Ohara Island had reached its final sinking, which left Yaen somewhat wistful, while also meaning that the Buster Call operation had finally come to an end.
"Um, Doctor, I'm a little afraid of needles. Could you not stick me? I just need to rest for a while."
After casually sending the ship's doctor away, Yaen lay comfortably on the sickbed as a patient, while seriously reviewing his actions over this period to see whether he had left behind any hidden dangers.
As for Little Robin, that was already the limit of what he could do at present. Even if he wanted to find Little Robin now, he would have to expend considerable effort, let alone the World Government and the Marines.
Although he was uncertain how much power the Void Soul Reaper Blade known as Cursed Eye Sangha could provide Little Robin after the Void Grant, it ultimately gave her a few more safeguards.
With Little Robin's intelligence and resilience, she would presumably have a much easier time than she had in the original timeline.
Besides, Dragon would also begin searching for Little Robin and protecting her, so there should not be any major problems.
As for contacting Dragon, it had happened on the rear side of Ohara Island, while the Marines' attention had been focused almost entirely on the battle between Sakazuki and Kuzan, as well as Vice Admiral Spandine and Sauron. There should not be any problems.
Then there was the final and most crucial matter: earning merit.
He had stopped Sakazuki's bombardment, which could technically count as obstructing the Marines' operation. Hmm, no, it didn't count!
He had launched a "scraping and exfoliating" level of attack against the fugitive Sauron, failing to stop Sauron even for a moment. That probably didn't count either!
As for his final, outright attempt to capture Little Robin, it had failed. That certainly couldn't count.
Aside from those three things, Yaen had practically spent the entire Buster Call operation sleeping.
If the Marines insisted on crediting him with a share of their victory, then Yaen could only be said to have achieved a true "lying-down victory"!
"I'm feeling much better now, Old Man. You didn't expect Kuzan to fight Sakazuki, did you? He simply didn't have time to deal with me."
"What a shame. I failed to earn any merit."
Yaen could not help laughing as he sighed, without the slightest trace of sorrow or regret.
In fact, Yaen had more or less guessed why Kuzan had forcibly brought him onto Ohara Island.
Kuzan's plan was nothing more than to have Yaen personally "arrest" Little Robin, a criminal wanted by the World Government, after dealing with Sauron, thereby allowing Yaen to earn some merit.
"But Old Man will definitely question me about all sorts of details afterward. How should I answer him?"
After roughly predicting Sengoku's reaction, Yaen began preparing, bit by bit, answers that would leave Sengoku speechless.
Just then, the Observation Haki Yaen maintained at all times to ensure his safety suddenly sensed something, and he instantly sprang up from the sickbed.
In the next moment, the ward's door turned bright red before melting away and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The temperature inside the ward instantly became unbearably hot.
"Are you the brat who dared to stop the Marines' bombardment and sheltered the evacuation ship carrying Ohara's criminals?"
A powerful, oppressive voice rang out. A tall figure strode straight inside, treating the melted iron doors as though they were nothing.
"Sakazuki?!"
Yaen's pupils constricted slightly. He had never expected Sakazuki to appear here.
At this moment, Sakazuki's clothes were somewhat tattered, clearly bearing the marks left by his battle with Kuzan. Yet this did nothing to diminish his oppressive presence. Instead, he gave Yaen the feeling of a volcano that might erupt completely at any moment.
Powerful and scorching, merely watching him walk gave one the illusion of facing a natural disaster.
So this is Sakazuki, the Magma-Magma Fruit user who will become the future Marine Admiral, "Akainu"—a man comparable to a volcano?
Standing directly before Sakazuki, Yaen's previous impression of him underwent a complete change.
Perhaps Yaen did not agree with Sakazuki's ideals, but that scorching intensity and power were undeniably terrifying, worthy of anyone's full attention.
"Brat, answer my question."
Sakazuki brought his foot down heavily on the floor and questioned him with cold, rigid severity filling his eyes.
"That's right!"
Yaen's skin felt the warmth gradually growing hotter, yet a smile appeared on his face.
"If Vice Admiral Sakazuki wants to give me an award for 'righteous bravery,' there's no need. I only did what I should."
Sakazuki's expression darkened even further. A few words were forced out through his clenched teeth. "An award?!"
Yaen remained completely calm, nodding with a smile.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki's warship mistakenly bombarded civilians. I bravely stepped forward and stopped the tragedy, preventing Vice Admiral Sakazuki from making a grave mistake. Surely you came to thank me, didn't you?"
"Heh heh. Thank you?"
Sakazuki let out a cold laugh as one hand transformed into extremely hot magma and rose into the air.
At that moment, Kuzan suddenly appeared and stepped in front of Yaen, raising a hand to stop him. "Sakazuki, stop."
"Kuzan, get out of my way," Sakazuki said harshly.
"Have you lost your mind?" Kuzan's tone also became exceptionally cold as he questioned him.
"This brat protected an evacuation ship that might have been carrying Ohara's criminals. He could very well be connected to those criminals from Ohara. Even if there is only the slightest possibility, it must be eliminated," Sakazuki said.
"Impossible," Kuzan said decisively.
For a moment, the heat radiating from Sakazuki intensified once more, and his tone seemed to contain anger that was on the verge of breaking free.
"Kuzan, what makes you so certain? Are you really determined to oppose me today?"
"Of course I'm certain."
Kuzan shifted slightly to the side, revealing Yaen as he spoke. "He's Admiral Sengoku's son. How could he possibly be a criminal connected to Ohara?"
"Even if he is Admiral Seng—"
Sakazuki's voice caught. He froze for a moment, disbelief appearing in his eyes as most of his fury vanished instantly. He asked, "He's Admiral Sengoku's son? How is that possible?"
In response to Sakazuki's question, Kuzan said expressionlessly, "If you insist that Yaen is a criminal connected to Ohara, Sakazuki, you can submit an application to Admiral Sengoku to have Yaen arrested. As long as Admiral Sengoku approves it, I absolutely will not stop you."
Sakazuki gave Kuzan a deep look, then glanced at Yaen, who appeared completely innocent. He snorted, tossed out a single sentence, and turned to leave.
"I was mistaken."
Before you continue