"World Government!!!"
The moment the giant saw the laboratory's emblem, he erupted. His massive fist flew straight towards Sakura.
"Hey, wait..."
Before Sakura could finish her words, Sato Sakura's figure, faster than her, had already flickered behind her.
"Don't... lay a hand on Mother!!!"
"A junior of the Giant Race? Why?"
The awakened ancient giant was taken aback, loosening his fist slightly.
However, Sato Sakura had no intention of showing mercy.
Haki capable of internal destruction flowed to her arm and smashed down heavily onto the ancient giant's head.
Thump!
A power exactly like Sakura's struck the ancient giant's forehead. The flowing Haki poured into his skull.
After a crisp sound of bone cracking, the ancient giant was lifted into the air and slammed into the wall of the underground laboratory, causing the entire island to tremble.
"Tsk tsk, so brutal..."
Sakura clicked her tongue. She released her Observation Haki to confirm the other's life state.
Sensing that his bodily functions were normal, Sakura jumped up and knocked Sato Sakura on the head.
"Idiot, what if you'd killed him hitting that hard?"
"But..."
Sato Sakura, holding her head which wasn't even red, revealed a wronged expression.
"Alright, you and Caesar stay here and watch him. When he wakes up, explain our situation to him."
Seeing her like this, Sakura couldn't bring herself to scold her further.
After assigning the task to this reckless one, she flicked her coat and walked towards the outskirts of the research institute.
Amidst the roar of the research institute's elevator starting, a tremor flickered for an instant in a place untouched by the lights.
Dark wings slowly spread on the ground. The shadow of the Night Sparrow arrived silently, a sharp claw gently reaching towards the only figure inside the elevator.
"What are you doing? Skulking around like that!"
Sakura, her hand wrapped in Haki, tore at the wall and plucked a long feather.
"Ah, that hurts!"
A cry of pain came from the shadow. The petite ship spirit in a raincoat walked out from the wall.
She put her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at Sakura. "Sakura, you meanie!"
"You were the one who started joking around!"
Sakura found it amusing. She stepped forward, cupped Leviathan's cheeks, and rubbed them.
Not having rubbed her face for a while, it felt chubby and soft, somewhat nostalgic.
The petite ship spirit waved her arms and legs, but couldn't resist Sakura's strength.
Finally, she rolled her eyes at her and used the intelligence she brought to divert Sakura's attention.
"Stop playing! A thief got onto the island. Kuina is fighting them!"
"A thief? Couldn't you guys just deal with that yourselves after beating them? Why specially notify me?" Sakura glanced at Leviathan, wondering what scheme she was concocting.
Since the creation of Medical Island, Marian, the defensive power on the entire island had been unprecedentedly strong.
Each of her companions, in battles against the pirates, Marines, and bounty hunters who constantly came targeting Sakura's head, had each improved their strength.
If it was an enemy they couldn't defeat working together, then Sakura should have been able to sense the intruder's spirit and the aftermath of the battle.
Unlike now, where the Upperworld and Underworld appeared peaceful and tranquil.
"Hehe, you'll see when you get there!" Leviathan, with her strange smile, raised an eyebrow at Sakura.
Then, the entire bird dissolved like ink, dripping onto the ground and swiftly shuttling through the shadows, disappearing.
"So mysterious!"
Sakura grumbled about her. After the elevator reached the top, her whole body turned into a white line, quickly shuttling through the sea of clouds.
'Damn it, what exactly is it! Riddle bird, get out of Marian!'
Her Observation Haki expanded across the island, finally locking onto a place where spirits were clashing.
In mid-flight, Sakura pulled out a map and found the location of the conflict was in a warehouse in the upper city.
Following the map's direction, Sakura flew through several tall buildings in the city, quickly rushing to the address on the map.
…
On the other side, at a medicine refrigerated warehouse in the southwestern part of the Upperworld.
Within an encirclement of many armed Wing tribe people, two figures were fighting.
"Bastard! For injuring the guards and stealing medicine, you'll pay with your labor!"
Kuina shouted, her hand gripping the demon blade, Masamune!
Lightning Nature Transformation Chakra rose all over her body. Scorching Armament Haki wrapped around the blade, dyeing its pattern black.
[One-Sword Style: Lightning: Bhagavad Gita!]
A high-pitched cry erupted in the air from the lightning-fast Iaido slash. The world seemed to shift out of place for a second.
Then, a savage blade, forged in blood and slaughter, swung towards the black-haired boy before her.
"Get out of my way first! I just want to save my friend! Afterwards, I'll accept whatever you want, prison or fines!"
The freckled black-haired boy's eyes widened. Facing the ferocious sword light, he drew the long sword at his waist and counterattacked.
His sword skills, reaching perfection, revealed their edge. A cold and sharp radiance slashed out swirling sword energy.
[Wild Spirit!]
Clang!
The clash of blades produced a sound of steel grinding. Kuina's Armament Haki and the black-haired boy's Armament Haki collided. Dark lightning and cyan lightning, centered on the swords, split the world in two.
"Damn it! Get out of my way!!!"
The freckled black-haired boy gritted his teeth. Every muscle in his body tensed, squeezing out all his strength.
He barely managed to deflect Kuina's sword, creating a path of survival for himself, and ran outward clutching the potion.
"Oh, so it's you. The rookie with a 100 million Berry bounty, the peerless swordsman who defeated the former Shichibukai, Lizard King Hanafuda… Portgas D. Ace!"
Kuina's smile was fierce. Through the smoke, her eyes widened as she looked at the freckled boy before her.
The young man the World Economic Newspaper had been heavily reporting on recently had appeared in the New World so quickly.
"Are you here to claim our captain's head and make a name for yourself?"
The swordswoman standing firm made this deduction, the lightning around her growing stronger. "Then, I can't let you leave alive today!"
Being targeted by such a promising rookie was actually very dangerous. In the world of pirates, there were countless examples of letting a weak enemy go, only to have them return stronger for revenge.
Although, as a member of an Emperor's crew, Kuina wouldn't actively attack such people, now that he had come to them, being killed was his own fault!
"No! How could I target her? Please, just listen to me for a second, okay?"
Ace, cornered, pleaded with a weary tone as he ran, trying to persuade the girl behind him to give up.
"You think I'll believe you?"
Kuina struck again. Lightning Nature Transformation Chakra completely accumulated in her sword.
[Lightning Gather!]
"Heh..."
On the wide main road of the Upperworld, the stunned Ace smiled weakly.
He raised his hand, wanting to speak but stopping, stopping but wanting to speak again, but couldn't form words.
Only his trembling hand again raised his sword, Armament Haki wrapping around it.
In the deathly silence of the scene, only the sizzling sound of lightning continuously cutting through the air remained.
But the next instant, the phantom light of space-time shattered. A figure, coat fluttering, arrived belatedly.
"Yo, kids, I'm here!!!"
In her stylish and cool entrance, sensing her successful posing, Sakura laughed loudly. Her powerful aura surged, preparing to teach some unknown punk a lesson.
"So, where's the enemy?"
Unfortunately, no one answered.
The girl looked around in confusion, only seeing Kuina beneath her feet, enveloped in a faint sense of death, and Ace, his eyes hollow, as if utterly broken.
She froze on the spot.
"Oh, this...."