"What... What terrifying strength!"
Yahn's lips twitched slightly as he stared at the shocking scene before him, instinctively holding his breath.
After all, a standard Navy warship—practically a steel behemoth—was manned by over a thousand soldiers. Yahn wasn't sure exactly how many tons a warship weighed, but just judging by size alone, one of these ships was several times larger than Saul.
Yet Saul, a giant himself, had actually lifted this massive steel construct that dwarfed his own body. The sheer physical feat reminded Yahn of one creature—an ant.
He could only marvel—so this is the strength of a giant?
This kind of innate physical advantage truly made someone like Yahn, with a frail human body, green with envy.
And then, in the very next moment—before Yahn's stunned eyes—Saul hoisted the entire Navy warship and hurled it like a missile at another warship that was continuously firing upon him.
If the two collided, the result would be catastrophic—countless Navy soldiers would be crushed or killed.
Yahn instinctively moved to intervene, to stop the two ships from colliding—but at the last second, he forced himself to hold back.
If he saved the lives of over two thousand soldiers and prevented the destruction of two Navy warships… that would make far too big a splash. Before long, CP9 would probably have his file on the desks of top World Government officials. That old man Sengoku might even force him to take a rank in the Navy.
His mind spinning, Yahn quickly grabbed Kuzan by the sleeve and shouted:
"Vice Admiral Kuzan! What are you standing around for? Do something!"
Snapped out of his daze by Saul's sudden appearance, Kuzan reacted instantly. In a flash, he appeared right in front of the warship hurtling through the air like a meteor.
"Ice Age!"
An unimaginably intense chill erupted from Kuzan's outstretched hands, instantly enveloping most of the warship in a thick layer of ice.
Beneath the ship, the ocean froze over at high speed. Giant pillars of ice rose from the sea, catching and suspending the massive vessel in midair.
The terrified sailors onboard watched in astonishment as their warship came to a stop, frozen in place. Then, spotting Kuzan—his body half turned to ice—they broke into cheers.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!"
Meanwhile, on the shores of Ohara, Saul gazed at the familiar figure and the sprawling frozen sea, his expression turning grim.
"Kuzan... So you came too?"
Without hesitation, Saul turned and grabbed Robin, preparing to flee.
As Kuzan's friend, Saul knew all too well just how terrifying his strength was. Pure brute force meant nothing against a man like that.
But just as he turned, Saul froze—someone had appeared in his path.
Unlike the Kuzan he once knew, the man standing before him now wore a face as cold as ancient ice.
"Kuzan…"
Saul involuntarily took a few steps back.
"Saul," Kuzan said flatly, "as a former officer of the Navy, if you sabotage the Buster Call, it'll be a disgrace. Surrender quietly."
He spoke as if there was no connection between them at all.
Yahn shot a glance at Kuzan and curled his lip slightly.
This guy... just a minute ago he looked torn up over Saul's betrayal. Cold on the outside, soft on the inside—is he some kind of tsundere?
But Saul, seeing his old friend again, grew agitated and shouted:
"Kuzan, are you proud of the Buster Call? You've got it backwards! You should know better—the World Government is using this to send a message. They're wiping out Ohara just to make an example!"
Kuzan's expression didn't change. He replied calmly:
"For the sake of global stability and the world's future, it had to be done. Besides, the scholars did break the World Government's ban, didn't they?"
He paused, then added as he looked at Saul's unrepentant face:
"I understand now. Justice changes depending on your position. So I'm not going to argue your version of justice. But if you stand in the way of Navy justice… I'll have to act."
Just then, Yahn—who had already activated his Observation Haki—suddenly sensed a cannonball unlike the others. Its trajectory was different, and its target…
The refugee ship—loaded with the fleeing civilians of Ohara.
If that shell landed, the entire ship would be vaporized. The civilians would be swallowed by the sea.
"Scatter—Senbonzakura!"
In a flash of movement, Yahn drew his Zanpakutō and released it. The blade burst into a storm of pink cherry blossoms, racing toward the refugee ship in the distance.
Too far. I can't reach in time!
Gritting his teeth, Yahn made a snap decision. He couldn't afford to hold back—he'd reveal one of his trump cards. Gripping the hilt tightly, he forced a surge of power into the weapon to control the cherry blossoms more directly.
Instantly, their speed more than doubled.
On the ocean's surface, a stream of dazzling pink light streaked forward. Countless cherry blossoms shot ahead like a dream, intercepting the cannonball just before it reached the ship.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted in the air. Shockwaves rippled across the sea.
The sudden attack stunned everyone—Kuzan, the civilians aboard the refugee ship, and even the soldiers on the nearby Navy warships.
The cries of terrified survivors echoed from the refugee ship. On the Navy vessels, murmurs of confusion and disbelief spread among the soldiers. Kuzan's expression darkened—his eyes filled with shock.
Clearly, Kuzan had never expected the righteous Navy to target a civilian ship—especially one that had already been screened and cleared by CP9.
Saul, always compassionate toward the weak, was visibly shaken. He roared at Kuzan:
"Kuzan! Is this what you call justice?! These civilians—what crime have they committed? You would slaughter the innocent without mercy?!"
Kuzan instinctively snapped back. "No! I never meant for this to happen! It was that bastard Sakazuki!"
Far off on another warship, Sakazuki's face was as stern and iron-willed as ever. He showed no reaction to the explosion or the cherry blossoms blooming over the sea. His gaze shifted from the refugee ship to Yahn, who stood beside Kuzan on the shore.
"A brat… who dares interfere with a Navy bombardment…"
The officer beside Sakazuki leaned in and asked quietly:
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, shall we continue firing on the refugee ship?"
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