Chapter 17: It Seems I

The crystal-clear wine in the cup, emitting a fresh fruity aroma, made Hyouzou raise his glass without hesitation.

One drink won't hurt, will it?

There can't possibly be World Government or Navy spies up ten thousand meters in the air.

"If not for the World Government's wanted poster, I think we might have become friends."

Saint Saint Saiwen feigned surprise: "Friends with the Navy?"

"Like Captain Luo Jie and Navy hero Karp? Mr. Borsalino, could I really be that lucky?"

Crack~ Crack~

G. Full quickly pressed the image shell, taking photos and recording video simultaneously while using a sound shell to record audio.

Having done all this, he turned and walked away with effortless grace.

Seeing this, Hyouzou's signature lewd grin slowly froze on his face; though he didn't know what those shells were, he sensed something was off.

"It seems I've been tricked."

Saint Saint Saiwen didn't respond to that, but changed the subject.

"I heard you're good friends with Monkey D. Dragon. Could you introduce me to him?"

At these words, Hyouzou narrowed his eyes, rapidly recalling all information about Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen.

Joined Luo Jie's crew at age nine.

Last year, when the crew disbanded, he vanished alongside Luo Jie; after Luo Jie surrendered, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen disappeared. Until last month, he appeared in Loguetown, then raided World Government prisoners from the Sainting Island port.

How did he come to know about Monkey D. Dragon's whereabouts?

Was there a traitor in the Navy?

Could it be that Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen shares the same ideals as Dragon, and seeks to establish some alliance through him as a middleman?

"What a hassle!"

Hyouzou drained his cup in one gulp: "I'm Navy. Capturing you is my duty."

"Understood." Saint Saint Saiwen drew his blade.

"The Navy capturing pirates is only natural."

"Big Brother Borsalino, I hope our upcoming battle won't damage our friendship."

Hyouzou's eyelid twitched: Friendship your ass!

You act like we've known each other for years—we just met today, for heaven's sake!

Hearing the conversation collapse, before Saint Saint Saiwen could move, Mihawk had already unleashed a flying slash, sword raised to strike Hyouzou.

Black Blade Yoru, long starved for a worthy opponent, now hungered for battle against a Marine Admiral-level fighter.

Originally, Mihawk planned to bid Saint Saint Saiwen farewell after the banquet and return to the sea to continue challenging great swordsmen, reuniting two years later.

He never expected a skilled fighter to come to him so conveniently.

Since he's here, there's no reason to let him go.

Hyouzou casually drew the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword and effortlessly blocked Black Blade Yoru, his movements fluid as flowing water.

At thirty-four, Hyouzou was in his prime.

Even without consuming the Pika Pika no Mi, his swordsmanship had already reached the level of a great swordsman.

In the original timeline, during the Shichibukai Island incident, Hyouzou once wielded the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword to spar in a health-preserving sword style with the elderly Lei Li.

Out of respect for Mihawk, Saint Saint Saiwen did not immediately join the fight, but took the recently taken photo from G. Full's hands.

The photo showed: Saint Saint Saiwen seated in the main seat, Hyouzou and Mihawk on either side, all three raising their cups in toast.

Honestly, it was easy to misunderstand.

"Old Full, where's the doctor?"

G. Full blinked: "My Lord Lei Shen, didn't you tell him to get octopus balloons from me and hide in Qinghai?"

Saint Saint Saiwen rubbed his temples: "Never mind."

That doctor… really is obsessed with staying alive.

Whatever. He's not one of them. Saint Saint Saiwen decided to respect others' fates and let go of his savior complex.

On the open sea, outstanding pirates are as numerous as fish crossing a river; finding like-minded crewmates would be effortless.

As for immortality.

At fifteen, Saint Saint Saiwen should not be considering immortality; though it appears as a blessing, in his view it is an eternal prison.

The weight of life lies in its uncertainty.

Saint Saint Saiwen cherishes every thrilling, exhilarating moment of life: setting sail, discovering treasure, outwitting enemies, drinking with companions.

If life were infinite.

Then every thrill of adventure, every joy of success, even every narrow escape, would be diluted.

Eternity would dilute the value of every moment, rendering everything dull and mundane.

Alright, Saint Saint Saiwen couldn't keep pretending.

Mainly because he was only fifteen—he should wait until his body fully matured before considering immortality.

Otherwise, wouldn't he be shortchanging himself?

Besides, who can be certain Saint Saint Saiwen won't gain immortality later?

He's a precious plot armor.

"My Lord Lei Shen, we can fight too."

G. Full volunteered for battle; Saint Saint Saiwen was deeply satisfied: "There will be plenty of chances for you to fight later."

