Rat‑a‑tat‑tat!
A large group of Marines crowded around the water's edge, firing wildly into the pool.
The Second Lieutenant's face was grim. He had already realized that the second suspect was very likely the true killer of the Celestial Dragon.
He had already reported the situation to his superiors.
Yet, he had still let them slip away.
Bullets rained down, rippling the surface, but none seemed to hit their mark.
"Foolish! Two mere humans trying to dive into the deep sea? Just wait right here!" the officer roared.
A normal person could only hold their breath for so long. Even if this waterway connected to the ocean floor, they would still need enough oxygen to survive.
His only worry was that a resin‑coated ship might already be waiting for them below. But even if they were part of a larger gang… the ground here, though thin, was still a barrier.
Unless they were Fish‑men, it would take an ordinary human an incredibly long time to dive that deep. There was a very high chance they had already drowned.
Beneath the surface, Oboro pulled Dom deeper and deeper.
The space between the earth walls widened the further they went. Small fish began to swim past them, confirming Oboro had chosen the right spot.
Suddenly, the dim underwater world turned blindingly bright. Oboro's pupils contracted sharply. He looked up toward the source of the light — the opening on the surface. A dazzling beam pierced straight down from far above, illuminating the depths so intensely it nearly blinded him.
Kizaru!
He's here!
Oboro's heart pounded. He instantly swam faster.
Back on land, before the Marines could even react, a figure materialized out of floating particles of light. Clad in his signature yellow striped suit, the Admiral stood smiling down at the water. He raised one finger, a ball of light forming at the tip.
Without a word, he fired dozens of beams straight down into the depths.
Within seconds, Kizaru had unleashed at least fifty blasts.
And he didn't just fire straight down. He adjusted the trajectories, striking the soil and rock formations on both sides of the channel. The ground beneath everyone's feet trembled violently, and the once‑clear water turned instantly murky and thick with debris.
He had destroyed the structural foundation beneath the pool, sending tons of mud, rock, and earth crashing down onto the two fugitives.
He had arrived just in time. Even Fish‑men couldn't dive deep enough that fast. They were definitely still descending, with very little room to maneuver. They would be buried alive!
No way out.
"Hm… the water isn't turning red yet…" Kizaru stopped firing, crouched down, and waited.
Seeing the water churned up but free of blood, he pursed his lips in disappointment.
"How dreadful… Did they manage to escape?"
"Or perhaps… they were eaten already…"
He stroked his chin, musing aloud. "If I can't find the bodies… how am I supposed to explain this to those Celestial Dragons?"
"Admiral Kizaru!"
The Marines, led by the Second Lieutenant, immediately saluted.
Kizaru waved his hand dismissively, stood up, and asked for a full report.
Hearing the details, he adjusted his glasses and sighed. "Unless they were Fish‑men… it's practically impossible. Even if they reached the deep sea, without oxygen, they couldn't possibly swim far enough to get outside the archipelago's range… The World Government has confirmed there were only two of them… no accomplices. Meaning no one was waiting to rescue them down there. Probably couldn't bear the thought of being captured again… and chose to end it themselves."
"Even Fish‑men face different water pressure depending on the depth… It's never completely safe. And the foundation of Sabaody is incredibly vast…" Kizaru added casually.
Suddenly, his Den Den Mushi buzzed inside his coat.
He pulled it out and answered.
"Mushi‑mushi…" he drawled lazily.
The snail's expression turned deadly serious, and a heavy voice boomed out.
"How goes it?"
It was the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku.
"Ah… arrived just a tiny bit too late. They dove into the water," Kizaru replied calmly, scratching his head.
"YOU—!!"
The snail's face flushed bright red with rage.
"Though… they're likely dead by now. You might want to send divers to retrieve the remains. Provided the Celestial Dragons are satisfied with just corpses," Kizaru swiftly changed his tone.
Suddenly, the Marines nearby looked excited.
Because… red streaks were beginning to float up from below.
Blood.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sengoku's angry tone softened slightly.
Kizaru reported the situation in detail.
...
Meanwhile, deep in the murky depths, Oboro and Dom shot upwards like two small fish escaping from the sludge.
Huge rocks had just crashed down around them — it had been extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, Oboro's physical constitution had been enhanced significantly, and combined with his hyper‑acute senses, he had barely managed to survive. But they were alive mainly because the channel had widened, giving them enough clearance. If it had been a narrow fissure, they would have been crushed or buried instantly.
