On the deck of the warship.
Amidst a flurry of salutes and greetings, Kaku walked to the bow of the ship.
Gazing at the beach, where the wounded and panting Onigumo stood, Kaku's eyes were drawn to the pink figure constantly clashing with Onigumo.
He sighed inwardly.
"So young!"
How long had it been since such a young swordmaster appeared? And that silver-haired individual, equally young, yet already a world-class powerhouse.
He pondered in his mind.
He couldn't recall.
Even the one known as the "successor to the demon," "Devil's Descendant," Douglas Bullet, back then, couldn't have been this troublesome.
The silver-haired one's troublesome nature was on par with a Yonko.
The Yonko's troublsome nature stemmed from their crews having numerous individuals who could match Vice Admirals, or even Admirals.
If it were a single person, the Navy wouldn't really fear or worry.
But the silver-haired one himself was an incredibly troublesome figure.
One could say he was another Golden Lion.
No…
He should say he was far more troublesome than Golden Lion.
Because this guy could easily kill them, the Vice Admirals.
Take this incident as an example; they hadn't even felt a killing intent from the silver-haired one. Otherwise, the few Vice Admirals and these ten warships…
"Sigh!"
He sighed again, thinking of this.
"Headache."
The Colonels stood behind Kaku, awaiting his orders. Whether to continue the Buster Call and bombard, or not, depended on Vice Admiral Kaku's decision.
Kaku's gaze was suddenly drawn by a massive "boom" from the center of the island.
"The battle is truly fierce!"
It was a shame he was already out of the fight and couldn't join in again.
Watching the sky-high dust and smoke surging from the center of the island, Kaku's eyes sharpened. He turned to the Colonels and said loudly, "Prepare yourselves! The Buster Call has not been canceled!"
Even if they couldn't capture the silver-haired one, the island still had to be destroyed; that was the hidden mission.
He wasn't worried about Borsalino and Onigumo; such bombardment wouldn't harm them at all.
"Understood."
The Colonels saluted Kaku in unison, then turned to rally the waiting officers and moved swiftly.
Soon, from below and on the decks of all ten warships of the Marine fleet, countless colossal cannon barrels emerged.
Without hesitation, flashes of fire erupted, and amidst the roars of artillery, countless shells soared towards the entire island.
Round after round, after round.
The entire sky was covered by cannonballs.
"Eh!"
In the center of the island, both Kouta and Kizaru's gazes simultaneously turned to the sky. They saw countless black cannonballs emerging from beyond the dust, blocking out the sunlight.
"Well! That's quite a spectacle!"
Kouta turned to Borsalino and chuckled, "The Marines aren't planning to eliminate you along with it, are they!"
"Hahaha!!"
"Don't joke."
Kizaru looked at Kouta, his brow furrowed. He wanted to fight, but he also didn't want to.
Headache!
Kouta saw Kizaru's state, pulled down his gourd, tilted his head, dodged a cannonball, and took a long swig.
"Ah~"
"Refreshing~"
Fighting with Kizaru had greatly increased his combat experience. This guy was the strongest he had encountered since setting sail. Although their fighting styles were similar, it was precisely because of this similarity that he could discover his own shortcomings in battle and improve.
He put down his gourd.
*Clang—!*
Zankou was sheathed.
Since Kizaru no longer wanted to fight, he could only stop.
He cast one last glance at Kizaru and the countless cannonballs below before disappearing into the air.
"Well! Uncle Pikachu, I'll fight you again next time. I'll be going now; you guys enjoy yourselves."
"Enjoy yourselves?"
Kizaru watched Kouta disappear, his lips twitching.
"Do you think your fight with me is just a game?"
He didn't dwell on it, stepped on the fiery explosions below, transformed into golden particles, and vanished from the spot.
On the beach, Onigumo stood with his swords in hand, their blades pitted and scarred. If not for his Armament Haki, these two swords would have broken along with his other six.
His entire body was tense, and his face was solemn as he stared at the figure that appeared beside Kuina.
"Silver-haired one, why are you here? Where is Admiral Borsalino!"
"Hmm!"
Kouta withdrew his gaze from Kuina and turned to stare at Onigumo, chuckling softly.
"You ask about Uncle Pikachu? That guy has probably been blown to death by your artillery by now!"
