At that moment, another warlord, Bartholomew Kuma, emerged from the shadows, stepping between Zoro and the Pacifista. However, instead of joining the attack, he halted the mechanical warrior's assault.
Since the Pacifistas were modeled after him, they were programmed to obey his commands. At once, the gathering laser energy dissipated.
"Another one?! I've had enough of this! How many of these guys are there?!" Usopp nearly collapsed in frustration at the sight of yet another Kuma.
"No… this one is real," Zoro muttered, forcing himself to stand despite his injuries. He locked eyes with the massive figure before him.
"You're still alive, Roronoa Zoro," Kuma said in his deep, measured tone as he calmly removed his gloves.
"Yeah… thanks to your mercy," Zoro admitted, his voice steady as he faced the towering warlord.
Kuma raised a hand, his expression unreadable. "If you could go anywhere… where would you choose to travel?"
Before Zoro could react, Kuma gently tapped him on the chest.
Boop.
With a soft yet ominous sound, Zoro vanished into thin air.
Watching from a distant treetop, Jack felt his eyelid twitch involuntarily.
"This guy… Does he have to say that every single time?"
Jack recalled how, the last time Kuma had used this ability, he had said the exact same words—only to launch someone across the world without waiting for an answer.
"Zoro!!" Luffy's furious roar snapped Jack back to the present.
"You bastard! What did you do to Zoro?! Where did he go?! He was right here just a second ago!" Usopp shouted, his fear momentarily forgotten as he demanded answers from Kuma.
'Kuma? He should have already received orders from Marine Headquarters, so why is he suddenly here? It just proves that pirates can never be trusted.'
Kizaru silently pondered this while continuing to clash with Rayleigh.
"It seems we won't be able to wrap this up anytime soon… and things aren't looking good over there either," Rayleigh sighed mid-battle. "I'd love to go help them, but time is never on our side."
"You've already stalled a Navy admiral—what more do you want? You're making me lose face here, old man!" Kizaru scoffed, noticing Rayleigh's glance toward the chaos. Anticipating his next move, Kizaru took the initiative, pressing forward to keep Rayleigh engaged in their duel.
The battle dynamic had shifted. This time, it was Kizaru actively holding Rayleigh back, aware that the Marines had gained the upper hand elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Luffy's frustration boiled over as he glared at Sentomaru.
"Damn it! What did that bastard do to Zoro? Where the hell is he?!" Luffy demanded.
Sentomaru crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "I'm not the talkative type, so I won't tell you."
Then, contradicting himself, he continued matter-of-factly, "They say anyone who gets launched by that guy's Paw-Paw Fruit ability flies through the sky for three days and three nights. Only he knows where they'll land, and no one else has ever been able to track it. But one thing's for sure—you won't be seeing him on this island again."
For someone who claimed to be tight-lipped, Sentomaru had a habit of answering every question thrown his way.
Upon realizing the truth, Luffy had no time to dwell on where Zoro had been sent. He quickly ordered his crew to scatter, but one by one, they were all struck down and sent flying by Kuma. Even the pacifista, who had been preparing to attack, was casually swatted away by the increasingly impatient warlord.
"Aahhh—ahhh—what am I doing?!" Luffy's voice cracked in anguish as he watched his friends disappear before his eyes. "Damn it! I couldn't protect a single one of them!" He clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over as despair threatened to consume him.
Meanwhile, during his clash with Kizaru, Rayleigh had come to understand the Kuma's true intentions. Because of this, he chose not to intervene.
"Why don't you just send that guy flying too? At least give us an explanation!" Sentomaru muttered, watching as Kuma continued eliminating the Straw Hats one by one.
"Oh dear… this is turning into a real mess," Kizaru sighed, rubbing his temple as he watched the last of the crew disappear. Even for someone as detached as him, this unexpected turn of events was becoming a headache.
Kuma, however, remained unfazed. As he raised his massive paw once more, he looked down at Luffy.
"This is goodbye, Straw Hat Luffy," he said calmly.
With a final, resounding slap, Luffy was sent hurtling through the sky—vanishing like the rest of his crew.
After Kuma sent every member of the Straw Hat Pirates flying, he turned without a word, ignoring both Admiral Kizaru and Silvers Rayleigh standing nearby.
"Ahh, what a pain," Kizaru muttered, pouting in mild annoyance.
"He just knocked them away like that? No explanation at all?" Sentomaru asked in disbelief, gripping his axe tightly.
Indeed, Kuma had offered no justification for his actions. Without so much as a glance back, he simply left.
