marines accompanying Kuma immediately raised their rifles in unison.
"Kairos D. Vale! Surrender now, or—"
Before the Marines could finish shouting, Kairos had already moved.
Sword Star: Hidden Blade Technique.
A chilling blue glow erupted from the Thousand Demon Dagger.
The blade, which had accumulated nearly a month of Kairos' power, slashed horizontally through the air.
All one thousand fragments trembled simultaneously.
Every fragment roared as it released the force stored within.
Dong!
A crimson gleam flashed through Shiryu's eyes.
Observation Haki instantly captured the killing trajectories of all thousand blade fragments.
Clang!
Raiu surged forward.
Terrifying sword energy burst out like a flood, crashing toward Kairos.
Shiryu's full strength as a great swordsman erupted without reservation.
This was the ultimate slash forged through slaughtering countless enemies.
Its speed and power had both reached an almost flawless level.
Boom! Boom!
The two sword lights collided violently before exploding apart.
Kairos' dark-blue sword light shattered outward and blasted toward the sea behind them.
In an instant, the ocean seemed to boil.
A gigantic wave surged upward violently, rising over a thousand meters high as if it wanted to crash into the heavens themselves.
Shiryu's cold sword light was also blown away.
It slammed into the nearby buildings.
A terrifying explosion erupted immediately, like artillery shells detonating throughout the residential district.
The shockwave spread outward in an instant.
More than a dozen buildings collapsed with deafening roars as dust shot high into the sky.
If the civilians had not already been evacuated by the Marines, the scene would have turned into a bloody disaster.
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