Next,
as the scene shifted,
the moment a brand-new ranking subtitle appeared, along with that figure who, to the Navy soldiers, was incomparably familiar,
on the video screen,
in an instant,
it immediately caused an uproar.
Aside from the Navy soldiers, whose shocked expressions had turned somewhat stiff,
the other viewers—especially the pirates of the New World—
all watched with attitudes full of mockery and eager anticipation,
unable to wait for the video to hurry up,
so they could once again watch the Navy make fools of themselves
in front of the entire world!
That's right.
Exactly.
In this round of the ranking about the "King of Powerful Backers,"
the next person to appear as one of Luffy's supporters
was actually...
after Aokiji,
another one of the three Navy Admirals—
Kizaru!!!
"???"
"Th... what is going on?!"
"Second uncle? What the hell! How did I suddenly become that Straw Hat brat's relative?!"
Surprised.
Stunned.
In the real world,
the moment Kizaru himself saw the subtitle and the screen,
he was completely dumbfounded, finding it unbelievable.
At this moment, his expression was no longer as wretched as usual, but instead carried a rare frown.
And deep in his heart,
there was even a premonition of unease!
"Borsalino..."
"You're not going to repeat the mistakes a few of us already made and suffer a loss because of Straw Hat in the future war at Marineford too, are you~?"
Not far away,
Garp turned his head to look at Kizaru, his expression somewhat gleeful as he asked.
Even though,
as colleagues,
and with his status as a senior,
Garp naturally did not wish to see yet another Navy Admiral make a fool of himself!
Because of the exposure and playback of the ranking video,
losing face before the people of the world once again, and losing it completely!
But...
the moment he thought back to the previous scenes,
his grandson Luffy's entire past—including his future experiences—
really did seem to bear the title of "King of Powerful Backers" heavily!
Taking that into consideration,
Garp became even more convinced
that what appeared next on the screen—
Kizaru—
and what he was about to do to Luffy
on the future battlefield of Marineford...
had a very high chance
of being the same as what had happened before.
Deliberately going easy on him face-to-face,
publicly fumbling during battle,
and thus allowing the Luffy on the brink of danger
to once again miraculously escape danger time and time again!
—
Meanwhile,
just as Garp was thinking,
the image on the transparent light screen slowly flickered.
The segment about Kizaru
officially began its revealing broadcast—
"This is bad!!!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, something has happened over at the Sabaody Archipelago..."
The location had not changed.
It was still inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Only, unlike reality, where the top brass of the Navy were all gathered there for a meeting,
in the image,
he was seen with his back to the camera, leisurely feeding his pet—
that mascot-like goat.
However,
once he clearly heard
the detailed contents of the incident at the Sabaody Archipelago,
as reported by that subordinate Rear Admiral,
beneath the seagull cap,
Sengoku's expression instantly changed sharply.
His former ease vanished,
replaced by grave seriousness!
"What?!"
"A Celestial Dragon... was actually... beaten in public by pirates?!"
Once he realized the seriousness of the situation,
Sengoku made a prompt decision and immediately ordered Kizaru to come to the office.
And face-to-face, he sternly instructed him
that no matter what, he must bring men and head to the Sabaody Archipelago at once.
And that all pirates involved in this vicious incident
must all be brought to justice!
Defeat them, arrest them, and escort them to Impel Down!!!
And when this exchange
was fully exposed in detail through the ranking video,
as expected,
it once again caused an enormous uproar throughout the world of pirates.
In that instant,
the entire Grand Line became lively.
Pirates, Marines, black-market dealers, the Revolutionary Army, and the residents of the various affiliated kingdoms—
every single person, because of the live broadcast, became utterly engrossed.
All of them were watching with a gossiping attitude,
eager to witness how the situation would develop next!
After all...
anyone—
once they strike a Celestial Dragon—
will definitely attract a Navy Admiral!
That saying was no joke; it had long been widely spread throughout the world of pirates!
More importantly,
Luffy was involved—
that outrageously lucky King of Powerful Backers!
Because of that,
it was hard for anyone not to be interested.
Everyone was curious:
now that Kizaru had personally been dispatched,
what kind of encounter and conflict
would take place at the Sabaody Archipelago
between him and Luffy's Straw Hat crew?
This involved a Celestial Dragon now.
It wouldn't be convenient for Kizaru to go easy on him anymore, would it?
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]