Capítulo 32: The Rain of Justice Reaches Life Itself
"──They're already fighting," Kanata observed.
Having been dropped off near the port by the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops, they discreetly moved into the city.
The battle with the Marines had already begun, but it seemed her crew wasn't struggling too much. However, numerous warships were forming a blockade, and while there weren't any particularly strong Marines present, being surrounded would be troublesome.
"They're quite quick. Did they make preparations beforehand?" Junshi inquired.
"There are always those with a strong sense of justice. With such thorough preparations, they must have been informed early on," Kanata replied.
Despite the circumstances, it seemed they could still set sail before being completely surrounded. To avoid the hassle of a blockade, they needed to sink the warships first, but Kanata could handle that alone.
"I'll break through the blockade first. You guys head back and get the ship ready," she instructed.
"Leave it to me! I'm gonna raise some hell too!" Samuel exclaimed.
Junshi, unsure if Samuel had even been listening, took him along and headed towards the ship.
Confirming that Kanata was heading towards the warships, Junshi called out to Zen and Feiyun, who were causing quite a stir among the Marines at the port.
"Get the ship ready! Both of you, return to the ship!"
"Yes!" Feiyun responded.
"Understood!" Zen acknowledged.
Feiyun swept away the Marines who were appearing one after another and firing upon them. There didn't seem to be any giant Marines present, so nothing could stop her.
Taking advantage of the chaos, they boarded the ship and immediately set sail. If Kanata could sink a few warships and break the blockade, they should be able to escape from there.
"...There it is. Quite a flashy display," Junshi commented.
A massive ice spear, thrust upwards from the depths of the sea, pierced a warship, creating a gaping hole and sending it flying into the air.
There were still a few warships remaining, but sinking one would create a gap for them to escape. Junshi gave instructions to head towards the opening while he and Zen moved to defend the ship from cannon fire.
Boom! Boom!
Kanata continued to sink warships one after another, breaking the blockade and returning to the ship. However, her expression was grim. George asked what was wrong.
"The ones on board are just small fry, but I can't deal with them all. Admiral Zephyr is heading this way," she revealed.
"What?! But if he's coming from Marineford, it should take quite a few days..."
"He's already close. He's within my Observation Haki range."
If Kanata could sense him, it wouldn't be surprising if he could sense her as well. She had broken through the blockade where there were fewer warships, but she now wondered if that was a mistake.
Escaping in the opposite direction would be difficult. While there didn't seem to be any high-ranking officers, there were still a fair number of Commander and Captain-class Marines.
"We stayed in this country for a bit too long. I guess I lacked awareness as someone being pursued," Kanata admitted.
"That might be true... but what are we going to do? It's a Navy Admiral!" George exclaimed.
"I'll deal with Zephyr. Can you guys break through the warships?" Kanata asked.
"Then, I'll do it!" Feiyun volunteered.
In the shallow waters near Alabasta, she could fight effectively in her giant form. Besides, if they sank the warships, Zephyr wouldn't be able to pursue them.
All they had to do was assign personnel to defense and stall Zephyr, which was the biggest problem. But that could only be left to Kanata.
"──There he comes!" someone shouted.
From a warship visible in the distance, a large man with purple hair dashed across the sky using Geppo (Moonwalk). Kanata leaped into the air, spear in hand, and intercepted Zephyr's charge with a kick.
Boom!
Zephyr blocked it with one hand and glared at her.
"──So you're the 'Dragon-Slaying Witch'."
"──And you're 'Black Arm' Zephyr."
Both clad in Armament Haki, they clashed with a sound like tearing air, then bounced back to create distance. Kanata stood on the sea, creating a wide platform of ice to protect the ship. Zephyr also descended onto the ice.
Zephyr's gaze darted around as if assessing the situation before he finally spoke.
"You're quite young... To be able to wield Haki to this extent at your age is astounding."
"Unfortunately, I wouldn't have survived if I couldn't do at least this much," Kanata replied.
"So you grew up in that kind of environment... I see why Sengoku let you escape. And on top of that, you're a Logia Devil Fruit user... This will be tough."
"I have no intention of being captured. The inside of a prison is boring," Kanata declared.
"Draw your weapon. I'll throw you and your crew into Impel Down," Zephyr challenged.
Whoosh!
In an instant, he closed the distance and swung his arm, hardened black with Armament Haki. Kanata met the blow with her Haki-imbued spear.
