Chapter 13: Pillars of the Crow
"What?!" The Marines on the dock were stunned. They hadn't even fully deployed onto the island yet. Sabaody Archipelago was massive. How could he claim every enemy was already in range? What was this new Admiral capable of?
As he spoke, Levi slowly, gracefully, spread his arms wide, as if embracing the entire island. For a moment, he seemed in a state of complete, tranquil focus.
Then, he accelerated.
A low buzz vibrated through the air, an invisible storm of spiritual energy erupting from him. His outstretched arms became conduits, and endless Reiatsu poured forth from his palms, sweeping across the groves and shores of Sabaody.
A sound like the cawing of a thousand crows—a chorus formed from pure Reiatsu—echoed briefly across the sky.
Then, from the darkened canopy Levi's power had created, eleven pillars of solidified energy fell. They were a stark, light-blue color traced with veins of inky black, slamming down vertically onto different parts of the archipelago like divine judgments.
Every person on the island could see them, eleven brilliant, terrifying beams connecting the oppressive sky to the earth.
"The locations of the eleven rookie pirates with bounties over a hundred million," Levi announced, his voice calm. "They are marked. They cannot leave. We will now collect them, one by one."
The Marines around him, Gion included, stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded. They looked at the island shrouded in spiritual gloom, at the eleven piercing light beams, and then at their young Admiral. The shock was visceral.
He had… found them all? Instantly? On an island this size, with this much chaos?
Even if Admiral Kizaru were here, or any of the others, such a feat seemed impossible. To set foot on the island and immediately pinpoint every major target… How? Through Observation Haki? Conqueror's Haki?
"Conqueror's Haki can be used… like this?!" Gion whispered, the small sense of competence she'd felt moments ago utterly obliterated, crushed into the dirt. This was a method belonging to legends, to gods.
"No…" she said, her tactical mind kicking in. "Even if they're rookies, they're not fools. Marking them so blatantly will just make them run. They won't stand there waiting. This method has a fatal flaw!"
Levi showed no concern. "We shall see. Let's start with the nearest one."
He began walking toward the closest Reiatsu pillar. As he moved, the terrifying Reiatsu continued to emanate from him, the light-blue and black energy swirling around his form like a noble mantle. He looked like a deity who had casually stepped out of myth.
Though the pressure wasn't directed at the Marines, simply looking at him for too long began to induce a sense of dizziness and deep awe.
Gion's breathing hitched. That feeling—the sensation of being on the precipice of a breakthrough, of her sword spirit being honed against an impossible force—was returning, stronger, more tangible…
"Why are you staring? I know I'm handsome, but you should be more reserved, girl." Levi's voice, suddenly turning to her, shattered her concentrated state.
"You narcissistic bastard! Can't you just be quiet?!" Gion snapped, furious. She'd been so close! The elusive feeling was gone again.
"The world is upside down. An adjutant dares to shout at her superior?" Levi remarked, more curious than offended. A woman's temper… probably that time of the month. Best to let it go.
"Hmph. If you keep moving at this leisurely pace, I'd like to see how you explain to Fleet Admiral Sengoku when all your targets escape!" Gion's face flushed slightly. The superior-subordinate relationship was real, and she was the one who had volunteered. Undermining him in front of the troops wasn't right. But he'd started it!
As she spoke, she began issuing orders, directing Marine squads to flank left and right, converging on the location of the nearest light beam. This way, if the pirate tried to flee laterally, they'd run into the cordon. Only escape straight back would be possible.
Levi seemed utterly unconcerned with that possibility. Gion decided to follow and see what trick he had up his sleeve.
As they neared the brilliant pillar of light, the scene that greeted them made the Marines gasp in renewed shock.
"Is this…?!"
"The 'Gang' Capone Bege. Bounty… 130 million Berries, was it?" Levi asked, glancing at his adjutant as if checking a grocery list.
Gion wiped a bead of sweat from her temple. "One hundred and thirty-eight million, to be precise."
"Close enough. I am officially notifying you," Levi said, looking down at the figure pinned to the ground beneath the blazing pillar, "that you are under arrest."
"Damn it!! What the hell is this?!" Bege's voice was a strained, furious gasp from where he was pressed flat into the soil. "This light… it's so heavy! It's crushing my body, my soul! I can't move at all!" He was seething with disbelief. He'd navigated the Grand Line, overcome countless dangers, only to be defeated by… a ray of light? He'd tried to resist, to keep his fortress-body upright, but the pillar's weight was impossible. It had crushed his limbs against the ground with sickening crunches. Now he was spread-eagled, utterly immobilized. Only a handful of his most loyal crew remained nearby, frozen in horror; the rest had fled when the unnatural light descended.
"A bloodless weapon…" a Marine whispered in awe.
The implication dawned on them all. "Could it be… all the other Supernovas were caught like this?!" The thought was staggering.
Then, a powerful, swelling pride and confidence surged through the Marine ranks. They looked at their young, seemingly nonchalant Admiral with new eyes.
The Fourth Admiral… the thought resonated through them. Incredible!
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