Cast a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish!

"Garp, you idiot, are you stupid? How could you tell a criminal something like that? And how could you believe what a criminal says?"

Seeing Garp's smug, foolish grin, Sengoku could not help roaring.

"Ahahaha, relax." Garp patted Sengoku's shoulder carelessly and laughed. "That young man doesn't look like someone who would break his word, so don't worry."

Sengoku slapped Garp's hand away and bellowed, "You bastard, talking about trust with a criminal! Have you ever seen a criminal keep a promise?!"

"Sure. Roger, Whitebeard, Red-Hair-haven't those guys always kept their word?"

"How is that the same? Those guys are either the Pirate King or one of the Four Emperors, and they all have a screw loose, just like you!"

After cursing at him, Sengoku waved a hand helplessly. "Forget it. You've already said it. We can only fight for our lives now."

Then he looked up, only to be stunned.

The enormous Susanoo that had stood before them a moment ago had vanished.

Several hundred meters ahead, Ye Yang held the silver case and curled his lip disdainfully at him. "Sengoku, don't assume everyone is as untrustworthy as your Navy. Whatever I, the emperor, promise, I will absolutely do!"

With that, he carried the case away, his figure flickering a few times before disappearing.

At the sight, Garp burst out laughing. "Hahaha, see? I told you that young man would keep his word."

Sengoku's expression was utterly grim. He turned and snapped at Garp, "Bastard, don't get so smug! For all we know, he could be hiding nearby to ambush us!"

It was merely a flimsy excuse to save face.

Everyone present was an expert in Observation Haki, and Ye Yang was no longer anywhere within their sensing range.

In other words, he really had left.

Still, Sengoku was the Fleet Admiral, after all. Apart from Garp, who dared to mock him, the remaining Vice Admiral Doberman did not dare make a sound.

Rumble!

Just then, a sudden rumble came from the sky.

Everyone looked up. While they had been talking, the enormous meteor had drawn close to the ground.

That rumble had come from the powerful airflow around the meteor striking the ground and splitting the earth.

Sengoku's pupils contracted. It had not even landed yet, and its impact was already this powerful. If they actually let it fall, everyone on the island would die without even a place to be buried!

His gaze was grave as he shouted, "Garp, Doberman, help me stop this meteor with everything you've got! Ideally, we should destroy it!"

"Right!" Garp nodded. His jovial expression from a moment ago had vanished, and his face was deadly serious. "That brat really made something incredible... I'll go up and hold the meteor back. You two destroy it!"

"Yes!" Vice Admiral Doberman drew the Tachi at his waist, his eyes filled with cold resolve.

"Let's go!"

Garp roared and used Geppo and Shave, reaching the underside of the meteor within a few breaths. A thick layer of Armament Haki coated his hands as he pushed upward.

"Haaah!"

Terrifying strength surged from his aged body, veins bulging all over him. The heat carried by the meteor burned away his Navy uniform's upper half, revealing his knotted muscles.

The meteor's descent stalled slightly before it continued falling.

Its falling speed, however, had decreased considerably.

"Shockwave!"

"Black Dragon Slash!"

Sengoku and Doberman rushed to either side of the meteor, then immediately unleashed every ounce of their strength against it!

"Lord Ye Yang, why didn't we kill them just now? With our strength, we could have killed them."

At the port in Area 17 of the Sabaody Archipelago, the normally bustling harbor was utterly silent, without a single person in sight.

Out on the water before the harbor, Ye Yang and Ulquiorra stood steadily on the sea's surface.

Ulquiorra could not help asking in confusion.

Ye Yang shook his head and said calmly, "I know, but there was no need."

"Why?" Ulquiorra's eyes held no emotion, but his voice was full of confusion. "Aren't they your enemies, Lord Ye Yang?"

"They are my enemies, but for now, I don't want to kill them too quickly."

Ye Yang lowered his gaze to the azure sea beneath his feet. "There's a saying: cast a long line to catch a big fish. Killing them would certainly remove obstacles, but then I wouldn't be able to realize their true value."

If he had wanted to wipe out the forces Sengoku had brought this time, it would have been far too easy.

The three Vice Admirals were essentially useless. Either Ye Yang or Ulquiorra could kill them swiftly.

As for the remaining two, Sengoku and Garp, both possessed strength slightly above that of an Admiral.

But in single combat, they could never defeat either Ye Yang or Ulquiorra.

It was a battle he could win whenever he chose to fight, but Ye Yang did not want to fight.

What use was killing them? It would merely eliminate a few dispensable enemies ahead of time, and he would gain nothing.

Rather than that, he might as well leave them alive to contribute Negative Points to him.

Besides, if he killed one Fleet Admiral, the World Government behind the Navy could simply appoint another.

To him, this battle had no meaning at all. It would only waste his strength.

"Cast a long line... to catch a big fish..."

Ulquiorra murmured, understanding somewhat, yet still unable to fully grasp it.

Just then, an enormous Sea King suddenly surged up from beneath the water, opening its huge maw to swallow Ye Yang and Ulquiorra in one bite.

"You're courting death." Ulquiorra's gaze turned cold. He extended a finger, and a Cero pierced the sea's surface, killing the Sea King outright.

Scarlet blood spread across the water, taking on a somewhat eerie beauty against the azure sea.

The next moment, dark shapes suddenly surged up from beneath the surface, gradually growing larger.

They were all Sea Kings drawn by the smell of blood.

They lunged at the dead Sea King and, in just a few bites, tore its corpse apart and swallowed it.

Watching this, a trace of realization appeared in Ulquiorra's eyes. "Cast a long line... to catch a big fish... I think I understand now..."

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