The death of a Celestial Dragon meant the nature of the incident had completely changed.
It escalated from "possible kidnapping" to "an open declaration of war against the World Government."
The Navy had to respond with the utmost severity, or risk losing all credibility.
But he was even more aware of another fact: he was no match for Raiver Sky.
Although the G3 Branch was elite, its strongest combatant was himself, a Vice Admiral.
And Raiver Sky was a monster who had once fought evenly with Iron Fist Garp, a candidate for Admiral.
This meant Raiver Sky possessed at least Admiral-level strength.
"Reporting, Vice Admiral! Target ship sighted!"
From the lookout tower, a soldier shouted through a long-range telescope.
Bask immediately raised his binoculars.
Sure enough, about five nautical miles away, that iconic luxurious giant battleship was sailing on the sea.
Its hull was pure white, adorned extravagantly, exactly the style of a Celestial Dragon, and it even flew the World Government's flag.
"All forces, hear my command—"
"Full speed ahead, surround the target ship!"
"Do not let it escape!"
Ten Navy warships simultaneously adjusted their course, fanning out in a semicircle, closing in on the giant battleship from three directions.
This was the standard maritime encirclement formation—once closed, the target would have no escape.
But Bask knew that conventional tactics were largely meaningless against an enemy of Raiver Sky's caliber.
His mission wasn't to defeat him, but to stall, to delay until Admiral Qiongqi arrived.
As long as the Celestial Dragons were alive, as long as he could keep the perpetrator here until the Admiral arrived, there would be a chance to turn things around.
...
Inside the luxurious lounge of the giant battleship.
Raiver Sky lounged lazily on a leather sofa, slowly sipping red wine from a goblet.
Suddenly, his brow twitched slightly.
In his Space Perception, ten large objects were rapidly approaching from three directions.
Their outlines, speed, characteristics... they were Navy warships, ten of them, standard configuration.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile as he took another sip of wine, completely unperturbed.
A few seconds later, Jiexi and Jieming rushed into the lounge in a panic.
"Boss! It's bad! Ten Navy warships are surrounding us!"
"What's there to panic about?"
Raiver Sky unhurriedly swirled his glass, the dark red wine swirling inside:
"Are those two Celestial Dragons secured?"
"They're secured! We locked them in the iron cages that once imprisoned us."
Jiexi answered urgently.
They had just dragged that pair of Celestial Dragon siblings into the slave cages in the ship's hold.
When the iron cage was locked, Saint Donquixote cried and begged for mercy, his wretched appearance almost making Jiexi vomit.
No sooner had he spoken than amplified broadcast sounds echoed from outside, reverberating across the sea.
"Pirate Raiver Sky! You are surrounded by ten Navy warships! Release the Celestial Dragons immediately!"
"Otherwise..."
G3 Branch Vice Admiral Bask stood at the bow of his ship, microphone in hand, his voice amplified across the waters.
His eyes were fixed intently on the luxurious giant battleship, his heart pounding wildly.
Buying time—that was the sole mission.
The ship's cannons were already adjusted to the correct angle, soldiers stood in formation on the deck, and the musket teams were in position.
But Bask dared not give the order to fire. The Celestial Dragons were still aboard that ship. If even one of them were harmed, he couldn't bear the responsibility.
In the luxurious lounge of the giant battleship, Raiver Sky set down his wine glass but did not rise.
Jiexi and Jieming simultaneously held their breath.
They saw their boss casually rest his right hand on the sword hilt at his waist.
That sword—pitch black all over, with a ferocious dragon pattern coiling around the scabbard, and a tsuba shaped like a gaping dragon's maw.
Raiver Sky drew the sword.
His movement wasn't fast; one could even call it casual.
But the moment the blade left the scabbard—
Hum!
The air in the lounge seemed to solidify.
Jiexi and Jieming felt an invisible pressure rush toward them, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Raiver Sky swung the sword, casually slashing toward the ship's cabin wall beside him—
Whoosh!!!
A Sword Qi, as if capable of teleportation, pierced through the wall and transformed outside the ship into a dozens-of-meters-long black dragon, roaring as it charged straight toward the vice admiral's flagship!
"Otherwise—"
Before Bask could finish his sentence, he saw the black dragon rushing toward him!
"Damn it!!"
His face changed drastically, his pupils contracting to the size of pinpricks.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, witnessing a slash of this scale still shook him to the core.
