"A monster? Young Sabo, I wouldn't dare accept that."
"Sakazuki is the real monster."
Kizaru inspected his nails, his tone suddenly growing heavier.
"However, the battle is over. It's time I took you back to Marine Headquarters."
"Hehe, I wonder how much leave this achievement will earn me. Just thinking about it is fun!"
Despair filled the faces of Sabo and his two companions.
How could they possibly defeat such a powerful Admiral?
Then, at Kizaru's command,
Marine soldiers brought over Seastone Handcuffs, preparing to take the three into custody.
After all, seastone was the bane of Devil Fruit Users.
Once they touched it, they retained only twenty percent of their fighting strength.
Just as Sabo and the other Revolutionary Army officers prepared to accept their fate, and the Marines thought the battle was over, something unexpected happened.
Bang! Bang!
Explosions rang through the air, and a towering figure appeared before the three as though he had teleported.
"By order of the World Government, these people are to be executed by me!"
As he spoke, he extended his paw-like palm and slammed it toward Sabo.
"Ku..."
Sabo's gaze shifted.
He was about to say something, but was sent flying before he could.
Holding a book, Kuma looked calm, as though he truly were eliminating targets for the World Government.
He swung his palm again toward Morley and Grey Crow, who were stunned by the sudden scene.
The two already understood why, but likewise had no time to speak before they were sent flying.
Dead silence fell over the scene.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
It had happened so quickly that no one had reacted before Sabo and his companions were simply swatted away.
As for whether they were dead?
What a joke!
Blowing their heads apart with a single punch would have been a more reliable result than teleporting them away.
"How scary... Kuma of the Shichibukai, carrying out the World Government's orders to execute the Revolutionary Army?"
Kizaru seemed only then to react. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone grew considerably more serious.
"But, Kuma, you don't look like you're executing the Revolutionary Army."
"Don't you owe the World Government an explanation?"
Kuma's gaze flickered briefly before returning to normal.
He understood what Kizaru meant:
Kizaru would not investigate whether it was true, but Kuma would have to explain this matter to the World Government himself. It had nothing to do with Kizaru.
"My Devil Fruit ability can randomly teleport people to the Calm Belt or dangerous waters."
"I am merely carrying out the World Government's orders. I will explain to them."
With that, he moved, instantly arriving beside Koala.
"So, where would you like to travel?"
Koala was just about to respond when a palm strike sent her flying.
Momousagi, standing nearby, wanted to stop him, but she was too late.
Seeing Koala repelled, Momousagi's expression filled with anger. She drew Konpira and slashed at Kuma.
"You Shichibukai bastard! You're letting Revolutionary Army criminals escape!"
But faced with this attack, Kuma merely gave a light push with his Paw-Paw Fruit.
Momousagi's fierce slash was blocked.
Bang!
The impact swept outward, forcing those nearby to retreat.
Neither of the two combatants was injured.
"I am merely carrying out the World Government's orders. I will explain to them myself."
Kuma's voice remained calm throughout, as though emotions rarely stirred within him.
"Hah, easy for you to say. But you've already let them escape."
"They were right. The Shichibukai are nothing but parasites!"
Burning with anger, Momousagi tightened her grip on Konpira, ready to fight again, but Kizaru stopped her.
"Momousagi, stand down. Kuma is carrying out the World Government's orders. He'll explain himself."
"Besides, there are still several dozen Revolutionary Army members here. I trust Kuma won't stop us from taking them away?"
Kizaru's tone was calm, but carried a trace of seriousness that allowed no argument.
He had made himself quite clear: he could let what had happened earlier slide.
After all, those were supposedly the World Government's orders, according to Kuma. He did not care whether that was true.
But if Kuma made another move on these Revolutionary Army members, Admiral Kizaru would not hold back.
Kuma clearly understood the threat.
He silently watched the several dozen captured Revolutionary Army members, and finally backed down.
"Thank you for your understanding, Admiral Kizaru. The World Government's orders have been fulfilled. The rest has nothing to do with me."
"Then, farewell."
As his words fell, he used his Paw-Paw Fruit ability to repel himself away, leaving those Revolutionary Army members alone.
If he continued, he would certainly anger Kizaru in earnest.
He had no chance of winning against Kizaru.
Besides, this was already all he could do for the Revolutionary Army.
After Kuma left, Momousagi declared indignantly, "Those damned Shichibukai are nothing but bastards!"
