"Enough nonsense."
A flash of impatience crossed Shamrock's eyes as he spoke coldly:
"I can overlook what happened earlier, but that depends on your next actions. I see no initiative from you to atone for your sins. What, do you intend to keep standing here, watching as a Celestial Dragon is humiliated?"
"Naturally not."
Kizaru scratched his head. "But this old man hasn't received specific orders. Acting rashly might disrupt your plans, Your Excellency. Since you put it that way, I'll leave Xiano to you, while the remaining officers—"
"Borsalino!"
Shamrock's voice turned icy.
This old fool must realize it—he had no intention of facing Xiano alone. Losing face by being outmatched would be unacceptable.
Such a tough opponent should first be worn down by a Navy Admiral, leaving him to take the final victory.
Yet here he was, still playing dumb, lacking even the awareness to voluntarily shoulder the responsibility.
"Don't misunderstand, Saint Shamrock..." Kizaru spread his hands, about to offer another excuse when a frigid voice cut him off.
"Enough."
Xiano slowly raised his gaze, his eyes sweeping indifferently over Saint Shamrock and Kizaru, a mocking smile curling his lips.
"Are you two done chatting?"
With one hand, he drew his Greatsword. The terrifying Haki surrounding him surged once more, the ground beneath his feet trembling violently under the overwhelming pressure.
"All this blathering without action—let's be honest, neither of you has the confidence to face me alone, does that mean you're too scared to fight me?"
A crimson glint flashed in his eyes as his grin widened:
"In that case, I'll pick one myself!"
Whoosh!
The moment his words fell, Xiano's figure vanished!
"Damn it!"
Shamrock's pupils contracted sharply. He jerked his head up just as a blinding scarlet blade light cleaved through the air, slashing toward him!
Divine Departure!
Shamrock hastily drew his Western Sword to block. The instant the blades clashed, thick black-and-red lightning exploded outward in all directions!
BOOM!!!
A terrifying shockwave erupted from the epicenter of their clash. Shamrock grunted, his palms splitting as blood streamed down. The sheer force sent him skidding back over a hundred meters, carving deep furrows into the grass.
"Vice Commander!"
Quillingom cried out in fury, about to rush to his aid when darkness suddenly engulfed his vision.
Kuma, towering at nearly seven meters like a mountain, had appeared before him without warning, his massive frame casting a shadow that swallowed Quillingom whole.
"How could we allow you..."
Kuma calmly removed the glove from his right hand, revealing a gentle smile:
"...to disturb our King right from the start?"
"Arrogant fool! Then I'll deal with you first!"
Quillingom roared, the horns of his Qilin Form crackling with violet-black lightning before he unleashed a searing energy beam from his mouth.
"Mythical Zoan abilities never cease to surprise."
Kuma remained unruffled, raising his Paw-Paw Palm and spreading it gently.
"Pity. Such tricks won't work on me."
Hum!
An invisible, transparent wave of light expanded, deflecting the energy beam in an instant. It arced through the air before crashing into a distant Pacifista unit, erupting into a cloud of dust and smoke.
"Deflected?"
What kind of bizarre ability was this?
Saint Quillingom's expression shifted slightly, but before he could react, Kuma's figure vanished from the spot in a flash.
"Behind you!"
The sound of rushing air came from his back. Saint Quillingom's expression hardened as he instinctively predicted the attack, turning swiftly—but Kuma's movement was akin to teleportation. He was still half a beat too slow.
Kuma's massive paw was already within striking distance.
"This move... is one I mastered just last month during sparring with the Captain. Its name is—"
Amid the deep voice, the shockwaves accumulated in Kuma's paw pads erupted violently, twisting and condensing into two terrifyingly fast spiral shockwaves that slammed mercilessly into Saint Quillingom's chest!
"—Special Beam Cannon!"
BOOM!
The half-beast-transformed chest was instantly pierced, leaving a gaping hole. Even the heart within was reduced to black smoke and ashes by the shockwave, scattering into the wind.
