"What was that just now...?! Hina was terrified!"
Major Hina, a cigarette clenched between her lips, couldn't help blurting out her catchphrase, voicing the shock she felt.
"...I don't know either."
Smoker stared in shock at the sky, now swept clear. The shock lingered in his heart.
In just a brief moment, the black clouds that had blanketed the sky for thousands of miles had been swept away, revealing a brilliant blue sky, clear and breathtakingly beautiful.
Such power—
he had never seen before.
He had witnessed countless monsters at Navy Headquarters: Marshal Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, former Admiral Zephyr, and the three current Admirals... There were more monsters at Navy Headquarters than anyone could count. Yet in a place like Navy Headquarters, he'd never had the chance to see them fight.
Even when he'd gone on several missions with Admiral Kuzan, their opponents had been so weak that Admiral Kuzan hadn't needed to go all out.
As for the earth-shaking incident nineteen years ago, when the Golden Lion attacked Navy Headquarters, Smoker had still been a new recruit and wasn't there. He hadn't witnessed the fierce battle that was said to have destroyed half of Navy Headquarters.
Of course,
perhaps that had been lucky for him.
After all, quite a few naval officers had died in that battle. Facing the legendary Great Pirate, the Golden Lion, even Sengoku and Garp had needed three days and three nights to finally defeat him, after he'd fought to the bitter end.
The casualty list after the battle was said to have nearly sent Empty Marshal into a fit of rage.
"What a monster!"
Aleus said without looking back.
Standing on the railing, he faced the cold sea breeze, still heavy with moisture. As he watched the merchant ship drawing closer, his Neural