"Wh-what is this? Is this... the Captain's real power?"
The Marines of the 16th Branch, gathered some distance away, also sensed something profoundly wrong. They stared up, bewildered, at the scene unfolding before them.
Night had fallen prematurely, swallowing the sea and sky whole. Beyond the pockets of light spilling from their base, everything was pitch black. They couldn't make out the fight between Captain Dante and the stranger clearly, yet they could feel it...
The Sea.
Not the familiar waters they patrolled... no, this felt like the Sea itself, immense and primal. Even standing far off, it was as if they were submerged, caught in its overwhelming surge, its sheer vastness...
"Terrifying... Just what you'd expect from Captain Dante! Are all the guys from Headquarters monsters like this?" one Marine breathed. "But who is that? Who could possibly stand against the Captain for so long?"
Able to warp the very climate, shift the currents of the air itself...
They'd initially prepared to rush in and help. They were the Captain's men, his enemy was their enemy.
But before leaving, the Captain had strictly forbidden them from interfering. Stay put, he'd ordered. Keep a close eye on those pirates recruited recently, make sure they didn't use the chaos as cover to escape.
Their duty was clear: guard the Marine 16th Branch and the Conomi Archipelago.
Nota, having received the same orders, stood vigilant among them. Curiosity about this sudden attacker gnawed at him, but he obeyed the Captain's command without question, holding the other Marines back, ensuring their focus remained on the pirates. Any pirate stepping out of line was dealt with immediately.
Nota's gaze drifted to a few high-priority individuals nearby, lingering on the man who should have been dead, Kuro of a Hundred Plans, former captain of the Black Cat Pirates. Captain Dante's warnings echoed in his mind.
Sure, the man had agreed to stay and teach his 'Silent Step', but Nota wasn't fooled. He knew a cunning snake like Kuro wouldn't remain docile for long. Give this lot half a chance at freedom, and they'd take it.
He had to watch them like a hawk.
However...
He had no idea...
'Run? Fat chance of that!' Kuro watched the distant spectacle, his face grim behind his glasses. Unlike the rank-and-file Marines, a pirate formerly worth 16 million Berries could see far more clearly, and understand exactly what kind of monster was out there.
'How can there be someone like that in the East Blue?'
'That man... is really just an East Blue branch Captain? You've got to be kidding me! Has Marine Headquarters gotten so strong that even freaks like him are only Captains?'
Truthfully, he had planned to slip away during the commotion when he first heard the base was under attack. He was a pirate, damn it. He wasn't about to be penned in by some East Blue Marine Captain. But now...
'Forget it. Better to just lie low.' Besides, he'd already decided he was done with the pirate life, ready for peace and quiet. Being an instructor here wasn't so bad. The food was decent, and he'd heard there was even a salary once things became official.
'Yeah, forget it.' He sighed internally. 'I didn't have a choice before, but now... now I really don't want to be a pirate anymore.'
The sea... it was just too damn terrifying!
After reassuring himself, he shot a venomous glare towards the horizon, silently cursing that so-called East Blue Overlord. He'd suspected back then the guy was putting on an act, and now he was certain! That bastard had royally screwed over every pirate in the East Blue!
Kuro thought back to his plans for a comfortable retirement in Syrup Village. Why, oh why, had he let himself get talked into attending that stupid East Blue Pirate Summit?
'It was all a setup!'
'And that guy... that Marine Captain... he's clearly this strong, so why is he still hanging around the East Blue? Won't even let a 16-million-Berry pirate like me go. Isn't this just picking on the weak?'
Just as Kuro was wallowing in his misfortune...
Suddenly.
*Rumble*
A deep, resonant sound rolled across the water, snapping everyone's attention back to the distant conflict. Heads tilted upwards once more.
--**--**
Icebound.
Still icebound.
The biting chill saturated the air, keeping this stretch of ocean frozen solid. But Kuzan... he definitely heard the sound of surging, rushing water beneath it all.
Like thunder.
Like a thousand charging armies. Kuzan frowned, his gaze fixed on Dante, who stood with his hand gripping his katana hilt.
It was as if he could see the churning sea trapped within the ice. A flicker of annoyance crossed Kuzan's usually impassive face. "Well now... Looks like I might have overdone it a bit."
'Is this guy a monster too?' he thought. 'So obviously powerful... why is he playing house out here in the East Blue?'
Of course, now wasn't the time for idle thoughts.
The sword pressure emanating from Dante, previously like a steady river, now felt like a roiling, boundless ocean.
And Kuzan... was standing right in the middle of its invisible, crashing waves.
Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Boundless Sea.
A technique Dante had forged himself.
Strictly speaking, Water Breathing only had ten forms. But Eleventh Form had to be created personally. Dante, having reaped certain... benefits... during his service, had learned that original Eleventh Form: Calm.
Eleventh Form: Calm allowed the user to enter a state of absolute tranquility, like still water. It created an inviolable space around them, nullifying any attack that entered their blade's range. Incredibly powerful, mastering it marked one as a formidable swordsman, even fit for the Grand Line.
But this was his sea. Dante needed a power, a swordsmanship, that belonged uniquely to him, born from these waters.
Eleventh Form: Calm was strong, yes, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't his.
So, over the years, studying Water Breathing, he had created his own Eleventh Form. Channeling his Haki through the principles of Water Breathing, he agitated the calm river, swelled the weak stream, simulated the ebb and flow of the ocean itself, and finally... stirred the very sea. Thus was born Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Boundless Sea.
