Kyle's figure suddenly appeared behind Uta, his palm flickering with faint purple lightning; the moment it touched Uta's shoulder, her vision went dark, she instantly fainted, and fell into Kyle's arms.
!!!
This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned in place, including Lucky Roux and the other Red Hair Pirates officers who had just been feeling incredibly conflicted and unsure how to face Uta.
Seeing Uta faint, they immediately erupted.
"You bastard, Kyle, what did you do to Uta!!"
"You're a Marine Rear Admiral, attacking a little girl, is that what you should be doing? Don't you have any dignity as a powerful warrior!!"
"What about the justice you Marines pride yourselves on?"
...
Kyle cast a faint, indifferent glance at them, and the next moment, only the crackling sound echoed on the ship as bursts of purple light flickered across the deck.
After the commotion slowly faded, the Red Hair Pirates officers, who had been shouting so eagerly just moments before, all had white eyes, their bodies charred black and emitting black smoke, with more black smoke continuously puffing from their mouths, while the air filled with the smell of grilled meat.
Kyle called out to Ain beside him, signaling her to take Uta, and said, "Take her to the cabin to rest!"
"Yes!"
Ain immediately saluted, then carried Uta towards the cabin.
Kyle then turned his gaze back to the members of the Red Hair Pirates, plopped down onto a chair, and looked at them with indifference.
"Your current status is my prisoner, so mind your tone!"
"If you don't know how to speak properly, then I don't mind making it so you can never speak again!"
As he finished speaking, an incredibly terrifying killing intent burst forth from Kyle, violently pressing down on everyone.
In an instant, Lucky Roux and the others felt their hearts and bodies sink simultaneously, shock and fear surging within them.
The feeling Kyle gave them now was completely different from before.
Previously, the feeling he gave them was of someone from a different faction, yet a powerful warrior worthy of respect, who hadn't shown them killing intent, consistently stating his aim was to take them to the training camp.
A bit like that guy Garp, unrestrained and magnanimous.
But the current feeling was vastly different; from the killing intent Kyle released, they had no doubt that if their attitude were even slightly off, Kyle would absolutely kill them, without any question!!
And indeed, that was the case; if any of them had given Kyle more attitude, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill them.
I might appreciate you, but that doesn't mean you can get fresh with me!
Although Shanks' ultimate goal aligned with his, marking him as someone on his side.
But so what?!
If it truly came to war with Im one day, he didn't think that, given his growth rate, Shanks and the others could help him much.
How about an Admiral? So what about an Emperor?
To be blunt, at that level of battle, even ordinary Admirals were just cannon fodder.
Hadn't they seen Garling the Slow Downget cut down by Rocks with one swing?
Yet, even a powerhouse like that was ultimately controlled by Im.
During the God Valley Incident, Im single-handedly confronted six powerful beings.
These six were all figures who had stirred up storms in their eras, past or present.
Rocks, the undeniable pirate hegemon of that era, commanding the world's strongest pirate crew, the Rocks Pirates.
Whitebeard, the man hailed as the world's strongest today, and Roger, who needed no introduction; the title Pirate King said it all.
Garp, the Hero of the Marines, the top-tier combat power of the Marines, Big Mom, one of the current pirate Emperors, and Kaido, also one of the current pirate Emperors.
Kyle had recently clashed with that last guy.
Leaving aside Kaido and Big Mom for a moment, those two could be considered bit players in that battle.
But the others were genuinely top-tier combat powers.
And even then, they couldn't defeat Im, and it was an Im using an possessed body at that.
So how strong would Im's real body be?!
No one knew that, Kyle didn't either, but it didn't lessen his wariness of this King of the World.
Eight hundred years, even a pig would become a spirit.
Even so, Kyle remained confident in himself; after all, time meant nothing in the face of a cheater.
Just eight hundred years, wait a bit for the system to issue some recruitment missions, and he'd beat the crap out of them.
So, Kyle didn't actually place much importance on these 'allies'; even if he really did lead people to attack Mary Geoise, bringing Luffy and the others would be more than enough.
"I originally planned to give prisoners preferential treatment, but now it seems..."
Kyle beckoned.
"A few of you, take them to the cells at the bottom of the ship!"
Most Marine battleships had cells, just not many, but they were more than enough to hold the Red Hair Pirates.
Lucky Roux and the others, who had just been taught a lesson, didn't dare utter a single word now, saying nothing and obediently being escorted away by the Marines.
Soon, those Marine soldiers returned and saluted Kyle, reporting:
"Reporting, Rear Admiral! All members of the Red Hair Pirates have been locked in the cells!"
"Mm!"
Kyle nodded, his eyes flickering slightly as he gazed in a certain direction.
He hadn't paid attention before, but now, with his Observation Haki fully released, he could clearly sense Elegia Island over there and the human presences moving about on it.
If he wasn't wrong, it was Gordon, the man who raised Uta.
Kyle hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should go and bring Gordon along. After all, if he really did recruit Uta into the Marines, Gordon would probably have to come too.
But after thinking for a while, Kyle temporarily abandoned the idea of bringing him over.
He would wait until Uta woke up and talked with her first.
As for now, he needed to go alone and have a chat with Shanks and the others.
Before heading in, Kyle turned to look at Zephyr and said, "Instructor Zephyr, I need to speak with the Red Hair Pirates alone. Don't let anyone come down!"
Hearing this, Zephyr narrowed his eyes, gave Kyle a long, hard look, then nodded and said, "Alright, I won't let anyone disturb you!"
Kyle nodded, opened the hatch door, and walked inside, disappearing into the darkness. Zephyr watched Kyle's retreating figure, lost in thought.
He had always felt that Kyle seemed to know a bit too much; he was puzzled by this too. How could a mere ten-year-old brat know so much?
But this doubt didn't linger in his mind for long, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Ah, forget it, why should an old man like him meddle so much?
Let the young folks handle their own affairs; Kyle's strength now far surpassed his own. He had become an eagle capable of soaring freely through the skies, no longer needing his protection. Instead, it was he who now needed Kyle to come to his rescue...
Thinking of this, Zephyr couldn't help but recall the image of Kyle when he first saw him, and another smile tugged at his lips.
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