220 With the Justice System

"Garling!!!"

Saint Saturn threw his head back and let out a roar filled with both fury and disbelief.

In his eyes surged an emotion that could only be described as horror.

Immortality was not invincibility. The sea—and supreme-level Conqueror's Haki—were the natural counter to such an unnatural power.

Burned to ashes by magma, one might still regenerate, but being smashed and sent plummeting ten thousand meters beneath the ocean... not even Imu could save him!

Saint Garling, Commander of the God's Knights, patriarch of the Figarland family—was dead?!!!

"Yo~"

Kizaru looked at the enraged Saint Saturn across from him, a faint smile playing at his lips.

"Saint Saturn, you can still shout with that much breath in your lungs, huh~"

"Borsalino!!!"

Saturn suddenly turned around. His aged face twisted grotesquely in pure rage as his body began mutating under crackling black lightning.

Spider-like limbs pierced from his lower body, and vicious ox horns sprouted from his head.

He had transformed into the fabled Gyuki.

"You treacherous, ungrateful traitor!"

He bellowed, "There's still time to turn back! I can forgive you in the name of the World Government!"

"Kill Hawke now!"

"And I might even consider giving you a promotion and a raise!"

"I could make you Fleet Admiral!"

"...!"

The joking expression vanished from Kizaru's face.

Slowly, he took off his brown-tinted sunglasses, revealing eyes that were cold and razor sharp.

"Heh."

"My pension's long been taken care of, y'know."

"Now..."

His voice suddenly turned icy.

"I just feel like giving you... a proper beating!!!"

"Light-Speed Kick!"

The moment the words fell, Kizaru's figure exploded into a golden beam that pierced through heaven and earth!

"BOOM—!!!"

Before Saturn could even react, the Haki-infused boot smashed right into his monstrous face!

Golden light detonated on impact, blasting Saturn's entire body away!

"Puuhh!"

Midair, Saturn spat a mouthful of blood mixed with shattered teeth.

But that was only the beginning.

"Swish!"

Kizaru's figure reappeared above him, driving down another merciless kick!

"BOOM!"

Saturn slammed into the frozen surface below!

"Thud—!"

One kick!

"Thud—!"

Another kick!

Kizaru had turned into an emotionless kicking machine, each strike aimed squarely at Saturn's face.

Every kick carried the monstrous strength of a Marine Admiral.

Every kick landed in precisely the same spot.

Every kick twisted that self-righteous face further into something hideous and grotesque!

Don't worry, Saturn,

Kizaru's thoughts were like ice.

We're old friends. I won't kill you myself.

He looked down at Saint Saturn, who was now a mangled heap beneath his boots, utterly devoid of pity.

After all...

There's someone far more suited to send you to hell.

In his mind appeared the image of a quiet, gentle man who always wore a soft smile.

Bartholomew Kuma.

He had watched with his own eyes as Kuma fell—from King of the Sorbet Kingdom, to the World Government's lackey, to a near-emotionless weapon of war.

And the root of that tragedy pointed to one man.

Jaygarcia Saturn!

It was this ancient monster—under the banner of "World Government's Warrior God of Science and Defense"—who personally performed inhumane experiments on Kuma's beloved, Ginny, a Revolutionary Army officer!

Those experiments had given her the disease "Sapphire Scales."

A sickness that made one's skin grow blue-green scales under sunlight, leading to a slow and agonizing death.

And in the midst of that torment, Ginny had given birth to a girl.

Jewelry Bonney.

That poor child had inherited her mother's curse, destined to die before the age of ten.

To save his daughter, Kuma had sacrificed everything.

He gave up his crown.

He abandoned the ideals of the Revolution.

He even surrendered his dignity as a human being.

He signed a devil's contract with Saint Saturn himself.

He volunteered to become the prototype for the Pacifista.

He allowed his body to be completely transformed and his mind erased.

All to give Bonney a chance to live.

It was Saturn who destroyed everything Kuma once held dear!

It was Saturn who turned a great father into a puppet slave!

It was Saturn who shattered a loving family, tearing them apart forever!

This hatred... was higher than the sky, deeper than the sea!

So, Kizaru would not kill Saint Saturn.

His task was to cripple this demon wearing a god's disguise— to break him beyond repair.

Then he would hand over the right to strike the final blow to the man who deserved it most.

...

The Fist of Fatherly Love.

This would be, without a doubt, the most explosive moment since the Wano arc.

"BOOM——!!!"

Kizaru's final kick carried all his fury and strength!

"Fall!"

The golden brilliance reached its peak!

With one devastating strike, he drove Saturn from midair straight down into the ice below!

"Crack—!"

The unbreakable blue ice plain split open, forming a massive crater with countless fractures spreading outward.

But just as the impact neared the bottom— the force suddenly dissipated.

"Splaaash—"

Frigid seawater surged upward, flooding the crater and forming a watery prison around Saint Saturn.

"Tap."

Kizaru landed lightly on the edge, looking down at the shattered figure beneath the waves.

Saturn's bones were crushed, his body slowly regenerating under the icy flood.

Silently, Kizaru put his sunglasses back on, concealing the killing intent in his eyes.

"Kuma... he's yours now."

...

The silent, towering form of Bartholomew Kuma appeared behind him.

He looked at Kizaru. His thick lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Yet the gratitude in his eyes spoke louder than a thousand words.

"Hah—"

Kizaru seemed to understand him.

He grinned, a mischievous, perverted smile lighting his face.

"Kuma-san, as payback~"

"You're treating me to a huge pizza, yeah~"

"...Fine."

Kuma gave a firm nod.

Kizaru said no more. His body turned into a streak of golden light and vanished.

Some vengeance... had to be taken personally.

"Tap."

Kuma slowly turned around, his expression blank as he stared down at the watery pit where Saint Saturn writhed in pain, trying to piece himself back together.

Raising his massive palm, he aimed it downward.

"BOOM——!!!"

The invisible impact obliterated the water pit, sending a torrent of seawater—and Saturn's mangled body—hurtling into the air!

"Thud!"

The broken mass crashed heavily onto the icy blue ground.

"Bartholomew Kuma!!!"

Saint Saturn roared in hatred, half of his face twisted and ruined.

"You filthy slave! How dare yo—AAHHH!!!"

His words dissolved into a scream of agony.

Kuma's towering form had already appeared before him.

That heavy palm came down gently upon one of Saturn's freshly regenerated spider legs.

"Splurt—!"

The limb burst like a balloon, exploding into a bloody mist that scattered through the air.

"AAAAHHHHHH——!!!"

Saint Saturn's screams tore through the frozen wasteland.

After Kizaru's assault and the seawater's corrosion, his regeneration had slowed to a crawl.

Every one of Kuma's strikes now felt like slow, methodical torture.

"Splurt!"

Another palm.

Another freshly grown limb was blown apart.

Kuma moved slowly—deliberately.

He was like an executioner of endless patience.

Strike by strike, he peeled Saint Saturn's wretched form away from this world.

...

At the same time, the battles of the other four Elders had also reached their fevered peak.