Chapter 244: Declaration Of War
Thud!
A heavy object crashed onto the deck, emitting a muffled sound, followed by hurried footsteps and the sound of chains rubbing together.
Clack clack clack!
Splash~
“Quick! Hold him down!”
“Where are the handcuffs? Cuff him quickly!”
Click~
“Damn it, let me go! Navy!”
The injured King was thrown onto the deck by Admiral Sengoku, and several Navy Soldiers immediately stepped forward to cuff him with handcuffs.
“No more pointless struggling, young man of the Lunarian Clan.”
“These are handcuffs mixed with Seastone fragments. As an Ability User, you can’t break free.”
Admiral Sengoku, who had returned to the ship, took the Justice Coat handed over by his Deputy Officer and put it back on, saying indifferently.
King, whose head covering had been torn off in the struggle, struggled to lift his head, glaring with his fierce eyes, but could only see the other’s round-framed glasses reflecting light.
“You World Government dogs!”
“Mr. Kaido will kill you all!”
“I’ll make you taste our clan’s pain too!!”
Ignoring King’s insults, Admiral Sengoku just waved his hand.
“Take him down first and have someone watch him carefully.”
“Yes!”
Two Soldiers, upon receiving the order, immediately pulled at King to drag him into the cabin, but he kicked them away.
Even with Seastone Handcuffs on and completely drained of strength, the current King was not someone ordinary Soldiers could approach.
“Tch! These pirate scum are really troublesome!”
Seeing the other still struggling, the Dual Sword Style Vice Admiral stepped forward directly and smashed the scabbard hard into King’s rib wound.
Thud!
“Pah!”
The intense pain from broken bones made King instinctively clutch the wound and kneel on one knee.
The Lunarian Clan’s physical defense was indeed formidable, but not limitless. At least earlier, Admiral Sengoku had easily broken several of King’s ribs.
But King still did not stop resisting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seeing the other still had strength left, that Vice Admiral continued smashing hard at King’s chest wound several times.
Only after completely beating King to the ground where he couldn’t get up did he disgustedly flick the blood off the scabbard and reinsert it at his waist.
“Tch! Just a pirate, yet so durable.”
“You lot! Put another pair of leg irons on him, then drag him away. Assign more people to watch him.”
“Yes, Officer!”
Several burly Soldiers rushed forward upon hearing the order, pinning King down firmly, and then another Soldier came over with a thicker chain.
Clank~
The clanking sound of metal friction echoed on the deck. Hearing the noisy sounds behind him, Admiral Sengoku just frowned but said nothing.
His eyes looked ahead, subconsciously feeling a sense of unease.
After adjusting his clothes, that Vice Admiral walked to Admiral Sengoku’s side, seemingly wanting to say something… but upon seeing the other’s furrowed brows and serious expression, he curiously asked:
“Admiral, has the enemy appeared?”
Admiral Sengoku didn’t look at him, but stared fixedly at a spot directly ahead, saying uncertainly:
“I don’t know, but… it seems like something is coming.”
“Hm? Something?”
That Vice Admiral raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and curiously followed Admiral Sengoku’s line of sight ahead, but saw nothing.
“There’s nothing ahead—”
!!!
Before the Vice Admiral finished speaking, Admiral Sengoku suddenly widened his pupils. His battle-hardened Observation Haki finally captured something.
“It’s here!”
“Everyone! Alert immediately!”
Fast! Too fast!
From vaguely sensing the other’s presence to now being able to see them directly, only an instant had passed.
Ordinary officers’ Observation Haki couldn’t warn in time; the other’s speed completely exceeded the limits of normal brain reaction!
Under Admiral Sengoku’s loud warning, everyone turned their heads and saw towering waves surging at the limit of their vision in the distance.
That was the scene created when something flew at ultra-high speed skimming the sea surface—high-pressure airflow directly parting the ocean, and due to intense friction with the atmosphere, even rising water mist could be seen.
This spectacular sight naturally elicited exclamations from the crowd on the ship.
“Oh! Amazing, what is that?”
“Some kind of ship? It can create such huge waves…”
“How could it be a ship? This must be some kind of big fish, maybe even a Sea King.”
Due to the great distance, the Soldiers on the ship couldn’t see the specifics and thought it was some ship or fish.
There wasn’t much tension in their tones; some even had a spectating mindset… After all, as elites who had long followed an Admiral, they were much more composed than those recruits who panicked easily.
They were like tourists during an avalanche who thought they were at a safe distance, unaware that the true calamity came far faster, more terrifying, and more… devastating than they imagined!
……
The human processing of visual information has physiological lag.
Even at sufficiently distant ranges, light itself has lag… For example, when people look up at the stars, they see only their appearance from hundreds of thousands or millions of years ago.
Similarly, while everyone was still staring at the splashing wake several sea miles away, the true form of the streaking meteor had already fully breached their safe distance.
?!
“Aoxi!”
King, biting the deck with his teeth to avoid being dragged away, was the first to realize who the newcomer was—this familiar scene he had witnessed countless times.
