Chapter 43: 43: Power of an Admiral
Even someone as cautious as Killer couldn't help but feel this way, let alone the other ambitious Supernovas.
Aside from a few eccentric individuals like Luffy, many of these ambitious pirates began to entertain the idea of maintaining this Supernova alliance beyond this battle.
With eleven Supernovas boasting bounties over 100 million berries and nine capable pirate crews supporting them, even the Warlords of the Sea would think twice before confronting such a force!
If they could carry this momentum into the New World, it might not take long before the balance among the Four Emperors was shaken.
"Hahahahaha! A Marine Admiral? What's the big deal? They're nothing to be afraid of!"
Seeing how even the distant Marines, observing the formidable Supernova alliance, didn't dare launch an attack, Usopp started feeling confident again.
"You're amazing, Usopp!"
Chopper, ever gullible, was once again completely convinced by Usopp's tales of his "80 million subordinates," temporarily forgetting the terror of facing a Marine Admiral.
Meanwhile, aboard a warship stationed just outside the Sabaody Archipelago, Admiral Kizaru had not yet made a move after finishing a call via Den Den Mushi.
"Admiral Kizaru, Saint Rosward has called to ask why you haven't eliminated the criminals who attacked the Celestial Dragons yet."
A Marine, responsible for coordinating with the Navy branch on the Sabaody Archipelago, approached to report. Of course, Rosward's actual words were far less polite.
"Tell him, I got the message."
Kizaru took a leisurely sip of coffee, frowning slightly.
It's never quite right unless it's his own ship—how hard is it to brew a proper cup of coffee? Don't they know Admiral Kizaru needs double cream and triple sugar in his coffee?
"Admiral Kizaru, Fleet Admiral Sengoku has also called, urging you to act quickly. The Supernovas on the island are gathering and seem to be preparing to unite against the Navy."
Standing nearby, Nami acted perfectly demure, addressing Kizaru respectfully and standing behind him like a charming secretary.
"Oh? Well, isn't that perfect? I can catch them all in one sweep."
Kizaru yawned, silently grumbling to himself. He'd already been going easy on them—if the Straw Hats couldn't escape despite that, they'd have no one to blame but themselves.
"Admiral Kizaru, Fleet Admiral Sengoku has called again, urging you to act immediately!"
Nami couldn't help but remind him, knowing that even if Kizaru had his grievances with the Celestial Dragons, it wouldn't do for him to be too blatant about it.
Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku was under considerable pressure. If Kizaru delayed any longer, it might force Sengoku to step in personally.
"Ah, fine. I'll take care of it—just for little Nami's sake. Make sure to inform Sentomaru to seal off all coating ports. Not a single pirate should escape!"
Moments ago, Kizaru had seemed like an unmotivated slacker, but now he transformed into a serious and diligent Admiral of the Navy.
Timing it roughly with Bartholomew Kuma's expected arrival, Kizaru leapt effortlessly onto the barrel of a naval cannon.
"Fire!"
The warship captain, barely holding back his impatience, quickly gave the order. Nearly everyone in Marineford knew of Kizaru's unique mode of transportation.
Standing on the cannonball, Kizaru shot toward the Sabaody Archipelago with incredible speed. His Observation Haki quickly scanned and locked onto the area on the island where the strongest individuals had gathered.
"Oh my, how terrifying... so many powerful folks gathered in one place."
Kizaru's figure dissolved into streaks of glowing light. While he intended to hold back when dealing with the Straw Hat Pirates—for Dragon's sake—the same didn't apply to the other Supernovas.
For the sake of appeasing the Celestial Dragons, he needed to capture a few noteworthy figures. Otherwise, Fleet Admiral Sengoku would undoubtedly lose his temper.
"He's here!"
When a yellow flash lit up the sky, some of the pirates in the temporary Supernova alliance spotted it immediately.
"Perfect timing! Magnetic String!"
Kid unleashed his massive mechanical arm once again, punching fiercely toward the yellow flash in the sky.
The arm, constructed from countless pieces of scrap metal, had been strengthened with magnetic force. It was powerful enough to obliterate the barricades the Marines used to block streets and even destroy entire naval ships, their armor offering little resistance.
BOOM!
In the next instant, a dazzling flash of light burst in the air. All anyone could see was a figure emerging from the glow, launching a devastating kick at Kid's mechanical arm.
The once-mighty arm didn't last even a second. The violent explosion shattered it instantly, scattering metal fragments in all directions like a hurricane.
Caught off guard, the surrounding pirates fell like wheat before a scythe, collapsing en masse in the blink of an eye.
"Kid!"
Killer let out an enraged roar, watching as a blood-soaked figure emerged from the cloud of smoke left by the explosion. Kid's right arm was unnaturally twisted, and it was clear he had been the one to take the first strike from Kizaru.
Gone was Kid's earlier confidence and arrogance. His face was now a mix of fury and disbelief.
This shouldn't have happened. The gap in strength was far too large. One single attack had left him critically injured?
The other Supernovas present widened their eyes in terror. Among them, Kid had the highest bounty. Even if his strength wasn't definitively the greatest, few would dare to claim they could surpass him.
But against an Admiral of the Navy, he hadn't even been able to withstand a single blow. It was too absurd to believe!
"Damn it! It's Kizaru!"
Bonney couldn't help but curse. She had never believed that these fools could truly take on a Navy Admiral. The difference between a normal person and a monster of that level was something no number of allies could hope to overcome.
Earlier, she had at least hoped that the arriving Admiral would be Akainu or Aokiji. With so many high-profile targets here, even Akainu couldn't instantly eliminate everyone, which might give her a chance to escape.
But against Kizaru, there was no such hope. If they couldn't win, then running wasn't an option either. And they most certainly fell into the "can't win" category.
"What are you all standing around for? ROOM – Amputate!"
Of course, not everyone shared Bonney's single-minded focus on escaping. Most of the Supernovas weren't about to let Kizaru's opening strike crush their fighting spirit.
At the very least, Law refused to fall here. He hadn't even had his chance to take revenge on Doflamingo yet!
"Gum-Gum Battle Axe!"
Luffy quickly joined the fray. It was a bit disappointing that the "ice guy" hadn't shown up, but it didn't matter—Kizaru was just another enemy to defeat!
"Scratch Bomb Slash!"
"Demonic Aspect!"
"Castle Explosion!"
"Thirty-Six Pound Phoenix!"
…
The other Supernovas launched their own attacks, each unleashing their full strength.
At that moment, the battle truly began.
°°°
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