The thunder roared with overwhelming force.
In an instant, the entire area was swallowed by a vast storm of spiritual pressure.
Only after a long moment did the lightning finally begin to disperse—
and when it did, Rear Admiral Megan was gone.
All that remained in his place was a patch of blackened ash.
Rear Admiral Megan had been blasted to dust.
"He's gone… he actually disappeared!"
Looking at the ashes scattered across the ground, the Boa sisters were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
A living Marine Rear Admiral—
just like that—
gone before their eyes.
What kind of joke was this?!
"Sister…" Sandersonia and Marigold shrank in on themselves. The sheer strangeness of what they had just seen filled them with instinctive fear.
"Don't be afraid."
Even though Hancock did her best to calm them, the grave look on her face betrayed the unease in her own heart.
One of these two had wiped out over a hundred Marines with nothing but sheer pressure.
The other had erased a Rear Admiral with a single spell.
They had annihilated an entire Marine force in moments.
Just what were they?
Calling them monsters wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.
"All taken care of." Ren Kuro clapped his hands together, looking completely at ease. "Looks like a Marine Rear Admiral isn't much after all."
"Ren Kuro, it seems your control over Hadō is getting better and better." Gin Ichimaru smiled with narrowed eyes. While Megan's death was largely made possible by Gin's assistance, there was no denying Ren Kuro's unusual talent with Kidō.
"That's thanks to your help, Gin Ichimaru," Ren Kuro replied with a smile.
"Oh my, that has nothing to do with me. That was entirely your own strength," Gin said, still smiling.
"Who exactly are you people?" Hancock demanded coldly.
"Hancock, don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." Ren Kuro gave her a gentle smile, a sharp contrast to the icy ruthlessness he had shown moments earlier. "You can call me… Death."
"Death?" Hancock frowned slightly. Somehow, the name sounded faintly familiar.
"Sister, we should leave quickly," Sandersonia said as she tugged at Hancock's sleeve in fear. "If the Marines catch up again, then…"
"Don't worry. I'll get all of us out of here." Hancock showed a level of maturity and composure far beyond her years as she patted both sisters on the shoulder and tried to steady their nerves.
"You're trying to return to Amazon Lily, aren't you?" Ren Kuro asked, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
"How do you know that?" Hancock asked in surprise. As far as she remembered, this was their first time meeting.
"I know far more than you think," Ren Kuro said with a sincere smile. "Don't worry. I'll help you get back to Amazon Lily."
Hancock hesitated as she looked at that smile.
Countless complicated thoughts flashed through her mind.
In the end, she bit her lip—
and nodded.
Her instincts told her that Ren Kuro wasn't lying.
"A Rear Admiral suddenly going silent is bound to draw attention from the Marines. Follow me for now," Ren Kuro said.
Under his lead, the three sisters cautiously followed after him.
However—
what Ren Kuro didn't realize was that the Den Den Mushi dropped on the ground was still connected.
In other words—
the identity of Death had been exposed.
Meanwhile, on a Marine warship not far from the Sabaody Archipelago—
A lazy, almost mocking voice broke the quiet of the sea.
"Oh my… so the famous Death has finally shown himself. How terrifying."
Kizaru held a Den Den Mushi in his hand, and a cold glint flashed through his dark eyes.
At the exact moment Rear Admiral Megan fell, the call to Kizaru had gone through.
Which meant every word between Ren Kuro and Hancock—
had been overheard.
"Death… the real culprit behind Onigumo's death. I've finally found you."
Kizaru's gaze sharpened.
Ever since receiving Sengoku's orders, he had been lingering near Sabaody for the past three months, waiting for the chance to personally capture Ren Kuro.
"Set sail. Head for Grove 16 immediately."
Kizaru stared out at the blue sea, his voice carrying a faint chill.
"Death… now that you've exposed yourself, I won't let you leave so easily."
"Yes, Admiral Kizaru!" the Marine soldier behind him answered respectfully.
The warship moved at once, speeding toward Grove 16.
Not long after—
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 16
With a deafening boom, a cannonball shot through the air, propelled by burning gunpowder.
And standing atop it—
was Kizaru himself.
Ignoring gravity and inertia entirely, he used the cannonball as his transportation.
Just like in the original Sabaody incident, the ever-eccentric Kizaru made his entrance by casually riding in on a cannonball.
The moment it reached midair—
it exploded.
Boom!
A dazzling flash burst outward, lighting up the sky.
Within that blinding radiance, Kizaru's figure gradually became clear before he descended and landed steadily at the harbor of Grove 16.
Kizaru had curly black hair, a yellow-and-white striped suit, a ring of facial hair, and tinted sunglasses.
Oddly enough, there was almost none of the imposing dignity one would expect from an Admiral.
Instead, he gave off that same slack, almost shady air as always.
But no one dared underestimate this seemingly unserious man.
Kizaru had recently risen to the rank of Marine Admiral and was known as one of the Navy's three greatest military powers.
He was not only a pillar of Marine Headquarters—
he was also a figure who made countless pirates tremble in fear.
To ordinary Marines, Kizaru was practically invincible.
And that was not merely because of his nearly unbeatable Glint-Glint Fruit.
It was also because he excelled in swordsmanship, Haki, and physical combat as well, leaving almost no weakness to exploit.
"Run! An Admiral's here!"
The moment Kizaru appeared, everyone scattered in panic, trying to flee Grove 16.
In their minds, a Marine Admiral was an existence that simply could not be defeated.
Staying here any longer was suicide.
"Oh my, there seem to be quite a few pirates around."
Though he had come for Ren Kuro, Kizaru had no intention of ignoring the pirates fleeing right under his nose.
So he casually launched a beam of light.
Several nameless pirates were instantly reduced to ashes—
and the blast even clipped one of the branches of a Yarukiman Mangrove.
The terrifying part was this—
the branch was severed clean through.