There was an unspoken rule in the New World: When the absolute apex predators start fighting, anyone watching from the sidelines needs to run far, far away before they accidentally become collateral damage.
"So that was Kizaru, huh?" Enel muttered, leaning against the ship's railing as the White Dragon cruised peacefully through the stratosphere. "Another Logia user from the Navy. I have to admit, that guy's speed wasn't inferior to mine at all."
Having personally witnessed the sheer, overwhelming power of Kuzan and Kizaru, Enel was suddenly incredibly curious about the third 'Monster Vice Admiral', Akainu. If the first two were this strong, the magma user was undoubtedly a terrifying monster as well.
Hearing Enel's bold claim, Bardock took a deep breath, violently suppressing the urge to roast the arrogant 'God'.
'Not inferior to yours?! He's literally made of light! He's undeniably faster than you!'
Instead, Bardock smiled thinly. "Borsalino's personal motto is 'Speed is Weight'. He has a signature technique called the 'Light-Speed Kick'. It's incredibly fast, and the sheer kinetic force is devastating. You know, Enel, since you move at the speed of lightning, you could probably develop your own version! Call it the 'Lightning Kick'. Then, the next time you see him, you can kick him in the face and say, 'Speed is Weight'! It's called beating a man at his own game!"
"Speed is weight..." Enel murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. It actually sounded like an incredible technique. "Maybe later. Right now, my absolute top priority is awakening Armament Haki! Seriously, what the hell is wrong with the fighters on this Blue Sea?! Why is everyone suddenly immune to lightning?!"
Enel crossed his arms, his face twisting into a scowl of pure frustration. Whether it was Kuzan or Kaido, his raw electrical attacks hadn't inflicted any meaningful damage. Even against Smoker, he only won because he stole the Marine's Seastone weapon.
For the very first time in his life, Enel truly understood just how pathetically ignorant he had been to sit on a tiny sky island and call himself a 'God' purely because he ate a strong fruit.
After flying aimlessly for an unknown amount of time, Bardock finally ordered Enel to descend.
Their brief, chaotic detour to Water 7 had completely derailed their navigational route, and Bardock honestly had no idea where they were currently located in the Grand Line.
However, he knew one thing for certain: they couldn't just casually sail along the standard Log Pose routes anymore. Although Bardock still stubbornly considered himself a 'Lawful Neutral' adventurer, the World Government definitely didn't share that sentiment. The path ahead was undoubtedly crawling with Marine blockades and Vice Admirals waiting to ambush them.
"Alright, new plan," Bardock announced to the crew. "We're leaving the Grand Line and heading into the South Blue to lay low for a while."
Aside from visiting Silvers Rayleigh on Sabaody, Bardock had already accomplished all of his primary objectives for the first half of the Grand Line.
Furthermore, watching the brutal clash between Kaido and Kuzan had been incredibly enlightening. Bardock had successfully deduced the mechanical theory behind Advanced Conqueror's Haki Infusion. Although he hadn't physically experienced a Thunder Bagua himself, he was confident he could eventually master the technique with enough rigorous training. Kaido's kanabo forms had also given him incredible inspiration for his Jingu Bang staff techniques.
He no longer needed to urgently seek out Rayleigh for a masterclass.
"Yes! Please! Let's go!" Chopper cheered instantly. The poor reindeer had been absolutely traumatized by the Azure Dragon and was still occasionally shivering.
"Going to the South Blue sounds lovely. It's the hometown of the Pirate King's wife, Portgas D. Rouge," Robin smiled, visually relaxing for the first time in days. Ever since Kuzan had materialized on the ice, her anxiety had been through the roof. Leaving the center of the storm was the smartest play.
"I don't care where we go, as long as I can train my Haki!" Enel grunted.
Since no one had any objections, the crew officially set their sights on the South Blue.
Two days later, Bardock intercepted a News Coo and eagerly flipped open the World Economy News Paper to read the aftermath of the Water 7 incident.
According to the official report—at least the heavily sanitized version released to the public—Kaido of the Beasts had suffered 'injuries' during his clash with the Navy and had successfully been driven out of the first half of the Grand Line, retreating back to the New World.
Reading between the lines, Bardock realized that even with Kizaru arriving as reinforcements, Kaido hadn't immediately fled. The insane Yonko had stayed and violently brawled with two Admiral candidates simultaneously for an entire day!
To fight two opponents of that terrifying caliber at the same time for 24 hours straight... Bardock was incredibly envious of Kaido's monstrous stamina and impenetrable defense.
The article also briefly mentioned that Vice Admiral Kuzan had been in Water 7 'pursuing a dangerous pirate crew'. Bardock scowled at the blatant mischaracterization, but he was slightly relieved to see that the World Government still hadn't officially published their bounties yet.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford. Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Office.
