A pillar of fire carrying terrifying heat descended from the sky and instantly engulfed the Traveler.
Just as the ship seemed about to be destroyed, Arashi suddenly raised his head.
Armament Haki silently flowed over his blade.
The next instant, the sword—now pitch black from the Haki coating—left its sheath with overwhelming sword intent.
A slash infused with Armament Haki burst through the air.
Without a sound, it split the descending pillar of fire cleanly in half.
Then, without losing any momentum, it shot upward toward Strollo.
In an instant, it pierced straight through his chest.
Time seemed to freeze.
The storm-tossed sea and the torrential rain suddenly became unnaturally silent.
Suspended in midair, Strollo stared wide-eyed at the cloud of blood blooming before him.
His eyes instantly filled with terror.
Momousagi, who had just resurfaced from the ocean, and Bell, who was swimming nearby, both sensed the strange change in the atmosphere and instinctively looked up toward the sky.
The moment they did—
Their pupils contracted violently.
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
After a brief moment of silence, Strollo suddenly let out a miserable scream.
Then his body was blasted backward uncontrollably before crashing into the sea dozens of meters away.
The instant he fell into the water, the strange pressure that had enveloped the area vanished.
The world returned to normal.
Only then did Bell and Momousagi unconsciously let out sighs of relief.
Even so, both of them felt a bizarre sense of surviving a disaster.
They simultaneously turned toward Arashi, who had already sheathed his sword.
"So... so strong..."
Looking at the imposing figure standing on the Traveler's deck, Bell swallowed hard.
A single sword strike.
One strike had killed a Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit user.
Was this guy even human?
Momousagi was equally stunned.
Only now did she fully understand why Garp constantly talked about this traveler.
Back at Marine Headquarters, she had never really grasped the significance of Garp's words.
After all, she herself had become a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral at a remarkably young age.
She had every reason to be proud.
Because of that pride, she had never given any of the countless admirers at Headquarters a second glance.
But compared to the young traveler before her, her pride seemed completely insignificant.
For a fleeting moment—
She even found herself sharing Garp's impulse.
She wanted to drag Arashi back to Marine Headquarters.
Fortunately, a passing wave splashed over her and snapped her back to reality.
The moment she realized what she had just been thinking, her cheeks heated up despite the cold seawater surrounding her.
Meanwhile, Perona was completely captivated.
Seeing Arashi send Strollo flying into the sea with a single strike, she immediately began jumping excitedly.
"Arashi is amazing!"
"So amazing!!!"
"Ahem."
Even Arashi felt a little embarrassed by her enthusiasm.
"Basic stuff. Just basic stuff."
Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Ghost girl, hurry and search the surrounding waters!"
"See if that guy dropped the Flame-Flame Fruit!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Momousagi's eyes widened.
What kind of logic was that?!
This guy's first thought after killing a Devil Fruit user was whether the Flame-Flame Fruit had dropped as loot?
"Okay! Okay!"
Although Perona had no idea what was going on, if Arashi asked her to do something, she would do it.
Watching Perona obediently fly off to search the sea, Momousagi felt her mind becoming increasingly chaotic.
As expected.
The way monsters thought simply couldn't be judged by normal standards.
Just then, Arashi's voice sounded again.
"Hey, are you two planning to stay in the water forever?"
"If you enjoy floating around out there, then I'll be taking my leave."
Momousagi finally climbed aboard the Traveler.
Her coat was completely soaked, making her look somewhat bedraggled.
She opened her mouth several times, wanting to speak but not knowing how to begin.
She had never imagined that her first meeting with Arashi—the traveler Garp constantly talked about—would happen under circumstances like these.
Fortunately, Arashi didn't seem particularly focused on her at all.
After helping her and Bell aboard, he immediately resumed scanning the surrounding sea.
"Hello."
After hesitating for a while, Momousagi finally spoke.
"I am Momousagi, Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
"Thank you for saving me, Mr. Arashi."
"No need to be so polite."
Arashi replied casually.
Then he suddenly looked at her in surprise.
"Oh? You know me?"
"Well, that old man Garp must have told you."
"He did."
Momousagi couldn't help covering her mouth as she laughed softly after hearing Arashi refer to Garp as an old man.
"Back at Marine Headquarters, I often heard Mr. Garp mention you."
"I always thought there would be a chance to meet someday."
"I just never expected..."
Her expression gradually dimmed.
This operation against the Strollo Pirates had ended in disaster.
Although the pirate crew had now been destroyed, only one warship remained from the fleet she had led.
Hundreds of Marines would remain forever beneath the waters of this Devil Sea.
For someone who had only recently become a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, it was a devastating blow.
"Well, victories and defeats are common in war."
Noticing the change in her mood, Arashi finally turned to look at her seriously.
"The Marines under your command were brave."
"They're among the bravest Marines I've ever seen."
"Bell was impressive too."
"Keep it up."
"Mr. Arashi!"
Hearing himself praised, Bell immediately stood up and bowed deeply.
His expression was filled with sincerity.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you for saving Vice Admiral Momousagi and me!"
"I have no way to repay this debt, but I swear I will continue carrying out the justice in my heart and never disappoint you!"
"I'm just a traveler."
Arashi shook his head and smiled.
"You don't need to worry about disappointing me."
"What matters is that you don't disappoint the countless ordinary people struggling through hardship in this world."
"In their eyes, the Marines are the embodiment of justice."
"If even the Marines become corrupt, then those people will lose their final hope."
Momousagi suddenly looked up.
Her eyes remained fixed on Arashi.
At first, she had assumed Garp valued him because of his strength.
But now she finally understood.
Compared to his strength, the qualities he possessed were even more admirable.
"Oh! My little ghost girl is back!"
Just then, Arashi suddenly rushed to the side of the ship and caught the returning Perona in his arms.
Looking excited, he immediately asked:
"Did you find it? Did you find it?"
"No!"
Perona shook her head sadly.
Then she said with complete seriousness:
"Maybe it hasn't dropped yet?"
"How about I find Strollo's corpse and kill him one more time?"
Momousagi and Bell simultaneously shivered.
Too dark.
Too evil.
Before either of them could react, Arashi actually nodded thoughtfully.
"That might be worth trying."
The perfect image Momousagi had just built of Arashi instantly shattered.
Were they serious?
Killing someone to make a Devil Fruit drop?!
What kind of thought process was that?!?!!
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