Chapter 93: The Awakening and the Arrival
[Congratulations, host! Your Devil Fruit abilities have undergone comprehensive improvement!]
[Zoan-Type, Human-Human Fruit (Model: Unknown) has evolved from (B+ Level Initial Awakening) to (A+ Level Intermediate Awakening)!]
[New Skill Unlocked: Awakening Form!]
[Awakening Form: ...]
This was the key to breaking the deadlock!
Ian, who had been stuck at the initial awakening stage for years, had never expected to break through to the intermediate stage at such a critical moment. An indescribable, powerful transformation rapidly merged with his will. The ashen look on his face vanished, replaced by a confident gleam in his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief.
…
Mary Geoise
The Five Elders were in a meeting with the top brass of the Marine Headquarters. The topic was the recent, frenzied retaliatory attacks by the Beasts Pirates. Despite dispatching two Admirals, Akainu and Kizaru, to take charge, several branch bases had still been destroyed by Kaido's forces. The death of "Drought" Jack seemed to have struck a deep nerve with Kaido. Ships from the Beasts Pirates were appearing all over the New World, launching indiscriminate, destructive assaults on nearby Marine bases and patrols. It was unknown how long this conflict would last.
It was precisely because of the terrifying destructive power of an Emperor of the Sea that the Marine Headquarters had a standing rule: no one was to declare war on a Yonko without explicit orders.
The meeting, which had been proceeding tensely, was interrupted by a Den Den Mushi call for Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Simultaneously, the Den Den Mushi of Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders, also received an internal report from the Celestial Dragons...
A short while later, Sengoku emerged from the conference room, his face grim.
"My apologies, esteemed sirs," he announced, his voice heavy. "It seems our meeting must be temporarily suspended. I have just received... grievous news. The Celestial Dragon, Saint Charlos, has been murdered on the Sabaody Archipelago."
Garp: "!!!"
Kuzan: "!!!"
Tsuru: "..."
Sengoku's news sent a jolt of alarm through Garp and Kuzan. The Sabaody Archipelago again! And each incident was more severe than the last. First, a top officer of a Yonko crew was killed, and now a World Noble was murdered!
"Yes, we have just received the same report," Saint Saturn stated, his expression icy. "To dare attack a Celestial Dragon right below Mary Geoise... The God's Knights have already been dispatched. They will handle this matter. Someone must pay the price for the death of a Celestial Dragon."
The other four Elders remained silent, their tacit agreement clear.
"Esteemed Elders," Admiral Aokiji (Kuzan) stood up, "as a Marine Admiral, I am a direct subordinate of the World Nobles. An incident of this magnitude has been reported directly to our Fleet Admiral. For the Marines to not respond would be unacceptable. Please allow me to go and assess the situation. My presence does not conflict with the operations of the God's Knights."
Screech—
Before Kuzan could finish, Garp stood up abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the floor. Without a word to anyone, he strode toward the door.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" Saint Saturn's voice was sharp with authority. "Where do you think you are going?"
"To take a piss," Garp retorted without breaking stride, his tone cold. "Would you care to join me, Saint Saturn?" He walked out of the meeting room without a backward glance.
…
Meanwhile, in Grove 15
Peacock, T-Bone, and Nami had led their teams to the scene. Their original mission was civilian evacuation and perimeter security. However, upon receiving the news of the Celestial Dragon's murder, they had no choice but to temporarily abandon their posts and rush to the location.
Peacock knew Ian wouldn't blame her for this decision. If the Marines were absent from the scene where a Celestial Dragon was killed, Ian would likely bear the brunt of the World Government's wrath when they came to assign blame.
While en route, Peacock had immediately reported the incident to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. This was different from the situation with Jack, where they had deliberately delayed reporting. To minimize the fallout, the highest levels of Headquarters needed to be on the scene personally!
"Did you see who killed Saint Charlos?" Peacock demanded, taking charge as the adjutant. "With so many CP0 agents present, how could they have let it happen?"
She, T-Bone, and Nami were unaware that the source of all this was Ian. They were merely worried that another dangerous element was on the island, one that might interfere with Ian's battle. As his cadres, it was their duty to investigate and prevent any further complications.
"It was a man! Dark skin, surrounded by some kind of black substance!" a CP0 agent stammered, on the verge of tears. "He was large, strong, a bit heavy, but incredibly fast! We did everything we could to protect Saint Charlos, but... we couldn't stop that damn monster!"
He already foresaw the punishment that awaited him. The fact he could still answer Peacock's questions under such mental duress was a testament to his training.
Dark skin, large build, somewhat heavy? The key detail was the black substance.
Peacock's eyes widened slightly. She turned to look at T-Bone and Nami behind her. Both wore expressions of deep concern.
Based on that description... didn't it sound exactly like the Blackbeard Teach who was fighting Ian?
How could Teach be here, killing Saint Charlos? Unless... he had defeated Ian? But after they had separated from Ian, they had been manning their respective cordons. Even if Teach had used some powerful means and actually managed to beat Ian, wouldn't they have sensed something? Moreover, judging by Ian's confident demeanor when he ordered their retreat, none of the three could believe Blackbeard Teach was capable of defeating him.
But they had no more time to ponder.
The scene Ian had foreseen began to unfold.
A figure was falling from the sky at a terrifying speed...