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On a supposedly "uninhabited" island in the Grand Line…
A blinding light suddenly shot down from the sky.
BOOM!
A flash of light crashed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
And from that cloud, a figure slowly stepped out.
He was tall, with naturally wavy short black hair.
Wearing sunglasses, a rough stubble on his face.
A yellow-and-white striped suit, a purple tie, dark green shirt, and white leather shoes.
And most eye-catching of all—his "Justice" cloak, symbol of his identity, paired with an unbelievably sleazy expression.
It made him look even more extraordinary.
He raised his wrist and spoke into a Den Den Mushi (Transponder Snail):
"Moshi moshi, Sentomaru? Can you hear me?"
There was no doubt—this was Admiral Kizaru, Borsalino of the Marine Headquarters.
Not only was he one of the Marines' top fighters, but he also oversaw the Marine Science Division.
Normally, Sentomaru ran this unit, equipped with cutting-edge tech developed by Dr. Vegapunk.
They were one of the Navy's ultimate weapons.
"What's going on? Sentomaru's not answering me again?" Kizaru said, confused.
Of course, if Sentomaru had been there, he would've told him bluntly:
"Old man, you're talking to a listening-only Den Den Mushi."
But Kizaru had always been a pretty easygoing guy. When he got no response, he gave up without much care.
He muttered, "Alright then… I'll tell Sentomaru when I get back."
With that, Kizaru turned and walked to the edge of the island, stopping in front of what looked like a very ordinary giant boulder.
Then he took off his sunglasses and leaned his face in.
Ding!
A sound rang out, and in the blink of an eye, the boulder transformed. It was more than it seemed.
A high-tech looking door appeared in front of Kizaru.
This was the base of the Navy's Special Science Group—SSG.
Or more accurately, Vegapunk's research facility.
As the go-to supplier for the Marines' scientific weapons, Kizaru was a regular here.
Once he stepped inside, the stone door behind him quickly returned to its original form.
Then it sank into the ground, only to reappear on the opposite side of the island in a different form.
By this time, Kizaru had already made it deep inside the lab.
Guided by a researcher, he stopped in front of a room.
When he pushed open the door and stepped in, his eyes landed on someone lying in bed. He couldn't help but comment:
"Looks like you barely made it out alive, huh…"
"Kajitsu."
The man on the bed looked rough—most of his body was wrapped in bandages.
And by most, that's because…
Right next to the bed, two containers sat.
One held an arm. The other, a leg.
"Admiral Kizaru, you here to laugh at me or something?"
Kajitsu, even in his mangled state, still had a cigarette in his mouth as he spoke calmly.
"Old man's not into that kind of sick humor," Kizaru replied, strolling in casually. "But that face you're making—so scary~"
What Kizaru didn't know was: if he'd brought a mirror with him, he'd have realized…
His own expression wasn't much better than Kajitsu's.
"I just underestimated the guy, that's all."
Kajitsu turned his head slightly, his face twitching with an odd expression as if remembering something.
With a snort, he added, "That bastard's probably in worse shape than me."
He was clearly talking about Bai Ye. In Kajitsu's mind, anyone who could burst out that kind of power in a flash—
And land a final slash that fast he couldn't dodge—had to be in bad shape, even if not dead.
Hearing this, Kizaru's sleazy smile faded for the first time.
But it didn't last long—he quickly went back to his usual look.
"Goes by the name Tianshi, right?" he said slowly."Man… what a scary rookie."
Still, even as he said "scary," Kizaru's face looked as chill as ever.
"You might wanna drop that thought,"
Kajitsu cut in. Having worked with Kizaru for years, he knew exactly what the guy was thinking—without even looking.
"You know how strong I am, Kizaru."
He said in a low voice:
"Even without a Devil Fruit from HQ, I'm not that far behind you three."
Kizaru gave a noncommittal look—but even he had to admit that was true.
"But the power that guy unleashed at the end…"
"No regular Logia-type Devil Fruit could close that gap."
Kajitsu stared at Kizaru as he said this.
The message was loud and clear: don't think you can just casually handle someone like Bai Ye.
"That last slash of his…"
Kajitsu dropped another bomb.
"…was already at that level."
Even Kizaru looked a little surprised now.
"Man, that's scary…"
He slowly said, then added with a grin:
"Wonder if he's ever been kicked by light before?"
Hearing that, Kajitsu knew—Kizaru was still skeptical.
But he didn't bother arguing.
Because in his mind, there was no way Bai Ye could pull that kind of power out again.
So he changed the subject.
"You didn't come all this way just to chit-chat with me, right Kizaru?"
"You're not exactly the hardworking type."
Kizaru chuckled and answered smoothly:
"You really know me too well."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku sent me. He asked me to check in."
At this point, Kizaru's tone actually got serious for once. He looked Kajitsu in the eyes:
"Have you made your decision?"
"My decision, huh…"
Kajitsu lit another cigarette with his bandaged hand and glanced at the two containers beside him, lost in thought.
After a long pause, he finally said:
"Tell Sengoku… I need more time."
Kizaru didn't push it.
He knew this decision would basically determine Kajitsu's entire future.
So he simply stood up and said:
"If that's the case, I'll head back and let Sengoku know."
He turned and walked toward the door—but then suddenly stopped.
Kajitsu looked at Kizaru's back, unsure what was coming next.
Then Kizaru spoke softly:
"Come back soon, Kajitsu."
"This sea's getting more and more crowded."
And with that, he walked out the door, leaving Kajitsu deep in thought on the bed.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the vast waters of the Grand Line…
A small black dot was slowly drifting across the open sea.
Out of nowhere, a big fish got curious and leapt out of the water, landing right in front of the black dot.
What it saw… was a human riding a bicycle.
The guy was tall, wearing a white suit vest over a dark blue shirt, and a green sleeping mask pushed up on his forehead.
And most obvious of all—the unmistakable Marine cloak.
"Ahh… got any business with me?"
The one speaking was none other than Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan—one of the three Marine Admirals.
His belief? Lazy Justice.
"....."