Just as Enel's "Divine Punishment" in the lawless zones of the Sabaody Archipelago was drawing toward its end—
A streak of golden light suddenly cut across the sky.
It appeared unhurried, almost leisurely, yet in truth it traversed thousands of miles in an instant, landing with flawless precision beside Enel, who was in the midst of carrying out the "purge."
As the radiance faded, a man wearing a Marine justice coat came into view.
Borsalino—Kizaru.
Hands tucked casually into his pockets, his mouth crooked in that ever-present lazy smirk, he surveyed the inferno spreading across Zones 1 through 29 of the archipelago. His gaze then shifted to Enel himself—clothes spattered with flecks of blood, arcs of lightning snapping and dancing around his body.
In his trademark slow, drawn-out tone, he spoke:
"Mm~ how very scary indeed… Enel.This is the Sabaody Archipelago, you know—right under the nose of Marine Headquarters~Going on a rampage like this is… well, a little against the rules, wouldn't you say~?"
"Heh."Enel showed no surprise at Kizaru's sudden appearance.
The moment Kizaru sensed him, Enel had sensed Kizaru in return.
Uninterested in wasting words, Enel raised his hand—and a thick, roaring bolt of lightning tore through the air toward Kizaru!
BOOOOM!
"Fish-Man Island is under the jurisdiction of our G-10!"Enel's voice was icy, devoid of any warmth."Gern Reginald Sigmar made it clear—once he declared it, no one is allowed to touch the Fish-Man race or the Mermaid race!"
"These pieces of trash dared to reach out their hands—so this is exactly what they deserve!"
"Or is it that you…"His eyes narrowed, lightning flaring brighter."…Borsalino—want to try clashing with a god right here?"
Kizaru's position was swallowed by blinding lightning—
And in the very next second, his figure reappeared several meters away, hands still in his pockets, posture unchanged, not a scratch on him.
"Aiya~ why so serious?" Kizaru waved a hand lazily, looking like someone eager to avoid trouble."I only came because I received an escort mission for the Celestial Dragons, you see~I heard some pirates attacked the esteemed Saint Charlia. Where is she? She's not hurt, is she?"
"Oh?"At those words, a cruel smile spread across Enel's face. He answered without the slightest hesitation.
"That woman? She's dead."
As if worried Kizaru might not understand, Enel even pointed at himself, his tone carrying a blatant sense of pride.
"God killed her."
"—!!?"
For the first time, genuine shock appeared on Kizaru's usually flippant face. His mouth opened slightly—
Then, suddenly, realization dawned. He clapped his hands together with exaggerated force.
"What?! Saint Charlia was killed?!Looks like I arrived too late after all! Damn those pirates!Are the 'Worst Generation' really this outrageous these days?!Every one of them is strong like a monster—how terrifying~"
He smoothly filtered out "God killed her" and replaced it with "pirates killed her," immediately launching into a lament about the lawlessness of the new era's pirates.
Watching this, Enel's brow furrowed deeply.
"Hey! I said it was 'God' who killed her!"
Kizaru acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, stroking his chin and continuing his so-called deduction.
"Ohhh! It was that Straw Hat kid, right?!I get it now—how audacious indeed~"
Enel: "...It was God! This god!! It was me! Enel!I killed her! Me!"(Veins began bulging violently on his forehead.)
Kizaru: "Ohhh! His name is Monkey D. Luffy, you know~No need to emphasize it—I already know the Straw Hat kid's name."
Enel: "...…"
Staring at the man in front of him—who was completely talking to himself and deliberately twisting every word—Enel felt an unnamed rage shoot straight to his head.
"Talking to this guy is even more infuriating than playing that head-smacking game with Kuma!"
Kizaru, meanwhile, completely ignored Enel's murderous glare. He maintained the posture of an "innocent admiral just passing by," while inwardly everything was crystal clear.
(So Saint Charlia was killed by Enel, huh? Now that's really interesting…But what does that have to do with me?After all, it was the 'Worst Generation' who killed her. I'm just a poor old admiral who arrived too late to save her~)
The King of Slacking continued to perform flawlessly—demonstrating exactly what it meant to show up but not actually work,and how, in a high-risk situation, to gracefully… pass the blame.
As for why the blame landed on Luffy—
First, because he was Garp's precious grandson.
Second, because over the years, Kizaru hadn't exactly had few under-the-table dealings with G-10.
And most importantly—
Gern paid better than the World Government.
So, naturally… "Damnable pirates!"
Just as Enel was being driven to the brink by Kizaru's absurd, cross-purpose act—so enraged that the veins on his forehead throbbed violently, and he was on the verge of firing off another electromagnetic cannon regardless of consequences—
A massive, silent figure appeared beside them without warning.
Bartholomew Kuma had arrived.
After eliminating every witness except the Straw Hat crew following Enel's execution of a Celestial Dragon, Kuma calmly stepped into place.
He first glanced at Enel, who was practically shaking with rage, then turned toward Kizaru, who stood there with hands in his pockets and a completely detached expression.
And in a flat, steady voice, Kuma said a single word:
"Thank you."
The meaning was unmistakable.
He was thanking Kizaru for "turning a blind eye" to Enel's killing of a Celestial Dragon—and for deliberately misinterpreting the truth and shifting the blame.
Kizaru wasn't surprised by Kuma's appearance in the slightest. He crooked his mouth and spoke again in that slow, lazy drawl:
"Well, since I'm already here, I can't really just stand around watching, can I~I ought to do something, at least."
The statement was deliberately vague—sounding both like he was talking about himself, and like a subtle reminder to Kuma and Enel.
"We'll take over," Kuma replied succinctly, making it clear that G-10 would handle the aftermath.
Somewhat surprisingly, it seemed Kizaru had been waiting for exactly those words.
Almost the instant Kuma finished speaking, Kizaru's relaxed figure whooshed away, reappearing beside a relatively intact open-air café not far off.
Without the slightest hesitation, he dragged over a chair and sat down. Somewhere along the way, he even produced a steaming cup of coffee—no one knew where it came from (perhaps he bought it at the speed of light).
Crossing one leg over the other, he gently blew on the surface of the coffee, then casually waved toward Kuma and Enel.
It was the very picture of: You two do your thing—I'm just a passerby enjoying a cup of coffee.
The speed of his mood shift, and the completeness of his attitude change, were so outrageous that even Enel—still simmering with anger—could only stare in stunned silence.
"This old fox… the moment things get messy, he really slips away without a trace…"
Kuma, clearly accustomed to this behavior, turned to Enel.
"Continue the purge. End it quickly.Then—according to plan—begin displaying your 'divine might.'"
With the "tacit approval"—or rather, outright indulgence—of a Marine Admiral like Kizaru,Enel no longer had any restraints.
He let out a savage grin, his body once again transforming into destructive lightning as he surged toward his next target.
The thunder that symbolized cleansing roared ever more wildly across the skies of the Sabaody Archipelago—
Accompanied by Kizaru's leisurely background commentary:
"Mm~ how truly frightening~"