Aiden's words faded into the smoke.
Sakazuki's grip tightened. Magma dripped from his fists and burned into the broken ground.
Two days.
Two whole days.
Two Vice Admirals, both candidates for Admiral, had fought him for two days, yet they still had not taken him down. Instead, Aiden had mocked them for running out of stamina first.
Sakazuki could not accept it.
If a normal battle could not end this, then he would burn the battlefield down.
No matter the cost, he had to stop the man who had shaken the Marines' reputation here.
"Uraaaah!!"
Sakazuki lowered his head and shouted.
Rumble—
The ground shook violently.
This time, Sakazuki held nothing back. He fully released the awakened power of the Mag-Mag Fruit. The heat melted the ground beneath his feet into a crimson lake. Even the deeper rock layers began to crack.
Thick black smoke mixed with a sharp sulfur smell shot into the sky. Countless red cracks spread across the island's surface. Kalga Island shook under the heat.
Borsalino stepped back.
He felt the heat coming from under his feet.
"Hey, hey... Sakazuki, are you crazy?"
Borsalino looked toward the port.
If this continued, the entire island would sink.
But when he saw that Sakazuki had no intention of stopping, he sighed. Since things had come this far, if he did not help take Aiden down quickly, the result would only get worse.
"It really can't be helped..."
Borsalino turned into golden light and stopped hesitating. Dazzling light particles gathered at his fingertips as he prepared to help Sakazuki deliver the final strike.
Aiden felt the heat spreading under the island.
"Sakazuki, you madman..."
He cursed inwardly.
Just to take him down, Sakazuki actually planned to drag the entire island down with him?
He could not let that happen.
Bzzzt—
All the lightning rushed back and compressed around his twin swords.
The blue-white light darkened into purple.
Armament Haki wrapped around the blades without holding anything back. Within that edge of black and deep purple, a few streaks of red-and-black lightning sparked.
Aiden did not even notice it himself, but the red-and-black lightning made the blades buzz harder than before.
The three attacks gathered strength at the same time.
Once they clashed, no one knew whether the island beneath them would survive.
Right at that moment.
Aiden raised his head.
His Observation Haki caught a powerful burst of Haki above the clouds.
It was falling from the sky.
Right at that moment, Aiden raised his head.
His Observation Haki caught something moving above the clouds.
A dark figure broke through the dust-filled sky and fell straight toward the center of the battlefield.
He came down with his right fist pulled back, his arm covered in pitch-black Haki.
His fist slammed into the point where the three powers were about to collide.
Just one fist.
A punch wrapped in Conqueror's Haki smashed into the point where the three powers were about to collide.
Boom—!!!
A heavy crash shook the island.
The force slammed through Aiden's swords and into his arms. The lightning gathered on his blades shattered at once.
Aiden clenched his teeth. He crossed his twin swords in front of his chest, covered his body in Armament Haki, and planted his feet into the ground.
Bang!
The shockwave pushed him back. His feet carved two trenches several meters deep into the ground, dragging him dozens of meters away. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but he did not fall.
Sakazuki came out worse.
The magma he had been about to release was forced back into his body by the punch. He spat out blood and was smashed straight into the ground.
As for Borsalino, the Glint-Glint Fruit user known for his speed, he reacted the moment things went wrong.
He turned into light and retreated from the center before the punch fully exploded. The shockwave still blew his clothes around and left him looking messy, but he was the only one of the three who avoided most of the impact.
The ground split open.
A deep chasm tore through the battlefield from the point of impact, cutting the fighting sides apart.
The smoke cleared.
A figure wearing a Justice coat stood at the edge of the chasm.
He slowly pulled back his fist.
He looked over the destroyed town. His fist was still smoking, and he did not smile.
Clatter.
Crushed stones rolled down.
Sakazuki pushed away the boulder pinning him down and climbed up with blood on his face.
Magma still bubbled around him. He was still ready to attack.
"Who... Who is it?! I will..."
"What do you want to do, Sakazuki?"
The man turned around.
Sakazuki froze.
The boiling magma around him cooled down at once.
"Vice Admiral... Garp?"
"Stand down!"
Garp walked up to Sakazuki.
Sakazuki did not move as Garp approached.
"Look around you! Look at what you look like right now!"
Garp pointed at the cracked base of the island and shouted.
"What? Just because you can't catch one person, you want to drag the civilians of this entire island down with you to cover up your incompetence? Sakazuki!"
Those words stopped Sakazuki.