Saint Quillingom lowered his head, staring blankly at his chest as his pupils gradually lost focus. His body stiffened in place.
As if all life had been completely extinguished.
...
Meanwhile.
"Truly terrifying swordsmanship~"
Kizaru brushed the bloodstains from his sleeve, watching the two figures locked in fierce close combat in the distance. He sighed faintly, "The title of World's Greatest Swordsman is indeed well-deserved."
A single slash.
With just one slash, he had forced Saint Shamrock—who fancied himself a god—into a disadvantageous position?
Truly worthy of the name "Divine Departure"...
However.
This meant he had to quickly deal with the remaining opponents here and provide support. Otherwise, explaining things afterward would be... troublesome.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Kizaru appeared mid-air, raising his arms and crossing them over his chest. "Eight Span... Curved Jewel!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Countless dazzling beams of light rained down in an instant, streaking straight toward Jack below!
"Oh? A Navy Admiral's signature move!"
Jack grinned savagely, grabbing two Celestial Dragons and swinging them like shields in front of him:
"Perfect timing—I've got two excellent shields here. Wouldn't want to waste them. Come on! Let's see if the Celestial Dragons' dogs dare strike their masters!"
Cunning Pirate...
Kizaru's eye twitched. He had no choice but to halt the projectiles mid-flight, redirecting their trajectory toward Kuina nearby instead.
"Perfect timing!"
Kuina's eyes burned with fighting spirit. With a sharp cry, Wado Ichimonji left its sheath in a flawless arc before her.
"Wind Barrier!"
In an instant, a fierce gale erupted, forming a massive blue-green wind wall several meters wide in front of her.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Hundreds—no, thousands—of golden light bullets collided with the wind wall, erupting into a rapid series of explosions.
Ripples spread across the surface of the wind wall, yet it remained unbroken. Every beam of light that touched it vanished instantly, as if swallowed by quicksand.
"Oh?"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
To block his Eight Span Curved Jewel so effortlessly?
The Marine Headquarters placed great importance on the three highest-ranking officers of the Curtain Closer, especially this young female Master Swordsman before them, who was already capable of matching Gion in combat.
They had spared no effort in gathering intelligence on her.
But her swordsmanship seemed far more bizarre and troublesome than he had anticipated...
So, was she his opponent?
Of course not.
Still, she could barely manage to stall him, just enough to warrant him taking things seriously.
"Sentomaru," Kizaru's gaze shifted as he issued the command, "have the Pacifistas abandon their control over those Supernovas and join the battle in full force."
"Understood!"
Sentomaru responded loudly without hesitation, turning and roaring:
"PX-0 to PX-9, execute annihilation protocol! Target—the highest-ranking officer of the Curtain Closer!"
The ten Pacifistas immediately released the Supernovas they had been restraining, simultaneously turning their focus. Their eyes flashed red as they locked onto Jack at the center of the battlefield.
"Don't know how you managed to replicate so many of these freaks," Jack laughed wildly, utterly unfazed, "but these things are only good for bullying those inexperienced Supernovas. Using them against me? Who the hell do you think I am?!"
Having followed Boss Xiano from Paradise all the way into the depths of the New World, he had faced the Four Emperors, the Three Admirals—what kind of grand spectacle hadn't he witnessed?!
Even if the former Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile, were to rise from the dead, he wouldn't flinch—let alone these knock-offs!
Ten of them? Bring it on! He wanted nothing more than to take them all on at once!
"Come at me! Come!"
Jack howled with laughter, casually tossing the two Celestial Dragons behind him like sandbags. Earlier, he had only been toying with Kizaru, wanting to see the man humiliated.
Using Celestial Dragons as shields against a bunch of metal junk? That would be downright pathetic.
Boom!
His towering 8.3-meter frame stomped the ground, launching himself into the air with the recoil. Gripping two massive crescent scythes, he charged straight at the Pacifistas.
Beep beep beep!
"Target locked. Commencing attack."
