"You'll pay for that, you damned Lightning Swordsman, Carl!"
A female voice echoed through the bay. From a nearby private house, a curvaceous woman with a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth charged out, her beautiful face now etched with anger.
Sanji's eyes instantly lit up, and he began swaying side to side as if a wave were washing over him. Before he could do anything, however, Nami's foot sent him flying onto the deck with a sharp thud.
"That's Marine Vice Admiral Momousagi Gion! And that's Konpira, one of the 21 Great Grade swords!" Tashigi exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.
Tashigi had heard about Momousagi from Carl and later confirmed the details with Hina, who knew the Vice Admiral personally. If Zephyr was Tashigi's idol of justice, then Momousagi was her idol of swordsmanship.
A woman who had reached the rank of a quasi-Admiral with her sword alone was a rare sight, and she had earned every bit of Tashigi's admiration. The fact that she also carried a Great Grade sword only intensified her awe.
Zoro, on the other hand, looked annoyed. Carl had just underestimated him, and now a woman was joining the fray. Although he didn't look down on women, it was still an unpleasant feeling to be overlooked. He knew, however, that he truly couldn't block a slash from Momousagi.
Carl and Momousagi were already in the middle of a fierce clash. Her swordsmanship was deceptively light and elegant, but it held a shocking amount of brutal power, a combination that perfectly suited her refined, yet explosive, personality.
"Heh, she's pretty and strong, but it's a shame..." Carl muttered, his eyes on Gion.
A shame?
"It's a shame she's not my type," Carl finished, a wide grin on his face.
Gion's hips suddenly tightened with a jolt, and she shot an annoyed glare at Carl. His voice hadn't been quiet, and his words echoed across the entire square and bay. People suddenly felt their footing give way, and a few actually fell to the ground, a mix of laughter and frustration on their faces.
Seriously? they thought. You're here to save people, not to flirt!
"Carl, you damn pirate! How dare you harass my Gion! I'll kill you!"
A male voice bellowed from the other side of the house, followed by a slovenly-looking man who charged out. Compared to Kizaru, this man had his own brand of scruffiness. His greasy, unattractive face, the cigarette dangling from his lips, and his hands shoved into his pockets as he walked with a slight slouch gave him an air of complete degeneracy.
"Oh? You must be Tea Pig, then?" Carl asked with a laugh.
"It's Vice Admiral Tokikake, the Tea Dolphin! You bastard, Carl! Stay away from my Gion! "Tokikake kicked out with a wooden clog in frustration.
"Isn't a dolphin just a kind of pig? So a 'Tea Dolphin' is a 'Tea Pig.' Nothing wrong with that," Carl replied.
Carl's words made Tokikake even more furious, and he began kicking a volley of clogs, his hands never leaving his pockets. If a handsome man had done this, it might have looked stylish, but with Tokikake, it just looked ridiculous.
Carl easily dodged the attacks. Momousagi had stopped her assault, and he didn't feel much pressure.
"Tea Dolphin! Don't be ridiculous!" Momousagi shouted. "Since when am I your Gion?"
Tokikake immediately put on a lovesick expression. "Gion, my love for you is like the endless waves of the sea. Seeing you, I'm like a Devil Fruit user seeing a Seastone—I'm completely helpless!"
"Enough! Just focus on the enemy!" Momousagi's face was flushed with anger, but she knew the fight was more important.
Carl was thoroughly amused by Tokikake's bold, on-the-spot confession. He found it rather endearing that Tokikake was so infatuated, though it was a shame Momousagi didn't feel the same way. Tokikake's honest and wholehearted nature was probably more genuine than that of a handsome womanizer.
Carl was fighting two quasi-Admirals alone, and with the execution platform so close, he couldn't spare a moment to attack. Luckily, the Thousand Sunny was still charging forward, getting closer to Ace with every passing second.
"Ace! I'm gonna save you!" Luffy yelled. His crew stood behind him, looking more formidable than ever in their new attire.
The sight of them sent a wave of fear through the Marine forces, and because a Den Den Mushi had broadcast their arrival, the Straw Hat Pirates were suddenly on a worldwide stage.
Reporters at Sabaody Archipelago frantically tried to publish a second newspaper, the headlines already planned to feature the Straw Hats' grand entrance.
Meanwhile, the Supernovas watching the live broadcast all had grim expressions. Many had previously looked down on Luffy, believing the news and Marine reports were exaggerated, but now the Straw Hats had made a powerful debut at the Summit War, stunning everyone.
Are the Straw Hats really strong enough to fight the Four Emperors and Marine Admirals? they wondered.
"Let's see just how strong you are! I don't believe the gap is that big, I just don't!" Kid muttered, his teeth clenched, a look of envy on his face. They're just rookies, so why are they so far ahead of me?
On a distant tree, an old man with white hair and a scarred eye took a long swig from his bottle, a smile on his face. "Haha, I didn't expect them to be this strong. It's a pleasant surprise.
He's exactly the kind of person Shanks would bet on! The captain's will has been inherited, and the sea is about to face a real storm!" Silvers Rayleigh leaned against the tree trunk with a look of pure contentment.
The battle raged on. The Thousand Sunny continued its rapid advance, but as they got closer, things took a turn for the worse.
Suddenly, a massive, cyan-colored slash tore through the air, ripping through the clouds with unparalleled power. It happened so fast that even Luffy didn't have time to react.
The slash obliterated the cloud pathway directly in front of them, and the Thousand Sunny, now without a path, began to fall. Its high-speed advance was now impossible to maintain, giving the Marines ample time to regroup.
"Hawkeye, you bastard!" Foil Vista cursed. He immediately charged toward Hawkeye, his two swords weaving a flurry of attacks. No one had expected the Warlord, who had been the farthest away, to make a move that would halt their progress.
"Damn it, Hawkeye!" Luffy yelled in frustration, but his annoyance quickly turned into resolve. "Alright, everyone! We'll stick to the plan! Some of you stay and provide cover, and the rest of you follow me to the execution platform!"
"Yeah!" the crew roared in unison.
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