111. Marine Retreats And Wins All Round

"Hey, Luffy, stay still; your wounds might open up," Chopper scolded, and Luffy obediently froze for a moment.

But Luffy wasn't one to sit still for long. After calming down, he peeked at the distant battle again.

"Isn't that guy's power interesting, Ace?" Luffy remarked, watching Fujitora in the distance.

Fujitora, despite being blind, emitted a kind and clean aura that made people feel good just by looking at him.

"That's probably one of the Admirals the World Government recruited. We'll see it in the newspapers in a couple of days," Ace chimed in.

Though it wasn't confirmed yet, it seemed likely.

Even though they weren't sure how long the battle between the Four Emperors Pirates and the Marines had been raging, they knew a lot about the Marines' top fighters.

Such power doesn't just appear out of nowhere.

Fujitora's appearance signalled a stable Admiral-level strength, likely from the World Government's recruitment drive, according to Ace and Marco.

"Wait, if that's the case, then the guy from before must've been Admiral level too," Luffy realized suddenly.

His declaration caught everyone off guard.

"You mean there was another Admiral?" they exclaimed.

"Yeah, when I fought Bullet earlier, remember that giant tree that showed up out of nowhere? Its aura was just as strong as an Admiral's," Luffy explained matter-of-factly.

Marco, Ace, and the others looked serious and a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah, it was all over so quickly. I mistook him for some fearless Vice Admiral," Marco admitted.

"And I thought he was weak because he got taken out so fast," Diamond Jozu added, shocked by the revelation. "But you guys are on a whole other level."

Without a point of reference, it wasn't obvious just how powerful Luffy's attacks were. Most of them were absorbed by the opponent, with the final blow being the clincher.

But when compared directly, taking out an Admiral in one hit was terrifying.

"So, are we saying the Marine's new recruit for Admiral got taken down like this? That's hard to believe," Nami commented, bewildered.

Thankfully, the Marines hadn't announced the new Admiral's appointment yet. If they had, it would have been chaos.

"No, he's probably not dead," Luffy concluded after some thought. "He seemed tough; that last hit may have hurt him badly, but he's likely still kicking."

Luffy's instincts rarely failed him.

But during the final showdown with Bullet, he hadn't focused much on Aramaki.

He could only guess that the Aramaki wasn't dead, though he had no idea where it had gone.

"Figures," Marco and the others nodded in agreement.

The Marine Admiral is already the strongest force around.

If such a powerhouse were truly taken out in one blow, it would cause unimaginable shock.

But if he's still standing, that's what we'd expect from someone at the Admiral level. They're like monsters.

"Speaking of which, who's that person? I mean, seriously, do we have someone like that in the Cross Union?" Luffy pointed at Yamato, intrigued.

There was something about her that felt different. The aura from her fruit ability seemed a bit like his own, but not exactly.

"That's Yamato, Kaido's daughter. But she's a bit odd. She idolizes Kozuki Oden, so she's living as him now," Ace explained, a bit baffled.

He himself was no stranger to oddities, often nodding off mid-meal, but Yamato was on another level.

In a way, she was even more fixated than Luffy, likely because Kaido had raised her solely as a tool. She didn't have much of her own personality or dreams, so now she was fully embracing the persona of Kozuki Oden.

Of course, this was just Ace's guess. He couldn't fathom Yamato's thought process.

"Yamato? What a weirdo," Luffy chuckled, using her real name instead of Kozuki Oden.

Back on the battlefield, things were heating up.

"Yasakani Sacred Jewel," Kizaru announced, crossing his hands as bright lights burst from his fingers, pushing Sanji back effortlessly.

Dealing with a top-tier Logia user like Kizaru was tough. Sanji could hold his own in a one-on-one, but Kizaru's wide-reaching attacks were beyond his current capability.

Despite using Armament Haki and his own Slash Wave technique, it still felt like an uphill battle.

"The fight with the Straw Hat Boys is over. This mission is a total bust," Kizaru admitted defeat internally.

They had underestimated their opponents' strength, leading to this failure.

"It's a mess. We don't even know where the Aramaki is. We have to retreat," Kizaru lamented, his heart heavy with the weight of failure.

This operation was built around Fujitora's ability to bank on a safe retreat even if they didn't succeed.

But the whole plan unravelled when the Aramaki was taken down by Straw Hat and Bullet.

Now, Kizaru and Sanji's prolonged battle was all about rescuing the Aramaki. Losing an Admiral would be a major blow to the Marine's plans.

Aramaki isn't around, and the fight with the Straw Hats is done. Kizaru knew he had to retreat. If they didn't, with the Straw Hat kid getting back his strength, along with the Whitebeard Pirates leftovers and the tough guys from the Cross Guild, even with Fujitora's power, it wouldn't be easy to get away.

Kizaru is the oldest Marine Admiral, and he's super strong, too. He might seem careless, but when it counts, he's on it. After Kizaru pushed Sanji back, he shot out a beam of golden light. Sanji saw it coming but was a tad slow with his kick. Kizaru vanished in a blink, thanks to his Pika Pika no Mi Fruit power. He didn't usually get serious in fights, so his moves were slow, but now he was all in.

Kizaru said from afar, "Ever been kicked at light speed?" World didn't like it. "Gion's way faster, travelling through air alone." 

Boom. A loud noise spread out. World vanished, and Kizaru's kick caused a big explosion. Kizaru then asked Fujitora for help.

"Leave it to me," said Fujitora, eyes only showing white. He prepared his Gravity Earth Technique. The ground shook, and Jinbei got puzzled. The earth was moving strangely.

But before they could figure it out, the ground split open, lifting rocks and Jinbei's friend, Tokikake, into the air. Luffy found it amusing, hopping around like he did back in Sabaody Archipelago.

Everyone was amazed at the Marine's new Admiral's power, except Luffy. It seemed like the whole Wano land was floating in the sky.

Kizaru said goodbye, and the huge rocks fell back down harmlessly. Luffy thought the old Admiral was nice. The one controlling it all was the blind Admiral with his stick sword.

Right from the start, when Observation Haki sensed his feelings, it could be seen that he had a strong sense of justice and courage, unlike many other tough Marines. Now, it seems he's got kindness and righteousness, too. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother diverting these unpredictable rocks falling from the sky. Even though Luffy could handle it with his strength, their choice shows their true character.

In the sky outside Wanok, Kizaru reported the failure to Mr. Sengoku using a phone bug. Sengoku understood that this plan was risky, given the Straw Hat Pirates and the Cross Union's strength. If no one got hurt, that was a win. But Kizaru stayed silent.

"What's wrong? Borsalino, didn't you evacuate?" Sengoku asked, concerned about the pirate's strength and the Marine's vulnerability.

Kizaru admitted it was Aramaki's fault. Underestimating the enemy, he was hit by Straw Hat and Bullet. If he hadn't been so reckless, he might have survived. Sengoku felt frustrated; Aramaki was too impulsive, unlike Sakazuki. Fujitora intervened, revealing he found a seed among the rocks of Wanokuni, hinting Aramaki might still be alive.

Relieved, Sengoku told Kizaru to return to headquarters. As long as an Admiral wasn't lost, there was hope. Pleased with Fujitora's help, Kizaru praised him, and Gion agreed.

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