The massive warship blocked the Chris' path, its triple-mounted cannon turrets aimed directly at the pirate ship.
Standing on the deck was a middle-aged man in a pale purple yukata with an 'X'-shaped scar on his forehead. He sat on a stool, a wooden staff leaning against his leg, with several Marine officers standing rigidly behind him.
Slurp~
"It has been a long time, Aeridar-dono." Issho sat there eating a bowl of ramen, his milky-white eyes turned toward Aeridar.
"Issho-san, it certainly has been a while." On the Chris, Aeridar squinted, flying down to stand atop the black wolf figurehead. His gaze fixed on the Justice coat draped over Issho's shoulders, the golden epaulettes particularly striking. He smiled wryly. "Or should I be more formal now that you've joined the Navy? Marine Headquarters Admiral, Fujitora."
"Nani?! An Admiral? That gambler is an Admiral?" Betilla gasped, her eyes scanning the man in shock.
"Hey, did you forget? The Captain showed us his photo during the last meeting!" Dimitri said, exasperated.
"Right... I almost forgot too," Enrod said, staring solemnly at the new Admiral.
"I heard he and the one called 'Ryokugyu' are monsters of peerless strength," Galan whispered. "Captain Aeridar originally wanted to recruit him, but it didn't work out."
"Hey! As a Marine Admiral, do you have any idea what it means to show up here and pull a stunt like that?" Arlan barked a challenge.
Issho paused mid-bite and set his chopsticks down. Vice Admiral Maynard leaned in and whispered into Issho's ear, "Issho-san, that is the Chris Pirates' First Mate, 'Blue-Haired' Gilbert Arlan."
"Ah, Gilbert Arlan-san. No wonder the voice sounded familiar," Issho nodded. He then spoke solemnly, "As a newcomer who was directly appointed to the rank of Admiral, I have been quite anxious to contribute to the justice of this world. Things have become chaotic lately, and I do not wish for them to get any worse."
"Then you shouldn't be blocking me. I don't want to wake up one morning and find the world has ended while I was sleeping!" Aeridar pointed at Issho, his tone sharp. "Because frankly, I don't trust you Marines!"
"So, you already know," Issho sighed, handing his ramen bowl to a subordinate and slowly standing up. He gripped his wooden staff and asked softly, "This is an internal Navy matter. I wonder if Aeridar-dono could leave it to the Navy to resolve?"
"Like I said, I don't trust you Marines!" Aeridar sneered.
"What? You don't trust us?"
"Damn it! Pirates will always be pirates!"
The Marine contingent erupted in indignation. If they couldn't trust the Navy, who could they trust? Pirates?
"Sigh... And what if this is an order from the Navy and the World Government?" Issho's tone grew serious as his grip tightened on his staff.
"Then try and stop me!" Aeridar stood motionless on the wolf head, his coat fluttering in the wind as his aura became crushing.
The atmosphere turned suffocatingly heavy. The Marines looked at each other, uncertain. They hadn't expected such a hardline stance. Were they really going to start a war right here?
Meanwhile, a massive crowd had gathered at Unzan Port. People whispered excitedly, speculating on whether the Chris Pirates and the Navy would come to blows. Among them were numerous reporters, their faces flushed with excitement. Whether a fight broke out or not, this standoff alone was front-page news.
[Navy vs. Chris Pirates Standoff: Is the World Neutral Zone in Peril?]
[Navy Blocks the Path: Will the Neutral Zone Status Be Revoked?]
[Crisis! Is the Navy Revoking 'Golden Ring' Aeridar's Seven Warlords Status?]
The reporters were already composing their headlines.
"Is that so... Then I suppose I shall try."
Issho sighed. With his blind eyes open, his left hand gripped the scabbard of his staff while his right hand gripped the handle. He pulled, revealing a sliver of a gleaming blade. With a quick upward slash and a lightning-fast re-sheathing, circles of purple light erupted and shot toward the sky.
The Chris Pirates instinctively looked up. Seconds later, sparks appeared in the clear blue sky, growing into a roar as a massive object plummeted downward.
"Are you kidding? Another meteor?!"
"What kind of power is this? Gravity control?"
"Where did he even pull that from? Outer space?!"
The crew was terrified, and even the executives were shocked. Under the gaze of thousands, a meteor the size of a house, wreathed in flames, shrieked toward the Chris' position. Such a massive rock, propelled by both gravity and Issho's power, had enough kinetic energy to crush any warship or fortress.
"This is ridiculous! How can he accurately pull a meteor down like that? Observation Haki? Even Enel isn't that crazy!" Arlan swallowed hard.
"The Chris can't take a direct hit like that! Give me a bazooka!" Dimitri's face was grim as he snatched a launcher from a subordinate.
"More-More... 100x Cannon!!!"
Dimitri aimed at the falling meteor and pulled the trigger.
Fwoosh—!
A shell the size of a human fist streaked into the sky. Mid-air, it suddenly expanded, ballooning into a gargantuan iron sphere. It grew a hundred times its size in an instant, smashing into the falling meteor without losing a shred of velocity.
BOOOOOOOM—!
A deafening explosion rocked the air. Flames erupted as a terrifying shockwave swept out like a hurricane. The massive meteor was blown to smithereens, turning into thousands of scorching hot fragments that rained down with the force of artillery shells.
The sea surface was whipped into a frenzy by the shockwave, waves churning violently.
"The power of the Press-Press Fruit, combined with Observation Haki strong enough to sense meteors in deep space... truly terrifying. Impact Wall!"
Aeridar thrust out his hand. A massive burst of impact force erupted, compressing the air in front of him into a nearly solid wall dozens of meters wide. It easily deflected the hail of scorching debris.
"He blocked it! As expected of a Chris Pirate executive!"
Sensing his meteor had been destroyed, Issho showed little reaction. He simply drew his blade slightly once more, releasing a purple gravity field that froze the remaining fragments in mid-air.