This escape route he'd chosen was excellent… it had essentially saved their lives.
However, Dom's condition was critical.
Oboro glanced back. Dom's face was purple, his body covered in scrapes and bruises, his pupils dilated. He was on the verge of suffocation…
Oboro opened his mouth and released a bubble.
Strangely, it didn't float upward or burst. Instead, it formed a fist‑sized sphere that remained suspended in the water.
Oboro guided the bubble over Dom's nose and mouth, allowing him to breathe.
The Art of Qi Manipulation.
This wasn't just a simple air bubble.
It was condensed, controlled Qi — his own life force.
Back in the world of Hunter × Hunter, Oboro had already mastered the ability to control energy outside his body, not just within it. He could perform feats impossible for people of this world precisely because he wielded powers from another reality. That was his greatest asset.
And with his mastery over Qi, he himself could survive for long periods without breathing at all — total breath retention.
After absorbing the oxygen within, Dom's spirit recovered slightly.
Oboro smiled and continued guiding him deeper.
Before long, the sea creatures around them began to grow in size. Blood flowing from Dom's wounds attracted several large predators.
Yet whenever these beasts drew near, Oboro didn't need to lift a finger. A single sharp glance from him was enough to send them scattering in panic.
His spiritual abilities, though suppressed in this world, were far from useless.
Moreover, the will and intelligence of marine life were extremely weak — they had almost no resistance to such power.
But there was still another problem: water pressure.
As they descended to terrifying depths, Oboro felt his body grow incredibly heavy. His bones felt as though they were being ground to powder, making swimming exhausting… Dom was doing no better. Yet despite the slow pace, they continued sinking inch by inch.
Finally, the rocky walls of the archipelago's foundation vanished. They were surrounded by deep, silent, pitch‑black seawater.
Oboro used his spiritual perception to scan the surrounding energy fluctuations.
His eyes lit up. He began moving steadily toward a certain direction.
Moments later, a massive Sea King came into view.
It had the upper body of a giraffe, a head with long rabbit‑like ears, and the lower body of a fish with powerful fins and tail — a creature of bizarre and magnificent design.
Floating in the water next to it, Oboro and Dom looked no bigger than sesame seeds.
And this wasn't even a fully grown Sea King… merely a juvenile.
The beast seemed to have no interest in two tiny humans — not enough meat to fill a gap between its teeth. It was here only because a large school of smaller fish, drawn by the scent of blood, had gathered nearby.
This particular Sea King appeared docile… though when it opened its mouth to inhale the school of fish like a whale, revealing rows of razor‑sharp teeth, it was a terrifying sight nonetheless.
Its colossal eyes noticed the two tiny "specks" bobbing nearby… but paid them no mind.
Until… Oboro swam closer.
He pressed himself flat against the creature's massive head.
Reached out… and touched its rough, scaled skin.
Instantly, a wave of spiritual energy rippled outward from Oboro.
The Sea King's entire body shuddered as its consciousness was instantly overtaken and controlled.
"Open your mouth."
Oboro commanded directly with his mind, as if speaking a language the beast understood.
And the Sea King opened its cavernous, whirlpool‑like maw. The currents swirled violently, pulling Oboro and Dom straight inside.
The space within the creature's body was vast — far larger than Oboro could have imagined.
It was his first time attempting something like this.
His entire plan had rested on this idea: to use his spiritual powers to escape inside a Sea King.
Turning a monster into an "escape ship."
This was something the World Government and Marines would never, ever anticipate.
In this world — at least so far — no one was known to be able to communicate with, let alone command, Sea Kings. This was the unique advantage granted by his soul abilities.
As for Shirahoshi… she had yet to "awaken" or reveal her power, and no one knew of her existence yet.
…
Deep inside the beast's body, soaked and dripping, Oboro carried the unconscious Dom. He stumbled onto what served as "land" — the thick, fleshy tissue lining the creature's insides. He looked thoroughly battered; Dom was in even worse shape, appearing barely alive.
Dom's limbs were twisted, his bones warped by immense pressure. His internal organs had suffered severe trauma.
But he wasn't dead yet.
