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The wind howled as massive amounts of mist rushed toward them. The sudden change in air pressure caused everyone to feel a powerful sense of dizziness.
"We're dead! We're definitely dead!"
Usopp let out a despairing groan.
Chopper's eyes were spinning in circles, while Nami tightly clutched the object beside her, refusing to let go.
The Going Merry clung closely to the surface of the ascending water column. Its extended wings trembled rapidly under the force of the air currents, making it seem as though it were truly flying.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
At this moment, the only person still capable of laughing was Luffy.
Sitting on the bow, one hand holding down his straw hat, he enjoyed the thrill of the ship soaring skyward at incredible speed and burst into hearty laughter.
"Huh?!"
"What's that over there?"
By chance, Luffy glanced back and twisted his neck to look down at the sea below.
There, not far from where they had been moments ago, was a battleship.
Despite the violent updraft, it was sailing steadily through the waters.
What surprised Luffy even more was that several figures aboard the ship were people he recognized.
"Crocodile?!"
"And Smoker!"
The more he looked, the more astonished he became, and a trace of seriousness appeared in his eyes. The identities of those two should have made them enemies, yet they were standing on the same battleship.
Even more interesting was the fact that Crocodile was currently dressed in a Marine uniform.
In an instant, Luffy's brain nearly short-circuited.
He hurriedly called out to his companions, but none of them dared open their eyes. Only Zoro managed to reply.
"Gu-lu gu-lu... don't... gu..."
Luffy grinned.
Zoro's face had been distorted by the fierce wind, twisted into a hilariously bizarre expression.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Another burst of laughter rang out.
Zoro shot his unreliable captain a ruthless glare before turning his head downward.
Propelled by the rising current, the Going Merry was ascending at an unbelievable speed. Everything below was rapidly shrinking away.
But the moment Zoro looked down, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Shock.
Joy.
Excitement.
A multitude of emotions appeared clearly in his eyes.
On the battleship below stood a cool and composed young woman with a ponytail and a sword at her waist.
She stood there quietly, looking up at him.
"Gu~~ Gu~~ Gu~ Gu~"
"Kuina!!" Zoro laughed loudly.
Even with the raging wind pouring into his mouth, he still managed to shout her name.
Then he saw the woman on the battleship place her hand on the hilt at her waist and draw her sword.
Immediately, Zoro understood her meaning.
With a laugh, he drew Wado Ichimonji from his waist and raised it high above his head.
Then he saw a smile appear on Kuina's face.
"It's a promise!!" Zoro roared toward the ship below. "The next time we meet, I'll definitely defeat you!!"
The wind grew even stronger.
The Going Merry accelerated faster and faster.
Kuina's figure gradually became blurred and distorted. Yet before the people on the battleship became nothing more than tiny black dots, Zoro saw the woman's lips move.
As though she were saying: "The winner will definitely be me!"
Zoro sheathed his sword and turned to look toward the ever-nearing sky.
"You're still exactly the same as back then."
"Never willing to give an inch."
"But I won't lose!"
The image of his battle against the World's Strongest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, appeared faintly before his eyes.
Determination flashed within them.
From that day onward, he had made a promise to someone.
For the rest of his life… He would never be defeated again.
The Going Merry continued to climb higher and higher. The smile on Zoro's face lingered for a long time. He could no longer remember how many years it had been since she had left And now, at long last, he had finally met his childhood best friend again.
Bang!
A muffled gunshot rang out.
The waves crashed violently against the raft, causing it to sway fiercely as the wind roared past.
Kojin stood atop the mast, looking down from above.
A hole had once again appeared in the center of his forehead.
Yet amid crackling arcs of electricity, it rapidly healed.
With a metallic ding, the bullet fell into his hand.
At this point, there were already two bullets resting in his right palm.
"Heh heh~ Timid and cautious on the surface, yet bold and decisive at heart. Were you trying to numb my vigilance with that cowardly appearance?"
His eyes remained fixed on Blackbeard.
As for everyone else, they seemed completely unworthy of his attention.
Van Augur's expression was ugly, his heart filled with gravity. His strongest attack had failed to inflict even the slightest injury upon this man.
What angered him even more was that after taking two shots, Kojin still hadn't paid him the slightest attention, as though his existence had been completely ignored.
"When facing a man like you… No one would dare be careless… Admiral Kojin!" Marshall D. Teach gritted his teeth.
Since he had chosen to make his move, there was no longer any point in hiding.
From the moment Van Augur fired that first shot, reconciliation between the two sides had become impossible.
Most importantly, he understood this man.
Among all the Marines, Kojin was the only one he had ever seen who possessed the courage to charge alone into enemy territory.
Such boldness was unmatched.
"Your man shot at me twice." Kojin remained standing atop the mast, looking down at them.
"I'll return those two shots to you."
A faint smile curved his lips.
One of the bullets in his palm suddenly trembled. He pinched it between his thumb and middle finger.
At that very second, Marshall D. Teach's expression changed drastically, and he instantly dodged to the side.