He opened his mouth, looked at the broken ground around him, and then looked at Aiden, who was still standing in the distance.
The rage that had pushed him this far finally met reality.
He was unwilling to accept it.
But he could not argue back.
"Yeah~ That really scared me to death~"
At the top of the ruins not far away, Borsalino re-formed. Seeing Garp's back, he finally let out a breath.
"Since Vice Admiral Garp is here, it seems this confusing battle can finally end~~"
Good thing he made it in time.
If he had been a little later, this whole island would probably have been sunk.
Garp turned away from Sakazuki and looked toward the ruins hundreds of meters away.
Aiden pushed away the rocks on his body, leaned on his twin swords, and slowly stood up.
His uniform was torn, and his chest rose and fell heavily, but his grip on the swords did not loosen.
Looking at this legendary Marine Hero, Aiden did not sheathe his swords right away.
He asked directly.
"Vice Admiral Garp, are you here to arrest me too?"
Hearing this, Garp paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Bwahahaha! You brat!"
"Was fighting those two not enough for you? Do you want to fight me too?"
Aiden understood.
He finally lowered his swords, gave a bitter smile, and played along:
"Come on now. I'm already barely standing. If you had arrived a moment later, I would probably be on my way to Impel Down to eat prison food."
"Cut the crap with me!"
Garp clicked his tongue.
Even though he cursed out loud, Garp looked Aiden over again.
On his way here, he had already learned that Sengoku had sent Borsalino first before contacting him.
At the time, he had thought Sengoku was overreacting. He even found it a little ridiculous.
With two Admiral candidates joining forces, he really could not think of anyone on this sea who could defeat them.
Even he himself, or that guy Whitebeard, would not dare say they could win for sure against those two Admiral candidates teaming up.
Unless it was that person from God Valley...
For a moment, Garp remembered God Valley.
He shook his head, pushed the thought away, and looked Aiden over again.
This kid... he was not even twenty years old.
He actually did it.
Garp sighed and waved him over.
"Alright, since you're not planning to fight, come back with me."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Back where? Are you planning to send me straight to Impel Down, Vice Admiral Garp?"
"Back to Marineford!"
Garp clicked his tongue.
"Look at all these injuries on you. What a mess! Even if we lock you up, we have to heal your wounds first. I don't want to escort a corpse back."
Aiden smiled and did not argue.
In his Observation Haki range, although Blackstone Town and the surrounding terrain had been completely altered, the other civilians of the Kalga Kingdom further away from the battlefield were barely affected.
Only then did Aiden breathe easier.
"Even though it's ruined pretty badly... at least everyone is still alive."
As long as the people were still there, this place could be rebuilt sooner or later.
To Aiden, this was what justice should protect.
Garp heard him and glanced at the ruined town. After a moment, he said nothing about it.
"Alright, stop looking."
Garp took the lead and walked toward the port.
"Let's go."
The group walked toward the port.
When they looked down from a high point at the port, Aiden paused for a moment.
At the port, besides King Cobra's ship and the luxurious ship belonging to the Celestial Dragon, the warship Borsalino had brought was also there.
However, those Marine soldiers had not joined the attack. Instead, they were doing everything they could to help the local civilians board the ships and evacuate, clearly preparing for the worst-case scenario of the island sinking.
Aiden watched young Marines carrying elders and children onto the ships. His shoulders loosened a little.
The Marines were not completely rotten after all.
Just then, on the horizon in the distance, a brand-new giant warship broke through the waves and slowly sailed into the port.
It was not Garp's usual highly recognizable dog-head warship, but a powerful warship with heavy firepower.
Aside from lacking the Celestial Dragons' vulgar pure gold decorations, this ship looked even better built than the Celestial Dragon's ship.
Garp pointed at the ship and grinned.
"Get on the ship. Speaking of which, you spent a lot of money having this ship custom-made for that old man Zephyr, didn't you? You really spent a fortune on it. Even I'm jealous of those specs."
Aiden looked at the ship.
This was indeed the warship he had asked Master Tom to custom-build for Instructor Zephyr in Water 7.
How was Garp sailing it already?
However, Aiden was not very curious. Since it was a ship he had given to Instructor Zephyr, how he used it was up to him.
But right now, this seemed like a perfect opportunity...
Aiden looked at Garp and answered without hesitation.
"If you like it, once this is all over, I'll gift you an identical one."
He pointed at the ship.
"After all, if you hadn't arrived in time to save the day today, Vice Admiral Garp, I probably would have died right here."
