"This is great. I've been sick of staying with that old man for a long time. Mr. Sakazuki is just too amazing."
Aramaki spoke in a cheerful tone, a smile on his face. It was obvious he had already had enough of teaming up with Garp.
Among the Marines, those who admired Sakazuki often had their own opinions about the older generation's softer approach, though they usually kept it to themselves. But Aramaki was different. He was a devoted admirer of Sakazuki who had joined midway, and unlike others, he did not bother hiding his thoughts.
He never held back, and the two of them had mocked each other plenty whenever they met. In the end, they simply stayed out of each other's sight, each stationed on a different island, which finally brought some peace.
Aramaki stood up from the recliner and stretched. "Any specific mission requirements?"
The messenger checked the order and replied, "No specific instructions. You have full freedom of action. As long as you cut into the Steam Pirates' territory and split them from the middle."
He nodded. "Got it."
Activating his ability, a flower grew from his back and extended above his head like a floating platform. His body slowly lifted into the air and drifted lazily toward the warships.
The messenger froze for a moment. Only after seeing him rise did he react, chasing after him and shouting, "Admiral Aramaki! Wait, there's still—"
Floating in midair, Aramaki was already lost in his own thoughts, completely ignoring the voice behind him.
"Freedom of action? That must mean wipe them out completely. That suits me perfectly. Too bad there are no reporters. If it were like when Mr. Sakazuki swept through the North Blue, it would be perfect. He'd definitely praise me then."
At that moment, dozens of cruel ways to kill pirates flashed through his mind. The only regret was the lack of reporters to spread it across the world.
Otherwise, he could be just like Sakazuki back then, turning pirate heads into all kinds of displays, roasting them, using them for fishing, taking photos, and spreading them worldwide.
Just thinking about it made him excited.
* * *
New World, Padre Port.
Boom! Boom!
High in the sky, thousands of meters above, massive white mushroom clouds from explosions kept rising. In the next instant, they froze into enormous ice clouds, only to shatter into countless ice crystals as another wave of steam explosions erupted.
This was the daily battle between Knox, who became steam, and Kuzan, who became ice.
After freezing another steam explosion, Kuzan reformed his body, a trace of fatigue on his face. "Oh my… this is getting a bit excessive, don't you think, Knox?"
Under Sakazuki's orders, the Marines had already withdrawn from both flanks and returned to their original territory. But Knox had chased them down.
Exhaling a breath of cold air, Kuzan formed an ice blade in his hand and slashed backward.
Clang!
A steam-forged spear was blocked. The one holding it was Knox, who had also reformed his body.
"Excessive? When you were killing my people, did you ever think about that?"
Kuzan let out a soft sigh. "Isn't it only natural for Marines to kill pirates?"
The strength in his arm surged as he pressed down.
Feeling the overwhelming force, Knox sneered. "And isn't it only natural for pirates to kill Marines?"
Sizzle!
The steam spear in his hand let out a sharp howl as steam burst from it.
A trace of helplessness flashed across Kuzan's face.
Boom!!!
A steam explosion erupted, and his body shattered into several chunks of ice that scattered through the air. But they did not melt. Instead, they spread outward against the intense heat of the explosion, freezing the moisture in the air.
In just moments, a massive, irregular block of ice formed, nearly the size of half an island, and dropped straight down in free fall toward the center of the harbor below, where countless pirate ships were gathered.
Shhhhk!
A steam spear, carrying a piercing shriek, shot forward and stabbed into the center of the massive ice.
Boom!!!
The ice mountain exploded. Scorching steam burst outward as fragments shattered and dissipated.
Kuzan reformed his body atop a large chunk of ice and looked toward Knox in the distance. Cold air gathered in his hands before he released it.
"Ice Age."
Irregular ice spikes shot forward, stretching endlessly as they pierced straight toward him.
Knox casually turned into steam and vanished. The ice spikes exploded in place, sending countless icy thorns scattering in all directions.
Shhhhk, shhhhk…
Shrieking steam spears came flying in, and Kuzan's body was blown apart into pieces of ice once again.
Neither side could break the other's technique…
* * *
New World, Padre Port.
The sun set.
After a full day of fruitless attacks, Knox's forces chose to withdraw. This place was, after all, one of the Marines' original strongholds, and it was not easy to take.
After a day of relentless bombardment, the sharp smell of gunpowder filled the coast. Everywhere one looked, there were corpses, pirates and Marines alike. Buildings still smoked, black plumes drifting quietly into the sky.
The soldiers, who had endured a brutal day of fighting, seemed almost used to it. They forced their exhausted bodies to keep moving, collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Isaac was covered in soot, his body wrapped in bandages, as he dragged the corpse of a Marine whose body had been blown away, slowly toward the island.
"Ha… ha…"
At last, he could not go on. With a thud, he sat down on the ground and finally let his body relax for a moment. His right hand unconsciously reached into the pocket over his left chest, touching his father's medal.
He stared blankly at the sky, where faint stars were beginning to appear, trying to find which one might be his father.
He did not know how long he would live.
The cruelty of war far exceeded anything he had imagined.
The companions who had left Kergashi Island with him had been assigned to different warships. After fighting pirates and entering the New World, they had gone through destruction and reformation again and again.
Now, not a single familiar face remained.
The comrades around him were all survivors from shattered fleets, regrouped into new ones.
In just a few months, he had experienced more than in his entire life. The pirates he had seen outnumbered the entire population of his home island. These scum of the sea seemed endless.
At this time, Isaac finally understood why Fleet Admiral Sakazuki was so deeply respected, and why people from his island had rushed to enlist like they had gone mad.
He also finally understood why his mother, who had been lost in a daze for decades, suddenly became clear-headed upon hearing Sakazuki's name. She had searched out money hidden who knew where and muttered.
"For Mr. Sakazuki… To kill pirates… To take revenge…"
It was hatred carved into the bones, a hatred that could never be forgotten for all eternity.
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