"Blackbeard!? A dual–Devil Fruit user!?"
Inside the residential district of New Marineford, Kuzan lay sprawled on a sun lounger in his estate. At the messenger's report and Akainu's orders, he slowly straightened, the laziness draining from his posture as curiosity flickered in his eyes.
During the operation to encircle Fire Fist Ace and block the live broadcast execution, he had played no role at all—worse, he had even been mocked face-to-face before the enemy slipped away…
As a result, Kuzan's reputation had taken a sharp hit, both within the World Government and among the Navy's rank-and-file and neutral factions.
Under the weight of all this, even Kuzan himself felt his desire to contend for that position fading.
That was also why, after the battle, he hadn't left the Navy outright as he had in the original timeline.
"…An operation with Vice Admiral Garp?"
His state of mind still unsettled and unwilling to return to duty so soon, Kuzan's eyes nevertheless lit up when he noticed the companion listed at the top of the orders.
Unbidden, his thoughts drifted far away—to the days just after graduating from the Naval Academy, when he had followed Garp around.
It hadn't been a particularly pleasant experience. Yet softened by nostalgia, those memories made his heart waver.
Back then, trailing behind Garp, he hadn't felt nearly as lost about the future as he did now.
The next moment, Kuzan rose slowly from the lounger.
"I've been lying around long enough. Time to get moving."
Perhaps…
He could take the chance to ask Garp about the future.
…
…
Several hours later.
A fleet of twenty large Navy warships slowly closed in, encircling Amazon Lily—Kuja Island.
"Ice Age!!!"
A low murmur heavy with killing cold echoed through the still Calm Belt.
In an instant, bone-chilling frost swept across the entire Amazon Lily Kingdom.
The placid sea froze solid in moments, a thick sheet of ice spreading along the island's perimeter, expanding outward until the surrounding waters became a vast frozen domain.
After finishing, Kuzan—far more adept at physical combat than relying on his Devil Fruit alone—lifted his hand from the ice-covered sea. He gazed toward the island shrouded in cold mist, frowning slightly.
Because the fleet needed to close in from multiple directions, he hadn't had time to speak with Garp yet. Still, once the mission began, Kuzan immediately adopted the seriousness befitting a soldier.
After the previous failures involving Kizaru and Z, the myth of the Navy Admirals' invincibility had already been shattered.
Coupled with Blackbeard's bizarre movements, caution was essential.
What Kuzan didn't expect was—
Just as he finished ordering the fleet to stand ready, rustling sounds came from the dense forest of Amazon Lily!
A moment later, several figures in tattered battle outfits, looking distinctly worn, emerged from behind the green curtain.
"Navy!?"
Perhaps women truly were born actresses.
Assigned to make first contact, Rindou instantly slipped into character. She strode forward, locking eyes with Kuzan aboard the flagship, her face contorting into a look of utter disgust—as if staring at something vile.
"Get out!"
"This sea belongs to the Amazon Lily Kingdom! Men are not welcome here!"
"Hm?" Kuzan frowned faintly, then replied in a businesslike tone, "I am Navy Headquarters Admiral Kuzan."
"Several hours ago, Headquarters received a distress call from Warlord Boa Hancock, stating that Kuja Island was under attack by pirates led by Blackbeard, requesting immediate support."
After finishing, he muttered under his breath, "Was the distress call… fake?"
"Of course the distress call was real!" Rindou sneered, then shouted again,
"But you were too late!"
"Blackbeard and his forces have already been driven off by our Empress!"
"Several hours late—impressive work, Navy!"
"If not for—"
Rindou vented her contempt freely, only to abruptly cut herself off at the last moment.
"Driven off…?" Kuzan's eyes filled with doubt.
From the footage sent earlier, Hancock had been completely powerless before Blackbeard.
Just as Kuzan pondered this, a blonde female warrior stepped up beside Rindou and whispered something into her ear.
Rindou froze, then slowly turned back to Kuzan.
"Navy. Her Majesty wishes to speak with you alone."
"Move your ships to the uninhabited island nearby. There's a temporary meeting room there."
"Her Majesty will arrive shortly."
As she spoke, Rindou pointed toward the distant sea, clearly ordering him away.
Despite the baffling treatment, Kuzan showed little reaction.
The Kuja ban on men was well known among Navy high command—it was nothing new.
Right now, uncovering Blackbeard's situation mattered more.
Kuzan nodded and agreed.
…
Ten-plus minutes later.
On a small deserted island near Amazon Lily, Kuzan sat in a crude meeting room with several Navy Vice Admirals.
Across from them sat the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, accompanied by Rindou and other Kuja Pirates.
Disheveled long hair. A peerlessly beautiful face. Eyes dulled by exhaustion…
Combined with Hancock's innate queenly aloofness and her natural charms…
At this moment, she looked like a fallen goddess—once untouchable, now heartbreakingly close, pitiful to behold, yet stubbornly pretending she didn't care.
Under the allure of the Love-Love Fruit, the Vice Admirals who had come to support Kuzan lost control instantly, their eyes turning into pink hearts.
Hancock, seated, gave Kuzan no chance to warn his subordinates.
