Carl stepped onto his small black blade and flew upward immediately. He shouted to the crew, "Luffy won! Everyone get ready, we may have to fight the Marines!"
Zoro, Law, and Sanji nodded, acknowledging Luffy's victory. The rest of the crew smiled, knowing their captain would triumph, but they moved into action the moment Carl spoke. Deep in the water, Jinbe swam toward the sinking island to retrieve Luffy.
"Straw Hat Luffy wins!" Hawkeye, Crocodile, Kizaru, and Fujitora spoke in unison.
Even from their distance, these powerful figures saw that Luffy was the last one standing. It was a natural outcome; although Bullet was incredibly strong, Luffy was the youngest Emperor of the Sea.
Kizaru sighed, "Since the battle is over and both of them are powerless, let's take this opportunity to eliminate them!"
Kizaru's body turned into golden light. In the next second, he hovered above the fallen fighters and began firing his Yasakani no Magatama technique frantically. While he intended to finish off both, he prioritized Bullet, deciding to leave Luffy alone to avoid the wrath of Garp.
Luffy struggled to speak, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. He was completely drained and unable to dodge or defend himself. Suddenly, Bullet tossed a piece of gravel, knocking Luffy through the air. Luffy realized what Bullet was doing—the man had purposefully knocked him out of the range of Kizaru's light beams.
"Bullet! You bastard! I don't need your help!" Luffy cursed, his voice weak.
Carl, watching from the side, spread his hands in frustration. He had been about to intervene, but he had not expected Bullet to act.
"Mr. Carl, go save him!" Luffy gritted his teeth, determined not to owe Bullet a favor.
Carl shrugged, flew forward, and pushed Luffy toward the sea where Jinbe was waiting. Then, in a flash of speed, he moved to pull Bullet away from the barrage. However, Bullet had already been struck by two light bullets, leaving bloody holes in his shoulder and abdomen.
"Lightning, the great swordsman Carl? Why did you save me?" Bullet asked, confused.
Carl rolled his eyes. "It's an order from my captain. He doesn't want to owe favors to someone like you."
Carl suspected that Bullet had only saved Luffy because he wanted to ensure his future rival didn't die before they could battle again. It was a selfish act, but one that ended up saving Bullet as well.
"Lightning Swordsman Carl, I will challenge you in the future, so prepare yourself!" Bullet warned.
"Let's talk after you survive," Carl replied.
Carl threw Bullet toward the sea. Unlike Luffy, who had Jinbe waiting, Bullet's survival would be entirely up to his own strength.
Kizaru became visibly annoyed. "Hey! Carl, you bastard! It is one thing to save the Straw Hat, but why are you saving Bullet? He is your enemy!"
Carl rolled his eyes again. "Who told you to aim for Luffy like that? You forced my hand."
Kizaru was speechless. He had only been feigning an attack on Luffy, but Bullet's intervention had ruined the situation. Since Luffy insisted on saving Bullet to avoid a debt, the Marines would likely return home empty-handed.
"Issho! Do it!" Kizaru called for backup.
Fujitora, already prepared, rushed toward the falling Bullet with his cane sword drawn, aiming to finish him. Suddenly, a submarine surged out of the water. A steel cable shot out, ensnared Bullet, and pulled him into an opening in the hull before the vessel submerged instantly.
"What? You said Bullet was acting alone! Who is driving that submarine?" Kizaru and Fujitora stared in shock as their target vanished.
Meanwhile, things were chaotic near Luffy. As he fell, several strangers rushed toward him to deliver a finishing blow.
"Stay away from our ship!" Sanji roared.
A bolt of lightning seemed to flash as Sanji's black leather shoe connected with a mercenary, sending him flying. Zoro appeared beside Luffy, and the two swordsmen dispatched the remaining attackers. When more enemies tried to fire from below, Jinbe emerged from the sea, using a powerful wave to knock the attackers away before catching Luffy safely. Law, meanwhile, sliced apart several enemy ships that attempted to bombard them, using his Ope Ope no Mi powers. Hawkeye also struck down a few of the ships, though he claimed they were simply in his way.
"Franky! Refill the cola!" Luffy shouted.
"Understood! We are ready to retreat! Watch the Sunny fly!" Franky yelled.
With the crew gathered and their allies retreating, the Thousand Sunny launched into the sky using a wind cannon. Law's submarine dived, following in their direction, while the others set sail. Kizaru and Fujitora returned to their warship to find that the Straw Hat crew had escaped. Even Crocodile had vanished, leaving only Hawkeye behind.
Kizaru rubbed his brow in distress. He had come for a bonus, but failing to capture the targets made the mission a waste of time. He knew Akainu would not be kind about the failure.
"Hawkeye, those ships were going to attack the Straw Hat. Why did you cut them down?" Kizaru demanded.
"I did not cut them down because of the Straw Hat," Hawkeye replied calmly. "They were blocking my path."
With that, Hawkeye sailed away, leaving Kizaru to sulk. The Shichibukai system remained, and Kizaru had no authority to stop him. He was left alone, wondering how to explain this disaster to the higher-ups.
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