Chapter 171: Byakuya arrives

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Tashigi seized the opportunity. While Sasaki was still in shock, she flicked her blade upward, slashing through the hand holding Shigure, forcing Sasaki to release his grip. 

At this moment, with Sasaki's strength almost entirely diminished, it was her best chance to strike.

"Rain Splitter!"

Shigure, wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki, unleashed a lightning-fast slash aimed at Sasaki. 

His face turned pale with panic as he cried out, "Page One! Master Queen! Help me!"

Queen and Page One's expressions froze. They hadn't expected the situation to escalate this far. 

Initially, they thought Sasaki could easily handle the enemy, but in just seconds, the tides of battle had shifted dramatically. 

If Sasaki were to die at the hands of these Marine women, Queen would have a hard time explaining himself to Kaido.

As they prepared to intervene, Shigure, still coated in Haki, had already cut through Sasaki's neck. 

Tashigi's strike was swift and decisive, a true killing blow. Sasaki's head flew skyward, his body reverting to its human form. 

On his face was an unmistakable mixture of unwillingness, hatred, and confusion.

With a resounding thud, Sasaki's body collapsed to the ground.

Queen and Page One froze in their tracks, stunned. Sasaki was dead. 

Killed by two Marine women, right in front of their eyes. If word of this got out, it would tarnish their reputations in the Beasts Pirates forever. 

Others might even assume they allowed Sasaki to die on purpose.

Adding to the humiliation, Queen had personally volunteered for this mission, assuring Kaido that he could easily capture the Marines with their combined strength. 

Yet now, one of their Flying Six had been slain. The consequences for Queen's standing in the crew—and Kaido's trust in him—were dire.

Queen's fury erupted. He completely disregarded Kaido's instructions to take the Marines alive.

"You don't understand the horrors I'm capable of," Queen growled, his killing intent radiating. His cruel smile twisted as he approached Ain and Tashigi. 

"You'll soon learn that sometimes, death is a mercy."

Queen's voice dripped with malice. He relished torturing his captives, their anguished screams music to his ears. 

The thought of tormenting these two young, strong-willed Marine women brought him dark pleasure.

Ain, having drained all her strength using her Devil Fruit ability earlier, was pale and weak. She could barely stand, relying on Tashigi for support. 

Tashigi herself wasn't in much better condition, having spent almost all her energy delivering the killing blow to Sasaki. 

They had no choice but to retreat, step by step, until their backs pressed against a tree.

"Hah, nowhere left to run," Queen sneered, extending a hand to grab them.

Despair flickered in the women's eyes. In their current state, death seemed the only escape. 

But just as Queen's hand reached for them, a shadow burst forth from behind the tree. A fist wrapped in Armament Haki slammed into Queen's face. 

The blow sent him hurtling like a cannonball, smashing through dozens of trees and kicking up a cloud of debris.

"I'm getting old, huh?" the figure muttered, dissatisfied with the result of his punch.

Page One instinctively assumed a defensive stance, his voice trembling with shock. "Marine ex-Admiral... Black Arm Zephyr!"

Ain's eyes widened, recognizing the figure instantly. "Zephyr-sensei!"

"Chief Instructor Zephyr?" Tashigi gasped.

Zephyr turned, smiling warmly as he patted Ain on the head. "Hahaha! Surprised to see me?"

"Surprised doesn't even begin to cover it!" Ain's relief was palpable, her tense expression softening into a smile. 

With Zephyr here, they no longer had to fear falling into the pirates' hands or never seeing Byakuya again.

Zephyr surveyed the battlefield, nodding approvingly. "Tashigi, well done. Taking down one of the Flying Six is no small feat." 

"You've done your training justice."

Tashigi, still catching her breath, replied humbly, "It was Ain's fruit ability that weakened him enough for me to land the blow."

Ain, puffing out her chest proudly, added, "That's right! Praise me too!"

Zephyr chuckled, amused by her antics. "All right, all right, you both did great."

"By the way, Zephyr-sensei, why are you here?" Ain asked curiously.

Zephyr sighed. "It's because of your phone call."

"My call?" Ain tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes. You mentioned that Byakuya was causing a stir in the New World and might attract trouble from other factions." 

"I thought I'd come to check on you all and give that rascal a little advice. It's been a while since I've seen him anyway." 

"On my way here, I picked up a Marine distress signal and decided to investigate." 

"I followed the trail from your abandoned ship and heard the commotion in the forest. That's how I ended up saving you just now."

Ain felt a wave of gratitude for having made that call and for Tashigi activating the distress beacon when they abandoned ship. 

Without either action, they might have perished at the Queen's hands today.

Zephyr's expression turned serious. "So, why was Queen chasing you two?"

Ain and Tashigi immediately explained, "It wasn't just Queen—it's the entire Beasts Pirates."

"What do you mean?"

"Kaido and all his top officers are here. They're using us as bait to lure Byakuya-senpai into a trap."

Zephyr frowned deeply. "So the Beasts Pirates are the ones targeting Byakuya…"

Ain nodded. "They're likely on the other side of the island, which is why you haven't encountered them yet."

Zephyr crossed his arms, thinking aloud. "Does Byakuya know about this?"

"He probably does. He's likely already on his way here."