Garp froze.
He looked at Aiden's serious face, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. He slapped Aiden hard on the shoulder, nearly knocking him to the ground.
"Hahahaha! You brat!"
"Too slick! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
Garp's smile faded a little.
"Even if I didn't show up today, the ones who would have fallen in the end... would probably only be Sakazuki and Borsalino."
Aiden paused slightly, then smiled too.
He did not deny it. Some things did not need to be said out loud.
"Alright! Then I will accept this favor from you! Just remember to change the figurehead to a dog head I like!"
"Of course."
Aiden replied with a smile. After speaking, he did not immediately board the ship.
Instead, he turned toward the other side of the port.
"What? You still have business?" Garp raised an eyebrow.
"I need to say goodbye."
Aiden looked at King Cobra, who was waiting over there with Pell and Chaka.
"After all, my main mission this time was to escort King Cobra. I have to go explain things."
"Go ahead. Make it quick."
Garp glanced at the King of Alabasta and said casually, "Also, you don't need to worry about the escort. Sengoku is very thorough. Vice Admiral Yamakaji's fleet is already on its way. They should arrive in less than half a day, and he will take over the rest of the escort mission."
Aiden nodded when he heard this and walked toward King Cobra.
In front of the temporary settlement area on the other side of the port.
Pell and Chaka were watching their surroundings.
Seeing Aiden walking toward them now, the two Kingdom Guard warriors stiffened.
Back in Alabasta, they had complained about Aiden and thought he was just an empty name.
But they had watched the battle over the past two days.
Now, Sakazuki and Borsalino looked worse off than Aiden.
That was enough for them to understand.
Neither of them dared to look down on him anymore.
Seeing Aiden approach, Cobra immediately stepped forward to meet him.
"Aiden."
Cobra looked tired, but he stepped forward at once.
"King Cobra."
Aiden stopped a few steps away.
"I can't escort you for the rest of the journey. Headquarters sent Vice Admiral Yamakaji to take over, and he'll be here in about half a day."
"It was pleasant traveling together this far."
"Same here, Aiden."
Cobra took a deep breath. He did not waste time on polite nonsense. He stepped forward and spoke without hesitation.
"Don't worry too much about the World Government. I will figure something out and do my absolute best to help you."
Aiden raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He was actually a bit curious.
He had not interacted with King Cobra for long, so why was the king treating him so well?
Cobra's help still felt strange, but Aiden could tell he meant it.
Aiden paused, but he did not ask.
He only gave the king a serious farewell.
"Thank you. I will find a chance to repay you."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Right as he was preparing to board the ship.
"Ahhhhh!!"
A desperate shout suddenly tore through the peace of the port.
Chaos erupted at once.
A figure covered in mud rushed over, stumbling and lunging toward Aiden.
Pell instinctively drew his sword to stop him.
But the Marines nearby were faster. They pinned the man down hard in the muddy, puddle-filled ground.
Aiden looked down.
It was a middle-aged man. His face was covered in mud, and he could barely stand, but his clothes looked like royal robes. His identity was obvious.
The King of the Kalga Kingdom, Hark.
At this moment, Hark looked nothing like a king.
He lay on his stomach in the muddy water. Mud and tears covered his face. His nails dug deep into the dirt.
He raised his head toward Aiden, his whole body shaking with hatred.
"Why..."
The words came out broken.
"What have you done?! You killed Saint Brax!"
"Do you think you are a hero? You butcher! You destroyed the Kalga Kingdom's last hope!"
Aiden listened without moving.
Hark struggled in the mud and kept shouting.
"As long as we sacrificed those five hundred and twelve people... As long as we sacrificed that one small town! We could have become a member nation! We could have had the protection of a Marine base!"
"The remaining tens of thousands of citizens could have lived! We would never have to fear pirate raids again! We would never have to depend on others' moods again!"
"Now it's all ruined!"
"The Celestial Dragon is dead! The World Government will take their anger out on us! Our chance to become a member nation is gone! The pirates will come back tomorrow!"
Hark lifted his head again.
"It was you! You ruined this country!"
This accusation silenced everyone around them.
Aiden crouched in front of him.
"Peace bought by selling your own citizens will collapse sooner or later."
"The moment you decided to send those five hundred and twelve citizens to die in exchange for a piece of paper from that pig..."
Aiden reached out and pointed at the surviving civilians of Blackstone Town in the distance.
They were watching Hark, but no one stepped forward to help him.
