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Hearing the voice behind him, Noir finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Black flames swept across the countless ice swords that had erupted from the ground, melting them instantly.
Using Kuzan as a breakthrough point, Noir charged through the two Admirals' encirclement, his sword blazing. "Push the ship off the Red Line! I'll handle this!"
The two giants roared in acknowledgement. They reached out their long arms, scooped up their crewmates, and tossed them onto the ship. Then, with a mighty heave, they shoved the ship, along with several Marine vessels, off the edge of the Red Line!
Kizaru paused, stunned. Were they trying to commit suicide?!
The Red Line, a practically insurmountable mountain, and they were jumping off it!
Weren't they afraid of being smashed to pieces along with the ship?
Kuzan suddenly understood. "Borsalino! Don't let Noir use his ability!"
But Noir was already in motion. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed a dense fog that shimmered like ice crystals.
In an instant, an icy path materialized beneath the plummeting ships, sloping downwards into the empty air.
An ice slide? The Marines could hardly believe their eyes. Could this playground contraption really be their escape route?
Though the vertical drop had become a slide, the icy surface was uneven, and the passengers screamed as the ship bounced and jolted.
But the screams were overshadowed by cheers of joy and relief.
Noir, the creator of the ice slide, however, was groaning inwardly.
The icy path continued to extend downwards. Noir, standing at the bow of the lead ship, focused all his energy on maintaining the ice slide, not daring to relax for a moment.
The Red Line was incredibly high. The ice slide could only slow their descent, and Noir's stamina wasn't enough to create such a massive structure in one go.
I just finished dealing with the swordsmanship and Haki talents, now I have to aim for a stamina talent…
Noir thought wryly. Suddenly, his Observation Haki blared a warning. A powerful attack was incoming!
Without questioning his Haki's accuracy, Noir ducked.
At that very moment, a beam of light grazed the space above his head, nearly taking it clean off.
Noir looked up in shock, his eyes locking onto the attacker.
Kizaru stood atop the mast of a Marine ship behind them, one hand on Kuzan's shoulder, the other pointed at Noir.
Their justice coats billowed in the wind, creating an intimidating aura high above the falling ships.
Someone on the ship below shouted angrily, "Even now, the Marines won't let us go?!"
Kizaru shrugged. "I'm just following orders."
The truth was…
Kizaru, seeing Noir and his crew sliding down the ice path, with the Marines unable to pursue, had been ready to call it a day.
But Kuzan, his usually laid-back colleague, had suddenly become strangely determined, insisting that Kizaru take him along in pursuit.
And so, the two laziest Admirals found themselves working overtime.
Kuzan listened to the freed slaves' cries, then calmly addressed Noir. "Devil Noir, let's make a deal."
A deal? What kind of deal?
Well… stalling for time wouldn't hurt.
Noir couldn't release his hands from maintaining the ice slide. He forced a relaxed tone. "What do you have in mind?"
Kuzan gestured towards the freed slaves below. "If you surrender and hand over the Celestial Dragons you kidnapped, I'll let them go and escort them to safety."
Kizaru raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Can you really make that call?"
Kuzan's expression remained calm, but his voice was firm. "I'll take responsibility. Our mission is to capture Noir and rescue the Celestial Dragons."
"As for the slaves... let's just say they scattered and escaped..."
Noir scoffed at Kuzan's offer. "That's a generous offer, indeed..."
Kuzan didn't react to the sarcasm in Noir's voice. "What do you say?"
Before Noir could answer, the freed slaves erupted in outrage.
They found a surge of courage, even daring to point their fingers at the Admiral and shout insults.
"Brazen Marines! you try to take our Savior away!"
"Our Savior, a powerful individual, risked his life to save us, these burdens. And you think you can just capture him with a few words? Bullshit!"
"We'd rather fight alongside our Savior than be captured by you again, even if we're freed!"
"That's right! We don't need your fake, condescending offer of freedom!"
Kuzan was surprised by the slaves' defiance. He remained silent, facing their accusations and anger towards the Marines.
After a long moment, Kuzan turned to Noir, a faint smile appearing on his usually stoic face.
"They're all willing to follow you, Noir. It seems you have quite the charisma."
Sensing the shift in Kuzan's demeanor, Noir chuckled and shook his head. "Kuzan, are you playing dumb?"
"You know it's not about my charisma. It's just that, to these poor souls, a lawless madman is more trustworthy and reliable than the righteous Marines who serve the World Government."
Noir's gaze locked with Kuzan's, his voice sharp and clear. "The Marines' justice, your justice... it seems it can't be achieved as long as the World Government exists."
Kuzan listened quietly to Noir's words. After a while, his voice, as cold as ever, seemed to drift in and out. "Is that so..."
Noir wasn't sure how much of his carefully chosen words had actually reached Kuzan.
But one thing was certain: no matter how much he stalled, they wouldn't let him escape.
If an Admiral could be swayed by mere words, they wouldn't be called Admirals.
As everyone watched, Kuzan exhaled a frosty breath, and Kizaru raised his arm.
An ice blade and a light sword materialized in their hands. Kuzan's eyes sharpened, his gaze fixed on Noir. "Let's settle this, Noir."
"Just the two of us."
A biting wind swept through the air, and frigid ice condensed around Kuzan. The Marine ships, which had been sliding down the ice path, slowly came to a halt.
Noir, surprised, released his hands from maintaining the ice slide. Kuzan, his body radiating frost, continued, "If you defeat me, you can leave. If you lose, I won't harm these people."
Kizaru, holding his Ama no Murakumo, looked bewildered. "Can we really do that? What about me?"
Enel stepped forward, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "I'll take care of you!"
Kizaru glanced at him dismissively. Ah, the loser from before...
Enel bristled at Kizaru's indifference.
A hand landed on his shoulder. Wyper stood beside Enel. "I'll fight with you."
Lucci, his hands in his pockets, joined them. His voice was cold and sharp. "My justice tells me that these slaves are indeed a burden. But an order is an order."
"And that self-righteous captain's brand of justice must also be upheld."
Kizaru finally acknowledged the trio, his voice slow and deliberate. "Isn't a pirate's so-called justice just lawlessness?"
Lasers erupted from his body, and his Ama no Murakumo slashed towards the challengers.
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