Momousagi, the Rear Admiral

Orange Island. A woman wore the Navy's justice cloak, with the famed blade Kompira at her waist. She wore a pink low-cut short-sleeved shirt and brown shorts, revealing her long, fair, shapely legs. A glossy black spider tattoo rested on the outside of her left thigh. She looked valiant and heroic, yet possessed a bewitching charm and extraordinary grace.

The newcomer was none other than Gion, the future candidate for Navy Admiral. She was currently a Navy Rear Admiral, yet possessed the strength of a Navy Vice Admiral.

However, Momousagi was in a foul mood at the moment. According to intelligence, the Roger Pirates and Nangong Yan had last appeared on Orange Island, but no trace of them had been found since.

That meant there was a high chance Nangong Yan had already left Orange Island, yet the higher-ups had assigned her here. They were clearly looking down on her.

Feeling frustrated, Momousagi strode toward the town on Orange Island on her long legs, moving briskly with a heroic bearing.

Nangong Yan was in a good mood after comprehending the realm of a swordsman, and he planned to head out for a few drinks at the tavern.

Most of those on the island who had dared to attack Nangong Yan had been slaughtered when he first arrived. The rest had the desire but lacked the courage. Although they could not conceal the greed in their eyes, they did not dare act recklessly out of fear of Nangong Yan's strength.

Upon arriving at the tavern, Nangong Yan ordered a blood-red cocktail. He forced the bartender to drink part of it first, and only after confirming there was no problem did he take the cocktail to a table in the corner and leisurely savor it.

A few minutes later, after finishing his drink, Nangong Yan got up and walked toward the tavern entrance. Suddenly, the sunlight dimmed. He looked up and saw a valiant female Marine glaring at him like a tiger eyeing its prey.

The female Marine was Momousagi. She had originally intended to have a drink at the tavern and gather some information while she was at it. Unexpectedly, she ran into Nangong Yan before even entering.

Clang! Accompanied by a crisp ring of steel, the famed blade Kompira was drawn without hesitation. A seemingly light yet incomparably fierce slash tore through the air and swept toward Nangong Yan's neck.

Nangong Yan ducked to evade the strike, then flicked his five fingers. Five Solar True Flames instantly condensed into golden bullets and shot toward the nearby Momousagi.

Soru! Momousagi vanished in an instant. The next moment, she appeared in the street, delight filling her face as she said eagerly, "There are quite a few ordinary people here. Come on, let's have a proper fight outside the town."

"You want to go outside? Sure. As long as you call me big brother, I'll listen to you. You're a Marine, but I'm not. What do I care whether they live or die?" Nangong Yan drew Eastern Emperor, looked at Momousagi, and could not resist teasing her.

"Hmph, shameless scoundrel! The supreme-grade blade Beast King is simply gathering dust in your hands. You have none of a true powerhouse's bearing!" Momousagi snapped angrily.

"So this supreme-grade blade is called Beast King. But now that it belongs to me, it is no longer called Beast King. It is called Eastern Emperor!" Nangong Yan stroked the famed blade in his hand, then swung it. A silver-white sword aura flew toward Momousagi.

Hmph. Momousagi gave a cold snort. She was not some rigid fool, so she answered with a backhand slash that sent a snow-white sword aura flying out.

The common people of the New World were generally protected by great pirates, not the World Government. Her actions stemmed only from her own kindness, as she did not wish to implicate innocents.

Since Nangong Yan had already made his move, she could not afford to worry about so much. At most, she would pay more attention during the battle.

The two sharp sword auras collided in midair, exploding the air. The fierce, razor-sharp force filled the streets and houses with sword marks. Seeing the commotion, many people fled far away, terrified of being caught up in it.

Having only just entered the realm of a swordsman, Nangong Yan was still thrilled. Now that an opponent had delivered herself to his door, there was no way he would let her go. His figure flickered as he used Soru from the Marine Six Powers and rapidly closed in on Momousagi.

"Hmph, shameless scoundrel. So you really did steal the Marine's secret techniques. Today, I will definitely cut you down!" Momousagi said coldly, also using Soru to charge at Nangong Yan.

The two collided in an instant. Their famed blades clashed fiercely, sparks flying and sword auras spilling out. Rings of ripples spread through the air, trenches were plowed across the streets, and houses toppled in every direction.

Their figures crossed repeatedly, sometimes on the ground, sometimes running through the air, sometimes atop the rooftops. Crisp clashes of weapons rang out one after another.

Nangong Yan's swordsmanship was domineering and direct, broad and powerful, balancing hardness and softness with an imperial air. Momousagi's swordsmanship was nimble and swift, unpredictable and ever-changing, like a man-eating flower that could claim a life with a single careless mistake.

Momousagi had practiced swordsmanship since childhood, and her fundamentals were exceptionally solid. She had now reached the peak of the swordsman realm and was about to touch the threshold of a great swordsman. As a Navy Rear Admiral and one of the Navy's promising talents, she had received expert guidance, lacked no combat experience, and possessed numerous sword techniques.

Thus, after Nangong Yan exhausted his few tricks and began repeating his sword moves, she completely suppressed him.

Nangong Yan had no choice but to take a defensive stance. To break free from this situation, he began using kicking techniques and his Devil Fruit ability. Only then did he gradually recover from his disadvantage and begin to gain the upper hand.

Though he did not want to admit it, Nangong Yan had no choice but to acknowledge that he had lost in terms of swordsmanship.

