Meteorite from the Sky, Xi Yan's Guess

"Can't we just get through no matter what?"

Fujitora and Smoker looked very serious as they saw the two people blocking their way.

Although they don't actually intend to deal with the Straw Hat Pirates right now, they could easily suffer losses if they're not careful against a lineup like the Blood-Eyed Ninja and the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command.

"I can't let you disturb my captain," Xi Yan grinned.

As he spoke, he used his Wood Style ability to spread the wood further away, thus blocking other Marines who wanted to bypass him.

This change also made the faces of those Vice Admiral turn ugly.

As for jumping over?

Some navy personnel tried to jump over earlier, but they were all knocked away by the flying logs, so they decisively gave up on the idea.

Sabo then declared, "We've got the Straw Hat Crew and the warriors who helped them covered!"

"Anyone who wants to hurt them won't get through here."

As he spoke, Sabo slammed a Water Pipe into the ground, the Haki Water Pipe creating a large crater.

This scene, resembling a demonstration, greatly displeased Smoker. Was it a provocation?

"Is supporting pirates also part of the Revolutionary Army's job?" Fujitora asked in a deep voice.

"Ah, that's right."

Sabo raised his head and said, "As a member of the Revolutionary Army, I will absolutely not let you advance even a single step."

After speaking, Sabo paused for a moment, then grinned and said, "No... I misspoke, I meant as the eldest brother!"

"Big brother?"

Smoker frowned upon hearing this. What was this guy talking about?

"Whose elder brother are you, sir?" Fujitora inquired.

Sabo simply grinned and didn't answer the question.

"I don't care whose brother you are."

A group of sailors raised their cannons, aimed at Sabo and Xi Yan, and said, "If you dare to stop us, you'd better wait to be wiped out!"

As they were saying this, they prepared to fire a cannonball at Sabo.

"Stop!"

The Vice Admiral quickly interjected, "They're not someone you can handle on your own."

Artillery shells are just toys for skilled players, so it's best not to use them to attack them.

After all, doing so could easily lead to one's death.

"But, Your Vice Admiral..."

"He's right," Smoker said in a deep voice. "You may all step back. Leave this to the two of us."

He knew very well just how strong the Blood-Eyed Ninja were, so letting the Marines retreat was the right choice.

"That's right, you all get out of here immediately," the Vice Admiral said immediately.

"You may also step down."

Vice Admiral:???

The Vice Admiral looked at Smoker with a puzzled expression. Even though he was just a Vice Admiral, he shouldn't have to back down.

He's not weak either.

"I can help too," the Vice Admiral said in a deep voice.

"If you don't want to die, then step back."

Unfortunately, Smoker's words didn't intimidate the other party; instead, they made the other party even more resentful.

Seeing this, Smoker didn't try to persuade him any further; if he liked to suffer losses, then so be it.

Smoker then intended to say something to Xi Yan, but before he could speak, he saw the Vice Admiral charging towards Xi Yan with his three-meter-long sword.

Smoker:???

What's this guy trying to do?

"Die!" the Vice Admiral roared. "Ship-Cutting Sword!"

"Whoosh~"

The next moment, an incredibly terrifying Flying Slash shot out from the blade, instantly slicing a building behind Xi Yan in two!

Xi Yan, who dodged the attack by leaning back, said in surprise, "He's a swordsman, isn't he?"

"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!"

As he spoke, the Vice Admiral once again brandished his broadsword, intending to cleave Xi Yan vertically in two.

But this time, Xi Yan didn't give him that chance.

"Underestimate?"

"Clang!"

Xi Yan raised his arm, which was wrapped in a Haki, to block the opponent's attack, and said, "I'm just stating the facts."

"What?"

Seeing that his opponent could actually block his attack with his arm, the Vice Admiral's eyes immediately showed surprise.

Is this person's defense really that Lihai?

Keep in mind that his slashes were imbued with Haki!

'Damn it, it seems ordinary attacks won't be able to take him down,' the Vice Admiral thought to himself.

Since that's the case... then let's use an even more powerful slash!

Thinking of this, he planned to distance himself from Xi Yan, but before he could even move, Xi Yan grabbed the enormous broadsword.