The ten Pacifistas spoke in unison, their faces expressionless as they spread their legs into a squat. Their mouths opened, and blinding golden light began gathering in their throats.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, ten massive laser beams—each as thick as a bowl—erupted simultaneously from different angles, streaking toward Jack.
"Hmph, attacks of this level—"
Jack's eyes flared with ferocity. Instead of dodging, he let pitch-black Armament Haki surge over his entire body like a tide.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The lasers struck one after another, detonating into a storm of flames. Amid the smoke, the screech of twisting metal filled the air, forcing the surrounding soldiers to cover their ears.
"Hey… did they get him?"
A Marine gulped nervously.
"Probably?"
Another hesitated. "You saw it earlier—those Supernovas with bounties of two or three hundred million were no match for these monsters…"
Even if this Curtain Closer officer was strong, could he really take on ten at once?
Whoosh—!
A violent gust of wind tore through the smoke. Jack emerged, his body wreathed in steam, his face twisted into a savage grin. With a sweeping motion, his scythes slashed outward!
CRACK!
The two nearest Pacifistas were cleaved in half at the waist. Amid the crackle of sparks, their upper bodies crashed to the ground.
"Hey! You've gotta be kidding me!"
Sentomaru's eyes widened in disbelief. "You... you! Without even fully transforming into your beast form, you took ten laser cannons head-on with just your Haki and physical strength, completely unharmed?!"
"Of course!"
Jack's face twisted into a savage grin. "I'm the top executive of the Curtain Closers—the infamous Rumbling Jack!"
Crack!
Two more metallic heads, cigars still clenched between their teeth, went flying into the air. The remaining headless bodies stiffened momentarily before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
"Only six left now! Each Pacifista costs as much as a top-tier Marine Warship!"
Sentomaru's heart ached with both fury and anguish. Finally unable to hold back, he drew his massive axe and swung it fiercely at Jack. "You bastard! Show some respect for Dr. Vegapunk's masterpieces!"
Clang!
A dull, thunderous impact rang out as Jack blocked the axe with his twin sickles, one high and one low, holding it firmly in place.
"Not bad strength there, fatty—almost half as good as mine!"
Through the gap between their weapons, Jack locked eyes with the enraged Sentomaru and flashed a toothy grin.
"But honestly, I'm more interested in what you just said. Hey, kid—Vegapunk's that legendary 'world's smartest scientist,' right? You seem pretty close to him. So... where is he now?"
"As if I'd ever tell you top-secret intel like that!"
Veins bulged on Sentomaru's temples as he roared in outrage:
"I'm the Marines' tightest-lipped man! I'd never reveal that the old man just moved from Punk Hazard and is heading to Egghead Island to set up a new base!"
"Huh?"
Jack froze, momentarily distracted—so much so that he didn't even notice the approaching Pacifista behind him, letting its mechanical Golden Hook slam squarely into the back of his skull.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the hook bent grotesquely and went spinning away. The Pacifista stared blankly at its now-empty wrist, utterly bewildered.
Finally snapping back to reality, Jack's face darkened with rage.
"I thought you were some honest, chubby simpleton! If you didn't wanna talk, fine—but why spin such an obvious lie? What's the point?"
Did this idiot really think he'd buy such a detailed "secret" spilled so casually to an enemy? Was he supposed to be some naive three-year-old?
"Game over!"
With a furious roar, Jack channeled his strength into his arms, violently shoving Sentomaru's axe away. His twin sickles then carved deadly arcs through the air, aiming straight for Sentomaru's vitals.
"Two-faced bastards like you piss me off the most—DIE!"
———
Boom!
Deafening explosions erupted in waves from multiple directions.
Under orders from their superiors, the Marine soldiers had already retreated to the periphery.
This level of battle was far beyond what the local branch garrison could handle. Their role now was simply to maintain the perimeter blockade and keep the area secure.
Meanwhile, the Supernovas—some still unconscious, others gradually roused by the tremors—sat dazed on the ground, staring slack-jawed at the dazzling spectacle of combat in the distance.
What the hell was going on?
Since when did the infamous Curtain Closers of the New World come to Sabaody?