"This country was already dead."
Hark looked in the direction Aiden was pointing.
When he saw his citizens standing there, his whole body trembled.
His shouting stopped.
Only a weak sob came out.
Aiden stood up and did not look at him again.
"Go face your citizens yourself. The one who will judge you is not me. It's them."
Aiden turned and walked toward Garp's warship.
Behind him, Hark slumped into the muddy water, covered his face with his hands, and sobbed into the mud.
However, Hark probably did not realize one thing.
For a long time after this, this stretch of sea would become a forbidden zone for pirates.
A Celestial Dragon had died here.
That fact alone carried a kind of fear no pirate would ignore.
The World Government's investigation teams, CP intelligence agencies, Marine fleets...
This place was about to become the center of a storm.
No pirate with any sense would dare approach this "cursed" sea right now, afraid of being dragged into the World Government's anger.
The "death of a Celestial Dragon" incident that Hark saw as a disaster had now become the very thing keeping pirates away from this country.
As for whether the World Government would vent its anger on this country...
Aiden was already prepared to bear that price alone.
...
Half a day later.
Aiden had already left on Garp's warship.
At the port.
Several black-sailed ships flying the World Government flag slowly docked.
It was the CP0 unit in charge of the follow-up work, arriving almost at the exact same time as Vice Admiral Yamakaji's fleet.
In the temporary rest area.
Cobra was getting ready to board his ship when several tall figures wearing white suits and white masks blocked his path.
The leading CP0 officer did not salute.
"King Cobra, please wait."
Pell and Chaka immediately stepped in front of their king.
"Move out of the way."
Cobra did not take the document.
The CP0 officer did not move. He pulled out a pre-drafted document from his coat and handed it over.
"Regarding everything that happened here today, the World Government expects you to keep your mouth completely shut."
Cobra let the document hang between them.
The CP0 officer seemed used to this kind of attitude and continued.
"Regarding everything that happened here today, the World Government's order is a complete lockdown."
"Saint Brax never set foot here. No atrocities were committed against a Celestial Dragon here."
The CP0 officer stepped closer.
"As for that Marine Rear Admiral, Aiden. For the stability of the global situation, and for the peace of Alabasta."
He faced Cobra directly.
"We expect you to watch your words and actions at the upcoming Reverie. Do not mention a single word about Aiden and the Celestial Dragon. This incident never existed in the first place."
"Otherwise, even for a member-nation king, if you accidentally get wrapped up in this sort of thing..."
The threat was obvious.
Cobra understood.
He looked at the document that needed his signature and suddenly laughed.
"Are you threatening me?"
Cobra swung his hand and smacked the document away, scattering the papers all over the floor.
"I am a descendant of the Nefertari family, the king of a World Government member nation!"
The usually gentle king pointed straight at the CP0 officer.
"I have the duty, and the right, to state the truth to the world!"
"I am not blind! What I saw was a Marine swinging his sword at atrocity to protect civilians!"
The CP0 agents reached for their weapons.
But the next second.
"CP0 officer, please watch your words."
Someone spoke from behind the CP0 agents.
A Marine Vice Admiral with a handlebar mustache walked over quickly.
It was Yamakaji, who had been ordered to come as backup.
He stepped between Cobra and the CP0 agents, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"I was ordered to come protect King Cobra. Please do not make things difficult for me."
Though he did not know exactly what had happened, cornering a member-nation king who was also his protection target was obviously against the rules.
The CP0 officer did not move for a moment.
Killing the king of a large nation with ten million people in front of an audience was not very realistic.
"Fine. Very well."
The CP0 officer stepped back.
"Then we will see you at the Reverie. I hope you can remain this tough when the time comes."
...
At the same time.
In an airspace somewhere in the New World.
A massive news blimp carrying the "WE" logo was floating above the clouds.
This was the headquarters of the World Economy News Paper.
Inside the president's office, photos and draft papers were scattered everywhere.
"Gahahahaha!!"
A massive albatross wearing a suit was pacing back and forth in the room.
Morgans tightly gripped the few photos that had just been transmitted back. He held a normal Transponder Snail in his other hand and shouted.
"I understand the photos! A Marine civil war! Sakazuki and Borsalino are ganging up on Rear Admiral Aiden, the Reaper! A big scene like this is indeed rare!"
"But why exactly did this happen? Why did the Marines suddenly fall into a civil war? And with two Admiral candidates teaming up against a rising star who just gained fame?!"
