A brilliant golden light, dazzling to the extreme, burst forth in mid-air beside the three of them without warning!
The light was so blinding, as if it had pulled the sun right before their eyes!
White Night looked up at the converging light, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
What was destined to come, finally arrived.
The light dissipated.
A tall, slender figure slowly emerged.
A yellow striped suit, a lazy stance, hands in his pockets, and that characteristic, inscrutable, lewd smile on his face.
It was none other than one of Marineford's top combatants, "Kizaru" Borsalino!
"Oh my, my, my... Is this a family reunion?"
Kizaru tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Garp, Dragon, and White Night, his voice drawn out, filled with exaggerated surprise.
The smile had vanished from Garp's face. He looked at the suddenly appearing Kizaru, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Borsalino, what are you doing here?"
Dragon said nothing, but his deep eyes had not left Kizaru since the moment he appeared.
One of the World Government's top combatants, an Admiral.
His presence here, in itself, represented the will of the World Government.
"Well, well, Mr. Garp, that question really hurts my feelings."
Kizaru spread his hands, an innocent expression on his face.
"I didn't want to come either; traveling all the way to the East Blue is quite tiring."
He let out a faint sigh, then changed the subject, looking directly at Dragon. That lazy expression finally revealed a hint of the oppressive aura befitting an Admiral.
"My apologies, Monkey D. Dragon."
Kizaru's voice still had that annoying tone, but the content made the air solidify.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave a death order: under no circumstances are dangerous individuals like you to come into contact with Boss Bai Ye without authorization."
As he spoke, he pointedly glanced at Garp next to him, a hint of resentment in his eyes.
"Mr. Garp, you've really caused a big problem for me, and for Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"BWAHAHAHA..."
Garp awkwardly scratched the back of his head, letting out a dry laugh.
"Well... family misfortune, family misfortune!"
He tried to use laughter to cover his embarrassment, but Kizaru clearly wasn't buying it.
Garp's laughter gradually stopped. He glared at Kizaru, his tone somewhat displeased.
"Why did you come alone? Where's that girl Gion? And everyone else?"
Upon hearing this, Kizaru's expression became even more helpless.
"Mr. Garp, why do you think I rushed over so quickly?"
He extended a finger, and a small golden light began to gather at its tip. His tone also became serious.
"Your good son, in Goa Kingdom, attacked a Celestial Dragon's ship."
Boom!
This short sentence, like a clap of thunder, exploded in Garp's mind!
Attacked a Celestial Dragon!
The last trace of color drained from Garp's face. He suddenly turned his head, staring intently at his son.
"You scoundrel!"
"Finally did something proper."
His tone changed, and Garp burst into hearty laughter.
"Oh my, my, it seems it's true."
Kizaru retracted the light on his finger and said lazily.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku received orders from above. A World Noble was attacked; this is a huge matter."
"The Fleet Admiral ordered me to prevent you from coming into contact with... certain dangerous forces that could throw the world into even greater chaos, at all costs."
Kizaru's gaze, with clear intent, fell upon White Night.
The sea breeze stopped.
The sound of the waves also seemed to be cut off by an invisible force at this moment.
Above the reef, three distinct auras, yet all standing at the pinnacle of the world, like three invisible mountains, confronted each other, squeezing every inch of space.
marine hero, Garp.
Revolutionary Army leader, Dragon.
Admiral, Kizaru.
And at the center of these three mountains was White Night, who had merely watched quietly the entire time.
Dragon's gaze bypassed Kizaru and his own father, falling directly on White Night.
He didn't seem surprised by the Admiral's appearance.
"I need to enter the instance."
His voice was calm, ignoring Kizaru's almost materialized threat, as if this highest combatant of the Marine was nothing more than a stone by the roadside.
"Oh my, my, my, I'm being completely ignored, aren't I?"
Kizaru's smile remained unchanged, but the look in his eyes behind his sunglasses suddenly became dangerous.
The next second.
Buzz--!
A flash of golden light!
Kizaru's figure instantly vanished from his spot, only to reappear the next moment between Dragon and White Night, completely blocking Dragon's line of sight.
He slowly raised a finger, and at its tip, a golden speck of light was gathering and compressing at an alarming speed, emitting a terrifying aura capable of piercing through anything.
"No, no, Mr. Dragon."
Kizaru's tone was still that lazy drawl, but every word carried an undeniable resolve.
"Until you are arrested by me, you cannot go anywhere."
The golden light pierced through the sea breeze.
That finger, concentrating extreme danger, was only an inch away from Dragon's brow.
Kizaru's smile remained lazy, but beneath his sunglasses was an unfathomably cold gaze.
"Oh my, my, what a terrifying gaze."
Kizaru's voice was drawn out, as if he were evaluating an interesting piece of art, "Being stared at like that, I might get scared."
Dragon did not speak.
His gaze didn't even linger on Kizaru's fingertip for a moment, as if that beam of light capable of piercing steel plates was merely a firefly on a summer night.
He simply looked calmly at Kizaru, his face covered in crimson patterns, as still as an ancient well.
Garp's smile had long vanished. He stood to the side, his fists itching to move.
He thought with some melancholy, why wasn't this a instance world?
Finally, Dragon spoke.
His voice was utterly calm, as if the finger that could pierce everything simply didn't exist.
"Borsalino."
Dragon's gaze passed over the deadly light point, looking directly into Kizaru's eyes behind his sunglasses.
"Are you going to personally extinguish... the last spark of hope for this already rotten world?"
His voice was not loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, striking at everyone's heart.
Garp's body trembled slightly, and he looked at his son with complex eyes.
Kizaru's smile remained, only a hint of mockery added to his lazy tone.
"Oh my, my, what a terrifying statement, great Revolutionary."
"Hope?"
Kizaru tilted his head slightly. That lewd expression now revealed a chilling clarity.
"Are you referring to your Revolutionary Army?"
"What makes you think that you Revolutionaries are the last spark of this world?"
"Even if... even if you truly succeed, if you can overthrow the World Government, defeat the Celestial Dragons."
Kizaru's speaking pace wasn't fast, but every word was like a sharp knife, dissecting reality and revealing the bloody truth.
"Then, can you tell me, Mr. Dragon."
"How will you ensure that your descendants, and your descendants' descendants, won't become the next Celestial Dragons?"