"How is that possible?"
"Youpi and the other two were the elite of our CP9 elites, even candidates for CP0. How could they have been taken down so easily?"
A senior Cipher Pol official aboard the World Government ship spoke in disbelief.
When Youpi and the other two had landed on the island, the senior Cipher Pol official, Spandine, and the others had been watching them.
They watched the three through military binoculars.
They saw the three sweep through the Brunei Family's guards with unstoppable momentum after landing on the island.
They even saw Youpi easily defeat Feiluo, who had given Spandine and the others endless headaches.
Everyone from Cipher Pol could not help smiling smugly.
But their smugness did not last long at all.
One moment, their faces were wreathed in smiles; the next, those smiles froze.
Zesi's sudden appearance was something they had never anticipated, and seeing Youpi sent flying in an instant left them even more stunned.
What followed, all three being defeated in an instant, left everyone utterly dumbfounded.
These three were the elite of Cipher Pol's elites.
They were even qualified to become candidates for CP0, Cipher Pol's highest organization.
After this mission, they were supposed to be sent to the CP0 training camp.
As long as they made it out of the training camp, they would become members of CP0, answering directly to the Five Elders.
Yet these three elites among CP9's elites had been defeated so easily.
The senior Cipher Pol official could not believe this was real.
He felt as though the whole world had been turned upside down.
"Who is this man? Why was he never mentioned in the intelligence reports?"
"I, I, I don't know either! This man has never appeared before!"
"Investigate! Get on it! Find out where he came from. I want to know who he is immediately!"
"Yes, yes!"
The senior Cipher Pol official looked utterly miserable. He had lost three Cipher Pol elites on this mission, and all three had been designated to enter the CP0 training camp. He had no idea how he would explain this to his superiors.
"Reporting, sir! The Navy's reinforcement warship has arrived!" Just then, a World Government staff member came to report.
The senior Cipher Pol official's eyes lit up at his subordinate's report.
"Who did they send?"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki from the Navy's G-1 Fortress in the New World!"
"Sakazuki? Him? Excellent! Notify Vice Admiral Sakazuki immediately. Ask him to make sure he rescues Youpi and the other two!"
Had Sakazuki arrived a little earlier, he would never have been so enthusiastic.
Now, a powerful opponent like Zesi had appeared, and the fate of his three subordinates remained unknown.
Youpi and the others were already CP0 candidates. Losing them here for no reason would leave him unable to explain himself to his superiors.
So he needed someone to help him deal with Zesi, someone to help him rescue those three.
If necessary, he even needed someone to share the responsibility.
And Sakazuki was a very suitable choice. This made him incredibly enthusiastic toward Sakazuki.
He knew of Sakazuki.
He was a Vice Admiral whom the Navy was focused on grooming, a Logia Devil Fruit user, and a candidate for one of the Navy's future Three Admirals. His strength was terrifying.
Sakazuki's arrival gave him hope of rescuing Youpi and the other two.
Moreover, with the terrifying power of his Logia abilities, he would be more than capable of handling Zesi, however strong this man who had suddenly appeared might be.
So he immediately asked Sakazuki for help, requesting that he make sure to rescue Youpi and the other two.
Meanwhile, after receiving Cipher Pol's request for help, Sakazuki felt nothing but contempt for them.
As expected, these filthy spy organizations can only hatch plots behind people's backs. They have no real ability. They can't even deal with a mere ordinary family in the New World.
But he was not yet the Admiral he would become, and he could not act with such abandon yet.
So after Cipher Pol requested help, he immediately took action.
As for whether he would rescue Cipher Pol's people, that would depend on his mood.
"All right, how should I deal with you bandits next?" Zesi said, looking at the barely breathing Youpi and Lampkin, then at Jason, who had lost a finger.
"The World Government stands behind us! It's an existence you absolutely cannot afford to provoke. No matter how powerful you are, once you provoke the World Government, you're making an enemy of the entire world. Think about the consequences of making an enemy of the entire world!" Cold sweat poured from Jason as his eyes darted about, searching for a way to escape.
"Make an enemy of the world? Hahahaha! You should ask whether this world dares to make an enemy of me!" Zesi said with a disdainful laugh.
"What arrogance!" Just then, a sneering voice rang out.
At the same time, the air suddenly became unbearably hot.
Jason also saw an enormous magma fist hurtling straight toward them.
Before the fist even struck, terrifying heat had already swept over them.
The surrounding temperature immediately soared, and in the blink of an eye, the area had become a scorching hell.
Without thinking, Jason grabbed the barely breathing Youpi and Lampkin beside him. Soru! He vanished from the spot in a flash.
Once he had dodged aside and looked back, the enormous magma fist was already right in front of Zesi.
Yet Zesi, who had been so terrifying just moments before, stood motionless, as though he had been scared witless.
"My, my, who might this be? So much heat the moment you arrive. Still, this fire would certainly be enough to light a barbecue at my banquet."
Just then, Jason saw Zesi raise one hand and tap the incoming magma fist as though he were knocking on a door.
Then something happened that left Jason utterly stunned.
"It's cracking! It's cracking open!" With that single tap from Zesi!
Cracks appeared in the air, as though it were a shattered mirror.