Leaning on her beauty, she slammed the table and glared at the Navy.
"Navy, you came too late!"
"..."
Noticing his subordinates' condition, Kuzan felt a moment of embarrassment. But under Hancock's direct gaze, he immediately assumed the composure and authority of an Admiral.
"Pirate Empress, understand this clearly…"
"The Seven Warlords are dispatched by the Navy—not the other way around."
"We have no obligation… to ensure your safety."
"You should know that if this weren't a special case, the Navy wouldn't have sent me at all."
"So let's skip the preliminaries."
"Tell me—what exactly happened?"
A cold, oppressive aura surged from Kuzan, instantly filling the room.
Stimulated by the freezing presence, the Vice Admirals snapped out of the Love-Love Fruit's charm, faces darkening with shame.
Even without Conqueror's Haki, Kuzan's pressure alone was enough to intimidate ninety-five percent of the world's powerhouses.
Sure enough.
Feeling it, Hancock froze, her expression sinking as she shot Kuzan an unfriendly glance.
"What I said wasn't wrong. You were too late."
"If you'd arrived two—no, even one hour earlier, you might have had a chance to stop Blackbeard."
"Now… he's probably already crossed the Calm Belt and is heading for the South Blue's Delixi Kingdom."
"Delixi Kingdom!?" Kuzan frowned, about to press further—
When a Vice Admiral behind him suddenly looked stricken.
"Wait—Delixi Kingdom!?"
"Are you certain about this intelligence!?"
He demanded sharply.
Hancock raised her brows, irritation flashing at being questioned.
"Of course. He told me himself when he invited me."
"Seems this Admiral doesn't know what's been happening in Delixi lately."
"Why don't you ask your subordinates and see just how big a mess you've made?"
"..."
Under Hancock's pointed sarcasm, Kuzan immediately turned to the Vice Admiral.
After hesitating, the man lowered his head and spoke slowly.
"It's the Celestial Dragons."
"Recently, Delixi's king ordered a nationwide sweep to curry favor with Saint Topman Castro, selecting one hundred top-class beauties to be sent as slaves."
"As a reward, Saint Castro decided to personally travel to Delixi to receive them."
"Though not widely reported, it's no secret within Delixi."
"To present the kingdom's 'most beautiful' face, the king ordered all vagrants and illegal residents arrested and executed."
"By now, Saint Castro's escort fleet should be nearing Delixi's waters."
"What!? Those bast—"
Kuzan burst out, only to clamp down at the last second.
After years at the top, he had seen this too many times.
And that was part of why he felt so lost.
"This just got bad."
Regaining his composure, Kuzan looked back at Hancock.
He didn't need her to elaborate—Blackbeard's target was clearly the Celestial Dragon in Delixi!
And the next instant, Hancock delivered the final blow:
"Exactly what you're thinking."
"Don't forget—Blackbeard is a traitor who fled from the Whitebeard Pirates."
"And not long ago, Whitebeard's member Fire Fist Ace caused a world-shaking incident, his bounty jumping from five hundred million to 1.9 billion Beli…"
"Blackbeard said it himself—"
"What the Whitebeard Pirates can do, he can do."
"And what they can't do, he can do as well."
"So next, he plans to hunt Celestial Dragons worldwide, record it, and broadcast it to the world."
"I don't know how many times he'll succeed, but no matter what, you Navy—who let another major criminal escape—won't escape the World Government's reckoning, will you?"
Hancock's lips curled in mockery.
Though she was acting, her smile at this moment was utterly genuine.
Because what she told Kuzan wasn't false.
The current "Blackbeard" was indeed en route to Delixi Kingdom—and he truly intended to target the visiting Celestial Dragon once again…
Kidnapping. Recording. Torture. Execution.
The only difference was that the ones acting with him weren't members of the Blackbeard Pirates—
But a group of already-crafted, powerful zombies…
Former members of the Black Lion Alliance!
…
…
At the same time, on the border between the South Blue and the Calm Belt.
Pulled by Laboon, the massive Thriller Bark finally broke free of the Calm Belt's restraints and surged toward Delixi Kingdom.
Surf!
An unimaginably vast wave rose instantly—like a god holding up the sky—carrying the island and Laboon forward.
"Gwooo~!"
A joyful, dragon-like cry echoed across the heavens.
Refusing Brook's suggestion to accompany him, Laboon—on his first solo mission—was indescribably happy.
Putting himself in their shoes…
Though he hadn't spent much time acting with the Straw Hat Pirates, whether it was Luffy, Red, or the others, they had all sincerely treated him as a companion on the same "ship."
They helped him find the comrades he'd been separated from for decades—and granted him tremendous power.
Laboon remembered it all.
Simple as a child, he didn't think much.
He only knew that the Straw Hats were good to him—his second home.
So to make that home better, he had to grow from a mere follower of ships into a sea overlord who could stand on his own!
This mission—though it was merely transporting the island and then returning to the deep sea to prepare to receive the Going Merry—
Was something only Laboon could do.
Now…
It was time to repay everyone's kindness!!!
(End of Chapter)