Jaguar D. Saul, a former Vice Admiral of Headquarters, might not have been the strongest among the giants, but his body was still built like an iron fortress. Even Brian's previous blow hadn't killed him outright.
Now, battered and bruised, Saul forced himself upright. His glare burned with fury as he saw Brian standing calmly a short distance away, smiling faintly, and the unconscious Robin lying helpless on the ground.
"Be a good boy and kneel," Brian said softly, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Because before me, someone as weak as you can't protect anyone."
Before the words had even finished echoing, Saul let out a thunderous roar.
"AAARRRHHHH!"
He charged forward, every step shaking the earth, each impact resounding like distant thunder.
Boom!
Saul slammed his massive fist into the ground where Brian stood, leaving behind a crater over a hundred meters wide and more than ten meters deep.
Brian's amused voice sounded from behind him.
"Giants really are strong, huh? Weren't you the one who could lift a battleship?"
Saul's bloodshot eyes widened—he turned just in time to take a brutal kick to the neck. The giant's body lurched forward, skidding across the ground for hundreds of meters before crashing down face-first.
"AAAHHH!"
He struggled up again, snatching up a boulder weighing several dozen tons and hurling it like a cannonball.
Brian merely sighed.
"Still don't get it? The gap between us isn't something you can close by shouting louder."
He stepped forward, raised his arm, and threw a single punch.
The invisible shockwave from his fist shattered the giant boulder into dust, then surged onward to strike Saul square in the chest, sending him flying yet again.
"Damn… it…" Saul groaned, one massive hand pressing into the ground as he tried to rise once more.
"Still trying to get up? What are you, Saint Seiya?" Brian sneered.
Saul didn't understand the strange term, but his body had already reached its limit.
With a cold gleam in his eyes, Brian unleashed a storm of Rankyaku slashes—dozens of air blades that ripped across Saul's body. The giant roared once, then collapsed, unconscious, the earth trembling beneath his fall.
"Giants really do have thick hides," Brian muttered.
He vanished in a blur using Soru, reappearing beside the fallen giant. After confirming Saul was completely unconscious, he leapt onto the giant's head and sliced through his tendons with a swift hand chop.
But he didn't kill him—not yet.
Saul's slow reactions had given Brian a valuable realization: his own presence within Marine Headquarters was still far too faint.
And to gain power in the Navy, one needed to be seen.
Saul, therefore, was the perfect prop. The imminent Buster Call would be the perfect stage.
After dealing with the giant, Brian turned his thoughts to Robin.
She was only eight—bright-eyed, awkwardly brilliant, and a little too earnest for her age. But Brian had no interest in any "raise your own heroine" fantasy.
Because Nico Robin's value was enormous.
After the Buster Call, she would become the sole survivor of Ohara—and the only person alive capable of reading the ancient texts. Those texts, of course, contained the key to the Void Century—and by extension, to the Ancient Weapons.
Both the Void Century and the Ancient Weapons represented existential threats to the World Government—secrets so dangerous they had to be erased from history.
And that made Robin both a liability and a prize—coveted by pirates, revolutionaries, and anyone with ambition.
If Brian were a loyal servant of the Five Elders, he would have killed her on the spot, neatly removing a future threat.
But loyalty was never his goal.
His hunger for power burned hotter than ever.
One day, he would overthrow those five decrepit rulers and sit in their place.
That day was still far off, of course.
For now, killing Robin would serve no purpose.
Too many would die on Ohara today—her death would be nothing more than a drop in the ocean, earning him no credit.
Better, then, to let her live—let the so-called "Demon Child" grow according to fate.
Let her become a thorn in the World Government's side, until she was valuable enough for him to use.
Meanwhile, Olvia—Robin's mother—stormed ashore with a rifle in hand, running through the streets of Ohara.
The commotion spread quickly.
Before long, Spandine arrived with a detachment of CP9 agents, forcing the townspeople toward the western coast under the pretense of evacuation.
Olvia clashed briefly with the agents but was quickly subdued and dragged into the Tree of Knowledge itself.
"Search every corner!" Spandine barked irritably. "Find evidence of their crimes, and this whole thing is done!"
His injuries still ached, and he had no interest in playing errand boy, but given Ohara's academic prestige, proper "evidence" was needed to justify its destruction.
"Hey, Spandine."
A lazy voice drifted down from above.
That voice—so familiar it made his scalp prickle.
Spandine looked up—and froze.
There, seated casually atop the Tree of Knowledge's balcony, a cigar between his fingers, was Rear Admiral Brian.
"R-Rear Admiral Brian! You're here for the mission too, I see!" Spandine stammered, forcing a smile.
"Spandine," Brian said, blowing a puff of smoke, "**tie up everyone here. No exceptions.
And those civilians you herded to the coast—bring them back and tie them up as well.**"
Spandine's expression twisted.
"Sir, what exactly do you mean by that…?"
"The evidence is all right here," Brian replied coolly.
"It's already confirmed that these scholars conspired to overthrow the World Government. From here on out, my subordinates will handle the rest."
"But—Admiral Sengoku—"
Spandine wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what Brian was trying to do—steal the credit.
Brian's gaze turned icy.
"Spandine, I'm not asking."
The look in his eyes made Spandine's blood run cold.
For a moment, it felt like being stared down by a predator.
"Y-Yes, sir! Right away! I'll… I'll get them immediately!"
Crack!
Brian idly crushed a wooden pillar with one hand. The falling splinters showered down over Spandine's head.
That was all the encouragement he needed.
The CP9 commander fled from the Tree of Knowledge, quickly rounding up the "evacuated" civilians and tying them up per Brian's order.
Brian watched him scurry away, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"This way, Sakazuki won't have a chance to show off before the Five Elders," he murmured, satisfied.
"And now, it's time for me to welcome Kuzan."
He flipped open his transponder snail, signaling Star and his men to advance onto Ohara.
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