Chapter 14: The Weight of Ambition
"Is this… even possible? Is this something a human can do?" a Marine sergeant whispered, his voice trembling with awe.
"Admiral Black Crow… is incredible!" a Major exclaimed, his eyes wide. A superior officer of his had once led a failed hunt for Capone Bege and paid with his life.
"Black Crow? The new Admiral?!" Bege managed to tilt his head, his eyes finally focusing on the youthful face looking down at him. His mental fortitude, already strained, nearly shattered. Of all the luck! To run into a Marine Admiral! And this new one… what kind of monster is he?!
His remaining loyal crew tried to put up a fight as Marines moved in to secure them, but the struggle was brief and hopeless. They were quickly subdued.
Click. The cold, definitive sound of seastone handcuffs snapping shut around Bege's wrists echoed in the sudden quiet. Levi pulled him free from the dissipating pillar of light, officially taking him into custody.
"I'm not… I won't accept this!" Bege rasped, fury and humiliation warring in his voice. "I demand a fair fight! Face me properly!" To be captured without even trading a single blow… even against an Admiral, it was a disgrace. His ambition to become Pirate King felt mocked, cut down before it could truly begin.
"What are you thinking?" Levi asked, his tone devoid of mockery, simply stating a fact. "Fighting you holds no interest. I can crush you. Why would I fight you? You are a statistic on my record. You have no right to make demands. Take him away."
"Yes, sir!"
"Next," Levi said, already turning.
"Wait…" Gion's voice stopped him. Before he could ask why, she stepped directly into the space where the Reiatsu pillar had been, the residual energy still thick in the air.
Instantly, her back bent under an invisible weight. "It really is… incredibly heavy!" she grunted.
"Huh?!" Levi and the surrounding Marines stared, baffled. What was Vice Admiral Gion doing?
"Ah—!" A cry tore from Gion's throat as she unleashed her full power. Armament Haki blackened her skin, and sharp, cutting sword intent erupted from her body, clashing violently with the lingering spiritual pressure. She let out another strained, almost involuntary sound.
"Vice Admiral Gion," Levi said, a spark of genuine curiosity lighting his eyes. "Do you have… particular tastes?" He studied her with new interest. He never would have guessed the stern, powerful candidate Admiral had such a… unique method of training.
Gion, her hair disheveled, her body trembling with the effort of resisting the crushing force, glared at him. "What… are you implying?!" she managed through gritted teeth.
"What do you mean?" Levi countered, his head tilted.
"Don't look at me with that… that weird expression!" Gion's heart skipped a beat. What was that look on his face?
"I should be asking you that!"
"This… is beneficial for me!"
"Yeah, I know. You… enjoy this, right?"
"Enjoy it? That's… right! Ahem—!" A fit of coughing wracked her, and a trickle of blood escaped her lips. But the feeling, the pressure she sought, wasn't manifesting this time.
It seems it doesn't work every time, she thought with deep disappointment. She stepped back out of the concentrated zone, the fierce light in her eyes dimming slightly.
"Let's go. Next pirate," she said, brushing herself off, her voice returning to its professional coolness.
"My adjutant is a bit… unconventional," Levi mused, examining Gion properly for perhaps the first time. The long legs, the beauty mark, the determined eyes that held a hidden, well-guarded softness… and now this peculiar habit.
"You're the one who's not serious," Gion shot back, giving him a sidelong glance. The Admiral who lazes around, leaving everything to me, has the nerve to call me unconventional?
"If you like it that much… I don't share the hobby, but if you insist, I suppose I could accommodate…" Levi began, genuinely pondering the logistics.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know… that thing. For a woman…"
"Hey! Speak clearly!"
Their bickering was cut short as they arrived at the next location. The scene was bizarre.
"Hey, look! Isn't that 'Big Eater' Jewelry Bonney? Bounty 140 million? Why is she just lying there?"
"Should we… you know, take advantage?"
"Idiot! We're bounty hunters! We capture her for the money!"
"You're right!" One hunter drew his weapon and started forward, only to be yanked back by a companion.
"Don't! Look at the bodies around her! They had the same idea. They all died suddenly—internal injuries, by the looks of it. It's unnatural."
"Creepy…"
Bonney lay pinned to the ground, her signature heart-shaped lips pressed tight against the dirt. She struggled, muscles straining, but couldn't even lift her head. The pressure was absolute.
Is this the Conqueror's Haki they talked about? she thought, her mind reeling. But I've never heard of Haki being used like this… a cage of pure pressure!
"Whoever… you are… coward! Show yourself!" she snarled into the earth, her spirit unbowed even in helplessness. To be controlled like this and then left exposed was the ultimate insult.
"Protect the captain!" her few conscious crewmates yelled, forming a shaky defensive circle.
"That's…! That's the new Fourth Admiral, Black Crow! And the candidate Admiral Gion! My god, what kind of lineup is this? Is the Celestial Dragon's influence really this strong?!" a stunned onlooker whispered as Levi and his entourage approached.
Levi stopped before the immobilized pirate. "Jewelry Bonney," he stated, his voice carrying formal finality. "You are under arrest."
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