24: “No way…” “He’s that strong?” Crocodile stopped mid-step.
He had been heading toward the bow of his own ship, but for some reason, instinct screamed at him not to take another step.
As though the moment he moved forward— Everything would change.
Kael.
Mihawk.
Neither of those brothers was someone he could afford to underestimate.
Both possessed the strength of truly formidable swordsmen.
A genuine swordsman was indispensable aboard a pirate ship.
Not simply someone who happened to carry a sword.
A true swordsman was someone who had devoted years to the blade, capable of unleashing powerful flying slashes while possessing the instincts and talent needed to dominate a battlefield.
The moment a pirate crew obtained someone like that, their position was obvious.
They became one of the crew’s primary combatants.
And Kael and Mihawk?
They went far beyond the minimum.
They were Great Swordsmen.
There was a reason so many top pirate crews struggled to recruit such people.
True swordsmen tended to walk alone.
Proud.
Independent.
Difficult to befriend.
Even harder to make submit.
“Damn…” One of the pirates who had followed from the Azure Sky Sea swallowed hard.
“No wonder he said we were nothing to worry about.” Their ships weren’t even remotely comparable to Shiki’s Great Admiral.
And Kael had just carved through that monster of a vessel with a single slash.
Only now did many of the spectators understand why Kael had so casually said that Roger was his friend back in Biggs’s Tavern.
They had assumed he was borrowing Roger’s reputation to elevate himself.
But there had been no hidden motive behind the statement at all.
Roger was simply his friend.
And because Roger was his friend— Kael had come to stand beside him.
Several pirates slowly began to grin.
Now this was getting interesting.
Until a moment ago, everyone had expected the battle to become a one-sided slaughter.
Shiki’s fleet had too many ships.
Too many men.
Too much firepower.
But the sudden arrival of two Great Swordsmen changed things.
On the open sea, a swordsman capable of launching enormous ranged slashes was one of the most terrifying enemies a fleet could face.
Elite pirate crews might survive after losing their ship.
Ordinary crews?
Once their vessel sank, they were finished.
There was nowhere to run in the endless sea.
“This…” Shiki’s smile had vanished.
His mouth moved several times, but no words immediately came out.
The strength of these two swordsmen was far beyond what he had expected.
One slash.
That was all Kael had needed to tear through a warship Shiki’s men had spent years building.
The Great Admiral had not been completely severed, but the section struck by the slash had exploded apart.
A huge portion of the vessel had already collapsed into twisted wreckage and fallen into the sea.
Within the smoke, Shiki rose into the air.
His Devil Fruit allowed him to make anything he touched float—with the exception of living beings other than himself.
The power of the Float-Float Fruit.
“Brat…” Shiki swallowed.
Floating above the sea, he glared down at Kael with a face dark enough to rival the storm clouds overhead.
“You’ve made an enemy of me now.” Kael nodded.
“Yes.” Shiki’s eyebrow twitched.
Kael continued calmly, “Though I’d say that happened the moment you started talking about my parents.” Shiki stared at him.
“You’re not afraid?” Then something seemed to occur to him.
His eyes narrowed.
“So this was planned.” “You chose this exact moment to appear.” “Roger and I are about to fight, and you show up in front of half the New World.” Shiki’s expression hardened.
“You’re using our names to make yourself famous.” He gave Kael a cold smile.
“Clever brat.” In Shiki’s mind, Kael had clearly calculated everything.
And technically… He wasn’t entirely wrong.
Kael had certainly understood what appearing here might do for his reputation.
It simply hadn’t been the main reason he came.
But Kael had no interest in explaining himself.
He lifted his wine flask instead.
Inside was The Ninefold Golden Nectar.
An ancient royal tribute wine brewed through a traditional process.
Powerful.
Rich.
Smooth enough to hide just how viciously strong it really was.
Kael nodded toward Roger.
“Try it.” He completely ignored Shiki.
Roger raised an eyebrow.
Kael smiled.
“This wine has an edge of its own.” His hand rested lightly against Requiem.
“Nine mountains, ten seas…” “Nothing seems to dull it.” The words described the wine.
And perhaps Kael himself.
Roger’s eyes lit up.
He pulled out the stopper.
The aroma that escaped the flask was so strong that even the raging wind and approaching rain couldn’t scatter it.
Peach blossoms.
Osmanthus.
And the deep fragrance of aged liquor.
For an instant, it felt as though they were standing somewhere deep inside a quiet forest rather than surrounded by pirate fleets beneath a storm.
“Hahahahaha!” Roger threw his head back and took several enormous gulps.
The liquor burned all the way from his throat to his stomach.
“Ah!” He wiped his mouth.
“Now that’s good!” Roger laughed even harder.
“Ninefold Golden Nectar!” “What a drink!” “Strong!” Kael nodded with satisfaction.
“Roger.” Roger looked at him.
“You’ve remembered my wine.” Kael’s fingers closed around Requiem.
“So today…” “You should remember my sword too.” He wore a simple black robe, its loose fabric snapping in the storm wind.
The sleeves ended below his elbows.
Across the back was an embroidered image of a qilin devouring the sky.
A faint flush from the alcohol colored Kael’s face.
His dark eyes carried the haze of a man pleasantly drunk— Yet his presence only grew sharper.
“I go where I choose.” Kael slowly drew Requiem.
The elegant blade emerged like a weapon fit for an emperor.
Golden light spread across its edge.
Kael’s voice rose over the storm.
“If the sea bars my path— I’ll cross it anyway.” The wind howled.
“If the sky lies beyond my reach— I’ll rise to meet it.” Lightning split the clouds.
“If the mountains block my way— I’ll climb over them.” Kael raised his blade.
“Sea, sky, or mountain…” “Whether they welcome me or not…” “I’ll go where I choose.” He stood at the bow of the Oro Jackson.
Before him— The greatest pirates of the age.
Behind him— A sea full of men watching history unfold.
Wind, rain, thunder, and towering waves surrounded him.
Yet Dracule Kael stood at the center of it all as though the storm itself had become his stage.
Roger’s grin slowly disappeared.
His eyes locked onto Kael.
For a moment, only one thought remained in his mind.
Now that… That is a man born for the sea.
Requiem flashed.
Kael leaped.
His figure vanished upward like a phantom.
Then he descended through the storm like a hunting tiger.
Sword aura exploded around him.
The air screamed.
Whirling currents formed around the blade as though countless ghosts were howling within the wind.
Then Kael’s low, rough voice carried across Edd War.
“One-Sword Style…” The golden light around Requiem surged.
“Nine Mountains, Ten Seas—World Severance!” Author’s Note : Want to keep reading?
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