Law's Polar Tang would sneak in, ambush the Marine side, strike once, and then withdraw.
It wouldn't inflict catastrophic damage on the Marines.
But it would be their side's answer—a signal that could greatly boost morale.
After all, the enemy had sent Kizaru to punch through several of their defensive lines. At the very least, they had to answer in kind.
…
On the southeastern sea near Ice Island in Totto Land, Ain and Falkor were fighting side by side, blocking Kizaru's path.
"Oh my, so it's little Ain? How could you treat Uncle Borsalino like this?"
Kizaru's joking voice floated in the air as his glowing figure manifested above the sea.
Just moments ago, while he'd been attempting to fly in a straight line toward the skies above Whole Cake Island, he'd nearly been struck by a bolt of lightning.
When he saw who had cut him off, he couldn't help feeling surprised—and a bit curious.
It was actually Ain, the former Admiral candidate.
"Uncle Borsalino, long time no see. Since fate brings us together today, why don't we sit down for tea and catch up? Of course, if Uncle Borsalino feels tea is too bland, we can always share a couple of drinks instead."
Ain smiled sweetly and extended her "invitation."
The little creature on her shoulder, the moment it heard the word "tea," suddenly opened its big dark eyes wide, its whole face lighting up with excitement.
"Ying ying ying!"
In its tiny head, there was only one clear memory: whenever its master and mistress sat down for tea, it always got vanilla cake.
So it was very happy right now.
Kizaru, of course, didn't believe for a second that she had any intention of just reminiscing.
"Oh my, little Ain is so warm and welcoming, I'm really touched. By the way… is Creed also nearby?"
At the end of the day, the person Kizaru truly feared was Creed, the one who had once defeated him.
Especially since Creed also possessed the powers of the Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit).
If Creed was present, Kizaru would have no choice but to retreat obediently; there would be no room for him to run wild.
Of course, there was a faint spark of fighting spirit in his heart as well. He wanted to see whether, after his own power had advanced, he could cross blades with Creed again and compare their strength one more time.
"Uncle Borsalino isn't qualified to make my big brother Creed take the field."
Ain smiled, drawing the great crimson blade at her waist. Sword aura and lightning exploded skyward, illuminating a radius of a hundred miles and making her look like a war goddess descended.
After Creed's guidance and her own relentless training, her overall strength had already leaped to the SSS+ tier. She had truly stepped into the level of an Emperor's top deputy.
On her shoulder, Falkor responded to her aura, transforming into a small thunder dragon, arcs of electricity crackling all over its body.
"Not qualified? Then how about I capture you and see if that makes him show up?"
Kizaru's expression stiffened. The usual lazy, joking look vanished from his face.
That had hit a little too close to home.
No matter what, he'd broken through to a new realm of power—reaching the same level as Sakazuki.
And yet he still wasn't enough to force Creed to move?
What kind of joke was that?
"Uncle Borsalino's speed," Ain said lightly, "probably isn't that much faster than mine and Falkor's."
She laughed softly, then moved.
Her figure darted out like a swift fox, unleashing several diagonal slashes in an instant—light, agile, and blindingly fast, yet each strike was packed with terrifying power.
The power of the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) blended with her spirit fox sword style, as if fusing two extremes into one. The resulting might was frighteningly strong.
Even Kizaru couldn't help furrowing his brows for a moment as he continuously flashed backward.
"Oh my, how terrifying. What a shame… otherwise the Marines would have another Admiral by now."
"Boom!"
While he was still running his mouth, a fierce lightning blast suddenly crashed down from above, blowing Kizaru's light apart and almost sending him tumbling into the sea.
"What the—when did this little thing get above me?"
Kizaru, looking a bit disheveled, stabilized his body and finally saw what had attacked him.
It was that little dragon that had been perched on Ain's shoulder.
The creature looked adorable, but once the fighting started, it turned out to be terrifyingly strong.
"Its speed is about the same as mine. That's trouble."
Originally, his speed had still been a notch above Ain's. He'd thought he could easily take her down and drag her back as a useful tool to restrain Creed.
But Falkor's sudden ambush had completely ruined his plan.
"In that case, let's call it a day for now."
Kizaru decided to pull out.
Many of Creed's top combatants hadn't even taken the field yet, while he had already plunged deep into enemy territory. If he stayed too long, it would be very easy for them to surround and attack him.
This scouting mission was a failure.
And it wasn't as if he had much fighting spirit to begin with, so why bother making things hard on himself?
Seeing that Kizaru was about to run, Ain had intended to force him to stay, but Creed's voice came by sound transmission, ordering her to let him go.
So she could only watch as Kizaru fled far into the distance.
"Ying ying ying!"
Falkor shook its tiny fist at Kizaru's retreating back, shouting angrily.
It hadn't even finished warming up and the opponent had already bolted.
The little dragon was extremely displeased, cursing Kizaru as a coward who wasn't even as good as its own little brother, the giant bat.
…
"Splash… splash…"
On the southeastern seas of Totto Land, hundreds of Marine warships formed a long dragon, cleaving through the waves at high speed.
Every warship's cannons bristled with cold menace, covered in thick iron plating. Seagull-and-scales justice flags snapped in the wind. The soldiers aboard each ship wore solemn expressions, as if marching toward a life-and-death battle.
This was the Marine main force.
On the deck of the central flagship, Steel Bone Kong and Fleet Admiral Sengoku were each holding a copy of the latest issue of the World Economy News, reading the headlines.
After a long silence, Sengoku suddenly slammed the newspaper down onto the deck.
"Damn that Morgans! Looks like he's decided to stand against the Marines!"
The paper not only hyped up this grand war between pirates and Marines as a battle that would decide the fate of the world, it also attacked the Marines from every angle while glorifying Creed's alliance, openly predicting that this expedition would not end well for the Marines.
At the same time, the second and third pages carried detailed coverage of life in Totto Land.
Ever since the life tax had been abolished, Totto Land had become something like a paradise—a place countless people yearned for.
There, the people lived in peace and contentment, enjoying harmony and happiness.
And today, the Marines had announced a full-scale crusade against this place…
By the fourth page, the articles began, in a half-hidden, half-revealed way, to expose the evil, greed, and cruelty of certain "supreme nobles."
In short, anyone who had read these recent issues of the World Economy News would come away with a very strong impression:
Creed and his allies might actually be the heroes, and the Marines the evil dragon to be slain.
There was no doubt about it—this was a vicious public opinion war.
It was also a clear signal of betrayal from Morgans and the other underground emperors.
They were furious at the Marines' intention to unify the New World under their banner, and they were choosing to resist.
Up until recently, Morgans had maintained a friendly cooperative relationship with the World Government. To see him turn his back so suddenly and completely was infuriating.
Steel Bone Kong crumpled up the newspaper and tossed it aside.
"Sengoku, it's a minor matter. Once we clean up Creed, you think we won't be able to deal with them afterwards?"
Sengoku nodded.
"You're right, Commander. I let it get under my skin."
Off to the side, Aegis shook his head and sneered.
"That's why the New World needs a thorough bloodbath. Otherwise, this sea will never truly come under the control of the World Government."
"R–Report!"
Suddenly, a communications officer came running over in a panic, stammering as he spoke…
(End of Chapter)
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