"Dragon, stop wasting time. You can't compare the minds of ordinary people to geniuses. I've already sent her off toward the northwest side of Ohara Island. Try searching the islands in that area." Yahn said bluntly.
Dragon's mouth twitched slightly at the veiled insult, but he still responded, "Understood."
"Also, unless something unexpected happened, Saul should have been captured by the Navy by now."
Yahn paused for a moment, then continued, "If there's a chance, try to rescue him. Besides the fact that Saul likely shares our beliefs and can serve as a strong ally, he might also be the bridge that connects us to Elbaph, the land of the giants."
Without waiting for Dragon's reply, Yahn hung up the transponder snail. Then, under the cover of the raging fires in Ohara, he quietly circled around and returned to the coastline near the Navy fleet that had launched the Buster Call.
As expected, by the time Yahn quietly approached the battlefield between Saul and Vice Admiral Yamakaji, the clash was nearing its conclusion.
Saul wasn't weak—he'd earned his rank as Vice Admiral through sheer strength. His giant physique granted him overwhelming brute force.
However, after defecting from the Navy and being constantly on the move, Saul was already exhausted. Add to that the bombardment from Navy ships and the wounds from the Zanpakutō : Senbonzakura, his strength had plummeted far below its peak.
"It's over!"
With a mighty slash, Yamakaji drove his blade deep into Saul's chest. Blood sprayed out as Saul, covered in deep wounds that reached the bone, finally collapsed.
"It's over, huh? Heh… heh heh…"
Even as he slipped into unconsciousness, Saul burst into laughter, a look of contentment on his face as if he had no regrets.
This tragic yet heroic image brought a phrase to Yahn's mind:
A life that falls in pursuit of dreams and truth is a life both joyful and free.
Yahn couldn't help but murmur, "What a man you are, Saul."
As Yamakaji began giving orders to have the gravely injured and unconscious Saul restrained and brought aboard his warship for transport back to Enies Lobby for trial—
A figure, disheveled and covered in soot, suddenly stumbled toward him.
"Vice Admiral Yamakaji! Wait for me!"
"Hm? You're that kid who saved the evacuation ship earlier—Kuzan's tagalong?" Yamakaji looked at him and asked.
"What happened to you?"
Scratching the back of his head, Yahn forced a sheepish smile. "I tried to take a shortcut to catch the girl… but I got trapped by the fires in Ohara. Almost got burned alive."
Yahn braced himself for a harsh scolding or even a public reprimand—he fully expected to be made an example of.
But to his surprise, the rugged, cigar-chewing Vice Admiral clapped him on the shoulder and said in an unusually gentle tone:
"Chasing an enemy despite lacking the strength is a bit reckless—but the courage to uphold justice even in the face of death is something rare. Well done."
...
Yahn blinked.
He'd miscalculated.
All he could do was laugh awkwardly and silently follow Yamakaji back to the ship.
"Ship's doctor, quick! Treat this young man—"
Yamakaji paused, then turned to Yahn. "What's your name again?"
"Trafymore Yahn," he replied.
"Right! Get Brother Yahn checked right away. He went after a criminal alone, unafraid of death, and charged into Ohara while it was under Buster Call bombardment—barely escaped the flames with his life!"
Yamakaji's voice carried high with admiration, causing the surrounding Marines to glance toward Yahn with respect.
"Wait, isn't that the same guy who used the cherry blossoms to save the refugee ship?"
One of the Marines acting as a lookout suddenly shouted in recognition.
"Yeah! The glasses—there's no mistaking it. I saw him too!"
"Damn… not only is Brother Yahn compassionate and fearless, he's also got an unwavering sense of justice! To charge into a sea of fire like that—unbelievable!"
"From the looks of him, he's not even a Marine yet."
"Are you dumb? He was with Vice Admiral Kuzan. Even if he's not enlisted, he's definitely about to join."
...
Hearing the murmurs and feeling the admiring stares, Yahn didn't even know how to explain himself.
"Do all the men on this ocean have broken brains?" he thought, exasperated, and quickly followed the ship's doctor to escape the situation.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Later, lying peacefully on the sickbed, Yahn rattled off symptoms—dizziness, chest tightness, sore back, stiff legs—while occasionally glancing out the nearby window.
On a distant warship, the clash between magma and ice had finally come to a halt.
It wasn't that Sakazuki (Akainu) and Kuzan (Aokiji) had settled their duel—but now that the evacuation ships were far beyond the Navy's artillery range, there was no longer any reason to fight.
Besides, though their ideologies clashed, their personal feud hadn't reached the level of to-the-death hatred.
Still, Yahn thought idly while chatting with the medic, this skirmish will likely delay both of their Admiral promotions. Even if the incident didn't explode publicly, infighting like this is a terrible look.
Then again, maybe it's for the best. The Old Man is about to be promoted to Fleet Admiral. If all three Admirals rose together, he might have trouble keeping them in line. This way, at least he gets a bit of breathing room. In a way, it works out.
Just as the ship's doctor jabbed a syringe into him to administer nutrients, a massive roar erupted from outside.
"BOOM—!"
The enormous Navy warship rocked violently, as if struck by a sudden massive wave.
Though Yahn couldn't see it directly, he knew what it meant:
The island of Ohara had collapsed, crumbling into the sea.
A land that had stood for over five thousand years… had now become history.
---
Currently at chapter 180 for advance chapters
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