The moment he moved, brilliant arcs of lightning burst from the bullet between Kojin's fingers.
Then, with a casual flick of his thumb… The bullet shot forward.
Bang!
It was hard to imagine that a bullet fired from between someone's fingers could produce a thunderous boom comparable to a cannon.
Even more unbelievable was its speed.
It was practically lightning itself.
In a flash, the bullet had already reached Marshall Teach and tore straight through him with terrifying force.
Pfft!
Teach's body trembled, and with a thud, he collapsed onto the deck.
Blood rapidly poured from his shoulder, accompanied by a pig-slaughtering scream of agony.
"AAAAAHHHHH! It hurts!! It hurts so much!!" Marshall Teach rolled around continuously. The intense pain brought tears and snot streaming down his face.
Van Augur and the others changed expressions and were about to rush over. But not far behind them, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the sea.
"Y-You've got to be kidding me?!"
Burgess turned around and stared at the enormous column of seawater spiraling upward, rapidly forming a mushroom-shaped plume visible to the naked eye.
His heart trembled with fear.
"Was that caused by that bullet?"
Van Augur's entire body stiffened.
Even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined that a shot of his could produce such a result.
Turning back to look at the lightning-shrouded man standing atop the mast, he felt as though he were gazing upon a god.
No wonder Teach feared him so much!
"That was the second one."
At that moment, the indifferent voice sounded again from above. Accompanied by flashes of lightning, another bullet wrapped in blue electrical arcs shot forth.
In an instant, it unleashed overwhelming power.
This bullet was also aimed at Marshall Teach.
Neither Van Augur, Burgess, Lafitte, nor Doc Q could react. But to everyone's surprise, the Blackbeard who had been lying on the deck suddenly rolled sideways at the very last moment before impact.
Pfft!
The bullet pierced through his body, blasted through the raft beneath him, and plunged into the sea below at an angle, disappearing into the distance.
"HURTS!!"
Two seconds later, another earth-shaking scream rang out.
Marshall Teach clutched his other shoulder.
Fresh blood dyed his palm red, while sweat covered his face and forehead. The miserable cries lasted for more than ten seconds before finally subsiding into heavy panting.
Kojin stood quietly atop the mast, looking down at the rolling, screaming Blackbeard.
His expression did not change in the slightest.
He was not in a hurry to act.
Instead, he was curious.
Without question, Blackbeard was one of the people who had hidden his true strength most deeply during the early era.
Beneath that rough and uncouth appearance was a powerful heart filled with patience, cruelty, greed, and boundless ambition.
For the sake of a single goal, he had been able to lurk in the shadows for more than twenty years, and upon finally seeing the Devil Fruit of his dreams, he had struck down a former crewmate without the slightest hesitation.
Furthermore, his concealed strength had been sufficient to leave scars on Red-Haired Shanks during their clash.
"Teach. In front of me, there's no need to keep hiding, or do you think your hidden strength is enough to deal with me?" Kojin said calmly.
Hearing this, Marshall Teach took a deep breath before suddenly raising his head and grinning.
"I never intended to be your enemy, Admiral Kojin!" As he inhaled deeply, black smoke emerged from both of his wounded shoulders, seemingly devouring and absorbing something.
"Look. My subordinate fired two shots, and I've already endured the pain of your two bullets."
Spreading his hands, Teach wore a sincere expression.
"How about we let this matter end here?"
Kojin narrowed his eyes.
Seeing that the man was still restraining himself even now, he couldn't help but laugh.
"I underestimated you."
With a soft sigh, his figure flickered. The next instant, he appeared directly in front of Marshall Teach and his crew.
"People with great ambition, when lacking sufficient strength, usually disguise themselves as harmless. The way you are now vaguely reminds me of a certain version of myself."
Teach's eyes flickered.
His body sank slightly.
"And those kinds of people… are the most dangerous."
Kojin suddenly raised his right hand.
Lightning intertwined around his fingers and palm, gathering in an instant into a dazzling pillar of thunder.
"There's something I've always been curious about."
"Even now, you're still holding back."
"Is it because you're not confident you can surpass me?"
"Or is it..."
The pillar of thunder suddenly burst forward, surging toward Marshall Teach.
At such close range, it was nearly impossible to dodge.
"...that you're trying to make me lower my guard?"
"So that you can wait for the perfect opportunity… and deliver a fatal blow in a single strike?"
His soft sigh echoed through the air.
The thunder pillar roared past and struck the sea beyond, instantly vaporizing huge amounts of water and sending countless currents of electricity racing through the ocean.
Soon, the lightning faded.
Van Augur and the others stood frozen in place.
None of them dared move.
Marshall Teach, however… had vanished.
Suddenly… Kojin's eyebrows twitched.
A smile appeared on his face.
"So… It was the latter."
The moment his words fell, a pair of hands locked tightly onto his shoulders from behind.
"Zehahahaha! You got careless… Kojin!!"
(End of Chapter)