Zephyr's expression darkened. "This is bad. Even Byakuya would struggle against Kaido alone, let alone with his entire elite crew present." 

"We need to resolve this quickly and go assist him."

He glanced at Page One and the dazed Queen in the distance, determination flashing in his eyes. 

They needed to end this confrontation and get to Byakuya before it was too late.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Whale Island, Kaido and his officers watched as trees toppled and explosions echoed from the forest. 

To them, the commotion was nothing out of the ordinary. After all, they knew the Queen's penchant for chaos.

The Beasts Pirates assumed Queen was likely having his fun toying with the Marines. 

Meanwhile, in the sky, King, in his pteranodon form, circled above the island, scanning for any sign of Byakuya's arrival. 

With his superior vision, King quickly locked onto a small black figure speeding toward War Island.

"That must be Byakuya," he thought. Instead of engaging, King descended and landed in front of Kaido. "Boss, Byakuya is here!"

Kaido, who had been drinking while seated cross-legged on the ground, stood up immediately. 

"Everyone, get ready! The enemy is approaching!" he commanded.

Jack instinctively touched his still-healing tusks and muttered, "Finally, we meet again." 

For reasons unknown, a sense of unease stirred in his heart—a sentiment completely uncharacteristic of him.

The remaining four members of the Tobiroppo were visibly excited.

"With Page One and Sasaki gone to capture the Marines, whoever among us takes down Byakuya will earn the chance to challenge the All-Stars!"

"I'll be the one to seize that opportunity!" one declared.

"Just wait. Byakuya will die by my hands," another boasted.

The four glared at each other, each unwilling to back down.

Kaido turned to King and gave him an order. "Doflamingo failed to show up on time for this operation." 

"I suspect he's up to something behind our backs. For this reason, you'll sit out this fight. Instead, head to Marine G-5 and retrieve Caesar." 

"His safety is critical to us."

King nodded solemnly. "Understood. I'll leave immediately." Wasting no time, King unfurled his wings and flew toward G-5.

When Byakuya arrived at War Island, his sharp eyes immediately took note of the Beasts Pirates gathered near the coast. 

His gaze darkened, and he surged toward Kaido's location without hesitation.

Kaido, watching Byakuya approach directly, felt both surprise and amusement. 

Most Marines fled in terror at the mere sight of him, but there was one bold enough to charge straight in. 

Intrigued, Kaido lifted his massive, hundred-kilogram sake bottle, weighing it in his hand, and hurled it at Byakuya with immense force.

The bottle, propelled by Kaido's incredible strength, tore through the air with a deafening whoosh, leaving only a blurred afterimage in its wake.

The remaining Tobiroppo watched with a mix of anticipation and doubt.

"Do you think Byakuya might get crushed by that sake bottle?" one mused.

"Unlikely. If he were that weak, how could he have defeated Lord Jack?" another retorted, though their tone carried a mocking edge rather than genuine respect. 

Ever since Jack's capture by Byakuya, their attitudes toward him have turned disdainful.

As the massive bottle hurtled toward him, Byakuya drew his sword. 

With a single, brilliant slash, the bottle split cleanly in two. Byakuya hovered in the air before Kaido, his sword pointing directly at the Yonko.

"Where are my people?" he demanded coldly.

It was Kaido's first time encountering such a brazen Marine, one who dared to point a blade at him. 

With a sinister grin, Kaido gestured toward the forest, where numerous trees had been toppled. "Probably already dead at Queen's hands," he replied mockingly.

Hearing this, Byakuya's aura changed dramatically. 

A wave of overwhelming killing intent surged from him, so intense it seemed to stain the very sky blood-red. 

The sheer pressure pricked at everyone's skin like needles.

Jack and the remaining Tobiroppo felt a chill down their spines. How many people has this guy killed to emit such a terrifying aura? They wondered.

Even Kaido was taken aback. Could this Marine have killed more people than I have?

Byakuya's eyes burned crimson, and the white Justice cloak on his back seemed dyed red by his bloodlust, billowing ominously in the wind.

"If anything has happened to Ain or Tashigi," Byakuya growled, his voice icy, "I will wipe out the Beasts Pirates. Every last one of you."

Kaido's pupils shrank slightly. His previously casual demeanour turned serious. 

This Marine might be more trouble than I thought. If I don't kill him here and now, he could very well make good on his threat.

Just as Kaido contemplated his next move, one of the Tobiroppo, Kunmoku, lost his patience. 

Transforming into his hybrid crocodilian form, he lunged at Byakuya with incredible speed, his massive jaws snapping toward the Marine. 

Rows of razor-sharp teeth glinted like daggers, ready to tear half a body apart in a single bite.

Kunmoku had joined the Tobiroppo last and lacked seniority among them. 

He knew he had to prove himself to climb further in the ranks, and this was his chance. Killing Byakuya would solidify his position.

But to Kaido, Kunmoku's impulsive move was nothing short of idiotic.

Byakuya barely moved. With a flick of his sword, Kazekiri, a devastating slash cleaved through Kunmoku's midsection, splitting him cleanly in two.

Blood poured onto the ground as Kunmoku's upper and lower halves fell apart.

The Beasts Pirates stood frozen, the realization dawning that Byakuya was no ordinary Marine.

<End Chapter>

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