Then, Xi Yan punched the side of the large sword, shattering it.

"What?!"

The surrounding navy personnel stared in shock at the scene, exclaiming, "The Vice Admiral's Shark-Slaying Great Saber has actually been shattered?"

That was the Vice Admiral's most powerful weapon, and it was shattered?

The Vice Admiral's eyes were also filled with shock; he never expected his weapon to be so easily destroyed by the enemy.

Is this reasonable?

Then, the shattered blade flew like a cannonball towards the distant buildings, punching them into large craters.

"You should have listened to that guy," Xi Yan grinned. "That way you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

As he spoke, Xi Yan raised his fist, which was brimming with Haki, and punched the Vice Admiral hard.

Just then, Smoker flew to the Vice Admiral's side, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and flung him away.

Then, he met Xi Yan's fist with a backhand punch.

"Clang!"

"Bump!!"

The fists, brimming with Haki, slammed together, instantly creating an incredibly terrifying shockwave.

"Boom!!"

The surrounding navy personnel were thrown into the air.

"Ah!"

"Don't go near Smoker's battlefield, get away quickly!"

The surrounding sailors immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and, under the command of their officer, gradually ran away into the distance.

"I'm... I'm saved..."

The Vice Admiral, who had been thrown into the air, wiped the sweat from his brow. For a moment, he truly felt as if he had smelled death.

But is this reasonable?

Why would a pirate with a bounty of 100 million Beli make him feel like he's about to die?

And Smoker also looked extremely wary... What on earth is going on?

"Vice Admiral General, are you alright?" the adjutant inquired.

"Fine."

The Vice Admiral shook his head, then turned to his adjutant and said, "Take some men and surround the area. Prevent anyone else from getting close, lest innocent bystanders be harmed."

"Yes!"

The subordinate, having received the order, nodded and then turned and left.

After watching the enemy leave, the Vice Admiral turned his attention to the battlefield, intending to assess the situation.

"Vice Admiral Smoker."

Xi Yan, who was locked in a stalemate with Smoker, grinned and said, "I heard you've become stronger in two years. I'm curious, what exactly did you go through?"

With just a punch to each other, Xi Yan understood one thing: Smoker's Admiral Candidate was absolutely genuine.

So he was very curious about what had made this guy, who was like a weakling two years ago, become so much stronger.

Is it a belief?

Or is it grueling training?

"It's just that we killed a few more pirates," Smoker said calmly.

He didn't want to say anything more, since he couldn't reveal the identity of the Blood-Eyed Ninja directly yet, so this was the only way he could fight.

Seeing that the other person had no interest in speaking, Xi Yan didn't say anything more and instead chose to distance himself from them.

Just then, the sky was suddenly illuminated by a red light, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"This is..."

Sabo, staring at the sky, immediately looked surprised and said, "A meteorite?"

Why would a meteorite fall here?

"Is this Fujitora's ability?"

Xi Yan, who was also staring at the sky, stroked his chin and said, "Interesting."

Although this meteorite doesn't look very big, it would still be quite powerful if it hit the ground directly.

Isn't this guy afraid of hurting innocent people?

Fujitora, looking at the sky with a headache, said, "This is really a headache; I forgot about the Birdcage."

Just as Fujitora was speaking, the meteorite struck the Birdcage hard and was then cut into several pieces.

After that, the shattered meteorite continued its downward trajectory towards the ground.

This scene made Sabo Delia from ear to ear.

Who throws a meteorite at someone just because they disagree with them?

"Hello!"

Smoker turned angrily to Fujitora and said, "What are you doing?"

Such a large meteorite falling to the ground could destroy this entire area. What if it injures the civilians of Dressrosa?

"I forgot about the Birdcage," Fujitora said somewhat awkwardly.

Smoker frowned upon hearing this. Was that the key point?

The next moment...

"Boom!!"

The meteorite fragments slammed into the ground, creating huge craters!

The surrounding sailors were shaken and staggered, their expressions increasingly grim.

If they had run even a fraction slower, they would have been killed.

