"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
A cylindrical shockwave of sword aura blasted forward and collided midair with the returning laser above the sea.
Boom!
The ocean exploded and towering waves surged outward in all directions.
"We're leaving."
The Big Mom Pirates began their retreat. Right now, the most important thing was claiming the spoils of victory.
* * *
On the opposite side of the former Nomiro Island.
Steam Pirates Crew.
Just as they were preparing to depart, Knox noticed a beam of laser light coming from Big Mom's direction.
He extended his Observation Haki and immediately understood.
"The Marines..."
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if thinking about something.
Suddenly, he compressed steam between his hands, forming a white spear about three meters long.
With a swift motion, he threw it forward. It tore through the air with a faint whooshing sound and shot toward the warship where Sengoku stood.
"Let's go."
His crew responded at once.
"Yes, captain!"
The fleet slowly began to leave.
* * *
On the Marine ship.
Sengoku let out a cold snort. "One after another. All trying to show off."
He turned to Kuzan and Borsalino. "You two, see if you can block it. Feel the gap. Knox is a pirate who's pushed his Logia fruit to the limit, and you're both Logia too. Time to see the difference."
Kuzan grew uncharacteristically serious. Borsalino, however, remained as relaxed as ever.
The former stepped forward as he took a deep breath and brought his hands close together, condensing cold air between them. The steam spear was still about a kilometer away.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
A stream of freezing energy blasted out. As it flew, sharp blocks of ice several meters thick formed in the sky.
One second later, about a few hundred meters from the ship, it collided with the steam spear.
The freezing energy wrapped around the spear and turned it into an ice spear. But then, the ice spear started to grow bigger in size.
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed and Kuzan's expression changed instantly.
"Not good."
The steam spear exploded, unleashing a wave of intense force and scorching heat. But Kuzan's remaining cold energy reacted fast, forming an enormous iceberg hundreds of meters wide.
In the next moment, the violent steam shattered the ice, sending massive chunks scattering across the sky. Some melted in the heat while others hurtled toward the ship, the shockwave surging in their wake.
Almost instantly, Borsalino turned into countless golden light particles and appeared midair.
He held his arms crossed before him as golden light formed a spinning cross between his fingers. "How scary~ so these are the ice blocks of Marine Vice Admiral Kuzan~ so big~"
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
Numerous dazzling light bullets fired from both his hands and body, raining down to smash the airborne ice chunks into tiny fragments like hail.
He flashed and reappeared on the deck, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Phew, all done~"
Kuzan's forehead throbbed with a vein. "You bastard..."
Nearby, Gion calmly warned everyone, "The shockwave is coming."
Tokikake leaned against the railing, resting his chin on one hand. He had the same laid-back look as Borsalino. "Don't worry. We're fine."
Only those two seemed completely unconcerned.
As the monstrous wave and impact force approached, Sengoku stepped forward and transformed in a flash into a towering golden Buddha nearly a hundred meters tall.
His entire body radiated brilliant light, taking up most of the deck as he pressed his hands together, forming a translucent white ring of energy between his palms.
He pulled outward, spreading his palms wide as the ring expanded geometrically into a white semi-transparent barrier that enveloped both warships.
Everybody but Borsalino and Tokikake froze in surprise.
"What is that?"
Sengoku's voice boomed like a great bell.
"Shockwave of the Buddha!"
The dome-shaped barrier grew rapidly, clashing head-on with the incoming shockwave and wave surge.
A thunderous explosion rang out as endless force burst out from the dome. It crushed everything in its path and leveled the sea surface.
The oncoming waves and shockwaves vanished. Only the turbulent undercurrent beneath the sea made the ships sway, showing just how fierce the attack had been.
The golden Buddha slowly shrank and turned back into the calm figure of Sengoku.
"Fall back."
* * *
A few days later, back at Marine Headquarters, the returning officers quietly dispersed in small groups.
Kuzan headed to the Intelligence Department, pretending to casually inquire about pirate activity. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he asked, "Right. Any news on that Demon Child?"
The intelligence officer checked their database, then shook his head.
"Nothing. The last known sighting of the suspected Demon Child was on Cusk Island in West Blue, but that was a long time ago. She disappeared after that."
Kuzan nodded with a quiet murmur. "I see… If there's any update, inform me immediately. After all, I was one of the participants in the Buster Call. Didn't expect one to slip through the net. She must be brought to justice."
"Understood, Vice Admiral," the officer replied.
Kuzan gave a relaxed smile. "Thanks for the trouble."
He turned and slowly walked out.
The intelligence officers continued sorting documents, some chatting as they worked.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan really is dedicated. He doesn't seem as lazy as the rumors these past couple of years."
"Who knows? Maybe someone's been trying to smear his name."
"No way."
"Eh, whatever. Let's finish up."
"My son's one-month celebration is tonight. You're all coming over for drinks!"
"Hahaha, congrats!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Move it, move it!"
"Yeah!!"
The happiness of ordinary people was just that simple...
* * *
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku and Kong were analyzing the situation in the New World. The table in front of them was completely covered with bounty posters of pirates currently active and on record.
Most operated in the New World, and a large number of them had red Xs across them, taken down by either Knox or Big Mom.
Kong frowned slightly. "This doesn't look good. That last purge shattered the backbone of the New World pirates. Who would still dare fight for the title of Third Emperor?"
Sengoku's brows were also tightly furrowed. He scanned the posters on the table and finally sighed."True, anyone who had a real shot has basically been wiped out. The rest are loners, or their forces are too small to pose any threat to those two."
The fleet admiral suddenly spotted Kaido's bounty poster. "What about this guy? The one with the Azure Dragon fruit. I recall he was captured by Sakazuki for experimentation, right?"
Searching his memory, Sengoku answered, "This guy used to be a trainee on the Rocks crew, but in recent years, he hasn't made any major moves in the New World. His territory's always stayed the same, and we still don't know where his main base is. Though some data shows he seems to control a weapons production line. He's seized a decent share of the market in the New World."
Kong glanced at the poster again. "Hmm..."
While he fell into thought, Sengoku spoke up, "How's the development of the Seven Warlords going? If there's no unexpected rise, I don't think a new Third Emperor will appear. We might have to take another approach."
Kong gave a nod. "Indeed. Let's wait a little longer. That Crocodile fellow has started building power in Alabasta. He's been attacking any pirates that come ashore. It's working, but not enough to shift the balance. Not very impactful."
Sengoku looked at the map on the wall and pinpointed Alabasta.
"Is that so…"
* * *
North Blue.
On the third massive battleship, Sakazuki was in his office, staring at a map of the Grand Line spread out over the desk.
He had circled several places with his pen: the Florian Triangle, Fishman Island, and Dressrosa.
These were territories of future Warlords in the original timeline. On the map, they seemed almost connected, forming a larger zone. He sat silently, deep in thought.
Knock, knock, knock.
Without lifting his head, Sakazuki called out.
"Enter."
A soldier stepped in and reported, "Admiral Akainu, Rear Admiral Enel has delivered a black market ship dealing in illegal weapons. He asks how you would like to handle it."
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