Kouta retracted his gaze from the sky above the church and turned to give Kuina a deep look.
Then, a smile spread across his lips, and he opened his mouth. His white teeth shone with a dazzling light against the backdrop of the sunset, on the island shrouded in dense fog and bathed in dimness.
The light was not glaring, but it gave Kuina, and everyone else, confidence.
"Alright, we'll go together."
Although Kuina's Armament Haki had not yet reached its highest level, it should be sufficient to resist the strange passage of time.
Moreover, she was essentially lightning; it would be difficult for Kuzan to harm her.
Even though she had obtained the Devil Fruit not long ago, thanks to Kouta's knowledge of lightning and her own meticulous daily training within Kouta's domain, she was already formidable.
Furthermore, her Observation Haki was her strongest asset, even more so than her Armament Haki.
Combined with her swordsmanship, even if her overall strength couldn't match Kuzan's, she was not someone a mere Admiral could easily defeat.
"Be careful, everyone."
After casting one last glance at the group behind him, Kouta's eyes, like swirling nebulae, blinked, and his figure vanished from his original spot.
Kuina, transforming into a streak of azure lightning, buzzed and shot into the sky, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye. With a thunderous rumble, she reappeared in the sky above the church entrance, hovering beside Kouta.
One, clad in a white shirt, had his silver hair grown out over several months at sea, casually cut into a messy style that fluttered in the wind.
His pair of cerulean eyes seemed to replace the stars in the fog-shrouded sky, exuding a unique charm that captivated anyone who beheld them.
The other, wearing a pink jacket with white floral patterns, cinched at the waist with a black ribbon tied into a bow, her dark blue hair tied back, leaving only two wisps like willow branches to frame her cheeks.
Her young, yet resolute, emerald-glowing eyes were set above eyebrows as sharp as swords.
This made her entire presence, as she stood in the sky, resemble an invincible sword, a world-shattering yet fiery bolt of lightning.
One dared not look directly at her.
"Truly, truly... a divine couple!"
Kuzan, gazing at the handsome man and beautiful woman in the sky outside the entrance, found himself momentarily without words, resorting to the first phrase that popped into his mind.
"Goro Goro no Mi."
Kuzan's immediate focus was on the appearance and aura of Kouta and Kuina, who had suddenly materialized.
Kuroto, the head of CP0 behind them, however, was more focused on Kuina's method of appearance and the faint sparks of lightning that occasionally flashed around her.
They had already known that Kouta could hover and appear suddenly, but previous intelligence had never mentioned the blue-haired Kuina's ability to control lightning.
To be able to hover and, judging by her appearance, even elementalize, there was only one possibility: the "Lightning-Lightning Fruit," hailed as the strongest Paramecia-type.
At this thought, his heart clenched.
"Will it fail?"
The blue-haired Kuina, without a Devil Fruit, was, to his knowledge, fully capable of matching an elite Vice Admiral. Now that she had eaten the Lightning-Lightning Fruit, her strength likely rivaled that of an Admiral. In that case, only Kuzan or Saint Cartaless could deal with them; anyone else who went up would likely not even be able to touch them.
Including himself.
He was self-aware of this much.
Since Saint Cartaless's primary target was the silver-haired man, Kuzan would have to handle him.
Then, Saint Cartaless...
"Can one person capture the silver-haired man?"
With this thought, he glanced at the white figure to his left and his heart settled.
Fortunately, Saint Cartaless had summoned this woman from somewhere; he felt a sense of danger emanating from her.
While his Haki suggested it might not be fatal, given the woman's uncanny ability to ignore physical attacks in her soul form, it was likely not too difficult to capture the silver-haired man with the help of Saint Cartaless!
Besides, Saint Cartaless had explicitly stated from the beginning that he could replicate the silver-haired man's teleportation ability.
However, what he didn't know was that Saint Cartaless, whom he was just thinking of, was staring at Kouta in the sky with disbelief.
"You... are not a Devil Fruit user."
A deep, astonished voice echoed throughout the church.
Of course, it also reached Kouta and Kuina, who were outside.
"What??"
Hearing Cartaless's voice, the people behind him glanced at him.
Although they couldn't see Cartaless's expression, they could feel the intense fluctuations emanating from him, causing them all to raise their heads and stare at Kouta in disbelief.
To capture Kouta, or even kill him, the most crucial aspect was to restrict his instantaneous movement.
Because without restriction, he could leave whenever he pleased, and in this world, no one could truly capture him.
"This is troublesome!"
This was the unanimous sentiment.
Without the restriction of Cartaless's replicated teleportation, if Kouta wanted to kill them, no one except Kuzan and Cartaless would be able to hold him back for even a moment.
Therefore, the four CP0 members behind Cartaless, upon learning that Cartaless couldn't replicate teleportation, tensed up instantly, their fists clenched, filled with caution and ready to respond to an attack at any moment.
Kuroto's eyes glowed red, and his fists were covered in dark Armament Haki.
He was in a state of extreme tension.
No one knew better than them at CP0 how terrifying this guy was without restrictions.
This was because not long ago, a small CP0 team had been instantly dealt with by this very individual.
The Marines knew this, the World Government knew this, and they, of course, knew this too.
Moreover, they also knew that because someone in his team could produce food that replenished stamina, he had disappeared for four months. After four months, they dared to appear and, upon reappearing, dared to kill the kings of World Government affiliated nations and the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Their strength must have increased significantly, which was why they were not afraid of the World Government's bounties.
They were not afraid of CP0's assassinations.
Thump!
Kouta and Kuina slowly descended, their feet landing on the platform of the church entrance steps.
The sound of their landing was not loud, but it was like a klaxon, causing Kuroto and others to contract their pupils and become even more tense.
Honestly, even facing a Four Emperor in the New World, the pressure this person at the door exerted on them psychologically was greater.
Because even Four Emperors couldn't instantly kill them, but this person in front of them truly could.
"Well! Who told you I was a Devil Fruit user?"
Kouta first glanced at Kuzan, then swept his gaze over Kuroto and the others behind him, before finally looking at the pale-faced Cartaless and the white figure beside him.