That's right—Devil Fruits were Alex's true objective.
He had no grudges against the Four Emperors. Naturally, he wasn't going to wipe them out for no reason.
It was all business.
Having the Marines help scour the entire sea for Devil Fruits was the fastest way Alex could think of to harvest them.
After all, the Marines were the largest force in this world.
Of course.
Alex also understood just how shocking everything he had said would sound to ordinary people.
The Marines definitely wouldn't believe him.
So he merely had Kizaru pass along a message, then planned to personally visit Marineford a few days later.
"You're serious?"
Kizaru looked at Alex as if to say are you messing with me, then added, "You didn't forget what you did, did you? You killed a Celestial Dragon!"
Killing a Celestial Dragon and still wanting to cooperate with the Marines?
What a joke!
Not to mention the absurd content of that so-called cooperation.
"Does that matter?"
Alex shrugged indifferently. "Covering something like that should be easy for you, right? Just push out a few scapegoats."
Kizaru: "..."
You really know how to think on the Marines' behalf.
Bang!
Alex didn't bother saying anything more to Kizaru.
He shot straight up into the sky and vanished.
As he left, the "telekinetic armor" around Kizaru disappeared as well.
The seawater clinging to his body automatically dispersed.
Kizaru immediately returned to normal.
He looked up at the direction Alex had disappeared, deep in thought.
Should they really push out a scapegoat?
No matter whether what that man said about eliminating the Four Emperors was true or not, the fact that Kizaru couldn't capture him was undeniable.
"What a headache. Why do I always get stuck with this kind of trouble?"
"For such a tiny paycheck, too…"
Kizaru rubbed his temples, identified his direction, and extended both hands.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Brilliant photons gathered in his palms, forming a golden mirror.
With a flick, a beam of golden refracted light shot out—
Straight toward the auction house on Sabaody Archipelago.
Whoosh!
Kizaru transformed into light and zipped along that path, arriving in the blink of an eye.
Letting the killer of a Celestial Dragon escape was a huge deal.
Next, Kizaru intended to wipe out every pirate on Sabaody Archipelago!
As for how to deal with the mess of the real culprit escaping—there was no plan yet. He'd have to report back to Sengoku first.
But for now, appearances had to be maintained.
After all.
A Celestial Dragon had died. The World Government would pay close attention. The Five Elders certainly would too.
Kizaru needed to make a big show of things.
Reaching the rank of Marine Admiral, Kizaru might usually seem lazy, but he wasn't stupid.
He knew exactly what needed to be done and what didn't.
Buzz—boom—boom!
And so, the pirates on Sabaody Archipelago were utterly unlucky, suffering devastating blows from Admiral Kizaru.
Explosions, energy blasts, and roaring impacts echoed nonstop.
It was unbelievably lively.
"Buru buru buru…"
While he was busily bombarding everything, a Den Den Mushi on his body began to ring.
Kizaru could only answer while continuing to fire light bullets.
"Moshi moshi, this is Kizaru."
"Kizaru, this is Sengoku. How's the situation?"
The Den Den Mushi immediately transmitted Sengoku's deep, heavy voice.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku… the situation is a bit… not great."
Kizaru scratched his head, unsure how to begin.
At Marineford HQ, Sengoku's heart sank.
Not great?
What did not great mean?
With Kizaru personally on the scene, shouldn't everything be completely under control?
How could things be not great?
"What exactly happened!"
Sengoku demanded in a low voice.
"The culprit who killed the Celestial Dragon… got away."
Kizaru could only grit his teeth and deliver the news.
"What did you say?"
"Got away?!"
Sengoku's voice jumped several octaves, disbelief evident.
Kizaru personally intervened—and the target escaped?
"Borsalino! You went personally—how could he possibly escape?!"
Sengoku frowned deeply, his tone stern.
"The one who killed the Celestial Dragon is extremely, extremely strong—far beyond the level of a Marine Admiral."
"Even if Garp came, he wouldn't be a match for that man."
"To capture him… even if Kuzan and Sakazuki joined forces, there'd still be no guarantee."
Kizaru told Sengoku the truth.
Sengoku's first reaction was disbelief.
Impossible. Absolute nonsense.
How could someone like that exist on the seas?
Even all three Admirals together might not be enough?
That was simply impossible.
But the problem was—this was a critical matter.
Kizaru wouldn't joke about something like this at a time like now.
Yes, Kizaru was usually lazy and a bit slippery.
But at crucial moments, he was reliable.
Especially now—when a Celestial Dragon had been killed and the World Government and Five Elders were watching closely—there was no way Kizaru would lie.
But…
Did such a powerhouse really exist?
"Borsalino… are you certain?"
After a long silence, Sengoku finally asked in an extremely grave tone.
"Absolutely certain."
"It's embarrassing to admit, but many people probably witnessed my fight with him."
"Sengoku, you'll need to control the public narrative."
Kizaru said solemnly.
"I understand."
Sengoku replied briefly, then cut the call.
"Buru buru buru!"
Not long after, a special Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's desk rang.
His brow instantly furrowed like an old chrysanthemum in late autumn.
A call from the Five Elders!
With a Celestial Dragon dead, the Five Elders were paying very close attention and had been waiting for Sengoku's report.
Now that they'd called first, it was clear they were running out of patience.
Sengoku rubbed his temples and answered.
Of course.
Sengoku didn't tell the Five Elders the truth—that Kizaru failed to capture the culprit.
Instead, he stalled.
He said the operation was still ongoing, and that he would report again once Admiral Kizaru returned.
The result was predictable—he was harshly berated.
In the eyes of outsiders, Sengoku was the lofty Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
But in the eyes of the World Government and the Five Elders, Sengoku was just a dog.
A dog with slightly more weight than the others—but still a dog.
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