Inside a grand hall built in a dark, gothic-European style, the air was thick with tension.
Borsalino the man known to the world as Kizaru stood with his usual half-smirk, his lips tilted lazily as he stared at Capone Bege, who was visibly on edge.
After Liam Ross had left, Bege had braced himself for the unexpected, but he hadn't expected this. The first thing Kizaru said after walking in was a casual but deadly demand to hand over the Demon Child, Nico Robin.
That was a bombshell.
Bege's mind spun. Facing one of the Marine Admirals was bad enough, but being accused of harboring the world's most wanted woman? That was the kind of thing that could wipe his entire family and crew off the map.
He knew perfectly well that his strength wasn't even close to Kizaru's. If he said no, he'd be flattened in seconds. But if he admitted anything, he'd have failed his mission from Lord Diavolo the man behind the empire's shadow. Either way, he'd be crushed.
The pressure was suffocating.
Seeing his torn expression, Kizaru tilted his head, voice as lazy as ever. "Ala~la~la~. So? Where is she?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Bege replied flatly.
In truth, his decision was simple he trusted Diavolo more than the Marines. And besides, he'd never been fond of the Navy's self-righteousness.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed, though amusement still flickered in them. "Oh? Playing dumb, are we? The Demon Child is one of the world's most wanted criminals. You think your little gang can protect her?"
"Vice Admiral Borsalino," Bege said coldly, "I told you, I don't know anything. Someone like that would never come near my territory. You must be mistaken."
Kizaru sighed and shrugged. "Interesting. Lying right to my face, huh? Seems I'll need to teach you a little lesson."
He raised his right hand lazily. A faint hum filled the air as golden light began to glow at his fingertip.
Bege's pupils contracted. The moment he sensed the rising energy, his instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, he acted first.
"Castle Explosive Mode!"
A deafening roar filled the hall as countless black cannons appeared around him, firing all at once. The entire mansion shook as explosions tore through walls and ceilings, smoke billowing everywhere.
But before the dust could settle
A sharp flash of golden light ripped through the smoke. In an instant, a beam pierced Bege's shoulder clean through.
Blood sprayed.
He gritted his teeth, face twisted in pain. Without missing a beat, he slammed his feet into the ground, merging with the very stone beneath him as his Castle-Castle Fruit activated at full force.
"Fall back!" Kizaru said calmly, warning the Marines behind him.
He transformed into light, shooting upward through the roof. Within seconds, he hovered high above the estate, looking down at the fortress below.
"Oh dear~," he muttered, his tone mocking but curious. "These young folks really are terrifying nowadays."
Moments later, the earth trembled violently.
From the ground, a massive shadow rose Bege's Castle Titan, forty meters tall, its body bristling with black cannons aimed straight at the sky.
Without a word, the giant unleashed hell.
"Ratatatatatata!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Bullets and shells filled the air like a storm. Veteran Marines managed to dodge the barrage, but dozens of young soldiers weren't so lucky. Screams echoed through the battlefield as the courtyard turned into chaos.
"Counterattack!" shouted a commanding officer.
The Marines fired back, but their bullets merely sparked against the fortress's steel-hard walls.
Above them, Kizaru dodged casually, his Observation Haki scanning the scene. His brows furrowed slightly as he saw the growing number of casualties. Then his golden eyes locked on the castle titan below.
"Troublesome…" he sighed.
Crossing his arms over his chest, his fingertips glowed with blinding radiance.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
A thousand light bullets shot forth, raining down like divine wrath. Each impact tore chunks out of the fortress, the sky flashing gold with every explosion.
At first, the giant held firm, the barrage glancing off its armored surface. But soon, cracks appeared, followed by the sound of collapsing stone.
Then came the screams from inside the living fortress.
BOOM! BOOM!
With every explosion, the structure shrank forty meters, thirty, twenty until only Bege remained, battered, bleeding, and kneeling in the rubble.
Kizaru finally stopped. He hovered in the air, hands in his pockets, frowning thoughtfully.
"Troublesome indeed…" he muttered again.
…
Meanwhile, back on Vermeil Island
The clash between Aokiji and the Golden Lion raged on.
Steel clashed with ice.
A ringing clang! split the air as both fighters leapt apart, landing meters away from each other.
"Kid," Golden Lion Shiki sneered, his blond mane whipping in the wind, "if you think you can beat me, come back in twenty years! Jihahahaha!"
Aokiji said nothing. His gaze was sharp, cold. The ice blade in his hand shimmered faintly.
Just as they were about to charge again, a lazy voice drifted up from below.
"Oi, Kuzan! You hungry yet?"
"Huh?"
Even Liam Ross blinked in confusion at that.
The Golden Lion's veins bulged. "Garp, you old fool, what are you doing?!"
"I'm just saying I'm starving," Garp called back casually from the deck of the ship. "Once I've eaten, I'll smash your head in with my Iron Fist! Wahahaha!"
He took a sip of tea and bit into a rice cracker, laughing like this was a picnic.
Aokiji sighed, melted the ice blade in his hand, and drifted back down toward the ship. "Chef! Food, now. No one's beating any lions on an empty stomach."
Shiki roared in frustration. "GARP!"
But the old man just waved cheerfully as he disappeared into the cabin with Aokiji.
From a distance, Liam watched everything unfold, expression unreadable but thoughts spinning fast.
This wasn't just a random battle. It was a move a calculated distraction.
And he knew exactly whose move it was.
The Fleet Admiral, Sengoku.
Every detail lined up perfectly. The timing, the players, the location none of it was coincidence. Sengoku wasn't targeting Shiki at all. He was targeting Diavolo.
He wanted Liam to make a move.
But the only reason this plan could work was because Sengoku didn't know the truth that Liam was Diavolo, and that his clone was the one leading the underworld city.
If they believed the clone to be the real one, then fine. He could use that.
Still, his gut told him this wasn't over. Sengoku wouldn't send only Kizaru. No there had to be more. And if anyone in the world had reason to hate Diavolo, it was Sakazuki the man called Akainu.
"Something's off," Liam muttered, frowning. "A trap like this wouldn't be set with just one admiral."
If Kizaru was the bait, Akainu was the net. And who knew what else waited beyond the horizon.
Going there himself would be suicide. Yet doing nothing meant letting his clone face two Admirals alone.
His mind raced.
What should I do?
Then, the voice of his system echoed in his head.
Ding!
"Special Sign-In Quest Activated: The Navy's net tightens, and the hunter becomes the hunted. Find a way to break free from the encirclement."
Quest Rewards:
– 1x Lucky Gift Pack
– 1x Devil Fruit Blind Box
– 1x Mysterious Treasure Chest
Liam exhaled slowly.
"Looks like it's do or die again."
And the storm of fate began to turn once more.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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