『There it is!』
The second to react was Admiral Sengoku, or rather, he was actually the first to detect that Aoxi had broken through right in front of them.
His fully focused Observation Haki issued a strong warning, informing him the enemy was already within arm’s reach!
In Admiral Sengoku’s perception, he seemed to see an invisible crimson light flash by.
Whoosh—
The sound of breaking air arrived.
Powerful Armament Haki instantly wrapped his right arm, and Admiral Sengoku swung his fist toward the light’s position at the fastest speed, but the other actually bent around his arm at that speed…
Light… bending?
Time seemed stretched… Feeling his fist brush past the other, Admiral Sengoku widened his eyes.
In that instant, he saw a pair of golden pupils that seemed to pierce the soul making eye contact with him.
Whoosh—!
Bang!
Figures crossed, fist swung into empty air!
The Admiral’s iron fist struck the air, instantly unleashing a shocking shockwave that rocked the warship violently.
Many Soldiers on the ship also lost their footing from the sudden shaking and fell onto the deck.
Clank~
The sound of chains clinking rang overhead, drawing the attention of those still sitting on the ground.
“Who are you?!”
Admiral Sengoku, retracting his fist, looked up and asked.
Because he was facing the sun directly, he couldn’t clearly see the other’s face, only glimpsing a few strands of strikingly red hair shimmering in the sunlight.
“Before asking others’ names, report your own first—that’s basic etiquette, round-headed uncle.”
Aoxi said this, having already nicknamed the other upon first sight.
“Cough!”
“Aoxi, hurry and go!”
“The opponent is a Navy Admiral; you’re no match for him!”
“Mr. Kaido’s situation is extremely dangerous right now. We need to get to Sister La at the fastest speed first…”
“Don’t worry, Sister La is already cremating… cough, treating Boss Kaido.”
Seeing King, whom she was holding by the collar, still looking anxious, Aoxi gave him a reassuring pill.
“I-is that so? La’s already there…”
“Phew~ That’s good.”
Though he didn’t know how Burufaruto had notified La, learning that Kaido was being treated finally allowed King to relax his taut nerves.
“By the way, can you still fly? You seem completely limp all over… Were you drugged?”
Shaking King in her hand, feeling him limp like a noodle without any strength, Aoxi couldn’t help but think of zoo animals hit by tranquilizer darts.
“It’s Seastone Handcuffs. The Navy mixed Seastone into the handcuffs, making me unable to use any strength now.”
“Hm? Seastone… familiar name. Seems like I’ve heard it somewhere~”
Swish—!
While chatting idly, a swift Flying Slash streaked across the sky, heading straight for King whom Aoxi was holding.
It was that Dual Sword Style Vice Admiral below who had struck.
“Hm?”
Lifting King’s body, far larger than a normal human’s, a bit higher, the slash grazed past King’s soles. Aoxi looked down dissatisfied:
“Hey! Sword guy, sneaking an attack while others are talking is very rude!”
“Is your Navy’s quality all this poor?”
“No need for politeness with pirates. You brat must be with the Beasts Pirates, right?”
Maintaining his sword grip, that Vice Admiral eyed the airborne Aoxi hostilely.
“Becoming a pirate at such a young age—looks like your parents didn’t raise you right.”
“Or are they pirates too?”
Crack—
A startling bolt of lightning suddenly struck down at the impudent speaker below, but was dispersed by Admiral Sengoku’s punch in front.
Tearing off the Justice Coat he had just put on and tossing it aside, he loosened his tie while lecturing:
“I know you’re still resentful about that incident with Zephyr, but I hope you won’t bring those emotions into the mission.”
“Also, never casually disparage others’ family, even if they’re pirates, Vice Admiral Mien.”
“……”
“……Yes!”
As a Vice Admiral personally promoted by Zephyr, Mien had always held deep admiration for that powerful and steadfast man.
So after learning about ‘that incident,’ he stormed into the prison holding the culprit, ignoring colleagues’ obstruction, intending to kill those pirates in Zephyr’s stead.
But at the last moment, he was stopped by Zephyr himself upon hearing the news.
He would never forget Zephyr’s expression at the time, and felt genuine respect in his heart for the man who, after such an event, still upheld his inner justice unwaveringly.
While Zephyr could steadfastly hold to his principles, he could not.
He could not forgive those pirates, the ones who took away the people guarded by the man he idolized.
Pirates—all deserve to die!
……
Ignoring whether the other truly understood or was just placating him, Admiral Sengoku looked up at Aoxi, whose face was finally revealed due to the earlier movement, and asked solemnly:
“So… back to business.”
“What exactly are you here for?【Underworld Princess】—Osiris.”
……
“What for?”
Hearing the question, Aoxi shifted her gaze from Mien to Admiral Sengoku.
After lingering on Admiral Sengoku’s face for a few seconds, she shifted her gaze to the massive fleet behind him, composed of Navy and pirate ships, over forty large and small warships… then grinned.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”
“Bringing all these shrimp soldiers, crab generals, and turtle troops, barging into our territory without a greeting.”
“You… want war with us?!”