And who were they fighting? That guy shooting lasers in the sky was Admiral Kizaru, but who were the others?
"Ugh... my head still hurts like hell."
Sanji clutched his head, feeling as if he had a terrible hangover. "I wonder if Chopper managed to escape safely. Did he send word and bring Big Brother Xiano here?"
"Hmm?"
A hoarse, weak, yet oddly familiar voice came from beside him. "Are you also an admirer of Big Brother Xiano?"
"Of course," Sanji snapped irritably. "I set sail to follow in his footsteps. If he hadn't saved my life back then, I might have died at sea long ago."
"Heh, sounds a lot like the story of an idiot I know. We're kindred spirits, huh? So, who do you think will win?"
"Big Brother Xiano, no question!" Sanji answered without hesitation. "Don't let the drawn-out fight fool you… but how could the World's Greatest Swordsman lose to some swordsman?"
"Oh? Sharp observation, hitting the nail on the head. I couldn't agree more. Hey, kindred spirit! Want to be friends?"
"Was just thinking the same!"
Sanji laughed and turned his head—only for his voice to cut off abruptly.
Facing him was Mosshead, who had been rubbing his temples. His hand froze mid-motion as he stared blankly at Sanji.
The next second—
"Why the hell is it you, idiot?!"
They grabbed each other's collars, shouting furiously.
————
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The clash between Xiano and Shamrock had already spanned over a hundred exchanges, reaching a fever pitch.
They fought from the ground to the air, then from the air to the shoreline.
The entire amusement park area had been flattened, and several of the towering Red Trees surrounding it had snapped and collapsed.
The winner was still undecided, but the balance of power—who was gaining the upper hand and who was faltering—was slowly becoming clear.
"You barely qualify as a Yonko-Admiral level in my eyes," Xiano said coldly, deflecting the Western Sword with a punch.
"But it seems a significant portion of your strength relies on that Cerberus. Without that external crutch, you fall far short of your younger brother—at best, a weak Yonko-Admiral. Defeating me is nothing but an impossible delusion now."
Weak Yonko-Admiral? What nonsense was that?
Shamrock's face darkened. He didn't understand these bizarre terms, but he could clearly sense Xiano's disdain for him.
It was contempt from the bone—as if Xiano didn't even consider him a true opponent.
Damn arrogant bastard!
And the worst part? He couldn't refute it.
Because just as Xiano had said, whether it was strength, Haki, or Martial Arts… he was on the same tier as Xiano in every aspect, yet just slightly weaker in each.
Added together, the gap in their overall power wasn't just marginal anymore.
As time passed, the fight grew increasingly taxing for him, and his chances of victory dwindled. And that bastard Kizaru still hadn't even gone all out…
Come to think of it, how did this guy know about his original Western Sword being stolen?
That sword had been his partner through life and death. If he hadn't spent so much time searching for it after realizing it was gone, he wouldn't have delayed recruiting Xiano for so long.
By the time he tried again, Xiano had already established himself in the New World, growing strong enough to scoff at joining the God Knights.
Boom!
Right then, deafening cannon fire suddenly roared in the distance.
Hmm?
Both turned their heads simultaneously to look. On the sea, numerous white warships had appeared out of nowhere, lined up in a row and heading their way.
"It's been years since I last came to Sabaody. To think there are so many unsightly pirate ships here—how insolent you pirates are! Hey, fleet! Spread out and surround Sabaody! Don't let a single one escape!"
"Yes, Mr. Zephyr!"
The thunderous response echoed across the sea. Shamrock turned back, his previously restless expression fading away, replaced once more by that confident, composed arrogance:
"What a pity, Xiano. It seems the favor of the goddess of fate has no place for mere mortals like you. The Navy's reinforcements arrived even faster than I expected, and leading them is none other than the former Navy Admiral, Zephyr."
"You, and your Curtain Closer, seem destined for defeat. It appears you'll have to pay the price for your recklessness and arrogance..."
Xiano also turned back, smiling.
"Is that so?"
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