The clash sent shockwaves rippling outward, but neither of them yielded an inch as they continued to exchange blows.
"You're not backing down even against a Navy Admiral!" Samuel shouted from the ship.
"He's not the kind of opponent we can just run away from! Or would he let us go if we retreated?" Junshi retorted.
"No way! This is where you end!" Zephyr declared.
He drew back his fist and delivered a particularly powerful blow, causing cracks to spread like spiderwebs across the ice platform beneath Kanata's feet.
Clicking her tongue, she retreated, but Zephyr was relentless, closing the distance once more.
There were levels to Future Sight. Zephyr's, honed through years of experience and training, surpassed Kanata's by a considerable margin.
"Don't think you can escape!!" he roared.
His Haki-clad fist plunged deep into Kanata's body, sending her flying. Despite the impact, the damage wasn't severe. She stood up and coughed lightly, muttering, "You're merciless."
Zephyr's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected her to get up so easily.
"You're quite sturdy. I don't recall holding back," he remarked.
"I was trained by someone who wasn't good at holding back," Kanata replied.
It was a heavy blow, but she hadn't taken it completely unguarded. She had channeled her Haki to disperse the impact. Besides, if she couldn't handle this much, she wouldn't have been able to exchange blows with Dorry and Brogy.
Hearing her words, Zephyr grinned and gathered his Haki in his arm even more intensely.
"Is that so? Then next time, I'll..."
Just as Zephyr was about to strike, a massive explosion boomed.
They instinctively turned to see Feiyun, in her giant form, lifting warships and hurling them one after another. With her legs submerged in the sea, she couldn't exert her full strength, but it was still enough to toss the warships around.
The ships collided, igniting gunpowder and causing explosions that engulfed them in flames.
Witnessing the burning warships, Zephyr muttered in disbelief, "What the hell is that... Do you have monsters on your ship?"
"That's quite a way to describe her. If you're talking about monsters, then anyone who's a Devil Fruit user is a monster. Me included, and Sengoku too," Kanata retorted.
"...You're right, that was a slip of the tongue," Zephyr admitted.
However, Kanata hadn't shown any sign of using her abilities aside from creating the initial platform. He had seen many Devil Fruit users who neglected their training due to overreliance on their powers, but she was clearly a different type.
Zephyr steeled himself and attacked, but Kanata blocked him with her spear.
"We're far enough away. This ensures the only ones who will get hurt are you guys," she declared.
"You..." Zephyr growled.
Her breath turned white. The air grew colder, biting at their skin. It was impossible for the temperature to drop this low in the waters near the desert nation of Alabasta. There was only one explanation.
"A powerful ability can be quite a headache. I have to do this to avoid harming my allies," Kanata explained.
"...I see. Then you must have the strength to match that power," Zephyr challenged.
"That goes without saying. Brace yourself, Admiral Zephyr. If you let your guard down for even a moment, you'll freeze solid."
Swish!
A blizzard of ice spears erupted, aiming to pierce Zephyr. Using his Observation Haki, he discerned the minimum necessary movements and deflected the spears with his Haki-clad arm. He then blocked a surprise attack from Kanata, who had vanished from sight.
His arm, where he had blocked the attack, began to freeze, forcing him to push Kanata away and create distance. Even with Armament Haki, he couldn't stop the freezing if they remained in contact.
"And you're using this cold to sap my stamina... You're quite experienced," Zephyr observed.
"I've been constantly thinking about how to gain an advantage when fighting someone of your caliber. I have to do this to stop you," Kanata replied.
In terms of Observation Haki and Armament Haki, Zephyr had years of experience on her. The only way for Kanata to surpass him was to rely on her Devil Fruit abilities.
"You're a terrifying little girl... I can't let you escape," Zephyr declared.
Even amidst the biting cold, he could mitigate it somewhat by hardening his entire body with Armament Haki. His strength, honed and accumulated through years of training, was his greatest asset. The fact that Kanata hadn't been able to land a solid blow on him despite using various tricks further highlighted his power.
However, this cold would be a disadvantage in a prolonged battle.
"Get ready... I won't be as lenient as before!!"
He launched a sudden attack, and Kanata barely managed to block his fist with one hand, her arm creaking under the immense force.
Dash!
She retreated, but Zephyr closed the distance instantly, unleashing a barrage of attacks that she parried with her spear.