The sky had unknowingly grown overcast again, the previously scattered dark clouds regathering overhead, churning relentlessly, with muffled thunder faintly rumbling within, pressing down oppressively.
“Little girl, the New World has never belonged to anyone.”
“The sea area you occupy has never been recognized by the World Government.”
“And we, as the Navy, purging pirates is a just act requiring no one’s permission!”
Facing Aoxi’s aggression, Navy Admiral Admiral Sengoku directly invoked the momentum of justice to overwhelm her.
But Aoxi clearly wouldn’t buy the World Government’s rhetoric.
“Spare me the grand principles; I’m underage and can’t handle that.”
“Now, I give you two choices—either go back where you came from, and I won’t charge you docking fees.”
“Or…”
Inhale~
Taking a deep breath, Aoxi proclaimed loudly to Admiral Sengoku and his fleet behind him in a voice mixed with thunder and soul authority:
“Today, all of you stay here forever!”
Boom!
As the words fell, ten thousand thunders struck together!
Several unlucky warships were instantly pierced by lightning, exploding into clusters of sea garbage.
Countless with weak soul power spat blood and fainted on the spot.
……
Golden lightning illuminated Aoxi’s delicate face, but there was no prior smile—only seriousness and undisguised anger.
Though without evidence, Kaido’s near-trip to the Underworld was definitely related to these guys before her, and the King she had just rescued…
These people Aoxi had been with day and night since arriving in this world—she’d be lying if she said she had no emotions for them.
Aoxi was always straightforward: like if she liked, hate if she hated… angry if she was angry.
Seeing Aoxi strike boldly, Admiral Sengoku’s expression grew even more serious.
『Incredible speed that’s hard to react to, lightning manipulation power, and Conqueror’s Haki too… These Beasts Pirates are each more troublesome than the last!』
『Can’t let her keep attacking!』
“Buddha Shockwave!”
Leaping in front of Aoxi, Admiral Sengoku extended his right palm, and a golden shockwave instantly erupted from it.
“Watch out!”
Having tasted this move’s power and had several bones broken, King hurriedly warned.
“Relax, this speed can’t touch me at all.”
Displaying teleportation-like speed once more, Aoxi easily dodged past the shockwave.
Swish swish swish!
The other Navy officers weren’t idle either; the moment her figure reappeared, swift attacks targeted her directly.
Dodging several more officers’ attacks with agile maneuvers, Aoxi asked somewhat annoyed:
“By the way, can’t you unlock those Seastone Handcuffs? Holding you is such a hassle…”
“No, this thing needs a key to open. And you’re an Ability User too—you can’t touch th—Hey! Aoxi, what are you doing!”
Before King finished speaking, he saw Aoxi directly press her hand onto the Seastone handcuffs…
“Lightning Metallurgy!”
Zap~
Dazzling lightning flashed by, and King felt his arms loosen, followed by another flash, fully restoring his strength.
Casually tossing aside the now riddled-with-holes melted shackles, Aoxi felt King’s body tense up again and pointed at his bleeding chest:
“Leave this to me. You fly back and have Sister La treat you too.”
“No need, this minor injury doesn’t affect my fighting at all.”
“Plus, you alone can’t beat them.”
King was somewhat worried about leaving Aoxi alone here. Having witnessed an Admiral’s strength, even with absolute confidence in her speed, he couldn’t rule out accidents.
“Enough, stop acting tough. Don’t you know how many bones you have broken?”
“Don’t hold me back here.”
“……”
“Fine, then be extra careful yourself.”
Since Aoxi had said so, King wasn’t one to fuss and directly spread his wings to leave.
“Not a chance!”
“Buddha Shockwave!”
“Thunder Cannon!”
Boom!
Admiral Sengoku, who had been seeking an opportunity, decisively moved to block King from leaving, but was interrupted by Aoxi’s instant breath attack.
“Sorry, your opponent is me.”
Spreading her crimson dragon wings, Aoxi stood mid-air as if on solid ground, blocking everyone’s line of sight.
Feeling the gaze of those pale golden eyes, Admiral Sengoku couldn’t help but furrow his brows, sensing deep trouble.
In direct combat, he was confident he could take her down in minutes.
But now they were at sea, and she could fly—and fly quite fast!
Earlier, just capturing King had required their full efforts… and Aoxi’s speed and mobility far surpassed King’s; they hadn’t even touched her yet.
Facing an opponent with air superiority in naval battle left them constrained everywhere.
But letting her rampage, a few more of those mass thunder strikes and their fleet would be annihilated!
Even before that, the pirates in the fleet might collapse under pressure and scatter, utterly demolishing morale.
“Tch!”
“Why do all these Beasts Pirates know how to fly?!”
That Dual Sword Style Vice Admiral named Mien clicked his tongue in annoyance, then looked toward Admiral Sengoku and slowly drew his second saber from his waist.
“Admiral Sengoku.”
“Mm.”
The two exchanged a glance, clearly planning to repeat an old trick.
“Dual Sword Style: Sword Web!”
Been too busy with work lately, feeling exhausted. Took a day off to rest.
Trust me, the author might slack, but the author slacking is unlikely.