Dante stood within this phantom ocean, his expression utterly serene, betraying no ripple of emotion. He became the still water at the heart of the storm.
Around him, colossal waves seemed to manifest, roaring, enraged, churning layer upon layer. They felt like countless dragons taking flight, carrying an irresistible, majestic force. They rolled and crashed against the cold, frozen world Kuzan had created.
Turbulent waves, vast and without end! In just an instant...
A flicker of something akin to horror touched Kuzan's solemn eyes as he looked straight at Dante. There was no literal sea raging before him, yet he felt its immensity pressing in.
Water... had become an infinite ocean!
He could even feel it... beneath his feet, under the sea he had frozen, the real ocean, previously calm, was beginning to stir, agitated by some unseen force, straining to break free from its icy prison.
Kuzan looked at the black-haired swordsman, whose face remained as placid as a calm sea, a stark contrast to the violent surge building below. An involuntary sound, almost like a sigh of admiration, escaped his cold lips. "What terrifying sword pressure."
The moment the words left his mouth.
Instantly.
The sea-like sword pressure surged forward, engulfing Kuzan's frozen domain in the blink of an eye. And it didn't stop there...
*Crack~*
A horrifying splitting sound echoed across the water.
The sea, which had been frozen solid... abruptly fractured. The cold could no longer hold it captive. The surging ocean burst through the ice, throwing up a terrifying, monstrous wave.
Nami, Robin, and Kuina watched, stunned, before recognition dawned.
"Did he win? He won, right? He finally won!" Nami threw her arms around Robin in excitement. Robin managed a faint smile. "See? I told you he'd win! He said he'd protect you, and he did! Now we don't have to become pirates and run away!"
"Mm-hm," Robin nodded firmly, a genuine, elegant smile gracing her features - a blend of mature grace and sharp intellect. Her gaze locked onto the figure standing with his hand on his sword, her eyes filled with a mixture of relief, anticipation, and some deeper, unnamed emotion. The fear, the indecision, the struggle, all gone. Her vision blurred slightly. 'Boss said he would win!'
And he wouldn't let them take her away!
"Is this Senpai's true strength?" Kuina stared intently at Dante, her hand gripping the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. A spark of fierce aspiration lit her eyes. "He's incredible... but I won't give up either!"
Just as their relief settled in.
At that very moment.
The towering wave subsided, the feeling of turbulent power seeming to vanish with it.
Cold! The frigid air returned, sharp and biting! The three women looked up again, disbelief and dawning horror widening their eyes as they stared back at the sea.
"No way! After an attack like that... he couldn't possibly..." Nami whispered, unable to finish.
But it was true.
The piercing cold permeated everything once more.
The sea before them...
Froze over again! And a massive, triangular block of ice enclosing Kuzan cracked open from within.
Appearing before them...
Was the same figure.
Marine Admiral Kuzan! "Well, well," Kuzan regarded the three women, his lazy, half-lidded smile back in place. "I'm not dead yet. Quite surprising, isn't it!"
Silence descended once more.
Nami began to tremble again. 'Even that wasn't enough? Are we really going to have to run?'
Amidst the silence, Robin, who should have been terrified by Kuzan's reappearance, showed no fear this time. She met his gaze directly, her spine straight.
But unexpectedly...
Just as Nami braced herself to think about escape routes...
"I really didn't expect..." Kuzan sighed softly, his gaze shifting to Robin, holding it for a long moment. "Nico Robin. Have you finally found a place where you belong?"
At his words...
Tears Robin had been holding back finally broke free, streaming down her face like a broken dam. But she was smiling, a genuine, tearful smile, her eyes curving into crescents. Facing Kuzan, the old fear was gone. She nodded firmly. "Mm!"
Then, without a trace of fear, she added, her voice clear, "He's my Boss, after all!"
"..."
Seeing Robin's tear-streaked smile, Kuzan's eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly.
Dante, still standing with Sandai Kitetsu at his side, let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'So, it's finally over? Was this Admiral really just testing me? No hidden agenda?' He shrugged mentally. 'Whatever, no need to overthink it.'
Kuzan, after that long look at Robin, turned back to Dante. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes seemed deeper now, and a faint, almost approving smile touched his lips.
'This guy's swordsmanship... more dangerous than I thought.'
He knew that although he looked unharmed, the reality was different. Besides, he hadn't gone all out. And judging by the look of him, this cunning swordsman opposite him hadn't either.
"I admit, I underestimated you," Kuzan said, his tone shifting back to official seriousness. "But for consorting with pirates and shielding a wanted criminal... you are hereby under arrest! Dante Ashford!"
'This guy isn't following the script!' Dante thought, bewildered. 'Wasn't this whole thing about Robin? And didn't we just finish?'
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute, hold on!" Dante protested, hands raised slightly. "I really can't fight anymore! Seriously! Doesn't dinner back at Romance Dawn sounds delicious?"
"Silence!"
The frigid air intensified, erupting outwards. Dante felt this new wave of cold was somehow different, sharper, deeper, cutting right to the bone.
Before he could utter another word, the sea...
Froze solid once more.
Kuzan's voice rang out, laced with mock righteousness. "As a Marine dedicated to justice, do you think I can be swayed by a mere bribe?"
==========
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