Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: Wounds

For powerhouses like Kizaru and Zephyr, destroying an island is hardly a shocking feat.

Therefore, at this very moment, what stunned Kizaru was not merely that the island before him had completely vanished. As he struggled to flee and narrowly avoided the shockwaves of Zephyr’s earth-shattering punch, Kizaru—suffering only minor injuries—opened his eyes, only to realize that the island was gone, and something far more significant had occurred.

Within the reach of his Observation Haki...

The presence of both Chu Yi and Zephyr had vanished, just like the island itself!

What did it mean for a presence to vanish?

It meant death!

Or... perhaps it meant a state on the verge of death!

What kind of terrifying punch could that have been? It was powerful enough to extinguish the presence of someone as strong as Shura, cause enough backlash to leave Zephyr in a critical state, and push Chu Yi to the brink of death.

As Kizaru stood there, momentarily dazed, drifting through the sky using his "Moonwalk" to search for any trace of Zephyr or Chu Yi...

"Ice Age!"

*Crack... crack...*

On the ocean surface, Kuzan, looking equally disheveled, descended slowly. Using the powers of his Ice-Ice Fruit, he froze a vast stretch of the surrounding sea just in time, then dragged the blood-stained Akainu onto the ice, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

"That punch just now..."

"What happened?"

Crouched on the frozen sea, Kuzan furrowed his brows and asked Akainu, who was beside him: "I used my Observation Haki earlier and sensed the clash between Instructor Zephyr and Shura. But how could Instructor Zephyr, facing a brat like Shura, disregard his own physical limits and unleash such a technique?"

"Could it be that the brat Shura..."

"Had actually reached the point of threatening Instructor Zephyr?"

Hearing Kuzan’s grave words, Akainu remained silent.

Deep down, Akainu also wanted to know why his instructor, Zephyr, had felt compelled to strike with such cataclysmic force. It had not only injured Shura but had also left Zephyr himself, as well as Akainu, Kuzan, and Kizaru, caught in the aftermath, leaving them all in varying states of minor or major injury.

Yet, recalling the various encounters with Chu Yi back at Fish-Man Island...

A scorching flame ignited in Akainu’s eyes. He let out a cold snort and replied in a frigid tone, "Hmph, Kuzan, if it were me, I suspect I would have gone even further than Instructor Zephyr."

"You haven't crossed paths with Shura in a long time, so you don't realize just how terrifying his potential is!"

"I believe Instructor Zephyr was right. It is better to strangle the seeds of evil in the cradle. Otherwise..."

"The entire world might one day be plunged into ruin by Shura’s growth!"

As he spoke, Akainu narrowed his eyes and asked, "What about Whitebeard? Since Zephyr’s punch was powerful enough to leave us heavily injured, I assume Whitebeard isn't in very good shape either, is he?"

"No, he is fine."

From Akainu’s question alone, Kuzan could tell that Akainu wanted to seize the chance while Whitebeard was weak to hunt him down with their combined strength.

However...

*Ha!*

The two of them were already severely wounded; did he really think they could take down a monster like Whitebeard? They hadn't gained the slightest advantage against Whitebeard even when they were at full strength. To go and provoke him in their current state would be nothing more than...

Suicide.

Of course, Kuzan could not voice these inner thoughts to Akainu. Who knew if that fanatic would, driven by his warped sense of justice, turn his aggression toward Kuzan during such a volatile moment?

Ultimately, under Kuzan’s silence, Akainu abandoned the idea of pursuing Whitebeard. The three of them reunited on the desolate battlefield and began searching for traces of Zephyr.

About an hour later, when Kuzan, Akainu, and Kizaru finally located Zephyr, he was using his only remaining leg, gritting his teeth and fighting to keep himself afloat on the surface of the sea.

Seeing Zephyr in such a state of lingering survival, Kuzan, Kizaru, and Akainu subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, assuming that Chu Yi, who had taken the full brunt of that earth-shattering punch, must have perished in the vast sea.

However, when Akainu—who remained fixated on Chu Yi—asked Zephyr about him...

Zephyr, already lying on a medical cot, let out a deep, heavy sigh.

Then, looking up at the sky with a dejected expression, he spoke slowly to the three of them:

"If I am not mistaken, that brat Shura..."

"Was saved by Whitebeard!"

………………

In the vast sea, on another uninhabited island above Fish-Man Island.

The arrival of the Moby Dick signaled that the formidable Whitebeard Pirates were temporarily stationed on this island.

For three full days, the Moby Dick had not departed. It was hard to imagine the Whitebeard Pirates staying on a desolate island for so long.

So, what was the reason that forced them to stop here?

The reason...

Lay entirely with the two wounded individuals aboard the Moby Dick!

"Pops, your injuries are severe. Could you please stop drinking?"

"Gurararara! To me, sake is the best medicine! Marco, you've worked hard these past few days. You can just focus on treating that kid today; I've already had my drink, so there's no need for you to worry about me!"

"But..."

"Hmm? Are you going to disobey me now?"

"I understand... Pops..."

Staring at the boisterous, drinking Whitebeard with helplessness, Marco could only shake his head in defeat. He followed his captain's orders and headed toward the cabin where Chu Yi lay unconscious.

But before he left...

"Sigh!"

He let out a sorrowful breath. Every time he recalled the ghastly wound on Whitebeard’s chest, his heart felt heavy.

But what could be done?

It was Pops' decision, and he couldn't change it!

Since that was the case...

He would simply have to save the person that Pops had risked a severe injury to protect!

With that thought, Marco entered the room, walked to the bedside, and ignited his Phoenix flames, pressing his palms against Chu Yi, who was wrapped in bandages like a mummy.

"Shura, you guy... I truly don't know how you managed to hold on until now."

"When Pops brought you back, you had at least ten fatal wounds. Your bones were shattered, and your internal organs were damaged beyond recognition. I never expected you to still be hanging on."

"I don't know if it’s my Phoenix flames that are effective, or if it’s your own stubborn willpower that has kept you going for so long."

"Now, I only hope..."

"That my flames can successfully wake you up!"

Thinking this, Marco increased the output of his Phoenix flames, clearly intending to use sheer "volume" to overcome the horrific injuries on Chu Yi’s body.

But just as Marco increased the intensity...

*Crack...*

*Crack...*

The bandages wrapped around Chu Yi were suddenly subjected to an immense force and were burst open!

Then, before Marco’s stunned eyes, amidst the floating white bandages, Chu Yi—who had been covered in countless wounds and on the brink of death just moments ago—was now...

Sitting upright, completely unscathed, right in front of him!

"Marco, lately..."

"You’ve worked hard!"