"—They're already fighting."
After being dropped off near the port by the Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad, they disembarked where they wouldn't be seen and made their way into the city. A battle with the Marines seemed to have already begun, but it didn't look like their crew was struggling.
However, numerous warships were forming a blockade. There were no particularly strong Marines among them, but being surrounded would be a problem.
"They moved fast. Were they prepared for this?" Junci asked.
"There are always those with a strong sense of justice. With preparations this thorough, they must have been tipped off early on," Kanata replied.
Still, it looked like they could set sail just in the nick of time before the net closed. It would be a hassle if the blockade was completed, so the warships needed to be sunk first. That was a job for Kanata alone.
"I'll break the encirclement. You two get back and prepare the ship for departure."
"Leave it to me! I'll go on a rampage!"
With Samuel, who may or may not have been listening, in tow, Junci headed for the ship first.
After confirming that Kanata was heading towards the warships, Junci called out to Zen and Feiyun, who were in the middle of a grand battle with the Marines at the port.
"We're setting sail! Both of you, back to the ship!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
Feiyun swept away the Marines who kept appearing and firing at them. There seemed to be no giant Marines in the mix, so no one could stop her. Seizing the opportunity amid the chaos, they all boarded the ship and immediately cast off.
Once Kanata sank a warship and broke the blockade, they would be able to slip through the gap.
"...There it is. She's really putting on a show," someone remarked.
A giant spear of ice erupted from beneath the sea, piercing a warship, punching a hole clean through it, and launching it into the air. Several warships remained, but sinking just one was enough to create an opening. They gave the order to head that way, while Zen and Junci moved to protect the ship from cannon fire.
Kanata sank one warship after another, breaking the blockade before returning to their vessel. Her expression, however, was grim. Georges asked her what was wrong.
"They were all small fry, but I couldn't deal with all of them. It seems Admiral Zephyr is on his way."
"What?! But it should take days for him to get here from Marineford..."
"He's almost here. He's already within range of my Observation Haki."
If Kanata could sense him, it was no surprise that he could sense her as well. She had broken through the part of the blockade with the fewest ships, but looking back in the direction of the sunken vessels, she thought it might have been a mistake. It would be difficult to escape in the opposite direction now. While there seemed to be no flag officers, there were a fair number of commanders and captains.
"We stayed in this country a little too long. It seems my awareness as a fugitive has dulled."
"That... might be true. But what are we going to do? It's a Marine Admiral."
"I'll handle Zephyr. Can the rest of you break through the warships?"
"Then I will!" Feiyun raised her hand.
In the shallow waters near Alabasta, she could fight effectively in her giant form. Moreover, if they sank his means of transport—the warship—Zephyr wouldn't be able to pursue them. All that was left was to assign personnel to defense. If they could hold Zephyr off, they would be fine.
Holding off Zephyr was the biggest problem, but that would have to be left to Kanata.
"—Here he comes!"
A large man with purple hair came flying through the air from a distant warship, using Moonwalk.
Kanata grabbed the spear Scotch brought her, leaped into the air, and intercepted the charging Zephyr with a mid-air kick.
Zephyr blocked it with one hand and glared at her.
"—So you're the 'Dragon-Slaying Witch'."
"—And you must be 'Black Arm'."
They both cloaked themselves in Armament Haki, and with a sound like the air itself tearing apart, they were thrown back from each other.
Kanata landed on the sea, creating a wide platform of ice as if to protect the ship. Zephyr landed there as well. His eyes darted around, assessing the situation, before he spoke.
"So young... To be able to wield Haki to this extent at your age is astonishing."
"Unfortunately, I wouldn't have survived if I couldn't."
"So you were raised in that kind of environment... I can see why Sengoku let you slip away. On top of that, you're a Logia user... This is going to be a pain."
"I have no intention of being caught. Prison is boring."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'll throw you and your crew into Impel Down."
In an instant, Zephyr closed the distance, swinging an arm hardened black with Armament. Kanata imbued her spear with Haki and met the blow. A shockwave rippled through the air as the two clashed, fist against spear, neither giving an inch.
