"Dual Sword Style — Mimic Beast: Coiled Snake!"
With a sharp flick of his blade, Kaito Arisawa pressed the attack without hesitation. He lunged forward in a strange, twisting posture, his body curving like a predator springing from concealment. The golden saber in his right hand shot toward Henry's abdomen at an unexpected angle.
After the exchange moments earlier, Henry fully understood that Kaito's slashes carried enough power to break through his defenses. For that reason, he did not dare rely on Iron Body to block.
Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain from his previous wounds, Henry once again activated Paper Arts to evade.
"Mimic Beast — Coiled Snake, Second Strike: Twin-Headed Serpent!"
Henry's body turned light as drifting cotton, barely avoiding the thrust of the first blade.
But before he could draw even half a breath—
Kaito's body twisted sharply.
A second streak of blade-light erupted from beneath him.
It came too suddenly.
Too seamlessly.
Henry had already strained himself to dodge the first strike. In his severely injured state, there was no chance to evade the second.
Pfft!
The golden saber, wrapped in Armament Haki, pierced straight through Henry's heart.
Caught completely off guard, Henry had no time to reinforce himself with Haki. The blade sank into his chest and drove through him, its bloodstained tip emerging from his back.
The moment the strike landed, Kaito did not linger.
He withdrew the blade immediately and leapt backward, creating distance between them.
In this world, the stronger a person was, the more terrifying their vitality.
Even when mortally wounded, a final counterattack was often inevitable.
More precisely—Kaito's Observation Haki had already predicted Henry's last desperate strike.
Just as Kaito retreated, Henry—his heart pierced—suddenly surged forward as if revived, arms snapping shut in a savage attempt to crush him in an embrace.
But Kaito had already withdrawn beyond reach.
Henry's powerful arms closed around empty air.
"Damn…"
The final counterattack failed.
Staggering, Henry lifted his eyes toward Kaito. His face was filled with unwillingness.
Then he collapsed.
Blood pooled rapidly beneath his body.
Kaito watched calmly, Observation Haki sensing the Marine Vice Admiral's aura weakening—fading—
Until it disappeared completely.
"The changing of an era is cruel," Kaito said quietly as he flicked both blades, shaking off the blood before sliding them back into their scabbards.
"A new era is coming. If the remnants of the old age refuse to step down, what awaits them is nothing but elimination."
In large-scale warfare, it was rare for one side to be annihilated entirely.
Once more than half of one force fell and the opposing side gained the upper hand, the outcome was effectively decided.
Especially when the commanding officer died.
The collapse of morale that followed often sealed defeat before the final blow was struck.
After Henry's death, the battle between the War Pirates and the Marines quickly reached its conclusion.
The result was unquestionable.
The War Pirates achieved a complete victory.
On the deck of the No. 1 main ship, Kaito sat boldly on a sofa his subordinates had carried over. His eyes were closed as he listened to Robin's report.
"The casualties have been counted," Robin said calmly.
"In this battle, we lost 278 men. 175 were seriously wounded, and 756 suffered minor injuries."
She paused briefly.
"On the enemy side, over 500 were killed. Including the severely wounded among the prisoners, we captured more than 1,500."
Behind Robin stood the ten captains.
Mangu.
Neferpet.
Sandy.
Boo.
And the others.
Aside from Robin, Mangu, and Neferpet, nearly everyone bore visible injuries. Yet no one appeared dispirited.
They stood straight.
Heads high.
Chests out.
Their aura was confident and resolute.
Kaito slowly opened his eyes.
"The losses are within acceptable limits," he said.
"Arrange a collective sea burial for our fallen."
"Prioritize treatment for the severely wounded."
"And begin reward and punishment arrangements immediately."
Henry's inspection force had consisted of five warships.
Though not the Marine's highest-class vessels, they were still well-equipped combat ships—on par with the three custom ships Kaito had commissioned earlier.
Each could carry approximately five hundred combat personnel.
In total, roughly 2,500 Marines had fought against the War Pirates.
Even with a numerical advantage, casualties in boarding warfare were inevitable.
For Kaito, 278 dead and 175 severely wounded was within expectations.
In fact, given the scale of the clash, it was an impressive outcome.
"I'll handle it," Robin replied without hesitation.
As the War Pirates' chief administrator, she was long accustomed to managing aftermath operations.
Kaito then shifted his gaze to Mangu, Neferpet, and Sandy.
"As for the prisoners—Mangu, you're in charge. Neferpet and Sandy will assist you."
"Gather all captives together. I'll inspect them personally."
The meaning behind his words was clear.
Once assembled, he would evaluate them through Conqueror's Haki.
Marine or pirate—it made no difference.
Those who could be absorbed would be absorbed.
"Yes, brother," Mangu responded in his low, steady voice.
Though better suited for combat than administration, gathering prisoners and overseeing basic inspection was well within his ability.
Neferpet nodded.
Sandy followed quickly.
Sandy, though newly recruited, had adapted with remarkable speed.
His performance in battle proved his willingness to integrate.
And when it came to Kaito, he dared not show the slightest carelessness.
"Oh—and inspect the condition of their warships," Kaito added after a moment.
"If they're repairable, have the shipwright team fix them."
If the Marine prisoners were incorporated successfully, the War Pirates' numbers would swell again.
More personnel meant the need for more ships.
Without expansion, they simply wouldn't be able to carry everyone.
"Understood," Mangu said again firmly.
The battle was over.
But in truth—
This was only the beginning of something larger.
The era was shifting.
And Kaito Arisawa intended to stand at its forefront.
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