The explosions continued for a long time before gradually ceasing.
Splash~
Splash~
The Sea Dragon Twister finally subsided, allowing seawater to refill the massive crater beneath the ocean's surface.
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
Two figures emerged, each standing in the sky, their auras having diminished to the extreme.
Brian gasped for breath, a massive wound visible on his chest. Through the injury, one could see his still-beating heart and other organs. The state of Life Return had long since faded. Now, he could only rely on his body's natural instincts to recover, a process far slower than before. Nevertheless, numerous tiny flesh buds rapidly formed around his wound, gradually reducing its size.
In contrast, Sengoku's condition was more complicated. Nearly half of his hair had turned gray, and faint wrinkles had appeared on his face. Despite Brian constantly calling him an old man, Sengoku was only thirty years old. His strength was still in a phase of rapid growth, not yet having reached its true peak. This exhausted state was clear evidence of how recklessly he had compressed his potential and lifespan during the previous battle. Otherwise, such an absurd situation would never have occurred. Even if Sengoku could recover in the future, the lost lifespan was irreversible. Moreover, this overexertion would likely force his eventual peak strength to regress by one level.
A similarly massive wound on his chest, through which organs were clearly visible, was slowly healing at a sluggish pace.
"Hah, hah~"
"I actually failed."
Looking at his hands, Sengoku felt his heart turn to ash. It was over. His body could no longer hold out, and he began to fall toward the sea. Just before he hit the water, a figure flashed by, catching him and bringing him aboard another ship.
"Vice Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Sengoku, are you all right?" A tall man in combat gear shook Sengoku, worried he might have actually died. If that happened, the Fiore Kingdom would have a hard time explaining itself to the Marine Headquarters and even the World Government.
Indeed, the reinforcements from the Fiore Kingdom had arrived.
The man who saved Sengoku was the Great General of the Fiore Kingdom, Fiore Caesar. With strength at the early Admiral level, he was the strongest warrior in the nation. Upon receiving Sengoku's request for aid, the King of Fiore had been extremely reluctant to send troops—especially to rescue a Celestial Dragon. However, even as king, he could not completely disregard the nation's safety. Left with no choice, he dispatched the Great General and several other powerful fighters, who rushed to the scene at top speed. The deployment of three large warships was quite the spectacle.
"Cough, pfft~"
"I'm fine. Please help me up."
After spitting out a mouthful of stagnant blood, Sengoku seemed slightly better. Once standing, he looked across at Brian, who was still hovering in the air, his wounds healing. Sengoku couldn't help but sigh inwardly—time waits for no one. He was only thirty, yet he had been consistently bested by Brian, who was clearly much younger. The world was changing too fast.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Sengoku composed himself before asking, "May I know your name, sir?"
"Senior officer of the Rocks Pirates, Beast Brian."
"Beast Brian, is it? I'll remember you."
Sengoku meant that he wouldn't just remember Brian—he'd make sure Brian remembered this until his dying day.
This was a name he had never heard before.
But Sengoku believed that after today, this name would surely spread throughout the entire world.
Such a terrifying combat power appearing out of nowhere, and a senior officer of the Rocks Pirates—a notorious pirate crew that thrived on chaos.
He estimated that even the current Fleet Admiral Kong would have trouble sleeping after this.
"This war ends with our navy's defeat. I concede."
With these words, the Fiore Sea Battle was officially declared over.
However, matters were not completely settled.
"But you must know that the Celestial Dragon you captured is a descendant of Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders."
"The World Government will never tolerate anyone laying hands on a Celestial Dragon. Our navy will not let the Rocks Pirates get away with this."
"Come and try if you dare!"
"The Rocks Pirates have never feared anyone! A mere Celestial Dragon—stop trying to intimidate us, you old fool! Zehahaha!"
Shiki appeared beside Brian, directly refuting Sengoku's statement.
"Since you didn't kill Saint Naya directly, it means you must have some purpose."
"State your conditions. I can relay them to the World Government."
The worst outcome had already occurred—anything that followed would be relatively good news.
Sengoku could only comfort himself with this thought, though he felt utterly uncertain.
He couldn't predict how Rocks might exploit having Saint Naya in his possession. That man was a madman.
Unfortunately, circumstances forced his hand. With a Celestial Dragon in the enemy's grasp, negotiations were inevitable.
Sengoku also believed the World Government would support his approach, as long as the Celestial Dragon's life could be preserved.
The consequences of a Celestial Dragon being captured and ransomed were vastly different from those of one being killed outright.
Of course, all this was predicated on Saint Naya's significant background.
If it were an ordinary Celestial Dragon, the World Government might not have cared at all.
After ransoming the Celestial Dragon, the World Government had countless ways to downplay the incident and erase it from public memory.
With control over the media, they could twist the truth effortlessly—it wouldn't be a major issue.
They could later use the Celestial Dragon as an excuse to purge the Grand Line, thus maintaining the Celestial Dragons' authority.
"Zehahaha! This is the first time you navy folks have been so straightforward about negotiating with us."
"Celestial Dragons are really damn useful, huh? We should've targeted them sooner."
Shiki's remark was offhand—previously, they never had such favorable conditions, nor had they managed to capture a high-ranking Celestial Dragon alive.
Normally, Celestial Dragons only operated in the first half of the Grand Line, which was firmly under navy and World Government control.
At most, they visited Sabaody Archipelago, where they faced minimal danger.
This time, it was only because Saint Naya had recklessly ventured into the New World that they happened to cross paths—a sheer coincidence.
After this incident, capturing another Celestial Dragon would require venturing into the first half of the Grand Line themselves.
"Enough nonsense. State your terms—I need to report back."
"No rush, no rush. After all, this is a Celestial Dragon. We still need to report to Captain Rocks."
"Gyahahaha, you Marines just wait for our notification. This haul is truly massive."
Shiki knew full well that this matter had to be discussed with Rocks - it all depended on his decision.
After all, he was the captain, so they couldn't proceed without consulting him.
Moreover, with Rocks bearing the brunt of the World Government's pressure upfront, things would be much easier for them.
Whoosh~
"Take this Den Den Mushi and wait for our call."
"That's all, now get lost, gyahahaha."
Shiki glanced at Brian beside him and, finding no objections from him,
waved his hand dismissively and tossed a Den Den Mushi to Sengoku.
He and Brian returned to the pirate ship, which then ascended into the sky.
Under the watchful eyes of Sengoku and the others, the pirate ship departed from the area, carrying vast treasures and the Celestial Dragon.