"I'll definitely tell Sister Tsuru and Fleet Admiral Sengoku about this. We must use this opportunity to abolish the Shichibukai title!"
Kizaru silently shook his head.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the World Government will make their own judgment on this matter. Our priority is to take these Revolutionary Army members back to headquarters."
Momousagi was still too naive. Tsuru had sheltered her too well.
The Shichibukai were an institution established by the World Government to counterbalance the Four Emperors of the New World, and even Marine Headquarters. How could they be abolished so easily?
Though angry, Momousagi still ordered the Marine soldiers to escort the Revolutionary Army members aboard the warship.
After all, Kizaru was right. These matters should be handled by Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the World Government.
By the time all preparations were complete and Momousagi's group had reassured the civilian factions of the Wan Kingdom of Phil, night had fallen.
They did not linger, returning to the warship and preparing to sail back to Marine Headquarters overnight.
Just then, Kizaru's Den Den Mushi rang.
After he answered, the news that came through left both him and Momousagi utterly shaken.
On the other end, Sengoku ordered them to head to Marine Headquarters immediately.
Impel Down had fallen. Garp and Kuzan had been defeated and were in critical condition.
Roy, Bullet, and the other criminals had already escaped Impel Down.
The second piece of news was that Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, had appeared within World Government territory and fought a major battle against the World Government.
He had fought Sakazuki and several members of the Holy Knights alone, ultimately suffering only minor injuries and successfully withdrawing.
Either piece of news was enough to shake the world.
"How scary... Looks like my vacation is gone again."
"And the seas are about to fall into chaos."
After digesting the news, Kizaru's voice was no longer steady.
With a heavy heart, he traveled aboard the warship toward Marine Headquarters through the night.
Time passed slowly, and three days went by in the blink of an eye.
Over those three days, news spread of Impel Down's fall and a Marine Admiral's defeat.
It swept across the world like a storm, shaking every faction.
No one had imagined that Impel Down, the prison supposedly impossible to escape from, would fall on such a scale.
Even a force as powerful as Marine Headquarters had been defeated.
Seeing public opinion on the verge of erupting, the World Government at one point declared the news false.
"This is false information. Someone is smearing Marine Headquarters."
But as newspapers and battle reports continued to emerge, the entire world was utterly shocked.
Over a thousand jailers at Impel Down had all died in battle.
Chief Warden Magellan had been cut in half at the waist, dying on the spot.
The world no longer had a Venom-Venom Fruit user.
Deputy Chief Warden Hannyabal had died in battle.
To prevent the criminals from escaping, he had taken Molotov cocktails and burned himself to death alongside Vice Warden Domino.
Chief Warden Shiryu and all the other jailers had died in battle, a tragedy of the utmost severity.
Outside Impel Down, ninety-nine percent of the eight-thousand-strong Navy Garrison had died in battle.
Navy Hero Garp had been defeated, suffering injuries across his body and a broken arm before ultimately being captured.
He was suspected to have been defeated by Roy through sheer force.
Even if he recovered in the future, his fighting strength would be greatly diminished. He would no longer be the Navy Hero of old.
Marine Admiral Kuzan's fate was unknown.
He was suspected to have been surrounded and killed by three powerful fighters: Roy, Bullet, and Red.
Garp's aide, Bogard, had been severely injured.
In addition, two Marine Vice Admirals and several Marine Rear Admirals had died in battle.
The original force had rivaled a Buster Call, with two Vice Admirals commanding eight thousand Marine soldiers. After a single battle, ninety-nine percent had died.
In the end, only thirty battered soldiers remained, captured alongside Garp and Bogard.
The newspapers claimed that the mastermind behind all of this was a criminal named Roy.
He had launched a prison break, leading Bullet, Red, and the other powerful monsters of Impel Down's Level 6 in a riot.
After this group escaped Impel Down, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had led three enormous warships to intercept them.
The battle reports stated:
Navy Chief Instructor Zephyr had been defeated, and his Mechanical Arm, assembled from pirates' arms, had been twisted apart by Roy.
Two Giant Vice Admirals had died in battle.
After Zephyr's defeat, they had attempted to kill Roy, only to be killed on the spot themselves.
P.S. I don't know whether this will get its debut promotion. If not, I'll keep going until 200,000 characters for now.
If it gets a debut promotion and the full-attendance bonus, I'll keep writing until a million.
Before you continue