"Hehe, as expected of Lady Sofia."
"That Marine Vice Admiral was lucky to hold out this long — not even on the same level…"
Once the dust settled, the pirates under Sofia's command chuckled and exchanged knowing remarks.
On the Marine side, however, things were thrown into chaos.
"Vice Admiral Molly!"
The adjutant looked up at that parabolic arc and roared. Gritting his teeth, he drew his sword and prepared to break through with his men and rush forward to save her.
But at that moment—
He suddenly noticed a dark shape streaking in from the distance at incredible speed, crossing several kilometers of sea in an instant. Wherever it passed, a narrow white trail of frost condensed on the surface of the water.
Huh?
The was stunned and stood there with a look of surprise.
If his eyes didn't deceive him—
That looked like a… bicycle?
...
Whoosh…
Above, the sky rolled with burning clouds; the wind roared in her ears. After reaching the highest point, Moli's body began to fall toward the sea below.
As expected, she really wasn't a match — she'd been easily defeated.
She watched the sky recede; the sound of waves crashing below grew closer and closer… how humiliating to be struck down, sinking into the sea in front of so many subordinates.
Good thing she'd separated from Kuzan earlier — if he'd seen this, it would be even more embarrassing…
She closed her eyes weakly. Just as she was about to be swallowed by the sea—
She felt as if something had caught her. Groggily opening her eyes, she saw a familiar face half-covered in frost, looking down at her.
Was it… an illusion?
Molly stared at the face in a daze. To confirm her suspicion, she struggled and forced her right arm up, delivering a hard slap to that cheek.
Smack!
The sensation from her palm was a little painful, with a cold, stinging sensation.
"It's not an illusion," she murmured, and then closed her eyes again.
"..."
Aokiji's cheek was red and swollen; the corner of his eye twitched. But looking at her weak condition, he said nothing, and helped her back onto the bicycle.
Just then, thunder rolled across the sky. A pale-blue arc of lightning erupted over the sea with a thunderous crash, scattering apart to reveal a figure draped in a white cloak of justice
"Is Vice Admiral Molly alright?" Nao asked.
"Her life isn't in danger, but she's suffered internal injuries and needs rest."
Aokiji looked up toward the distant shore. His dark pupils seemed to burn with fury as he spoke in a low voice, "Help me get her onto a warship for treatment. I'm going to deal with this."
"The Seven Warlords' Bubble Queen, Sofia." Nao glanced at him. "What are you planning to do?"
"You still have to ask?" Aokiji sneered."Of course, I'm going to beat her up myself. It won't be over today until I've beaten her unconscious! So what if she's a Warlord of the Sea? Since she dared to lay such a heavy hand on Molly, she should be prepared for my revenge!"
"Is that all?" Nao sighed and shook his head. "You're too soft, Kuzan… never mind. I'll handle it. You take Molly back to the warship and take good care of her."
Hm?
Hmm? Aokiji's pupils contracted. He looked up at Nao, as if he had just realized something. Normally, he would definitely stay and try to persuade Nao not to act impulsively, to consider the consequences, and to prioritize the big picture. But
But at this moment, looking at the unconscious Molly in his arms, he narrowed his eyes. After two seconds of silence, he didn't say a word. He just nodded, turned the bicycle around, and rode off into the distance.
On the distant horizon, the faint outlines of two Marine warships could be seen, still dozens of kilometers away.
Clearly—
After receiving Kawakawa Shuma's call and realizing something was wrong, the Thunder Hawk had chosen to turn back.
And just as they approached the small island, Aokiji and Nao spotted the massive commotion in the sky from afar. Knowing something was amiss, they hurried ahead, only to arrive in time to witness Molly being struck and sent crashing into the sea.
"What a beautiful sight." Nao sighed as he watched the scene of Aokiji pedaling his bicycle away with Molly under the glow of the evening sun.
He swore—
In all the years he'd known Aokiji, this was the first time he'd ever seen the man pedal his bicycle that fast.
If he hadn't unfolded his own lightning wings in an instant, he would've almost failed to catch up…
This guy was truly a classic example of someone whose actions spoke louder than his words.
"But…"
Shaking his head, Nao turned back toward the shore, his gaze growing cold.
What was about to happen next…
…would not be nearly so beautiful.
...
Pop!
Right after sending Molly flying, the bubbles in the air burst one by one, reforming in the mist into a humanoid figure.
