Critical Juncture  

"──It pains me to part ways like this."

Amidst falling snow, Sukura bid farewell to Kureha. They couldn't remain in this country any longer. Now that their location was known to the Marines, a search was inevitable. Sukura couldn't bear to burden Kureha any further.

"Heh heh heh. You've become somewhat more useful than before, but you're still a greenhorn. Don't neglect your training."

"Of course not. The next time I visit this island, I want to be able to converse with you as an equal."

"Bold words. I'll be looking forward to it."

Turning his back on the smiling Kureha, Sukura gathered his belongings and headed towards the ship with George and the others. While they weren't much help in a fight, Samuel remained behind as an escort. They had judged that with Zen and Kanata, they could handle Zephyr and Sengoku.

However, the situation wasn't that simple.

"It seems four warships are surrounding us. Feiyun and Junshi are at their limit, Kanata and Zen are holding back Zephyr and Sengoku... things are looking bad."

"I'll fight too!"

"Fighting head-on against those monsters with brute force won't get you anywhere."

They needed a plan. If they could simply overpower their enemies, that would be one thing, but Zephyr and Sengoku were likely stronger than Kanata. They had to outsmart them to have any chance of victory.

"Think, Samuel. Just fighting won't ensure our survival. You're past the age where you can just act like a fool."

"...But I'm not good at thinking..."

"Do what you can. Think about what you can do. That's all."

Even Samuel, who wasn't known for his intellect, could still think. George told him to just do what he was capable of.

Just like Sukura treated injuries as a doctor. Just like Kanata and Scotch navigated the seas as navigators. Samuel had his own role to play.

"This time, I have to come up with a plan... Kanata already rushed out first."

"Knowing her, she wouldn't be able to stay still. I'll head back to the infirmary and start treating the injured."

"Yeah, please do."

According to the report they received, the enemy forces consisted of one Admiral, three Vice Admirals, and a considerable number of Captains and Commanders. The two giant Vice Admirals were being held back by Feiyun, and Kanata and Zen were keeping Zephyr and Sengoku occupied, so for now, things were manageable. Even Headquarters Captains were strong, but with Ivankov, Dragon, and Junshi on their side, they weren't a major threat. George and the others had also gained some basic fighting skills. They could even spare Junshi to support Kanata and the others.

"But the question is, what will the situation be like by the time Kanata and the others arrive..."

Without knowing who was safe and who was down, it was impossible to formulate a strategy. If they could eliminate even one of the Admirals or Vice Admirals, they would have a chance of victory.

The sun was still high in the sky. With no darkness to conceal their escape, things were looking grim.

***

──A slash was deflected by a fist, then a blade of ice was shattered.

Amidst the rapid exchange of blows, countless ice weapons were created and destroyed. Sengoku, his entire body clad in Haki, remained unscathed, while Kanata, deflecting his attacks with precision, was also unharmed.

(──This woman, she's even stronger──!)

Even as they fought, her Haki was growing stronger. Once, he could easily land blows on her, but now, even tracking her movements was difficult. Even when his attacks connected, they couldn't penetrate her Haki defenses.

Her strength was on a different level. "Where did you gain such power...!"

"I learned, of course. From you, and from Zephyr."

As long as she survived, even defeat offered an opportunity for growth. Retreat wasn't the same as losing. Her near-death experience fighting Sengoku and her narrow escape from Zephyr had served as invaluable lessons for Kanata.

Her honed and refined strength now rivaled that of a Marine Admiral.

(...But it won't last.)

Haki wasn't an infinite resource. She was able to clash with Sengoku head-on by focusing her Haki, but the drain on her reserves was immense.

A prolonged battle was disadvantageous for Kanata. Her limbs, imbued with concentrated Haki, had turned a bluish-purple, possessing enough power to shatter a small island. And yet, she still couldn't break through Sengoku's defenses.

If she were fighting alone, she could force a quick resolution, but with Zen fighting nearby, she couldn't risk using large-scale attacks that might affect him.

However,

"──Zen will be fine."

She enveloped herself in a chilling aura that would freeze the lungs of an ordinary person with each breath and engaged Sengoku in close combat.

While the area of effect was limited, minimizing the impact on Zen, Sengoku couldn't completely avoid its influence.

However, it wasn't enough to penetrate his formidable Haki.

"Annoying!"

"You call me annoying after mobilizing this much force just to capture me? That's rich."

Any ordinary pirate crew would have been annihilated instantly. The current force assembled here was enough to leave even the Golden Lion, who had recently arrived, severely wounded.

Of course, it was also true that Kanata and her crew were extraordinary, considering they were still holding their ground against such overwhelming odds.

She thrust her spear towards Sengoku. A blade of ice followed the slash, aiming to sever his legs.

"Fu──!!"

A single breath.

Sengoku's descending fist shattered the ice blade and the ground beneath it, sending chunks of ice flying towards Kanata.

She took the attack head-on, her body shattering into fragments before quickly reforming. In retaliation, she created a massive ice hammer and slammed it down on Sengoku.

