Tsugikuni Yoriichi's long blade pressed against Caine's neck.
In that instant, every Marine nearby froze, none daring to make a rash move.
Their faces were filled with shock.
Though every rifle was trained squarely on Yoriichi, not a single finger touched a trigger—no one dared risk an accidental shot.
Colonel Caine felt the icy edge at his throat. His pupils shrank, rage and disbelief burning in his eyes. He had never imagined this boy would actually attack—much less with such speed. In a single exchange, the blade was already resting against his neck.
"Private Third Class Tsugikuni Yoriichi… what do you think you're doing?!"
"Do you intend to kill a Marine Colonel?!"
Caine forced each word out between clenched teeth, struggling to control the fury boiling in his chest.
"I told you already," Yoriichi replied calmly.
"I am acting under Instructor Zephyr's direct orders—to arrest every officer of Branch 133 ranked Ensign and above."
"Colonel Caine, you only need to cooperate. Your life is not in danger."
"Instructor Zephyr has already sent trusted personnel to investigate certain matters involving Branch 133."
"A righteous officer like you won't have anything to fear."
Yoriichi lifted his gaze slightly to meet the far taller man's eyes.
"You brat," Caine growled, "are you confused about something?"
"Instructor Zephyr stopped involving himself in branch affairs years ago. He only teaches at Headquarters now."
"He would never issue such an order—and even if he did, it wouldn't matter!"
"And another thing—did you really think you've subdued me?!"
As he spoke, Caine's body suddenly began to change.
His bronze-colored skin grew unnaturally pale. His face twisted—features deforming as he began to beastify. The bridge of his nose stretched outward, reshaping into a long, muscular trunk, and two sharp tusks sprouted from his upper jaw.
His already-massive frame expanded further, thick white hide forming like plates of weathered stone, wrapping around him like armor.
"I'm a Zoan-type Elephant-Elephant Fruit user, kid!"
"You think just holding a sword to my neck means you've won?!"
The moment his transformation completed, Caine's eyes flashed with feral violence. His long trunk snapped forward like a whip, lashing toward Yoriichi with explosive force—the air itself shrieking from the impact.
BOOM!!
The trunk smashed into the deck, leaving a massive crater more than two meters wide.
As the dust slowly settled, Caine stared at the empty spot where Yoriichi had been standing. His pupils contracted.
"I don't want to kill anyone," a voice whispered beside his ear.
"So please… cooperate."
Caine jerked his head around—only to see a fist already filling his vision.
THUD!!
A heavy, muffled impact.
Even with his Elephant-Elephant Fruit boosting his defense, the blow drove the air from Caine's lungs. His jaw slackened as he vomited up stomach acid, his massive body flung backward like a rag doll.
He crashed through the cabin wall with a thunderous explosion of splinters, vanishing from sight.
The Marines stared, stunned, as silence fell over the ship.
Yoriichi lowered his head, quietly examining his fist.
"I pulled back quite a bit. He shouldn't die."
"My control still isn't perfect. Hopefully he survives."
"The people of this world are absurdly durable—far beyond anything the Transparent World can predict."
Crash!
Dust scattered as Caine—still half-beastified—staggered out of the hole he'd created. His huge frame scraped the upper edge of the breach, knocking down wood chips as he emerged.
He hunched over, supporting himself with one hand against the wall, swaying as he forced himself forward.
When he raised his head, his eyes were filled with fury.
"You brat!!!"
Yoriichi looked at the raging colonel, expression calm.
"…Too light, then. You can still stand."
Chapter 57 — One Extreme Gives Birth to Another! (Part 2)
The next instant, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's figure vanished.
Caine sensed something and threw a punch straight ahead—but at the same moment, Yoriichi reappeared right in front of him.
Yoriichi didn't dodge.
Armament Haki surged across his entire right arm, coating it in obsidian black.
Then he met Caine's fist head-on.
The moment their fists collided, Caine realized something was very wrong—but it was far too late.
Crack!
A crisp, sickening snap echoed across the deck.
Caine's fingers broke instantly.
Hissing in pain, he stumbled back, lowering his head to stare at his right hand—already misshapen from the impact.
The fury in his eyes dimmed all at once.
The difference in strength… was overwhelming.
Only now did Caine truly understand the nature of the human monster he was facing.
Pa!
But once again, Yoriichi's figure vanished.
Using Soru combined with Moonwalk, Yoriichi flashed above Caine and clamped a single hand around his skull—then slammed him straight down toward the deck.
BOOM!!
The impact thundered through the ship.
The deck before the cabin collapsed inward, leaving behind a basin-sized crater.
Caine's tensed muscles slackened.
His Zoan transformation dissolved rapidly, restoring his human form.
Yoriichi lifted the unconscious colonel with one hand, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Sorry. You brought this upon yourself."
He tossed the fainted Caine aside casually, then swept his gaze across the deck full of Marines.
"All officers ranked Ensign and above—step forward."
"Everyone else, restrain them. Once we return to base, lock them in the branch's prison and await Headquarters' investigators."
The Marines looked at one another, stunned—none dared to move.
Seeing this, Yoriichi frowned slightly, his expression turning cold.
"Do I need to take action myself?"
At those words, despite still doubting Yoriichi's claims, the Marines didn't dare defy him.
There was no helping it—his strength was simply too terrifying.
If he truly had ill intent toward the Navy, he could've slaughtered the entire crew with ease.
And in truth, he wasn't harming ordinary sailors—only detaining officers. For most of them, it didn't affect them at all. And once they returned to base, they could simply report everything to Headquarters.
If Yoriichi had spoken the truth, they only needed to cooperate and restrain the officers.
If he was lying… Navy Headquarters would never ignore such a disturbance at a branch.
Once they thought it through, some Marines finally began to move.
After murmuring "Sorry" to their superiors, they turned their rifles toward the officers in the formation.
"You… you traitors! You dare turn on your own comrades?!"
"Don't! Don't do anything rash! Don't listen to him—he's lying to you!"
"Damn it! Stay back! If you come any closer, I'll—!"
The officers were clearly unwilling to give up without a fight.
Just as tensions were about to erupt into full-scale internal conflict, Yoriichi stepped in and immediately subdued the more violent resisters.
After securing every officer on the deck, Yoriichi called over the highest-ranking sergeants and ordered them to contact headquarters via Den Den Mushi to verify his orders.
Only after that did he leave the flagship, using Moonwalk to move between the remaining warships, personally "securing" every officer ranked Ensign and above.
None of the Marines dared object.
Those who did were simply thrown straight into the brig.
Once everything was done, Yoriichi gathered all the restrained officers and soldiers into the flagship's prison. After calling back Kyros, he gave a single order:
"Return to base."
Just like that, Tsugikuni Yoriichi became the acting commander of Marine Branch 133.
His swift, decisive, uncompromising methods bore absolutely no resemblance to his instructor Zephyr.
(End of Chapter)
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