"So fragile…"
Sofia casually accepted the oversized beer mug her subordinate eagerly handed her. After draining it in one gulp, she sneered toward the distant sea.
"With just that pitiful level of skill, she dared meddle in my affairs? Shirololololo—loh?"
Her laughter was abruptly cut off, like a duck having its throat squeezed.
Sofia's expression froze. Her eyes went wide as she stared blankly at the figure approaching across the shoreline, each step crackling with arcs of azure lightning.
"Boss?"
The surrounding pirates looked puzzled at first, but when they also turned their heads and saw that figure, they immediately gasped as if they'd seen a ghost, their faces turning deathly pale.
It was him?
How could it be…?! This monster had just taken part in the battle over the Poneglyph! He should've already gone back to headquarters to recover—so how could he possibly be here?
"Nice to meet you."
Seeing Sofia and the pirates staring at him blankly, Nao smiled kindly, revealing his white, even teeth.
"I was going to introduce myself, but… it seems that won't be necessary, will it?"
Introduce himself?
What a joke! Who in the New World didn't recognize that face, unless they were blind?
The pirates below felt a wave of despair, cursing inwardly with tears in their eyes.
Sofia's cheek twitched violently. Forcing down the ominous dread rising in her chest, she rasped out:
"Natsuya Nao…"
"Why are you here?"
"Who knows? A twist of fate, perhaps."
Nao glanced toward the G-5 marines. By now, the adjutant and his men had snapped out of their panic, their faces breaking into pure joy. Kawakawa Shuma even pressed a hand to his chest, as if a great weight had finally been lifted.
"But if I hadn't happened to pass by…"
Nao's gaze shifted back to Sofia, and he smiled faintly.
"…then I wouldn't have had the chance to witness such a marvelous scene. A Warlord of the Sea, surrounding the Marine, even daring to strike a Vice Admiral…"
"Stop twisting the truth! This isn't my fault!"
It seemed that Nao's mention of her Warlord title gave Sofia some courage. She came back to her senses, gritted her teeth, and sneered:
"I was only carrying out legal plunder! It was your Marine who meddled first. I merely struck back in self-defense. I haven't broken the treaty at all. What now—are you trying to use your strength to bully me?"
The G-5 marines all glanced at one another, their expressions strange.
Even though she was facing a Vice Admiral both times, this flustered, guilty overreaction was nothing like the mocking calmness she'd shown before, toying with her prey like a cat with a mouse. It was as if she were two different people.
Nao said nothing. His eyes passed over Sofia's shoulder, landing on the unconscious girls behind her, on the ruined town in the distance, the streets littered with corpses and blood…
His expression grew even gentler.
"You're right."
He looked back at Sofia, nodding as though in agreement.
"According to the treaty, it was indeed our Marine who acted first. The reasoning is on your side."
Hmph, just as I thought…
Sofia felt a wave of relief. A mocking smile tugged at her lips. So what if this so-called strongest Vice Admiral was a monster? In the end, he was still the World Government's obedient dog.
By now the Thunder Hawk and Kuzan's warship had docked. A large force of Marine Headquarters elites marched down in formation, assembling on the shore, fully prepared for combat.
The scene might have looked imposing, but Sofia only sneered in her heart. Her panic was gone.
The Warlord treaty was a leash strong enough to keep him from barking out of turn. She had truly overreacted earlier—losing her head for nothing, as if he'd really dare bite her.
"What a pity."
Just then, Nao's voice sounded again.
Sofia frowned and turned to him, only to see him shake his head in regret. Slowly, he raised a single finger, smiling as he spoke:
"If you knew me better, you'd know… I've never liked reasoning with pirates."
Huh?
Sofia's pupils shrank. Before she could even react—
Boom!
Howling thunder surged forth, flooding her vision in an instant.
Lightning poured out like a river of shattered silver, exploding in all directions. Sofia let out a shrill scream as her body was hurled like a ragdoll, smashing heavily into a massive boulder hundreds of meters away.
Meanwhile, the elite marines of Headquarters had fully landed, swords drawn and rifles raised, forming ranks along the shore. Their faces were cold as they stared at the panicked, chaotic pirates who no longer knew what to do.
And at the very front—
A figure over three meters tall stood like a mountain. The white cloak of justice bearing the rank of Vice Admiral snapped fiercely in the sea wind. His voice rang out—calm, cold, utterly without emotion:
"Kill them all. Leave not a single one alive."