Sengoku's fist met the hammer, shattering it into pieces that scattered across the area.

"It seems simple tricks won't work."

Amidst the glittering shards of ice reflecting the sunlight, Kanata formed a gigantic dragon's jaw, attempting to trap Sengoku between its upper and lower halves.

Sengoku held it back with one hand and one foot, using his remaining hand to fire a shockwave at Kanata.

The booming sound of the Haki shockwave, like a resounding gong, engulfed Kanata and sent her flying, but she used her own Haki to disperse the impact.

And then –

"Seeing it so many times, I couldn't help but learn."

"──What!?"

Kanata unleashed a Haki shockwave from her outstretched palm, just like Sengoku.

Caught off guard, Sengoku blocked it with both arms, but the force pushed him back several meters.

"That too...! That's not a technique one can easily master!"

"As long as it's not a Devil Fruit ability, it's something a human can do, right?"

At the very least, the fact that she could replicate it so easily was proof of her growing strength.

Despite his unique Mythical Zoan-type ability, a significant portion of Sengoku's power came from his Haki.

Even in the midst of battle, this girl, Kanata, continued to improve.

"I've learned a lot from you and Zephyr."

Kanata caught Sengoku's descending fist with one hand. Her arm, reinforced with Haki from within and clad in an armor-like layer of Haki, stopped Sengoku's attack without yielding an inch.

"──I won't lose anymore."

She pushed back Sengoku's arm and lunged towards him.

Sengoku immediately assumed a defensive stance, but a powerful slash tore through his defenses, sending blood splattering –

"Things are getting pretty intense over there." Zephyr, both arms hardened with Haki as he fought, occasionally glanced towards Sengoku and Kanata. He didn't have the luxury to intervene, but he was interested enough to keep an eye on them.

Both Zen and Zephyr were cautiously probing each other, testing their opponent's strength without fully committing to an all-out assault.

(With that much Haki reinforcement, her stamina will deplete quickly... she's aiming for a quick resolution.)

The difference in experience between Sengoku and Kanata was simply too great. She had to take such drastic measures to bridge the gap.

Even Zephyr wouldn't emerge unscathed from such an attack.

Zen, unfazed by the chilling aura emanating from Kanata, focused his own energy. "It seems she's getting serious. I should probably go all out as well."

"You're quite strong yourself, horse man. Both you and that other spear user on the ship, she seems to have gathered some excellent talent."

"It's an honor to be praised by a Marine Admiral. She attracts people with various circumstances, you see." Zen, a Mink, was one such example.

Feiyun, a giant, and Tiger, a Fishman, were also individuals who wouldn't normally be found on the same ship.

They chose to follow Kanata because they believed in her. Although, Tiger's case was slightly different, as he was more of a guest.

"I also owe her a debt of gratitude – I can't lose here." He stepped forward – and the moment Zephyr blocked his sweeping spear strike with his arm,

"──!?"

A bolt of lightning, generated by the Mink tribe's unique ability, "Electro," struck Zephyr, momentarily paralyzing him.

Zen seized the opportunity and thrust his spear, imbued with his maximum Haki output, towards Zephyr's heart.

"Guh – This won't stop me!"

Zephyr covered his body in Haki, preventing the spear from reaching his heart. However, the spear pierced his defenses, and another burst of Electro surged through him, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

The Mink tribe's Electro wasn't a Devil Fruit ability, so Haki alone couldn't fully defend against it.

There was no mercy or restraint. Even an Admiral wouldn't escape unscathed from such a blow.

──However, his opponent wasn't someone who would fall so easily.

"Oooooooooh──!!"

He roared.

His sharp gaze locked onto Zen, and he grabbed the spear embedded in his body, pulling it out and yanking Zen towards him before delivering a Haki-clad punch.

Zen's arm creaked ominously, and he was slammed into the ice, but he gritted his teeth and endured. He narrowly dodged a series of follow-up punches, leaped back, and retrieved his spear.

"Guh... As expected, you won't go down that easily...!"

"Of course not. I wouldn't be a Marine Admiral if I did!"

Zephyr stepped forward, his attack even more powerful than before. Zen barely managed to withstand it, his body groaning even with his Haki defenses. He forced himself to counterattack.

"Not yet!"

Zephyr effortlessly dodged a barrage of spear thrusts, then his fist, clad in Armament Haki, met Zen's spear imbued with maximum-output Electro.

"If I know it's coming, I can still move," Zephyr thought as he pushed back Zen, sending him flying.

While the electric shock disrupted his Observation Haki, he wasn't solely reliant on it.

(The exhaustion is setting in. I can't criticize Kanata for her stamina issues...)

Zen knew that against a superior opponent, taking risks was inevitable.

He had one more trump card, but the sun was still high in the sky. Additionally, a prolonged battle was disadvantageous for them, so a sense of urgency was creeping in.

He glared at Zephyr, determined to hold out until either he or Kanata could break through – but then,

"──Looks like things are settled over there."

Zephyr's gaze shifted, and Zen followed his line of sight. There – Feiyun, who had been fighting the two Vice Admirals, was collapsing.