A streak of golden light silently cut across the Grand Line's clear morning sky at a speed almost beyond the limits of sight, shooting straight toward the summit of the Red Line.
But just as the streak was about to touch the edge of the area shrouded in an invisible force field, it abruptly stopped, as though it had struck an unseen wall.
The light receded, revealing Borsalino's tall, thin figure.
He still wore his trademark yellow-and-white striped suit, his hands tucked into his trouser pockets and the corners of his mouth turned slightly downward as usual. Behind his sunglasses, however, his sharp gaze swept over the empty space ahead and, farther beyond, Mary Geoise, still magnificent in the sunlight yet inexplicably exuding a sense of "dead silence."
"Ooh~ This really is..." Kizaru drawled, his gaze finally settling on the silver-haired figure floating quietly among the clouds nearby, as though he had been waiting for some time.
Boer calmly regarded the Marine Admiral with whom he shared a subtle resonance, a smile somewhere between friendliness and warning appearing on his face. "I'm afraid I can't let you go any farther, old man Kizaru. This road is closed."
Kizaru tilted his head, glancing between Boer and the silent Mary Geoise in the distance, and clicked his tongue twice. "This ability... really is terrifying, young Boer. Much more 'exciting' than that 'big bomb' last night."
His voice still carried its characteristic languor, but it could not conceal the trace of gravity beneath it. "These old bones of mine didn't get a good night's sleep because of you, and now I have to run all over the place."
"Can't be helped. The capable have to work harder." Boer shrugged, sounding as relaxed as if they were discussing the weather. "Besides, Admiral Kizaru, look