"Could it be that the internal power struggle in the Marines has escalated? Or is it that old man Sengoku can't suppress the factions underneath him, causing the hawks to try and purge outsiders?!"
From the other end of the Transponder Snail, the undercover reporter answered through the wind and waves.
"N... No, Boss... It's not a power struggle."
"A Celestial Dragon came to the Kalga Kingdom to hunt civilians, and in the end, he was killed by Aiden!"
"I saw it with my own eyes! It's absolutely true! Right in front of Sakazuki, Aiden blasted that Celestial Dragon to dust! He didn't even leave a corpse behind!"
"That's exactly why Sakazuki started fighting Aiden! Borsalino only arrived later as backup!"
"Wh... What?!"
Morgans's hand shook, and those precious photos almost slipped to the floor.
For once, Morgans stopped laughing.
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?! People die over jokes like this!"
"I swear it on my life! The whole island is on lockdown right now, and I risked my life to transmit these photos out!"
Beep... Beep... Beep...
Whether the signal was cut or the reporter had to flee, the Transponder Snail hung up.
The office went quiet.
Morgans stood there, looking at the photo he had crumpled in his hand.
A full minute passed.
His wings began to tremble.
"A Marine Rear Admiral... killed a Celestial Dragon in public..."
Then he threw his head back and burst out laughing.
"A madman! This guy is an absolute madman!"
"But... I like it!!"
"This is big news! This is a super scoop that will make the whole sea boil!!"
Just as he was about to order tomorrow's headline changed.
Pururururu...
The Transponder Snail in his hand, which had just hung up, suddenly let out a rapid, ear-piercing ring again.
Morgans stopped moving.
He looked at it.
It was a call from the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Someone spoke from the other end of the line.
"Morgans."
"Gahaha... Why do the big shots of Mary Geoise have the time to contact me?"
Morgans kept smiling.
"Is it also about that little issue in the Kalga Kingdom?"
"You are a smart man, Morgans."
The caller did not waste time.
"The World Government's official press release has already been sent to your fax machine."
"We do not expect to see a single word describing the Kalga Kingdom incident in tomorrow's newspaper."
The caller paused before continuing.
"Downplay this incident. Or, just publish the exact draft we gave you."
Morgans held the receiver a little tighter.
The other side had no intention of giving him a chance to speak.
The threat became direct.
"If you dare write a single word of nonsense... I think the World Government would not mind reevaluating the necessity of the World Economy News Paper's existence. After all, there are plenty of obedient newspaper companies on this sea."
Click.
The call hung up.
The busy signal echoed through the president's office.
The editorial room went quiet.
All the editors stopped their pens. Sweat broke out on their foreheads as they looked at their boss, waiting for the decision that could determine their life or death.
Refuse?
That would mean making a complete enemy of the World Government. CP0 might come for them next.
Comply?
Maybe they could get a massive sum of hush money, publish fake news that twisted the truth, and continue safely acting as the World Government's mouthpiece. This was the safest and smartest way to survive in the news industry.
Morgans held the disconnected receiver and stayed still for three seconds.
Then.
He suddenly opened his large beak and let out his signature laugh, echoing through the entire blimp.
"Gahahaha! Gahahahahaha!!"
He threw the Transponder Snail aside and slammed a wing on the desk, making his coffee cup bounce.
"Downplay it? To hell with downplaying it!"
"A scoop big enough to shake the world, news that only happens once in decades! And they actually want me to cover it up with lies?"
"This is an absolute insult to my career!"
Morgans jumped onto the desk, spread his wings, and shouted at the stunned editors below.
"What are you all staring at?!"
"I am a miser! But I am even more a newspaper president!!"
"Big news that can make the world boil over, don't even think about making me compromise!!"
"Print it! Front page headline! Use the biggest photo! Make the headline as shocking as you can think of!"
"Call it—'A Celestial Dragon Executed! Marine Rear Admiral Aiden Shakes the World!'"
After shouting that, Morgans immediately rushed to the control console and pulled down a red emergency lever.
"Also! Helmsman! Start all engines right now! Full speed ascent! Relocate!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Those CP0 agents will come for me the moment they see the paper! We have to move out right now!!"
Rumble—
The massive news blimp shot blue exhaust flames into the night sky and urgently pulled upward, fleeing its original airspace.
A few hours later.
The hatch at the bottom of the blimp opened.
Flap flap flap—
Tens of thousands of News Coos flew out like a white blizzard, carrying the story that was about to shake the world and flying toward every corner of the sea.