Chapter 73: Departure
Warship - The Brig
BOOM—!
The last deck was torn apart by the flames, and the acrid smell of smoke and blood filled the iron-walled brig. Wounded Marines lay in the burning corridor.
King folded his wings and stepped into the cell, his body wreathed in a fire so hot it seemed to melt the air. His cold gaze fell on the two prisoners.
One was Jack, unconscious and covered in wounds, his breathing shallow.
The other was Doflamingo, leaning against the far wall, a manic, twisted smile on his face.
"Fufufu... You're finally here, King."
He assumed Roy had been defeated. His eyes were wild. "That bastard Roy... did he really think he could stop Lord Kaido?!"
King didn't even look at him. "Shut up, Doflamingo."
He walked over to Jack. His sword burst into dark red flames, the heat buckling the nearby walls. He raised the blade—
CLANG!
He struck the weak point in the Seastone chain links, and the locks instantly melted and shattered.
Just as he did—!
"KING!!!"
A roar of pure fury echoed from the deck above, followed by a blade of golden Haki that tore through the entire superstructure of the ship!
"Tempest: Heavenly Wing Slash!!"
The golden slash was aimed right at King's throat!
King's eyes widened. He spun, bringing his own flame-wreathed sword up to block—
"CLANG—!!!"
The two blades met in the tiny cell, and the shockwave blew the walls of the brig apart!
Gion (Momousagi), her face pale, her uniform soaked in blood from a wound on her shoulder, was trembling with rage. "You dare attack a Marine vessel, kill our men, and try to free a prisoner?!"
King, seeing that Jack was free, simply blasted her back with a wave of fire. "I don't have time to play with you."
He grabbed Jack's massive body, spread his wings, and blasted out of the hole in the ship's hull in an explosion of shrapnel!
"You bastard—!!" Gion roared, giving chase.
On the ruined island, Kaido's "Roaring Thunder Bagua" had shattered the ground.
Roy, who had been forced to warp, was still caught in the aftershock, a spray of blood exploding from his shoulder.
"Damn it... Gion can't hold him alone!"
His eyes hardened. He drew back his fist, a cross-shaped light flaring on his knuckles. "Fist Bone: Starburst!"
Kaido laughed, raising his club to meet the attack. "Come on, brat!!"
But—
Just as the two attacks were about to collide, Roy's figure vanished.
"What?!"
Kaido's club hit empty air, obliterating what was left of the island. He roared, his Observation Haki flaring... but Roy was gone. He had reappeared thousands of meters away, racing toward the warship!
"ROY!! YOU BASTARD!!!" Kaido bellowed, his voice cracking with rage. "YOU DARE TO IGNORE ME?!!"
King, carrying Jack, was fending off Gion in mid-air, their blades clashing.
"Fire Dragon Emperor: Blazing Wing Slash!!" King roared, unleashing a massive attack designed to finish her.
Gion, exhausted, raised her sword to block, but the force of the blow sent her spinning backward, her body at its limit. "It's no good... I'm out of stamina..."
"It's over," King said, his voice cold, as he prepared the final strike.
But in that instant—
"Shigan: Warp-Snipe!"
A Haki-infused "finger pistol," moving at the speed of a warp, appeared instantly behind King!
"BOOM!!!"
Before King could even turn, the attack pierced his back. He roared in pain as he was blasted from the sky, crashing into a distant cliff in a shower of rock.
Gion stared, stunned. "Roy...!"
He landed beside her, his uniform in tatters, his Haki still crackling around his arm. "Sorry I'm late."
Gion sagged in relief, but saw the blood on his shoulder. "You're... you're pushing yourself..."
"Doesn't matter," Roy said, turning to look at the burning warship.
In the brig, Doflamingo, who had been watching, froze, his smile gone.
Roy's voice, cold and mocking, carried across the water. "Little flamingo... did you really think Kaido could beat me?"
Doflamingo's eye twitched. He could still feel the residual pressure of Roy's Haki... a power that had met Kaido's head-on and was still standing.
"He... that monster... he actually fought Kaido and survived?!"
RUMBLE-ROOOOAR!!!
The sky tore open. A furious Azure Dragon descended from the clouds, its eyes burning with rage, a Blast Breath already forming in its throat.
"RO—Y—!!! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU TODAY!!!"
Roy's expression was calm. He could sense the dying sailors on the warship. "This fight... has to end."
"If I keep going, it's a draw at best, and the crew dies."
He looked at Gion. Before she could speak, he grabbed her by the waist. "We're leaving."
"What are you—?"
He didn't answer. He just looked at the descending dragon, who was about to unleash hell on the ocean.
Roy just smiled, a cold, sharp smile.
He raised one finger, and mouthed a final message to the raging dragon:
"Next time... I won't let you go."
"FWOOSH!!!"
In that instant, Roy, Gion, and the entire burning, crippled warship... vanished.
BOOOOOOM!!!!
Kaido's Blast Breath hit the empty ocean, vaporizing it in a blast that sent a column of steam thousands of feet into the air.
"ROOOOAAAAARRR!!!"
The dragon roared in pure, unadulterated fury, his cries echoing across the sea.
In the distance, a wounded King struggled out of the rubble, his chest smoking. "Lord Kaido... Roy... he's gone. He took the ship. I... I dropped Jack in the ocean. At least he didn't take him."
King was panting, his voice urgent. "This battle... we have to end it. If he comes back with reinforcements, we'll be in trouble."
Kaido, his fangs bared, his eyes red with rage, finally let out a low growl. "Find Jack."
He roared at the empty sky. "He was lucky today..."
"Next time... I'LL DESTROY HIM SO COMPLETELY, THERE WON'T EVEN BE A BODY LEFT!!!"
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