Chapter 126: Sentomaru
Seeing that Kizaru did not attack again right away, Issho kept his sword lowered but did not relax his guard.
His blind eyes turned toward Axel.
"Why did you come back?"
His tone was calm, but there was a clear edge of displeasure beneath it.
Axel did not argue.
He knew he had been reckless.
A Marine Admiral was not some street thug he could toy with. This was not a game, and Issho could not guarantee his safety while fighting someone like Kizaru. The fact that Kizaru had just slipped free of Issho's restraint was proof enough.
Axel did not know who was stronger between Issho and Kizaru.
But he understood one thing clearly: people at their level could not be judged by simple comparisons. Even if Issho could not defeat Kizaru, escaping alone would not be difficult.
By rushing back on impulse, Axel had only made things harder for him.
Still, it was not as if Axel had returned without any confidence. If he focused only on avoiding danger, he could still hold on for a while.
"Sorry," Axel said quietly. "But… we're safe now."
Issho understood what he meant.
The "we" did not refer to the two of them.
It referred to the people they had rescued.
Hawkins was still on the ship protecting them. While the Marines were tied up in battle, they likely would not notice one more ship heading toward another island. Even if they did, they would probably assume it was a vessel trying to escape the chaos.
After all, in a battlefield like this, even the Marines themselves would want to take shelter if they could.
Issho nodded.
"I see."
Axel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small straw doll.
"Here. Take this."
It was something Hawkins had made. Axel did not know its exact use, but it was probably connected to regrouping with them later.
Issho accepted it and tucked it away.
Not far away, Kizaru tilted his head.
"Oooh… what are you two whispering about over there?" His mouth drooped in that lazy, irritating way. "You teased me and then left me hanging. That's not very nice, you know."
His tone still sounded casual.
But anyone with ears could tell he was in a bad mood.
Then—
Blub blub blub…
The Den Den Mushi on Kizaru rang.
Kizaru pulled it out and answered it in his own unhurried manner.
"Hello~ This is Borsalino."
"Old Man! You had a Den Den Mushi on you this whole time, so why didn't you contact me?!"
A loud voice erupted from the receiver.
"I saw that energy wave you kicked out just now! Wasn't that a bit much? You blew apart the surrounding buildings and even affected the warship's navigation!"
Kizaru blinked lazily.
"Ah, Sentomaru. Didn't you have a mission?"
"Didn't I tell you afterward that the rescue mission took priority? Where exactly did you stop listening?!"
Kizaru thought about it for a moment.
"Oh… I thought it sounded troublesome, so I hung up. I didn't hear anything after that."
"…"
A strange silence came from the Den Den Mushi.
Then Sentomaru's voice came again, louder than before.
"Forget it! We'll talk about that later. Have you finished things on your side?"
"Not yet," Kizaru said. "The opponent is no pushover. Quite the opposite, actually. He's very troublesome."
His eyes drifted toward Issho.
"Do we have any other missions?"
If there were, he could use that as an excuse to withdraw from this bothersome situation.
"Old Man, what are you saying? Getting a new mission is easy, but before that, we obviously have to finish this one first!"
The voice was loud.
Strangely, it came from two places at once.
One voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
The other came from behind Kizaru.
A figure had appeared not far away.
He was huge.
A massive axe rested behind him, and his body was round and solid, his waist so thick that he looked like an overfilled water balloon. He wore a large red bellyband marked with three tomoe patterns.
His hairstyle was even stranger.
His bangs were neatly cut, and the rest of his hair was arranged in a style that would have looked fresh and charming on a young girl. On him, however, it only made the contrast more intense. He was unmistakably a man—sturdy, imposing, and powerful—with a stitched scar across his face that added a fierce edge to his appearance.
He was standing so close that using a Den Den Mushi felt almost insulting.
Even the two Den Den Mushi seemed to be sweating.
Kizaru finally noticed the person behind him and turned his head.
"Sentomaru, why are you alone?"
"The warship was affected by that light wave you kicked earlier," Sentomaru said bluntly. "It can't move for now, so I came ahead."
Kizaru's mouth crooked slightly, making it impossible to tell whether he felt guilty.
Sentomaru did not bother scolding him any further. He turned his attention toward the two "criminals."
One blind swordsman.
One child.
For a moment, Sentomaru wondered if there had been a mistake.
But judging from the old man's expression, this was no ordinary situation.
"So those two are the criminals this time?"
Axel looked at him with a perfectly innocent expression.
"And who are you?"
Sentomaru immediately lifted his chin.
"I'm not telling you. I'm the man with the strongest defense in the world, and I've got no obligation to answer your questions. I'm very tight-lipped, after all—Sentomaru!"
Axel smiled.
"So the new enemy is called Sentomaru."
Sentomaru froze.
"Huh? Wait. That was something I wanted to say, not an answer to your question…"
Axel's eyes brightened slightly.
He remembered this man.
Sentomaru.
Captain of the Marine Headquarters Science Unit.
Vegapunk's bodyguard.
His most famous trait was that he always claimed to be tight-lipped while accidentally leaking information.
Axel had no intention of letting such a perfect opportunity pass by.
After all, Vegapunk was the man said to be five hundred years ahead of the world in technology. In the future, he would develop the Pacifistas, whose laser weapons were derived from Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit.
Axel would have to visit that man sooner or later.
Getting a bit of information ahead of time certainly would not hurt.
"So what are you doing in the Marines right now?" Axel asked.
"I already told you, I'm the most tight-lipped man alive. Besides, right now I'm at Marine Headquarters as—"
"Sentomaru."
Kizaru cut him off.
"Uh…!"
Sentomaru's mouth snapped shut.
Only then did he realize he had almost revealed something important.
The Marine Headquarters Science Unit involved classified research. Letting information slip so casually would be a serious problem.
Kizaru looked helpless, though his expression still carried that same lazy indifference.
"Let's finish the mission first," he said. "I'll handle that man. You take care of the kid. Don't underestimate him."
Truthfully, Kizaru would have liked to personally deal with the brat who had mocked his face earlier.
Unfortunately, Sentomaru could not handle Issho.
Even with Sentomaru's proud defense, he would likely not last long under that terrifying pressure.
Among the Marines present, Kizaru was probably the only one capable of facing Issho head-on.
He sighed.
What a troublesome job.
Golden light gathered in his hand once more, forming a sword of condensed radiance.
The next moment, Kizaru moved.
Issho drew his blade in response.
Steel met light, and the battlefield was split open again by the force of their clash.
At the same time, Sentomaru did not hesitate.
He grabbed the enormous axe behind him and hurled it.
Whoosh!
The heavy weapon spun through the air and slammed into the ground behind Axel with a dull crash.
Then Sentomaru leaped.
Despite his round body, his movement was surprisingly agile. He crossed the distance in a single bound and landed behind Axel, cutting off his retreat.
"I've got no grudge against you," Sentomaru said, his expression serious. "And I don't know what you did. But a mission is a mission."
Because no one had contacted him properly earlier, Sentomaru still did not know what crime Issho and Axel were supposed to have committed.
All he knew was that the order was to arrest them.
Axel glanced at his broken wooden blade.
Only splinters remained.
Fortunately, there were plenty of weapons scattered across the ground.
His gaze landed on a standard Marine saber lying not far away.
With a subtle shift of his ability, the air around the blade twisted.
The saber trembled, then shot off the ground and flew into Axel's hand.
It felt different from the wooden blade.
The weight was different.
The balance was different.
But it would do.
Axel tightened his grip around the hilt and turned toward Sentomaru.
"Then come on."
.....
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