"To not yield a single step against a Marine Admiral!"
"You're not an opponent I can just run from! Or will you let me go if I back down?"
"Of course not! This is the end for you!"
Zephyr reared back his fist and brought it down with a particularly powerful blow. As Kanata blocked it, cracks radiated across the ice beneath her feet. She clicked her tongue and was forced to create distance. Zephyr pressed forward, refusing to let her go.
There were levels to the future-sight of Observation Haki. Zephyr, with his years of training and experience, far surpassed Kanata's.
"Don't think—you can escape!!"
A hardened fist sank deep into Kanata's side. She was sent flying but the damage wasn't severe. She stood up, coughed lightly, and spat, "You don't hold back, do you."
Zephyr's eyes widened. He clearly hadn't expected her to get up so easily.
"You're tougher than you look. I don't recall pulling my punch."
"I was trained by people who were bad at holding back."
It had been a heavy blow, but she hadn't taken it undefended. She had cloaked herself in Haki and dispersed the impact. Besides, if she couldn't handle that much, she'd never have been able to spar properly with Dorry and Brogy.
Hearing her words, Zephyr grinned and gathered even stronger Haki in his arm.
"Is that so. Then, next time I'll be even—"
Just as Zephyr took his stance, a massive explosion roared. He instinctively looked towards the sound and saw a giant Feiyun lifting warships and throwing them one after another. Since she was submerged up to her thighs, she probably couldn't use her full strength, but it was apparently enough to lift a warship. The ships collided, igniting their gunpowder stores and erupting in a fiery explosion.
Seeing the burning warships, Zephyr muttered in disbelief.
"What in the world is that... Do you have a monster on your ship?"
"Calling her a monster is a bit much. Aren't all Devil Fruit users monsters? Myself included. Sengoku, too."
"...You're right. My apologies."
But aside from creating the initial platform, Kanata showed no sign of using her powers. He had seen many users who grew complacent with their abilities and neglected their training, but she was a completely different type.
Zephyr refocused and threw another punch, but Kanata blocked it with her spear.
"This distance should be enough. This way, the only ones who get hurt... are you and your men."
"You little—"
Her breath turned white. The air grew so cold it felt like it could cut the skin. Such a drop in temperature was impossible in the waters near the desert kingdom of Alabasta.
Impossible, unless...
"Having a powerful ability can be a real headache. If I don't do this, even my own allies could get hurt."
"...Is that so. Then you must have the strength to back it up."
"That goes without saying. Brace yourself, Admiral Zephyr. If you let your guard down, you'll be frozen in an instant."
A storm of ice spears, enough to fill his entire field of vision, raged towards Zephyr, seeking to impale him.
Using Observation Haki, he identified the most immediate threats and deflected them with his Haki-clad arms, then blocked a surprise attack from Kanata, who had vanished from his sight. The arm he used to block began to freeze over, and he instantly shoved her back to create distance. Even with Armament Haki, direct contact meant he couldn't stop the freezing.
"And this cold saps your stamina... You're skilled at this."
"This is the result of constantly thinking about how to gain an advantage against superior opponents like you. Without this, I can't stop you."
In both Observation and Armament Haki, Zephyr had years more experience. To overcome that, Kanata had no choice but to rely on her Devil Fruit.
"You're a terrifyingly young girl... I really can't let you escape."
Even in the biting cold, he could mitigate the effects somewhat by hardening his entire body. Zephyr's strength lay in his raw, trained physical power. The fact that Kanata had yet to land a clean hit on him, even with her tricks, underscored his prowess. However, in a prolonged battle, this cold would be a disadvantage for him.
"Get ready... I'm not going easy on you like before!!"
She instinctively brought up her Haki to block Zephyr's fist with one hand, but the sheer impact sent a sickening crunch through her bones. She was forced back, but he immediately closed the distance again, and she defended against a relentless barrage of blows with just her spear.
