54 Chapter 54
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"F, what's going on?!"
"Despite being noon, the temperature on Sabaody Islands has never soared to such extremes!"
"It's so sweltering that I can feel the moisture in my body evaporating rapidly."
"If this goes on, we might actually be at risk of dying!"
Today, the Grand Line is the first to sense that something is off with the temperature.
Unsurprisingly, the nearby Sabaody Archipelago is predominantly affected.
Many of the island's inhabitants instinctively drink water.
Yet, their parched throats find no respite.
And this isn't an isolated incident.
Yes, it's happening to almost everyone on Sabaody Islands.
"Rayleigh... what in the world is happening?!"
Just across from the grassy area, barely a stone's throw from the bar, Shakky perceives that something about the air's temperature is slightly amiss, and casts a side glance.
Rayleigh fixes his gaze toward the ocean off Sabaody Islands.
Seeing this, Shakky's expression turns to one of concern.
"Did something occur over there?"
Shakky automatically looks in the direction Rayleigh is gazing.
In the following moment, Shakky's body freezes, his pupils dilating with an irresistible sense of shock.
Uncertain of when it began, the sea around Sabaody Islands is spewing white steam! The water is simmering like a pot on the verge of boiling!
Shakky's head snaps up to the sun above.
His attention returns to where Rayleigh is looking, the area of the sea from which intense heat is continuously escaping.
Shakky feels his heart pound.
What could be happening over there?
Has the 'sun' descended upon the Grand Line?!
Elsewhere, there's an explosive boom...!
The temperature rise is significant—might it actually be like the sun has crashed down onto the battlefield of the Grand Line?
Wow~!
Wow~!
Massive amounts of sea water start evaporating wildly, as the scorching flames shoot toward the heavens, dominating the entire sea in a fearsome and awe-inspiring display!
Within the heart of this fiery sea, one lone figure stands!
They emanate a heart-thumping, terrifying aura!
"Kong Shock Punch!"
Suddenly, Kong's voice cuts through!
Realizing something is wrong, Kong's expression shifts, and he clenches his hand into a fist.
His Armament Haki, almost tangible, gathers in his fist and is unleashed with bold bravado!
The air bursts instantaneously!
Giant sound waves and visible shock waves ripple through the trembling air!
One can only imagine the horror of Kong's attack.
But when this formidable assault meets the flames, it simply vanishes!
"?!" Kong, entirely enveloped in armament colors, lands in disbelief.
His attack... it did nothing? How could that be?!
In the midst of all this, the flames begin to converge toward Bai Ye on both sides!
"Flames enveloping the sky are disappearing?!"
Kong's expression shifts once more, as he suddenly realizes that most of the flames are being absorbed into the Ryūjin Jakka in Bai Ye's grip!
Upon witnessing the scene, a bead of sweat instantaneously evaporates from Kong's forehead, and his pupils dilate involuntarily.
This scene... isn't it precisely what Marine Admiral Kizaru reported?
Was this the real, most perilous moment for that man?
Could it really be happening just as reported?
That overwhelming heat, capable of evaporating an entire sea, was never triggered by Akainu's lava fruit ability?!
All these frantic thoughts clash within Kong's mind.
Eventually, they converge on a singular point!
That is the current moment.
The man before him is incredibly dangerous...
Although he stands alone, Kong knows firsthand that Bai Ye poses an undeniable threat, perhaps even greater than the Rocks Pirates from thirty-eight years ago!
And, at all costs, the World Government must obliterate the sinner before them!
Otherwise, given the dreadful and unprecedented scent of doom lingering in the air, the World Government could be facing a crisis like no other on the Grand Line!
Thoughts raced through his mind.
Suddenly, he called out, "Shunpo!"
In an instant, Bai Ye vanished from sight.
"Disappeared?!" Kong's eyes widened in disbelief.
A searing heat rushed at his face, and he instinctively jerked back.
The next moment, the sight before him was the relentless slash of Ryūjin Jakka.
Despite his quick reflexes, Bai Ye was moving too swiftly, impossibly fast.
At the moment flames engulfed a wrist, flesh and blood began to disintegrate, reduced to bone, then to ash.
Then came the downward cut.
Before Kong could voice his agony, "Boom!"
The resting place of Ryūjin Jakka was seemingly thin air.
Beneath, a whole sea evaporated from the intense heat.
"Are you kidding me?! My Armament Haki... can't withstand this?!"
His pupils contracted, ignoring the pain, he forcefully amputated his forearm to halt the spread of the relentless flames.
Kong retreated rapidly, his mind in turmoil.
"This kind of monster should not exist in the world...! Are you really kidding me?!!!"
A chill ran down Kong's spine.
Suddenly, he saw Bai Ye's second strike approaching.
Facing the unavoidable attack, a terrifying notion faintly emerged in Kong's core.
He could die!
The same fate awaited those useless Marines who perished in this "demon slaying operation."
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Confronted by impending doom, Kong cried out.
"Bai Ye, former colonel of the North Blue G-64 Marine branch, is the intelligence from the World Government accurate?!"
Bai Ye hesitated slightly upon hearing G-64 mentioned again.
"What do you mean?"
Kong breathed a sigh of relief, gathering strength clandestinely.
"If I told you that before this 'extermination of all evil' operation began, orders were sent to West Blue, what do you think happened?"
"You don't know, right?! The foolish Marines there wanted to inform the Marine government, oblivious to the impossibility without the government's consent."
"So?"
Bai Ye sensed the adversary's tactic and inquired.
Kong, seeing his ploy taking effect, silently clenched his teeth.
The threat of Bai Ye had far surpassed the initial estimations of the World Government.
Given a chance to return, he would ensure thorough preparations for the next encounter.
"It's quite simple. I advise you against any rash actions!"
Enduring the intense pain, Kong raised his head and declared:
"Furthermore, my death here would trigger the third phase of 'Operation Demon Slaughter,' the final strike! Regardless of your strength, you will perish here! If you understand..."
Before Kong could finish his threat, mid-sentence, his unprepared arm still raised, an unexpected event took place (Zhao Hao)!
Bai Ye had no desire to negotiate with Kong or waste any time.
With Ryūjin Jakka, he swiftly delivered the next blow, decapitating Kong, the commander-in-chief of the World Government's army, on the spot.
Their bodies and heads quickly disintegrated in the flames.
Kong's stricken face seemed to question:
How is it possible?! Is the threat not deterring him? Wasn't Bai Ye's opposition against the World Government because of the deaths of some innocents? Did he not care about the G-64 branch's safety?
Although Kong assumed the G-64 branch must have already been destroyed, he believed his strategy would prevent further reckless actions.
Yet, against all odds, Bai Ye lopped off his head without a moment's hesitation.
Indeed.
When Kong mentioned something about the G-64 branch, Bai Ye suspected something might have befallen North Blue.
But for Bai Ye, now in the Grand Line, the actions of the World Government...
Merely provided another reason for him to eradicate them completely.