As long as Kanata's Observation Haki couldn't surpass Zephyr's, escaping would be difficult. Feiyun was sinking warships one after another, but they still needed time to get away.
Their only saving grace was that Zephyr was a Marine who adhered to the principle of "not killing."
"You could have killed me if you wanted to, but you're too soft...!" Kanata taunted.
"I won't kill you, no matter how much I might want to. My justice won't bend. I won't take lives!" Zephyr retorted.
He would capture any pirate, no matter who they were, and imprison them in Impel Down. As the embodiment of the Navy's justice, he had only once been forced to order a Buster Call by the World Government.
It was the incident where one of the two merchant ships Kanata had used in the West Blue ended up on Marx Island, leading the Navy to conclude she was 'involved' and massacre the entire population, including civilians.
It was a tragedy that occurred because the Navy had no way of distinguishing who was involved and who wasn't.
Zephyr was angry. But even so, he wouldn't kill Kanata just to uphold his own justice. That's what he believed it meant to stay true to his justice.
"There's no Buster Call this time, but Sengoku is on his way too. You guys have nowhere to run!"
"I can't deal with both you and Sengoku. We'll just have to make a quick escape," Kanata responded.
"I won't let you──escape!!"
Boom! Boom!
Zephyr's fist collided with Kanata's. The impact shattered her body into fragments of ice, sparkling like diamond dust on the sea. Amidst the glittering shards, Zephyr ducked to avoid a spear thrust from behind, then countered with a blow to Kanata's abdomen with his Black Arm.
Kanata's body shattered into ice fragments once more, leaving only her blackened spear floating in the air.
The ice shards served as a distraction as a fierce blizzard erupted in the immediate area.
"Freeze──!"
A powerful wave of cold air, capable of freezing everything solid, washed over Zephyr, instantly encasing him in ice.
However, cracks soon appeared, and the ice shattered from within──but Kanata was nowhere to be seen. She had even thoughtfully retrieved her spear that was floating in the air before disappearing.
"...She escaped. A quick decision," Zephyr muttered. For a brief moment, he had indeed been frozen solid.
During that instant, his consciousness had been cut off, rendering his Observation Haki useless. The fact that Kanata chose to flee rather than attack him during that golden opportunity showed her composure and ability to stay focused on her objective even in a critical moment.
Of course, Zephyr was confident he could have handled any attack, but... right now, he needed to prioritize rescuing the Marines who had fallen into the sea when their warships sank.
"──'Dragon-Slaying Witch,' huh. I will definitely capture you. Just you wait."
***
"Man, I thought I was gonna die," Kanata exclaimed.
"Is that the first thing you say after coming back?" George retorted.
It had been a close call. She had used various tactics, such as the ice shard distraction and freezing herself to deceive his Observation Haki, but the results were underwhelming. They were lucky to have escaped.
Zephyr hadn't shown any arrogance or carelessness. It was probably just luck that he had gone to rescue his comrades who had fallen into the sea.
Kanata's body ached from the several blows she had taken. There was no sign of the warships pursuing them, so she hoped they were safe for the time being.
"Are you injured?" Sukura asked.
"Just bruises. It's nothing serious," Kanata replied.
"It's my job as the ship's doctor to decide that. Come on, show me your wounds," Sukura insisted, trying to drag her to the infirmary.
Before that, Kanata needed to give some instructions. "Scotch, I'm going to rest for a bit. You know where we're headed, right? Drum Kingdom."
"Yeah, we just need to follow the Eternal Pose, right?"
"That's right. And Feiyun, you did a great job. Thanks to you," Kanata acknowledged.
"Ehehe... I'll do my best next time too!" Feiyun declared with enthusiasm.
Kanata smiled and instructed them to proceed cautiously while remaining vigilant for the Marines for a while.
She wanted to rest. She hadn't expected to encounter a Navy Admiral so suddenly, and she was quite exhausted. While she hadn't taken any fatal blows, she had accumulated some minor injuries.
She needed to become strong enough to defeat someone like him head-on next time, she thought as she allowed Sukura to lead her to the infirmary.
***
The next day, Kanata's bounty was updated, and Feiyun also had a wanted poster issued.
Feiyun, "Giant Shadow," with a bounty of 80 million Berries. Dead or Alive.
Kanata, "Dragon-Slaying Witch," with a bounty of 400 million Berries. Only Alive.
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