"Hey! Don't joke."
Onigumo roared at Kouta, then said, "How could Admiral Borsalino be defeated by you, and so quickly."
"Well! You figured that out too?"
Kouta looked at Onigumo, the corners of his mouth rising. "How terrifying!"
Then, the smile vanished from his face, and he stared at Onigumo, his eyes widening. "You're still brandishing your sword; do you still want to fight?"
As he spoke, he reached for the hilt of Zankou with his right hand. "If you still want to fight, then I'll be your opponent from now on!"
Onigumo was stunned by Kouta's imposing aura, then the veins on his forehead bulged, and he said angrily, "Pirate, who do you think you are facing? Understand your place. Even if you were a Yonko, you wouldn't make me take a single step back."
This guy was indeed quite something, an hawk-faction Vice Admiral under Akainu, who adhered to the concept of "Thorough Justice." He resolutely dealt with pirates, even at the cost of his own men.
"Oh…"
"Interesting."
Kouta looked at Onigumo and slowly advanced. As he moved forward, an overwhelming mental pressure bore down on Onigumo.
This guy was the first hawk-faction Marine he had encountered, truly resolute.
Honestly, he admired the unwavering stance against pirates these individuals upheld. However, there was one point he disagreed with: attacking civilians.
As for comrades…
On the battlefield between two armies, retreating not only disrupted morale but also set a bad example. Executing those Marine soldiers who intended to flee out of fear of death.
He agreed with this.
Onigumo, seeing Kouta drawing closer, slightly bent his waist.
He looked up at Kouta, gripping the hilt of his sword with all his might.
"This can't go on."
For the cape of justice behind him, for the justice he believed in, he would draw his sword even against a Yonko.
With that thought, he pushed off the ground with his feet and charged rapidly towards Kouta.
"Well, enough playing around."
Just then, a golden light flashed, and Kizaru's figure materialized between Onigumo and Kouta. "Silver-haired one… do you still want to fight?"
Kouta stopped as Kizaru appeared and gradually retracted his imposing aura.
He waved his hand, a smile returning to his face. "Just a joke. I didn't expect this Uncle Onigumo to be so easily startled!"
Onigumo had stopped the moment Kizaru appeared. Hearing Kouta's words, his mouth twitched.
"That was a joke?"
Did you know that you were already suppressing me with your aura the moment you appeared, making me truly feel your killing intent!
Kouta turned and walked to Kuina's side. Meeting Kuina's gentle gaze, he smiled lightly and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Let's go! It's time to continue our journey."
"Okay."
Kuina had already sheathed her sword when Kouta appeared, and her eyes had been fixed on Kouta with tenderness.
"Mm, we still need to wait a bit."
Kouta looked around, his figure disappearing and reappearing in an instant.
It looked like he hadn't done anything, but he had.
In his hand was a piece of cloth. When he unfolded it, he saw it was a sail from a Marine warship, with a corner of the Marine's symbol, a seagull, still visible.
"You rascal…"
Onigumo was about to step forward when Kizaru stopped him. "Let him go. We… can't stop him."
Kizaru stood calmly in place, watching quietly as Kouta unfurled the sail and sat on it with Kuina, like riding a magic carpet from a fantasy world, soaring rapidly into the sky and away.
Onigumo looked up at the sky, a deep sense of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.
This battle had been fought too frustratingly.
In the sky.
Kouta and Kuina sat at the front of the sail, nestled together.
Kouta took down his gourd and drank as he faced the rising sun. He suddenly stroked his chin, thinking of something.
He looked down at Kuina and said, "Did we forget something?"
Kuina didn't even look up. "We forgot about a guy named Firebird, didn't we?"
"Right, I knew something was forgotten."
He quickly controlled the sail and flew back into the depths of the island, which was already engulfed in flames. His Observation Haki was unleashed, sweeping across the island, and finally, in a collapsed underground cave, he found the poor guy.
Firebird, seeing Kouta descend like an angel, couldn't help but shed tears.
He had been filming perfectly when suddenly the center of the island collapsed on a large scale. If he hadn't been lucky, he would have been turned into a meat patty!
Little did he know that Kouta had almost forgotten him. If he had truly forgotten, then this guy would have been truly tragic.
Because outside, there were still countless cannonballs!