This was simply not a power that a vice admiral could contend with!
The black dragon tore through the air, and wherever it passed, the sea surface was split open by the residual Sword Qi, leaving deep trenches.
If no countermeasures were taken, this warship would likely sink on the spot.
"Shave!"
Bask roared, his entire body's muscles instantly tensing as he activated Shave, one of the Six Styles.
His figure vanished from his original position, leaving only a burst of exploding air waves.
When he reappeared, he was in front of the ship's bow, mid-air.
His fists clenched tightly, pitch-black Armament Haki instantly covering both arms, veins bulging like coiling dragons.
He poured all his strength, all his Haki, all his will to survive into this single strike—
Boom!!!
His fists collided head-on with the black dragon.
In that instant, time seemed to stretch.
Bask felt the terrifying force that threatened to completely crush him.
His Armament Haki groaned in protest, the bones in his arms creaking under the unbearable strain.
"Hold it... back!!!"
He roared, erupting with all his strength, actually managing to hold back the slash for a brief moment.
But, only for a moment.
A mocking glint flashed in the black dragon's crimson eyes, and then—
Roar!!!
The power suddenly doubled!
"Wha…"
Bask's pupils dilated violently.
That force sent him flying backward, his speed increasing rapidly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He repeatedly used Moon Walk mid-air in an attempt to stabilize himself, but each step only slightly reduced his backward momentum, completely unable to stop it.
Finally—
Crash!!!
He slammed back onto the main ship's deck like a cannonball, the impact point exploding into a five-meter-wide crater.
Dust billowed upward.
The entire sea fell into dead silence.
The marines on the other nine warships stared dumbfounded at the scene on the flagship, watching as Vice Admiral Bask, battered and bruised, climbed out of the crater amidst the slowly dissipating dust.
He was covered in blood, the Armament Haki on his arms completely shattered, with at least three broken bones.
But he was still standing, still alive—that in itself was a miracle.
"Cough... cough..."
Bask spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, his eyes filled with nothing but shock.
He looked down at his trembling hands, then raised his head to gaze at the luxurious giant battleship.
A casual strike from the opponent.
Just a casual strike had nearly taken his life.
Bask finally understood why Fleet Admiral Kong had urgently dispatched an Admiral to handle this matter.
This kind of monster was simply not something a Vice Admiral could contend with.
"Vice Admiral Bask!"
His adjutant rushed over to support him, voice trembling with fear:
"Should we... continue?"
Bask stared at the giant battleship, gritted his teeth, pushed the adjutant away, and steadied himself:
"Continue hailing them! Buy time! The Admiral will arrive soon!"
This was an order, but also his duty.
The Marines could die in battle, but they would never retreat.
Seeing the resolute expression on his superior's face, the adjutant nodded firmly and picked up the microphone again:
"Pirate Raiver Sky! You are completely surrounded! Release the Celestial Dragon immediately, or else—"
Before he could finish.
In the luxurious battleship's lounge, Raiver Sky raised his hand once more.
This time, he didn't draw his sword.
He merely snapped his fingers lightly toward the sea.
Snap.
The crisp sound echoed across the water's surface.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The sea within a five-hundred-meter radius around the ten warships suddenly collapsed inward!
The entire sea level had actually dropped by a full fifty meters!
The ten warships plummeted as if they had suddenly fallen from level ground into a deep pit, their hulls tilting violently as soldiers tumbled across the decks.
"What's happening?!"
"The ships are falling!"
Panicked shouts erupted across all the warships.
This phenomenon that completely defied physical laws threw all the Marines into chaos.
But the true horror was yet to come.
At the edges of the sunken sea, seawater began pouring back in, completely submerging the warships trapped at the "bottom of the pit."
"What kind of ability is this?!"
Bask clung to the railing, his face deathly pale.
This was no longer within the realm of "abilities"—it was more like... a god toying with the ocean.
Inside the luxurious battleship's lounge.
Jiexi and Jieming pressed against the window, staring dumbfounded at the scene outside.
"Boss... what is this..."
Jiexi asked, his voice trembling.
"Space Folding."
Raiver Sky explained calmly:
"I compressed the space in one part of the sea surface while stretching another part, making it appear as if the seawater is rising and falling.
In reality, I merely altered the 'shape' of space."
Altering the shape of space? Was this really something a human could accomplish?
The two looked at Raiver Sky with even greater awe.
This man who resembled a god—no, he was a god!
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