The room was filled with the absolute apex of the Navy's military might: Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Hero of the Marines Garp, Chief of Staff Tsuru, and Vice Admirals Kuzan and Borsalino. (Sakazuki was currently deployed in the New World, and Zephyr rarely attended standard briefings anymore).
"Bwahahaha! So, that giant drunkard Kaido specifically flew all the way over here just to try and recruit those brats?!" Garp roared with laughter, aggressively picking his nose with his pinky finger, completely ignoring the tension in the room.
Sengoku glared at him, a vein throbbing on his forehead. He was terrified Garp was going to flick a booger onto his pristine desk.
"That appears to be the case," Kuzan nodded, shifting slightly. His torso and left arm were heavily wrapped in thick medical bandages. Clearly, battling a Yonko for an entire day hadn't left him entirely unscathed. "Before I intervened, Kaido explicitly offered the captain a position as a Tobi Roppo, and even dangled an All-Star Lead Performer position as bait."
"Ooooh... young people these days are truly terrifying~," Borsalino drawled lazily, casually clipping his fingernails. Unlike Kuzan, Borsalino didn't have a single scratch on him. (Nobody in the room was entirely sure if Kizaru had actually fought Kaido seriously, or if he had just hovered in the sky spamming lasers while Kuzan did all the heavy lifting.)
"I've reviewed Kuzan's detailed combat report. This crew cannot be underestimated," Tsuru stated coldly, adjusting her glasses. She gestured to a thick stack of intelligence files on the desk. "The Captain, Bardock: A Master Swordsman, highly proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki, and possesses the Supreme King's Haki. Furthermore, Kuzan confirmed he is a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user.
"The helmsman is an unknown male wielding the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit. He possesses island-destroying offensive capabilities and terrifyingly vast Observation Haki, though he currently lacks Armament Haki.
"Then there is Nico Robin. While her personal combat strength is manageable, her ability to decipher the Poneglyphs makes her an apocalyptic threat.
"There is also a man named Daz Bonez, the user of the Dice-Dice Fruit. As for the rest of the crew, their combat data is currently incomplete."
Tsuru folded her hands. "This crew already possesses the foundational strength and potential of a major Yonko fleet. If we do not eliminate them early, they will undoubtedly plunge the seas into absolute chaos."
"Agreed," Sengoku said, his voice heavy with authority. "However, the global hype surrounding their discovery of the 'City of Gold' is still at its peak. We cannot publicly brand them as terrorists just yet. For now, this is a highly classified, internal Navy kill-order. If their ship is spotted anywhere on the sea, one of you three Admiral candidates must deploy immediately. A standard Vice Admiral will not be enough to capture them."
Zzzzz... snrk...
A massive snot bubble rapidly expanded from Garp's nose. The Hero of the Marines had fallen fast asleep in his chair.
Sengoku's blood pressure instantly skyrocketed. "GARP!"
POP!
Garp jolted awake, blinking blearily. "Huh? Are we done here? Sengoku, pass the rice crackers!"
Sengoku aggressively reached across the desk, fully intending to strangle his old friend, but Tsuru sighed and intervened.
"There is one final complication," Tsuru added, looking at the two younger officers. "Kuzan confirmed that their galleon possesses advanced flight capabilities. They can travel through the stratosphere. Borsalino, since you have the highest aerial mobility, you will likely be the one tasked with hunting them down."
Kuzan opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.
Borsalino also opened his mouth, but ultimately just went back to clipping his nails.
Somewhere on the Grand Line.
Bardock was completely unaware that his crew had just officially been designated as an S-Class priority target by the Marine Headquarters.
Currently, the White Dragon was peacefully sailing out of the Grand Line and entering the notoriously deadly Calm Belt bordering the South Blue.
"Yahahahaha! So this is the legendary Calm Belt?!" Enel laughed, leaning over the railing and staring at the perfectly still, mirror-like surface of the ocean. There wasn't a single breeze in the air. "It's so incredibly peaceful!"
"It's only peaceful on the surface," Bardock warned, standing next to him. "The Calm Belt is the primary nesting ground for the Sea Kings. Beneath this perfectly still water are millions of apex predators, some of which are several thousands of meters long."
Honestly, the largest Sea King Bardock had personally encountered so far was only a few hundred meters long. He was genuinely curious how a creature measuring several kilometers could even sustain itself. Wouldn't a monster that size eventually eat the entire ecosystem of the Calm Belt?
"Oh? Is that so?" Enel smirked, casually tapping his earlobe. "So you're saying that for an ordinary ship to sail through these waters, it's practically a guaranteed death sentence?"
"Exactly."
"Then..." Enel pointed a finger straight ahead. "How do you explain that ship?"
Bardock looked up. Emerging from the light fog in the distance, a large, uniquely designed vessel was smoothly sailing directly toward them through the completely windless, Sea King-infested waters.