Chapter 33: If You Show No Mercy, I Will Show No Loyalty

Outside the Sabaody Archipelago, aboard a heavily armed Navy warship.

Though Aokiji outwardly appeared indifferent as he yielded to the power of the “Dark King” Rayleigh’s Paramecia fruit, inwardly he was seething with frustration. If only that troublesome brat could have been dealt with quickly… If only Borsalino had arrived sooner… Such thoughts circled endlessly in Aokiji’s mind, darkening his expression and causing icy frost to flicker across his features, so much so that the Smoker, the “Man of Smoke” behind him, and Tashigi, the “Flower of the Navy,” dared not approach.

Just as the elite Navy force under Aokiji’s command was returning in a rather disheveled state to their warship, they spotted a familiar figure in the distance. A spark of vigor suddenly flashed in Aokiji’s previously dim eyes.

“Borsalino, you’ve finally arrived!”

“Yo! So Kuzan’s back, I see!”

Clad in a yellow-and-white striped suit, with a circle of stubble on his face and curly hair atop his head, Kizaru now resembled the Admiral Kizaru from the original pirate tale—a sleazy-looking uncle from afar. But the way the surrounding marines gazed at him made it clear that Kizaru’s name had already struck deep into their hearts; he could command the respect of most marines, except for the man before him now.

However, noticing Aokiji’s battered state, Kizaru’s expression uncharacteristically grew solemn. He asked, “I heard there was trouble at Sabaody Archipelago. I came as quickly as I could, but I didn’t expect that even someone like you, Kuzan, would be defeated. If I recall… apart from that time you quarreled with Sakazuki, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen you this badly hurt.”

“So, was it Whitebeard himself causing the trouble on Sabaody Archipelago?”

Kizaru’s implication was clear; he felt only someone of Whitebeard’s level could reduce Kuzan to such a state.

But hearing Kizaru bring up his sorry appearance only added to Aokiji’s resentment.

Whitebeard? Not at all. It was a mere upstart brat who did this to me!

Resentment filled his eyes. After Kizaru’s words, Aokiji could only hate Chu Yi—the one who had left him in such a sorry condition—even more. Just as Aokiji was about to retort, he suddenly noticed the silver Den Den Mushi in Kizaru’s hand and, surprised, pointed at it. “Borsalino, is that the Fleet Admiral Sengoku’s decision?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Kizaru didn’t use his usual lazy tone. Speaking of the silver Den Den Mushi, he sighed deeply, a look of pity on his face as he gazed toward Sabaody Archipelago, murmuring, “In extraordinary times, one must use extraordinary measures. If I were in Sengoku’s position, the best choice might be to erase anything that could anger the Celestial Dragons.”

With that, Kizaru walked forward and clapped Aokiji heavily on the shoulder.

“Kuzan, take a good look at that beautiful island ahead of us, because soon…”

“…it will be engulfed in flames!”

…

Sabaody Archipelago, Area 41—the Red-Haired Pirates’ temporary mooring.

Having smoothly reunited with Hancock, Tiger, and the others aboard the Red-Haired Pirates’ ship, Chu Yi’s original plan was to use the Asura’s Wings to take Hancock, Tiger, and the rest away directly, sparing Shanks and Rayleigh any further trouble.

Yet, Shanks was insistent on escorting them himself, and having already owed both Shanks and Rayleigh a great debt, Chu Yi couldn’t bring himself to refuse. So, together with Tiger and Hancock, he boarded the ship, waiting for Shanks’ arrangements.

Shanks truly was a captain much like Luffy—one without “dignity” in the traditional sense.

He involved himself in every matter, even the hard labor of raising the sails, joking and laughing with his crew as they worked, giving Chu Yi the impression that Shanks was a “man of the people.”

But despite the casual banter and the crew’s playful bossing of Shanks, the truth was they didn’t need much prompting; within minutes, the Red-Haired Pirates had made all preparations to escort Chu Yi and his companions to sea, simply awaiting Shanks’ command to set sail.

Sheltered by the Red-Haired Pirates’ protection, Chu Yi felt there would be little trouble leaving Sabaody Archipelago. Nestled in Hancock’s embrace, he glanced at the resting Tiger nearby and smiled, “Tiger, I never imagined that after our chaos on Sabaody Archipelago, we’d gain such reliable companions.”

“Indeed, you’re right,” Tiger replied.

Ever since Chu Yi had stayed behind to cover their escape, using his “Anti-Gravity Domain” to send Tiger away, Tiger had remained silent, leaving Chu Yi unsure of what weighed on his mind.

But some things could only be resolved by oneself. So upon reuniting, Chu Yi offered no comfort, simply waiting for Tiger to come to terms with things on his own.

As Chu Yi chatted idly with Tiger, Rob Lucci, still maintaining the air of a captive, sneered lightly and said, “Brat, do you really think you can escape?”

“We’re not escaping—just making a tactical retreat,” Chu Yi emphasized, thinking to himself that with a future Emperor of the Sea as an escort, what could the Navy’s nets possibly do?

But Rob Lucci saw things differently. For one, he did not yet know the weight of “Red-Haired” Shanks’ name in the future. More importantly, he was all too familiar with the Navy’s darkness and had a vague sense of the order Fleet Admiral Sengoku might give.

If you think you can escape, then I’ll let you have that hope.

In the end, we’ll all vanish with Sabaody Archipelago.

With that thought, Lucci closed his eyes with a smile, as if savoring the final moments of life.

Just as Lucci closed his eyes and revealed that satisfied smile, a sudden shout from a Red-Haired Pirate crew member instantly drew the attention of Chu Yi, Shanks, and the others.

“Captain! Something’s wrong—the Sabaody Archipelago seems to be… surrounded by Navy warships!”

“What?!”

Hearing that cry, Chu Yi and Shanks both sprang to their feet, staring ahead. In the next instant, their faces turned ashen!

With a single glance, they could see nearly ten Navy warships lined up in formation, dominating their field of vision.

Such a terrifying display made even Chu Yi, who had the Asura’s Wings as a trump card, feel a chill in his heart, not to mention Shanks, who had a whole ship of people to protect.

Seeing the grim expressions on Chu Yi and Shanks’ faces, Rayleigh, who had not yet left the ship, raised his eyebrows and stepped forward to see what was happening. Like Chu Yi and Shanks, he saw the nearly ten Navy warships anchored in the middle of the sea, their cannons aimed directly at Sabaody Archipelago. Rayleigh’s brow furrowed deeply, and after a long silence, he murmured,

“That’s… a Buster Call.”

“A Buster Call?”

“A Buster Call!”

The questioning “Buster Call?” came from Shanks, who, not yet long in these seas, still didn’t fully understand the weight of those words.

Chu Yi, by contrast, knew all too well the terror of a Buster Call, and that the destruction of Ohara had been wrought by this very naval weapon.

That was why Chu Yi’s outcry carried such meaning—how could the Navy be so ruthless? Just to minimize the negative impact of the Celestial Dragons’ deaths, they were prepared to destroy not only him and his companions, but the entire Sabaody Archipelago as well!

Thinking of the countless civilians living on Sabaody Archipelago, who would suffer and die because of his actions… Even knowing he could escape the Navy’s Buster Call, Chu Yi’s heart was heavy with guilt. In that instant of struggle, he took a deep breath and made a silent decision.

If the Navy showed no mercy, then Chu Yi would show no righteousness in return!

“Shanks, full speed ahead, if you please. Try to…”

“Get us as close as eight hundred meters from those Navy warships!”