Sending warriors who can't even use Haki to face a Marine Admiral isn't bravery.

That's suicide.

Better to let them gain some experience first and learn what true high-end combat power on the Grand Line looks like.

"Old Gan, take the clan members and hide even further away."

At this point in time, Kizaru has not yet been promoted to Admiral, and Mihawk has not yet been crowned the World's Strongest Swordsman, but at this level of combat power, the aftermath of their clash alone could kill the Sky Island inhabitants.

Admiral Zeff once commented on Kizaru: He relies too much on his Devil Fruit ability.

Kizaru's flaw is indeed that he relies too much on his Devil Fruit, but his strength is: the Pika Pika no Mi has almost no flaws.

Essentially, the Devil Fruit techniques Kizaru uses, Saint Saint Saiwen should also be able to develop and imitate, as lightning and light share too many similarities.

On the field, Mihawk fought with increasing vigor.

And the soaring battle intent Kizaru displayed suddenly made Saint Saint Saiwen feel extremely unfamiliar—

Did the slacker finally get fired up?

If his teammate weren't Mi-san, Saint Saint Saiwen would absolutely take the opportunity to ambush; whether it would hit was another matter, but the point was to fight with numbers against a single opponent.

But Mihawk is different.

Mi-san is too arrogant.

Precisely because he knew Mihawk's personality, Saint Saint Saiwen respected Mi-san's choice: a one-on-one duel.

Among the future three Admirals of the Navy.

Kuzan dueled Garp on Beehive Island, while Akainu fought to the death in the Summit War; the two clashed for ten days and ten nights in an even fiercer competition for the Admiral position.

Only Kizaru...

During the Summit War, Akainu was severely injured, Kuzan was lightly injured, and Kizaru's coat hem was slightly dirty.

At Sabaody Archipelago, he said "How terrifying" with every mouthful, and kicked down every Supernova with every step.

It seems Kizaru has never truly fought for his life, which is why he is teased: "If the salary is in place, the Four Emperors are done for."

Of course, Mihawk is the same.

However, nineteen-year-old Mi-san is likely not Kizaru's match.

When Mihawk was knocked flying for the third time.

Saint Saint Saiwen raised Mengxiang Yixin, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, and clashed it against the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

This strike was made with all his might.

Thanks to the iron fool from Teyvat Continent, Saint Saint Saiwen had the chance to face the radiance of a god directly, allowing his Conqueror's Haki to evolve again at a speed far beyond reason.

In the world of Pirates, Conqueror's Haki coating is the stepping stone to becoming a top-tier powerhouse.

The future famous teacher Kaido once said—only Haki can surpass everything.

The massive impact force transmitted from the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and that purple katana wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, all struck at Kizaru's cognition.

"Conqueror's Haki coating?"

Kizaru even forgot to say his catchphrase, wishing he could destroy the Navy and World Government's intelligence system.

What the hell is the Meeting King doing?!

Someone with monster-like strength, Conqueror's Haki coating, and top-tier natural-type abilities, yet his bounty is actually less than 100 million?

Kizaru: *******

Saint Saint Saiwen grinned brightly.

"Big brother, sit down and chat?"

Besides Mengxiang Yixin, Conqueror's Haki coating, and innate superhuman strength, facing an Admiral-level combat power, Saint Saint Saiwen really had nothing else to show off.

Better to try to stop while ahead.

If the other party discovers the clues, a great battle will be inevitable then.

With Mihawk and Saint Saint Saiwen joining forces, they could fight Kizaru for a while longer, but they shouldn't fight on Sky Island territory.

Sky Island land resources are already extremely scarce; if the island is severed by the aftermath of battle, the loss would be huge.

Saint Saint Saiwen currently just wants to develop steadily: no need to fight the Navy to the death.

If Kizaru is determined to continue fighting, it's just a matter of fighting for one's life; after fifteen years of wandering and stopping, Saint Saint Saiwen has fought for his life before.

If a man dies, his bird faces the sky; if he doesn't die, he lives ten thousand years.

Kizaru glanced toward the distance, in the direction where the Sky Island inhabitants and Shandia warriors were located.

Saint Saint Saiwen read the look in the other's eyes: "This is easy to handle."

Red-black Haki turned into layers of ripples, instantly spreading across the entire island, knocking all living creatures except Mihawk and Kizaru unconscious.

Seeing this, Kizaru used the momentum to leap backward into the half-air.

They are just two criminals, not a mission that must be completed; anyway, no one knows he met Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, and he has already reported the situation to Admiral Sengoku.

"Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, what do you want to talk about?"