Chapter 9: Chapter Nine: The Monkey

The straw-hat kid ahead was displaying an unparalleled stance.

Eagle-Eye's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a look of interest.

"Straw-Hat Kid, you truly are one of a kind."

"Eagle-Eye, do you remember us?!"

The black sword behind him drew itself and casually slashed two nagging, effeminate swordmasters away.

"No recollection whatsoever."

Doflamingo laughed freely, as if he'd spotted something amusing: "Super problematic newbie, interesting, interesting!"

"Stop~~, Straw-Hat Kid~."

Amidst the mixed emotions, the figure blocking Luffy's path was Admiral Hyouzou.

Hyouzou pouted, speaking lazily but his eyes locked firmly onto Luffy: "The Celestial Dragons have been coming to me daily over your affair—didn't expect you to grow this much in just a few days."

"I can't let you continue."

His right foot lifted, dazzling light flashing.

Admiral Hyouzou moved!

"The undercover agent struck—this is settled."

Far away, Su Lin was wandering around observing, while browsing the system store.

According to his original plan, 100 points could exchange for an internal cultivation scripture; the best few Wu Gong to reach Peak Primordial were priced within 500 points.

But now was clearly not the time to exchange for those.

Purchase-to-Learn Series

【Elemental Introduction: Basics】Price: 190 Mr. Points.

【On Close-Quarters Combat for Humanoid Beings】Price: 100 Mr. Points.

【Starting from Zero as a Phoenix】Price: 170 Mr. Points.

These had some utility—when paired with a Natural Element ability and Fantasy Species powers, they could produce decent effects—but long-term, they were somewhat useless.

Since high-value items were temporarily unaffordable, better to observe than rush into fighting.

He wasn't a pirate of this world; fundamentally, aside from the Celestial Dragons and Five Elders behind the Marines, he'd best not interfere in the Marines' conflict with pirates.

Pirates had good and evil; so did the Marines.

As a visitor from another world, both sides' values operated on entirely different standards—he was willing to help Luffy and others return two years to mend regrets, but that didn't mean he had to join the pirates' side.

Life was precious; he had no reason to use newly acquired power to arbitrarily take others' lives.

In the end, Luffy must rely on himself—and besides, his goal was to use this opportunity to directly pass through the Beginner Stage and make a fortune in this world!

Two high-value one-time Beginner Benefits had been gambled entirely.

Straw-Hat Luffy leapt, soaring over ten meters into the air.

"Foolish~," Borsalino lazily lifted his foot: "Now you can't escape."

Hyouzou watched Luffy leap into the air like a target, thinking: Admiral Karp's grandson really is a reckless fool.

The Marines capturing pirates was their duty; his attack on Luffy was only natural.

But Hyouzou knew that if he killed this Straw-Hat Kid here, Karp might defect on the spot.

If the adopted grandson was already crouching on the execution platform, and the biological grandson also perished here, even Admiral Sakazuki couldn't save him.

Perhaps then all three Admirals would have to stop the enraged Karp—leaving Whitebeard's crew unopposed.

Therefore, the Straw-Hat Kid must not be harmed.

The surrounding Marine soldiers were all spurred on.

"The Admiral has moved!"

"Straw-Hat Kid won't escape now!"

"Kill him!"

'Still too young, kids,' Hyouzou thought internally. 'Of course, you'd better not know the hidden truth behind this.'

'Whitebeard probably knows something, which is why he sent the Straw-Hat Kid ahead—but I still can't ignore this.'

Hyouzou decided to first disable the Straw-Hat Kid, then casually toss him into a safe zone.

'Don't say old man isn't being reasonable, Mr. Karp~.'

As Hyouzou prepared to strike, Whitebeard's captains all moved to lend support.

Even Ivankov couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"It's fine—let them see," Jinbe crossed his arms, confident: "Our captain's strength!"

"Huh?" Ivankov's large head let out a startled sound: "Did you just say… Captain?!"

"Get out of my way, Hyouzou!"

"I refuse."

Unlike his techniques against Smoker and Aokiji.

"Rubber Rubber…"

A fist the size of a giant, wreathed in flame and bound with King's Haki, descended from above.

Accelerating like a meteor!

"Inferno Pistol!"

In the blink of an eye, amid stunned expressions.

He was already before Hyouzou.

"Ara~?" Hyouzou pouted, his lazy gaze freezing—he sensed something wrong.

Boom—

Boom—

Following the violent explosion came silence once more.

Under this strike, Kizaru was sent flying, smashing through the stone wall behind the execution platform, and still hadn't stopped — the rumbling continued.

Beneath the rubble.

Kizaru took a black Den Den Mushi from his trouser pocket with his left hand; though he had elementalized at the instant of impact.

"How scary, Straw Hat."

A trickle of blood ran down from his head.

"Mr. Sengoku, can you hear me~? Moxi moxi."

"Ah, seems I picked up the wrong Den Den Mushi."

"Well, nothing for it then."

Kizaru stood up and dusted himself off.

Might as well just slowly walk back.

Completely different from when we met at Sabaody Archipelago before.

Can a single person grow this fast?!

The use of Haki — Kuangdao Bawang entanglement.

The laziness had vanished from Kizaru's face as he slowly walked out of the rubble, as though recalling the Luffy from not long ago.

Marshal Sengoku, Sakazuki — how do you two plan to handle this variable?

Once I get back, I'll get serious about work.

"Supernovas, truly terrifying~~."

"Kizaru was...?"

Not just the Marines — everyone stared in disbelief, eyes wide; they had already lost count of how many times today this had happened.

No, this time the shock was far more extreme than before.

"Gurara!"

Whitebeard's unrestrained laughter was the first to break the brief silence on the battlefield.

He was surprised, but at this moment incomparably delighted.

"That's an... Admiral!" Outside the wall, watching the spectacle, Coby's tears and snot were about to stream down from shock: "Hermeppo, I'm not hallucinating, right?"

Behind the wall, Coby said, trembling.

"Hermeppo?"

Coby turned his head to look — his friend beside him had already fainted, staring up at the sky.

"Admiral Kizaru!!!"

"Mr. Borsalino!"

"An Admiral! An Admiral! An Admiral got sent flying by Straw Hat!"

The opposite of Whitebeard was the Marines' side — the hot-blooded fervor from moments ago was like having cold water poured over it by Straw Hat's strike.

The Marines' soaring momentum had been obstructed!