"Commander Yixiao's fighting style is too chaotic..."

The Vice Admiral wiped the cold sweat from his face. What was with this combat style that changed the terrain so easily?

It seems Smoker was right; this level of combat is indeed beyond his control.

I wonder if those two guys were killed by that attack.

With that in mind, the Vice Admiral turned his attention to the area where Xi Yan and the other man had just been.

He couldn't see that side from his perspective, so he was very curious whether those two people were dead.

"This is such a hassle."

Standing on the roof, Sabo frowned as he looked down at the situation below, and said, "If we were to take a direct hit from that, it definitely wouldn't be pleasant."

Although he could destroy that thing with an attack, Marine Admiral might also take the opportunity to attack him, so caution is necessary.

"Just don't eat it from the front."

That's true, but...

Before Sabo could finish speaking, he noticed that Xi Yan's expression was a little off.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I just feel that the power of this meteorite is a bit off."

Xi Yan stared intently at the meteorite below and said, "Judging by the meteorite's kinetic energy, the area it could damage upon impact with the ground is definitely more than this."

A meteorite this size, tens of meters in diameter, would surely destroy everything around it when it hits the ground.

But what was the result?

It only created some large craters in the ground; even if the Birdcage thing shattered it, the impact shouldn't have been that weak.

So he was very curious: did Fujitora deliberately use the Press-Press Fruit to slow down the meteor's descent?

If that's the case, then it explains why this situation occurred.

"Maybe that guy did something," Sabo guessed.

Since the other party was able to pull down the meteorite, they should also be able to control its falling speed, so it's normal for it to have this kind of power.

Xi Yan nodded, agreeing with Sabo's statement.

'If that's the case, then my earlier guess might be true,' Xi Yan muttered to himself. 'Maybe this guy really is acting.'

Of course, it's also possible that the enemy reduced the power to avoid harming the people of Dressrosa.

But we'll find out if that's true or not in a bit.

"This is not a good sign."

Looking at the area he had destroyed, Fujitora scratched his head in frustration and said, "The damage is too extensive. I wonder if any civilians have been injured."

If the meteorite were intact, he could concentrate its power, thus limiting the attack range to a specific area and preventing harm to civilians.

But now... things are a bit awkward.

With the meteorite fragmented, it's difficult for him to control the extent of the impact.

"How dare you say that?" Smoker said, annoyed.

"I couldn't help it, I forgot about the Birdcage," Fujitora explained. "Otherwise, I could have perfectly controlled the power."

Smoker:...

Smoker was speechless. How could he forget that?

Xi Yan retorted directly, "Is this guy an idiot?"

How could you forget something like that when the Birdcage has been hanging in the air for so long?

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Could this guy have done this on purpose?

"Commander Issho," the Marine beside Fujitora said, his face covered in cold sweat Fujitora, "Could you at least let us know before you summon the meteor?"

"I'm so sorry, I summoned a meteor." Fujitora said 'honestly'.

He looked like an honest and simple person.

Navy:???

"Did you agree before you summoned them?!" the group of marines said, opening their shark-like mouths.

Now that the meteorite has landed, what's the point of saying such things?

They can die!

"Haha, sorry, sorry."

Despite being yelled at, Fujitora showed no temper whatsoever, continuing to apologize without any airs of a Marine Admiral, much to the amusement of the other Marines.

What else could they say when their own superiors had already said that?

Why...

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to accept my bad luck.

After all... they couldn't really do anything to their own Marine Admiral.

"Now I finally understand why some people say you're dangerous," Smoker said, glancing at Fujitora. "It's true."

This danger isn't just from the enemy; it can also be extremely dangerous if our own people aren't careful.

After all... meteorites don't distinguish between friend and foe; one wrong move and a whole bunch of people could die.

Fujitora was somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this; this was truly an unexpected turn of events.

But faced with the facts, he couldn't say much.

In the end... he could only helplessly accept the impression he had of Smoker.

After a moment of silence, Fujitora spoke up, "Let's deal with the enemy first."

Although he knew Fujitora was changing the subject, Smoker didn't press the matter, nodded, and turned his gaze to the rooftops in the distance.