"Well then, I suppose I'll take my leave as well," Rayleigh said with a grin. "Kizaru-kun, you're not planning to keep me here, are you?" With Luffy and his crew gone, there was nothing left to hold him back.
Before Kizaru could respond, a new voice chimed in.
"Mind if I interrupt for a moment?" Jack strolled over casually, smiling as he addressed them.
"You're finally making your move?" Kizaru said, unfazed by Jack's sudden approach. He had noticed him lingering in the background all along and understood his reasons for staying out of the fight. After all, Kizaru had been aware of Luffy's true identity for quite some time.
"It all happened so fast—I had to wait for the right moment. Surely you're not going to hold that against me, Admiral?" Jack replied with an easy smile.
"Don't look at me," Kizaru shrugged, lazily pointing toward the departing Kuma. "He's the one who sent the Straw Hats flying."
Rayleigh cast a surprised glance at Kizaru. From the admiral's tone, it seemed he had no intention of punishing Jack. While recent reports claimed that Jack had defeated both Jack the Drought—one of Kaido's Three Calamities—and Charlotte Snack, one of Big Mom's Four Sweet Commanders, Rayleigh found it hard to believe that Jack possessed enough strength to truly threaten a navy admiral.
Meanwhile, Bartholomew Kuma also halted upon seeing Jack, as if waiting for him to speak.
With a calm smile, Jack waved a hand dismissively at Kizaru. "As a marine, I stand by my principles. Luffy is a pirate, and being hunted by the navy is the path he chose. If he perishes at their hands, that's the fate he accepted. I won't interfere."
Kizaru curled his lips, clearly unconvinced. He didn't believe a single word of Jack's statement—down to the punctuation. If Jack truly had no intention of interfering, why bother coming at all? It was obvious he was here to keep an eye on things, ensuring Kizaru wouldn't take things too far.
Earlier, when Kizaru had been on the verge of finishing off Zoro, he had felt Jack's presence locking onto him. But as an admiral, Kizaru had his own pride—he wouldn't be swayed so easily. If not for Rayleigh's sudden intervention, he would have killed Zoro without hesitation. That said, capturing the Straw Hat captain, Monkey D. Luffy, alive had always been his priority. After all, there was someone far more troublesome backing Jack.
If Kizaru had truly intended to kill the Straw Hat boy, he had no doubt that Jack would have stepped in—regardless of the consequences. Even if it meant offending an admiral, Jack would have acted. After all, there was someone within the navy, not an admiral, whose combat strength surpassed even theirs.
Moreover, Jack's growth in power was alarming. Kizaru had observed his previous battle with Gion and his strength. That alone was enough to make Kizaru wary. He had no desire to provoke Jack unnecessarily—it would only lead to complications.
At that moment, Kuma turned around and addressed Jack. "Are you here to cause trouble for me?"
Jack shook his head. "No, this no longer concerns you. You're free to leave. I'm here for him." He pointed directly at Rayleigh.
"Me?" Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, perplexed. While Jack had previously stated that he came to verify Rayleigh's presence in the Sabaody Archipelago, it was unclear why he was confronting him now, in the midst of this chaos.
Jack turned to Kizaru with a smirk. "Admiral Kizaru, with you, Sentomaru, and myself working together, do you think we stand a chance of sending this legendary pirate to Impel Down?" He then added, "I'd like to exchange Dark King Rayleigh for the rank of vice admiral."
Rayleigh burst into hearty laughter. "Wahahaha! Young people these days are truly terrifying!"
However, Kizaru narrowed his eyes. With himself in the fight, he was confident that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage against Rayleigh. Although the former right-hand man of the Pirate King was undeniably powerful, age had caught up with him. With the addition of Sentomaru, whose defensive abilities were formidable, and Jack, whose unconventional attacks were difficult to predict, capturing Rayleigh wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Yata no Kagami!" Kizaru called out as he made the first move, his body transforming into a streak of light as he charged forward.
"Sky Shattering Strike!" Sentomaru followed suit without hesitation, launching a powerful attack at Rayleigh.
"Kizaru-san, keep Rayleigh occupied! Sentomaru, cover me—don't let my technique be interrupted!" Jack commanded as he prepared his attack. Without hesitation, he unleashed his finishing move: "Galaxy Fist"
From the sidelines, Kuma observed the clash but made no move to intervene. He was aware of Jack's background and also knew that Jack had ties to Dragon. Since Dragon had never stated that Jack had abandoned the navy, Kuma had no reason to interfere in his affairs.
--------------------------------
AN: Check out my P@treon For +30 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
[email protected]/noviceauthor777