After helping Vegapunk apply for additional funding and materials from the higher authorities, Kizaru did not linger long with the science division.
Soon enough, he set sail once more, heading back toward Marineford.
The final decisive battle was drawing near.
Standing at the bow of the warship, Kizaru gazed out at the raging, endless sea, this thought lingering in his mind.
Although he did not know exactly why the government had ordered the doctor to research a new form of energy, Kizaru had a strong premonition that the moment this new energy was completed would be the moment the final war truly began.
The reason was simple. The government placed far too much importance on the doctor's research. Every few days, they would send someone to inspect the progress.
As for any request Vegapunk made, it was met without hesitation. There was never any delay, let alone outright refusal.
Perhaps the government was hiding some kind of secret weapon.
Otherwise, it was hard to imagine how they could possibly defeat that man—Ian.
Having personally experienced the battle with Ian six years ago, Kizaru understood better than anyone just how terrifying that man was.
And now, another six years had passed. Back then, Ian had not even reached adulthood. By now, he must have grown even stronger.
Without a sufficiently powerful trump card, Kizaru truly had no idea how victory could be wrested from Ian's hands.
Unless…
Kizaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Should he apply for early retirement?
If the World Government were to lose, then as an admiral of Marine Headquarters, surviving peacefully in a timeline where the Beasts Pirates emerged victorious would likely be extremely difficult.
But if he resigned now, what would he do about his retirement pension in the future?
Truly troublesome.
Amid Kizaru's inner conflict, the warship smoothly returned to Marineford.
Even though several more years had passed, this great fortress of justice showed little change.
At the wide harbor, massive warships stood in dense formation. The countless masts rising straight into the air already formed something like a forest.
Among the wooden sail-powered warships, there were also a handful of ironclad vessels mixed in.
Over the past few years, the Beasts Pirates had constructed several enormous metal ships, serving as personal flagships for their top executives.
Naturally, the World Government was unwilling to fall behind and had begun competing in this area as well.
Aside from the ironclad ships, the most eye-catching sight was undoubtedly the rows of fighter aircraft parked in the plaza.
If nothing else, the government's aerial forces had expanded dramatically over the past few years.
Now, under Marine Headquarters, a proper and fully established air force had finally been formed.
Although it sounded a little strange to say that the air force was directly under the navy, that was simply how things were in reality.
Looking at everything before him, Kizaru couldn't help but feel a trace of emotion.
Over the past few years, the World Government could be said to have spared no expense in expanding the navy's military power.
The New World had slipped out of control, and major pirates were running rampant in the North Blue and West Blue as well. Government tax revenue had already dropped significantly.
Yet military spending had increased dramatically.
As one fell and the other rose, the World Government's finances grew extremely tight.
And to ease this situation, the measure the government chose was naturally to raise taxes.
In these past few years, the seas under the government's rule had hardly been peaceful either.
Fortunately, the navy's strength had indeed expanded by a great margin, more than enough to easily suppress this unrest.
Sigh… If the Beasts Pirates aren't defeated soon, even bigger trouble is bound to appear.
Kizaru sighed inwardly.
"LUFFY!!"
A furious roar suddenly echoed from the distance.
Kizaru saw a black-haired kid laughing loudly as he came charging over.
He looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, but his speed was astonishing.
With every step, his body flickered forward dozens of meters. In the blink of an eye, he had sprinted from the far side of the plaza to right near Kizaru.
When the boy saw Kizaru, who had just disembarked, his eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh! Uncle Kizaru!"
"It's Luffy, huh."
Kizaru greeted the boy with a cheerful smile.
"Causing trouble again?"
"Hehehe!"
The boy grinned widely, revealing two rows of bright white teeth, his expression full of simple, carefree charm.
"Grandpa wants me to join the navy again. No way I'm doing that!"
Kizaru couldn't help but shake his head with an amused smile.
"Honestly, who would've thought it? The grandson of the legendary Marine hero actually wants to become a pirate."
"Hehehe!"
The boy, who had been hearing such words for years at Marineford, simply laughed it off.
As expected of Vice Admiral Garp's grandson, Dragon's son.
Just like his father and grandfather, he cared about nothing else, stubbornly clinging to the will in his heart, something no one could ever change.
But still…
Now that Garp had dragged him back to his side, where would he ever find the chance to become a pirate?
Besides—
Kizaru thought to himself.
After the final battle between the Beasts Pirates and the World Government, whether pirates would even still exist in this world would be a question in itself.
"Borsalino!"
A booming, powerful voice rang out from the back of the plaza.
"You came back at just the right time! Hurry up and help this old man catch that little brat!"
"Well, in that case, there's nothing I can do."
Kizaru immediately turned toward the boy and flashed a distinctly malicious grin.
"W–Wow! Monkey Kizaru, are you going to help Grandpa?!"
Fourteen-year-old Luffy's expression changed drastically. In a flash, his figure blurred as he tried to flee toward one side of the harbor.
"Too slow, Luffy."
The boy's Shave technique had indeed been polished to near perfection. With a single step, he could leap dozens of meters away.
But that level of speed was still far too slow for Kizaru.
He transformed into light, streaking forward. In the next instant, his body condensed again, and as his right arm stretched out, he directly grabbed the back of Luffy's collar.
"Don't get in my way, Uncle Kizaru!"
Luffy twisted around, his right arm already coated in pitch-black Haki, and swung a furious punch straight at Kizaru.
"Gomu Gomu no… Meteor!"
Despite always talking about how much he disliked his grandpa, he had, in truth, inherited Garp's style completely.
Kizaru chuckled softly, tilting his head to evade the punch, then forcefully flung the kid toward Vice Admiral Garp's direction.
"Waaaaahhh!"
The boy screamed as he spun through the air, flying backward.
But he quickly stabilized himself, kicking off the air itself as he ran wildly through the sky.
As expected of Vice Admiral Garp's grandson—such astonishing talent.
At only fourteen years old, he had already trained the Six Powers to near mastery, and his use of both Armament and Observation Haki was remarkably smooth.
Compared to Ian at the same age, he was still far inferior, but even so, many veteran officers at Marineford now were already no match for this boy.
However, no matter how gifted he was, the one chasing him at this moment was a monster in the truest sense of the word.
Before he could even take two steps in the air, a massive hand pressed down on the back of his head from behind.
**********
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