Chapter 123: Pirate Hunt
Rengoku could only step back once the Straw Hats had gathered around Rayleigh.
Trying to arrest them while the "Dark King" himself stood guard would be like trying to pluck stars from the heavens. For now, containing the chaos across Sabaody had to take priority.
"Excuse me—lend me your Transponder Snail."
He took the device from a nearby Marine officer and immediately called Marine Headquarters.
"Hello? Report."
"This is Rengoku. I'm currently on Sabaody Archipelago."
"V–Vice Admiral Rengoku, sir?!"
"Has the reinforcement fleet already departed?"
"Y–Yes, sir! Responding to the Celestial Dragons' emergency call, Admiral Kizaru, the Marine Science Division, and several regular battalions have already landed on the Archipelago!"
Their response was faster than expected.
"Understood. Then I'll rendezvous with Admiral Kizaru directly."
Rengoku had wanted to eradicate every pirate on Sabaody if possible—but realistically, that was impossible. For now, he decided to target any pirate groups within range.
"Sky Running!"
Kicking off the air with both legs, he soared upward, expanding his Observation Haki to its maximum range.
"Geppo (Moon Step)!"
Each time he spotted a cluster of pirates below, he twisted midair and shot downward like a bullet, intercepting them with precise strikes. Within moments, each group was subdued.
He relayed their captured locations to Marine Headquarters, unable to contact Kizaru's battalion directly. It was a tedious but effective method.
Then—
🎵♪♪~♬
"…Music?"
A strange rhythm echoed through the air.
"Yo! Yo-ooh! Marine samurai dude over there—Check it out! ♪"
From the source of the music came a long-armed man rhythmically slapping his own body like a drum, producing beats that rippled through the air.
He was a Longarm Tribe pirate from the Grand Line—bounty 198 million Berries—"Sea Thunder" Scratchmen Apoo.
"CHING!"
CLANG!
A slashing soundwave shot toward Rengoku. He deflected it instantly with a flick of his blade.
No Haki—just a physical sound slash.
So this was his Devil Fruit ability.
Rengoku smirked. "Perfect timing."
Spotting one of the Eleven Supernovas made this an opportunity he couldn't ignore.
"Breath of the Demon Slayer – First Form:"
"Unknowing Fire!"
The name was similar to a Flame Breathing technique, but its power was entirely different.
This strike combined the stability of Water, the sharpness of Wind, the speed of Lightning, and the weight of Stone.
A fusion of elements unleashed through Demon Slayer Breathing.
Before Apoo could even register what was happening, Rengoku's blade flashed once—
—and both his right arm and half his left were severed.
"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Apoo's scream tore through the smoky air, his instruments of battle—his very arms—falling uselessly to the ground.
The Longarm Tribe had an extra joint in each arm—three forearm segments in total.
Rengoku's strike had severed all of his right arm and the foremost section of his left, leaving his body no different from that of an ordinary human.
His right arm was completely gone.
"C–Captain!"
"I told you we should've run instead of picking a fight!"
Scratchmen Apoo's crew scrambled around their wounded captain, panic flooding their faces.
Once, his strange Longarm physique had worked in perfect synergy with his Devil Fruit ability—but now, that advantage was gone.
The "Sea Thunder" had been reduced to something less than human.
"Repel!"
Rengoku moved to pursue, but before he could take another step, a massive hunk of scrap metal—launched like a cannonball—came hurtling toward him from afar.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form—Rising Flame Heaven!"
With one upward slash, Rengoku's blade erupted in fire, melting the projectile into liquid iron before it even reached him.
Through the steam and sparks, Apoo and his crew slipped away.
"Hmph."
Rengoku turned, narrowing his eyes at the one who'd fired it.
Eustass Kid.
He hadn't expected the red-haired pirate to return—he'd assumed Kid had already retreated.
But instead, the man stood defiantly, magnetic power surging around him.
"I've got one more gift for you!" Kid shouted.
Every chunk of metal from nearby houses, streetlamps, and walls tore free and flew toward him, merging into a massive mechanical arm.
It was larger than the giant's arm Luffy had once conjured at Enies Lobby—twice as thick and packed with crude armor plating.
A faint coating of Armament Haki shimmered across its surface—uneven but undeniably there.
Kid still hadn't mastered full Haki control, but it was clear why his bounty exceeded Luffy's.
"Repel!"
The colossal arm, blackened with Haki, shot forward faster than a cannon shell, aimed straight for Rengoku.
He could have dodged easily.
But civilians were still nearby.
So instead—he faced it head-on.
Armament against Armament.
The flames surrounding Enrin Kitetsu darkened as Haki coated the blade, turning the fire itself jet-black.
Rengoku lifted the sword high.
"Flame Breathing, Third Form—All-Consuming Blaze!"
The black flames roared forth, swallowing the massive mechanical arm entirely.
Within seconds, the metal liquefied—then vaporized.
Kid cursed and leapt back.
He hadn't expected to win; he'd only wanted to test the Marine's limits.
Rengoku realized it too.
Chasing both Apoo and Kid simultaneously was impossible.
He chose.
He let Kid go—and pursued Apoo.
The musician's blood trail wasn't hard to follow at first, but after a few minutes, the droplets vanished.
He must've stopped the bleeding and hidden himself.
Rengoku extended his Observation Haki as far as he could, but no presence registered.
"…Hm?"
A glint flickered from the right.
Piiing—!
A laser beam sliced past his cheek, searing the air.
"A laser? That's… Admiral Kizaru's technique?"
Rengoku frowned.
Kizaru would never fire at him—so what was this?
He turned toward the direction the beam had come from and began to walk, his grip tightening around his flaming sword.
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