Unless her Observation Haki could surpass Zephyr's, escaping would be difficult. Behind her, Feiyun was sinking warships one after another, but they still needed more time. Her only saving grace was that Zephyr was a Marine who adhered to a "no-kill" policy.
"You could have killed me by now if you wanted to. How soft...!"
"I may resent you, but I won't bend my justice. I won't kill you!"
No matter the pirate, he would capture them and imprison them in Impel Down. He was the embodiment of the Navy's justice, but there was one incident where he had been forced by the World Government to issue a Buster Call. One of the two merchant ships Kanata had used in the West Blue had been on Marx Island, and because it was deemed "related," he had been forced to massacre civilians along with everyone else. It was an incident that occurred because the Navy had no way of distinguishing who was involved and who wasn't.
She felt anger, but even so, he wouldn't bend his own justice to kill her. Because he believed that was what it meant to uphold his principles.
"There's no Buster Call this time, but Sengoku is on his way here too. There's nowhere for you to run!"
"I can't deal with you and Sengoku. I'll be taking my leave now."
"As if I'd let you—get away!!"
Zephyr's fist collided with Kanata's. On impact, her body shattered into shards of ice, glittering like diamond dust over the sea.
Amidst the sparkling ice, Zephyr ducked under Kanata's spear coming from behind and slammed his black arm into her abdomen.
Again, her body shattered into ice fragments, leaving only the black-dyed spear floating in the air. As the ice shards served as a smokescreen, a furious blizzard erupted in a localized area.
"Freeze—!"
A powerful wave of cold, capable of freezing anything solid, washed over Zephyr, encasing him in ice in an instant.
But soon, cracks appeared, and he shattered it from within—but...
Kanata was nowhere to be seen. The spear that had been floating in the air had also been neatly retrieved.
"...She escaped. Quick to make a decision."
For a moment, he had been frozen. In that single instant, his consciousness had lapsed, and his Observation Haki had failed him. Zephyr recognized her composure; instead of using that golden opportunity to attack, she had chosen to escape, never losing sight of her objective. Of course, he was confident he could have handled an attack, but for now, he had to hurry and rescue the Marines from the sunken warships.
"—The 'Dragon-Slaying Witch,' huh. I will be the one to capture you. You'd better be ready."
☆
"Damn, I thought I was going to die."
"Is that the first thing you say when you get back?"
It had been a close call. She had used various tricks, like the ice shards for a smokescreen and the flash freeze to deceive his Observation Haki, but the effect had been minimal. It was pure luck that she had managed to escape. Zephyr had shown no arrogance or carelessness. It was likely a coincidence, but he had probably gone to rescue his men from the sunken ships.
Her body ached from the few blows she had taken. There was no sign of any warships in pursuit, so she wanted to believe they were safe for now.
"Are you injured?"
"Bruises. Nothing serious."
"Deciding that is my job as the ship's doctor. Now let me see your wounds."
With a tone that bordered on forceful, Scura tried to drag her to the infirmary. Before he did, Kanata gave out her final orders.
"Scotch, I'm going to rest for a bit. You know our destination. The Drum Kingdom."
"Yeah, just follow the Eternal Pose, right?"
"That's right. And Feiyun, you did a great job. You were a huge help."
"Ehehe... I'll do my best next time too!" Feiyun declared, fired up.
Kanata smiled at her and instructed them to proceed with caution, keeping an eye out for the Marines. She wanted to rest. She hadn't expected to clash with a Marine Admiral here, and she was exhausted. She hadn't taken any fatal blows, but she was covered in minor injuries.
Next time, I have to be strong enough to defeat him head-on, she thought, as Scura led her away to the infirmary.
☆
The next day.
Kanata's bounty was updated, and Feiyun now had a wanted poster of her own.
"Giant Shadow" Feiyun. Bounty: 80,000,000 Beri. DEAD OR ALIVE.
"Dragon-Slaying Witch" Kanata. Bounty: 400,000,000 Beri. ONLY ALIVE.
***
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