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"Phew…"
Letting out a long breath, Kyle looked down at the figure below him. Golden Lion Shiki lay there with his eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
All of Marineford had fallen silent.
Every gaze was fixed on that single figure in the air.
If, before this, there had still been doubts about Kyle's true strength when he captured Roger, with some insisting it was only because Roger had turned himself in, then what just happened erased all of that in one stroke.
Golden Lion Shiki had launched a surprise attack on Marineford, yet in his clash with Kyle, he was defeated in an astonishingly short time.
It was a slap in the face to every skeptic.
And it gave the world a brand-new understanding of just how terrifying Kyle really was.
Looking at Marineford now, nearly half of it had been swallowed by frozen tidal waves. Slash marks crisscrossed the ground, shattered buildings littered the area, and destruction was everywhere.
The scene alone was enough to make one's heart race. It spoke volumes about how brutal the battle had been.
Kyle slowly lifted his head and swept his gaze across the surroundings. A faint smile appeared on his face.
This fight with Golden Lion had been exactly what he wanted. A real test of his current strength.
Six Powers. Armament Haki. Conqueror's Haki, fully mastered. Combined with the overwhelming destructive force of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the support of his lightning domain, his power had truly reached the very top of the world.
While his domain's perception wasn't as refined as Observation Haki in some aspects, it more than made up for it overall, filling in the gaps and pushing his combat ability even further.
"Boom!"
At a mere thought, the thunderclouds overhead roiled violently. Countless bolts of lightning branched downward, twisting and crawling through the air.
"Tap tap tap tap!"
Dense footsteps echoed as large numbers of Marines hurried over, tense and alert.
When they saw the tall, imposing figure at the center of the battlefield, lightning arcs dancing around his body, awe rose unbidden in their eyes.
"Vice Admiral Kyle!"
There was no doubt about it. In terms of pure combat power, this young officer had already reached the same level as Sengoku and Zephyr.
After witnessing this battle firsthand, everyone present believed it was only a matter of time before Kyle became an admiral. It was all but guaranteed.
"Seastone cuffs," Kyle said, extending his hand.
A commissioned officer quickly stepped forward and offered them with both hands, his posture respectful.
"Thanks," Kyle said with a nod.
The officer trembled with excitement and hurriedly replied that it was nothing.
Kyle bent down and personally fastened the cuffs onto Golden Lion Shiki, then grabbed him in one swift motion.
Crack!
With a flash of lightning, Kyle vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Admiral Sengoku and Monkey D. Garp.
"This guy's going to Impel Down, right?" Kyle asked with a smile."Teacher Garp. Admiral Sengoku."
"That's right," Sengoku nodded, smiling back. "Need any help?"
Even though Kyle was his old friend's disciple, Sengoku now regarded him with genuine respect. Strength-wise, Kyle had reached a level where he stood shoulder to shoulder with them.
"Let the kid handle it," Garp said with a loud laugh. "This is his prize, after all."
Kyle nodded. "Leave it to me. It's simple enough."
As soon as he finished speaking, his body flickered. A bolt of lightning shot straight up into the dark clouds, then sharply turned at a right angle and streaked toward Impel Down.
"A Logia user. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit," Sengoku murmured as he watched the lightning disappear into the distance."That fruit's destructive power is among the strongest there is."
Garp just laughed heartily.
"Your disciple's careful," Sengoku continued, his tone serious."His growth and control over his strength have all followed a precise plan. He only ate that fruit after pushing his physical skills and Haki as far as they could go."
"He's grown up," Garp said with a wide grin. "I can't manage him anymore."
"You should still keep an eye on your students from time to time," Sengoku said, turning to face his old friend."If he gets reckless in his youth and walks the wrong path, it'll be too late to regret it."
"Whatever road he chooses, that's his freedom," Garp replied casually."As a Marine, I might feel disappointed or frustrated. But as his teacher, all I can do is respect and support him."
Then he added, still smiling, "And I believe in Kyle. He's a good man with his own convictions."
At the entrance to Impel Down.
Boom!
Thunder exploded at the harbor. Two rows of prison guards stood in perfect formation, snapping even straighter when the figure emerged from the lightning.
"Vice Admiral Kyle!" someone shouted, saluting sharply.
Kyle nodded in return and walked forward, Golden Lion Shiki slung in his grip, all the way to the gates of Impel Down.
Waiting there was a towering man nearly five meters tall, with two black horns protruding from his head.
Judging by his appearance, it could only be Magellan.
"Vice Admiral Kyle, hello," Magellan said in a deep, muffled voice."I am Magellan, Deputy Warden of Impel Down. I received orders from headquarters to take custody of the prisoner you've brought."
As he spoke, his eyes carefully studied Kyle.
They weren't far apart in age. If anything, Kyle looked even younger. Yet the strength he had displayed in battle was likely far beyond Magellan's own.
The fact that Kyle stood in front of him without even wearing a gas mask made that clear.
Even Marine HQ's vice admirals usually kept their distance during prisoner handovers. The guards nearby had already put on their masks and were holding their breath.
"This is Golden Lion Shiki," Kyle said with a smile."Deputy Warden Magellan, please escort him to Level Six of Impel Down."
He loosened his grip and tossed Shiki onto the ground.
Lightning crackled around Kyle, snapping and popping as it obliterated every trace of poisonous gas drifting toward him.
"Leave it to me," Magellan said, nodding.
Kyle watched as Magellan hoisted Golden Lion under one arm. With a final nod, Kyle vanished in a flash of lightning.
Magellan looked up at the fading arc of electricity in the sky, a hint of gravity and wariness flashing through his eyes.
There was no doubt about it. That young vice admiral, whom he had only met briefly, carried an aura that felt dangerously overwhelming. His strength was anything but ordinary.
Golden Lion Shiki has been captured!!
Marineford wasn't the only place thrown into an uproar. The news spread like wildfire, sweeping across the entire world.
When pirates everywhere heard it, silence fell.
This was a crushing blow to the momentum pirates had only just begun to regain.
Three legendary pirates. In a short span of time, two had already been captured by the Marines.
And then, not long after, another piece of shocking news exploded across the seas.
The man who captured Golden Lion Shiki was named Kyle.
Yes. The very same Kyle who, not long ago, was rumored to have captured the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
"..."
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