Oboro found the creature's lung cavity. He pierced one of the huge air sacs with his finger, releasing a rush of fresh, breathable oxygen.
Each sac was the size of a house, packed tightly together… The damage was negligible to a beast of this size.
But it meant life or death for them.
Oboro dumped Dom aside and sat heavily on the "ground," finally allowing his tense body to relax completely.
"Not bad… We actually made it."
He raised his hand, seeing his own fingers also twisted and deformed by pressure, and smiled in relief.
He had scouted the shipyard district beforehand… which was exactly how he knew their chances of escape were realistically possible.
"This… is only the beginning!"
Oboro grinned.
…
Elsewhere, Akainu and Aokiji, who were away on missions, both received urgent reports from Marine Headquarters.
They had been stationed in the New World, keeping watch over the Four Emperors.
Tensions had risen recently between the Big Mom Pirates and Whitebeard's forces.
It was a critical assignment. Normally, nothing could cut it short — after all, the Four Emperors were the greatest threat to the World Government. If war broke out, the consequences were unimaginable. The Marines had to be prepared. But the call they received shocked them both.
Sengoku ordered them to return immediately — ignore the Emperors for now.
"A Celestial Dragon was killed…"
Inside his cabin, Kuzan put down the Den Den Mushi and looked across at Sakazuki, who was smoking a cigar.
"The world is about to turn upside down."
Akainu narrowed his eyes and remained silent.
"Very well. I'm leaving now."
Without waiting for a response, Kuzan turned and walked away.
Though both were Admirals, the atmosphere between them was stiff, distant… almost cold.
They had never gotten along.
Everyone in the Marines knew their relationship.
Their methods, their principles, their very natures… were diametrically opposed, just like their Devil Fruit powers.
They had no rapport.
And within the Marines, they led different factions with opposing ideals.
They would never have been sent on a joint mission unless ordered personally by the Fleet Admiral.
Instead of riding his beloved bicycle, Aokiji boarded a separate warship and set sail back immediately.
And it wasn't just these two — every Marine officer deployed outside was recalled to Headquarters at once.
…
The next day, inside Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office at Marine Headquarters…
Though many officers hadn't yet returned, several high‑ranking figures had already gathered.
"Have divers been sent down to search for the bodies?" Sengoku asked, fingers interlaced, his face as dark as soot, staring at Kizaru.
"Search is ongoing…"
Kizaru nodded absently while picking at his ear.
Stacks of documents covered the desk. Prominently displayed were wanted posters and sketches of Oboro and Dom.
Also included were all clues and intelligence the World Government and Marines had gathered on the two.
Nearby, Sengoku's pet goat was munching happily on a pile of discarded papers.
"Even without bodies, we can't assume they escaped. They could have been eaten, swept away by currents… there are many possibilities."
"Based on current data, the survival probability is less than one percent," stated Tsuru, the silver‑haired Vice Admiral, calmly sipping tea from a cup while seated on a sofa opposite.
"Judging from their records, neither possesses great combat strength."
"However, their escape route and methods were clearly planned meticulously. Dodging our encirclement and pursuit likely relied heavily on his abilities…" She glanced briefly at Dom's wanted poster, referring to the space‑jumping power of his Devil Fruit.
"But that alone isn't enough… The route chosen was precise, timing perfect, as if they knew exactly how we deployed our forces. If I didn't know for certain he was once merely a slave and heir of a fallen kingdom, I'd suspect we have a mole within our ranks. To execute such a plan requires a rare combination of caution, boldness, and sharp intellect… It's impossible to connect this man with the powerless boy from before. His mental fortitude is terrifying."
"Someone like him would never choose suicide. He was absolutely confident he could kill a Celestial Dragon and escape Sabaody. If you hadn't arrived when you did… he might truly have succeeded. Even with you destroying the foundation… if by some miracle they survived, it only delays their inevitable death."
Tsuru's sharp eyes locked onto Kizaru.
Then she shifted the topic. "But speculating yields little now. What matters most for you… is how you intend to appease the Celestial Dragons' fury."
"The Marines bear a heavy responsibility for this incident."
Her words left the room in total silence.
"And we must also consider… how to deal with the fallout that will follow."
"With such chaos, involving so many people and powers, it's impossible to keep this secret. Knowing Morgans… the World Economy News Paper is likely already printing special editions as we speak…"
"..."
____________________
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