Their battle engulfed half the town. Sword auras, shockwaves, and flames nearly destroyed half of it. Ruins littered the ground, while black smoke soared into the sky.

Seeing the stubbornness on Momousagi's beautiful face, Nangong Yan punched out a pale golden pillar of flame that forced her back, then teased, "What's wrong? Not convinced? I'm not a pure swordsman. If we keep fighting, you'll lose eventually."

"Let me think. How should I deal with you if you fall into my hands?"

"You're quite pretty. It would be a pity to kill you, so I'll reward you by making you my bedwarming maid. Hahaha!"

Momousagi's expression stiffened. A flush rose across her pale, lovely face from anger. She snorted coldly. "Nonsense! If you want me to be your bedwarming maid, wait until your next life. You are not qualified."

Secret Technique, Swallow Snowstorm!

Momousagi stomped fiercely against the air, shooting into the sky and arriving above Nangong Yan. Kompira bloomed with dazzling white light as she slashed her sword. Countless thin sword auras poured down like a torrential rain, like innumerable snowflakes dancing beneath a northern wind—dreamlike, yet filled with lethal killing intent.

Nangong Yan raised his brows. As expected of a future Admiral candidate. She really has something. With his level of swordsmanship, he could not block this move.

Although Nangong Yan's swordsmanship could not block it, that did not mean he had no other methods.

Golden Crow Breath!

Nangong Yan took a deep breath. His body immediately entered a partial beast transformation, his head turning into that of a Golden Crow. He opened his mouth and spewed Solar True Flame at the countless sword auras, transforming it into a sea of fire that reduced every incoming sword aura to nothingness.

The remaining thin sword auras left bottomless pits in countless stone slabs. The terrifying Solar True Flame spread toward Momousagi, forcing her to use Geppo once again to evade it.

Momousagi's expression darkened. She finally understood clearly that her current strength was insufficient to defeat Nangong Yan. She pulled out a signal gun and fired it into the sky. A blue firework exploded, forming the emblem of a Marine cap.

"Calling for help? Let's see if I can end this quickly." His pupils transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan as he stored Eastern Emperor in the Kamui Dimension. Nangong Yan used Golden Crow True Form and flew into the sky. His golden wings were incomparably beautiful as he bathed in Solar True Flame and flew toward Momousagi. The scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan gave him an air of nobility, majesty, and sinister otherworldliness.

"So it really is the rarest Mythical Zoan. What kind of Devil Fruit is this? Why have I never seen it in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia?" Though Momousagi was shocked, her attacks did not slow. One sharp sword aura after another sliced toward Nangong Yan.

After transforming into a Golden Crow, Nangong Yan was far more agile in the air than Geppo could ever be. Like a king of the skies, he left trails of golden light through the air and effortlessly dodged the layers of sword auras.

When the sword auras became too dense, he beat his wings. Countless Solar True Flames condensed into pillars of fire and blasted the sword auras apart. Though sword auras were sharp, flames were among the most tyrannical and violent energies in the world and had no fear of them. Perhaps only lightning could rival them in this regard.

Momousagi's face turned incomparably grave. Unable to worry about anything else, she rapidly retreated using Geppo while sending wave after wave of sword auras through the void, hoping to stall for time.

Suddenly, an ominous premonition rose in Nangong Yan's heart. Combined with the earlier signal flare, he guessed that an absolute Marine powerhouse was about to arrive—definitely someone at Admiral level, perhaps even stronger.

"There's no time. I'll go all out!"

With a clear cry, sunlight from the sky gathered around Nangong Yan. The Solar True Flame covering him immediately boiled and leaped, transforming from pale gold into true gold. The air twisted. The houses a hundred meters below erupted into blazing flames with a boom, and one-third of the town beneath him turned into a sea of fire.

Nangong Yan completely transformed into a golden streak of light and closed in on Momousagi. The Solar True Flame that was on the verge of completely turning golden protected his body. The air twisted, leaving behind afterimages as he effortlessly dodged layers of sword auras and arrived beside Momousagi.

Momousagi's Marine uniform, clothes, undergarments, and everything else instantly turned to ash, leaving her completely exposed. Momousagi was horrified, ashamed and furious. An ordinary woman might have frozen on the spot, but Momousagi's will was firm. Though her heart was greatly shaken, she still gripped Kompira and slashed at Nangong Yan.

At that moment, a powerful spiritual force invaded Momousagi's mind. Her consciousness shook, and caught off guard, she froze. Her expression immediately became somewhat vacant.

Nangong Yan released Golden Crow True Form and wrapped an arm around Momousagi's fair, smooth, slender waist. Kamui activated, and a spatial vortex spun rapidly, gradually swallowing both their bodies.

Just as their bodies completely entered the Kamui Dimension, a vast, irresistible fist force struck. Even being grazed by it slightly injured Nangong Yan's internal organs, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

If Nangong Yan had seen what happened to the mountain behind Orange Island, he would definitely have counted himself fortunate.

The vast fist force compressed an unknown amount of air, forming a gigantic transparent fist imprint that blasted into the mountain. The mountain exploded, half its peak instantly blown away. Rubble scattered like rain.

A middle-aged man wearing a Marine justice cloak, a white suit, and a light blue tie, with a square face and faint stubble, crossed several hundred meters in an instant amid a violent gale and arrived where Nangong Yan had vanished.

The middle-aged man scratched his head, his face full of frustration and helplessness. "Damn it, how am I supposed to explain this to Tsuru..."