Chapter 4: Navy Admiral
Bubbles formed from resin slowly floated upward, bursting upon reaching a certain height.
The situation in Red Tree Zone 12 was somewhat peculiar at the moment. Navy Admiral Kizaru was locked in a standoff with Rayleigh, while the nearby Straw Hat crew members were either collapsed on the ground or gasping for air, their faces covered in sweat and resin.
About thirty meters away from Kizaru and Rayleigh, Su Xiao held an apple in his hand, which was wrapped in a metal arm guard. Sweet juice dripped from the bite mark on the fruit.
Crunch.
Su Xiao took a large bite of the apple and continued walking forward. He hadn't come here by chance; rather, he wanted to probe whether any other Fifth Rank contractors were nearby.
After all, Su Xiao had just advanced to Fifth Rank and was still unfamiliar with other Fifth Rank contractors. However, one thing was certain: the Fifth Rank contractors who entered the One Piece world this time were by no means weak.
Moreover, with such a good opportunity at hand, Su Xiao wanted to test the Navy's attitude and evaluate his newly acquired ability, Massacre Shadow. He still wasn't sure whether Banishment could pose a fatal threat to Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
Seeing Su Xiao walking slowly, Rayleigh turned his gaze to Kizaru. For now, Kizaru was the biggest headache.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses, his face still wearing that lazy expression.
"An impressive fellow has arrived."
Kizaru's tone was distinctive, sounding as if he deliberately drew out his words. He knew Su Xiao better than Rayleigh did, because during the time Su Xiao was manufacturing explosives for the World Government, Kizaru was responsible for protecting—or rather, guarding—him.
"Kizaru, what choice will you make?"
Rayleigh's voice came with a hint of a smile. If not for the Straw Hat Pirates' uniqueness, or rather Monkey D. Luffy and that straw hat, Rayleigh wouldn't have acted so readily. He had retired on the Sabaody Archipelago, and it was already fortunate that the Navy hadn't caused him trouble. Taking the initiative to provoke the Navy would incur considerable risk.
"What choice?"
Kizaru drawled, scanning the surrounding Straw Hat crew. These pirates had kidnapped Celestial Dragons and caused many major incidents, but compared to that passing researcher, they were small-time crooks. That man was crazy enough to kill Celestial Dragons. More importantly, the weapon technology he possessed was too dangerous. If the Revolutionary Army absorbed him, it would be disastrous news for the Navy. The explosives Su Xiao made that blew pirates to pieces would one day be used against them by the Revolutionary Army.
Kizaru slowly raised his arm, pointing his finger at Su Xiao. A yellow laser beam shot from his fingertip, heading straight for Su Xiao's head.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted beside Su Xiao. He tilted his head slightly, the apple in his hand emitting wisps of smoke.
Tossing the apple aside, Su Xiao glanced sideways at Kizaru. It had been a while, but Kizaru still wore that lazy expression.
"Borsalino, has Vegapunk perfected that technology recently?"
Su Xiao pointed to several Pacifistas near the battle group. One of them was Bartholomew Kuma. Su Xiao actually had some respect for Kuma. Back in the laboratory, when he had nothing to do, he chatted with Kuma. That was Kuma's final days, yet he showed no fear or worry, facing it all calmly. If the Revolutionary Army could overthrow this world, Kuma would be the cornerstone at the very bottom.
"You no longer need to know these things."
Kizaru stopped confronting Rayleigh and walked toward Su Xiao. Rayleigh naturally wouldn't act rashly. He planned to first repel Kuma, then cover the Straw Hat crew's retreat.
"Is that so? Meaning Vegapunk solved the rejection reaction? No matter how strong Kuma's body is, machinery and flesh are not the same substance. Even if over 70% of his body is mechanical, the remaining 30% is still his original biological structure."
"..."
Kizaru remained silent, simply walking slowly toward Su Xiao.
"Oh? Looks like that problem hasn't been solved yet. Is the Pacifista project no longer under Vegapunk's control? That 'perfectionist' wouldn't allow defective Pacifistas to be deployed. Killing the donkey after it finishes grinding the grain certainly fits the World Government's style. You Navy men caught between Vegapunk and the World Government must be having a tough time."
Su Xiao's words left Kizaru continuing in silence. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but he truly had nothing to say. This was also why he had temporarily given up capturing the Straw Hat crew. Su Xiao's understanding of the World Government far exceeded that of the pirates in the New World.
"White Night, if you resist, I might kill you."
Kizaru stopped about ten meters in front of Su Xiao. At this distance, it was only an instant for him.
"..."
Having probed the Pacifista situation, Su Xiao said no more. Instead, he gripped his sword handle with one hand.
Whoosh~
Kizaru transformed into a flash of light, appearing before Su Xiao in the next instant. Standing three meters tall, he had already assumed a side-kick stance. His leg, gleaming with dazzling light, was mere centimeters from Su Xiao's head. Yet Su Xiao hadn't even drawn his sword—this was a gap in speed.
Just as Kizaru was about to land a kick on Su Xiao's head, he suddenly elementalized and vanished from the spot.
Bang! Banishment in its first form shot through the residual light elements in midair, piercing the surrounding air with a sonic boom.
Blue light flickered in Su Xiao's eyes. Banishment, over sixty centimeters long and resembling a hiltless crystal rapier, flew back above him. Blue arcs of electricity crackled across it—this was Cyan Steel Shadow energy. Banishment itself was composed of Cyan Steel Shadow energy. Su Xiao had previously discovered that as long as he coated Banishment with a layer of Cyan Steel Shadow energy, unless it struck an enemy, that layer would take at least several hours to dissipate.
Dazzling light flashed, and Kizaru's form reappeared. Confusion filled his eyes—confusion over why Su Xiao had become so strong. Back in Dressrosa, Su Xiao had given him the impression of someone skilled at escape. In a direct fight, Kizaru could have killed him in a few minutes at most. But now, he sensed a threat from Su Xiao—an enemy who could potentially kill him, even more dangerous than the aging Rayleigh nearby.
The longsword slid from its sheath, the blade singing softly. Su Xiao's gaze swept the surroundings. So far, he hadn't sensed any particularly strong contractors. Bubu Wang, who had blended into the environment, was also searching.
Confirming there were no Fifth Rank contractors nearby, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised, but this was good news. Through his battle with Kizaru, he could clearly gauge his own strength. Once this was determined, subsequent plans would be much easier.
Blood energy surged around Su Xiao. He stomped his left foot, and a faint red aura spread outward.
Crack, crack, crack...
Cracks appeared on the glass windows of nearby buildings. Rayleigh looked at Su Xiao in surprise, unable to determine how many lives had been slaughtered to produce such blood energy. This blood energy was enough to affect enemies.
Compared to Rayleigh and Kizaru, the Straw Hat crew felt it even worse. Enveloped by the blood energy, it seemed to slowly drain their strength. Nami, with some dirt on her face, couldn't help stepping back, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Monkey D. Luffy showed no abnormality. This guy was single-minded, but being single-minded had its advantages. Although his strength compared to Kizaru, Rayleigh, and Su Xiao was nothing but weak, his willpower was exceptionally strong.