In the Sabaody Archipelago, rumors spread like wildfire: Eustass Kid had kidnapped a Celestial Dragon.
Within minutes, tension gripped the area. Criminals, mercenaries, and pirates scrambled to escape before the Navy's retaliation arrived.
Meanwhile, several Supernovas were hurriedly preparing their ships, knowing that the arrival of an admiral was imminent.
"Damn you, Kid! What kind of idiocy was that?!" shouted a young Supernova with reddish hair, running toward her ship with arms full of food bags. "Because of you, we're all going to die!"
On her way, she crossed paths with other Supernovas, all quickly calculating their next moves.
"Captain, we should flee. Attacking a Celestial Dragon… that guarantees an admiral's arrival!" said a worried member of Basil Hawkins' crew.
"Don't worry," Hawkins replied calmly as he shuffled his tarot cards. "Today I only have a 1% chance of dying."
Then, a deafening sound echoed in the sky. Everyone looked up, hearts pounding. A figure was descending rapidly, cloaked, like a falling star.
With an explosion that shook the ground, the woman landed in the middle of the street, creating a crater around her.
"Superhero landing! That was awesome," she exclaimed with a wide grin, completely ruining the epicness of her entrance.
X Drake's eyes widened in horror as he recognized her.
"Damn it… I'd have preferred Kizaru, Aokiji… even Akainu. Anyone but her… That unpredictable lunatic…"
And he wasn't alone. Several of the Supernovas went pale as they recognized the newcomer: the infamous Vice Admiral Kara, a Marine force who, while not officially an admiral, wielded a power few dared to provoke.
Lately, it was said Kara frequently visited the archipelago's amusement park. As long as no one bothered her, she ignored the pirates… but if someone triggered her wrath, chaos was inevitable.
"Oh, I see a familiar face," Kara said with a dangerous smile as she appeared in front of Drake.
He looked at her seriously, silently praying she wouldn't do anything crazy.
"Your outfit is awful… but I'll let you live. You'll just need a few months to recover," she said casually.
Before he could react, Kara delivered a brutal punch to his jaw, launching him through the air.
"That way no one will suspect you're a spy," she whispered.
As Drake fell unconscious, he thought with resignation, "Was that really necessary…?"
"She's just a Vice Admiral! We can take her! Let's hit her before a real admiral shows up!" shouted one of the pirates, rallying the others.
Kara frowned.
"Hey, I'm technically a substitute admiral… but your disrespect offends me."
She appeared in front of the pirate and punched him in the stomach. Before he could be sent flying, she grabbed him by the foot and began spinning him like a mace, slamming him into the others.
After knocking several of them out, Kara stopped, observing with interest the Supernovas who hadn't fled.
Atop a building, Scratchmen Apoo grinned confidently. His body transformed into a living orchestra as he began playing a destructive symphony.
Kara felt the sonic attack and, without changing expression, raised a hand and shattered it on contact.
"Huh?" Apoo said, surprised.
He tried to escape over the rooftops, but Kara appeared right in front of him.
"Wanna know what it feels like to be sliced?"
She extended a finger. Alarmed, Apoo crossed his arms to protect himself… and screamed in pain as they fell off in bloody chunks.
"AAAAAH!"
Without wasting time, Kara kicked him in the face, slamming him into a nearby building.
Next to step in was Urouge, the "Fallen Monk." He smiled confidently, spreading his wings and bulking up, relying on his ability to grow stronger with every hit he took.
But Kara didn't waste time with speeches. She appeared in front of him and landed a single punch to his stomach. The shockwave was so brutal that the building behind Urouge cracked just from the air pressure.
The last one standing was Basil Hawkins, still drawing cards as if the battle had nothing to do with him.
Kara approached, curious.
"You read the future? I have a sister who also plays with cards," she said with an innocent smile.
Hawkins ignored her, focused on his draw.
"How about something fun? If your cards say you'll survive, I'll kill you. If they say you'll die, I'll just knock you out," Kara proposed playfully.
Hawkins immediately looked up and drew a new card.
"Survival probability: 0%…"
"Hahaha! So it works here too! A total contradiction. That means you'll live"just gonna hurt a little!"
She hit him so hard he was sent flying through several buildings.
"Oh, by the way," Kara shouted, "your damage transfer doesn't work on me!"
Hawkins, bleeding and confused, looked at his voodoo dolls… completely disconnected from the damage.
Kara then closed her eyes and used her Observation Haki. She quickly located the group with the Celestial Dragon. They were heading for the docks.
With a smile, Kara launched herself toward them at such an incredible speed that the ground cracked beneath her feet.
"Alright then… time to have some fun."
...
"Kid, we have to leave the nobles and run! It's insane to wait for the Marines to negotiate with us!" said Killer quickly, his voice filled with urgency.
"Bahahaha! You worry too much, Killer," Kid replied with a confident grin, though his eyes gleamed with a strange intensity. "If the Marines care that much about a World Noble's life, they'll give us what we want."
"How can you say something that stupid?" Killer growled, frowning.
"I heard it from some idiots trying to surpass my bounty…" Kid muttered, as if it were trivial.
Inside a small cage, a Tenryuubito struggled, bound hand and foot.
"You filthy pirates! You'll be my slaves! I'll mutilate you one by one just for fun!" screamed the noble, snot dripping from his nose and his eyes crazed.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, trash," Kid mocked. "Even if the Marines refuse, we'll use this moron to escape. It's just… fun, right, Killer?"
"You've got a really sick idea of fun," Killer replied softly, concerned. Something was off about Kid. It wasn't just arrogance… there was an uncontrollable rage beneath his smile.
"Wow, what a creative way to have fun!" interrupted a female voice as someone stepped onto the path toward the docks. "I'd love to join too, but I bet Sengoku and the old man would scold me…"
"Hm? Who the hell are you?" asked Kid, turning to the dark-haired woman calmly smiling at them.
"I'm Kara, Kizaru's replacement. He should be arriving soon, so if we wrap this up quickly, I'll get to tease him for being slow," she said casually.
"Save me, beautiful! I'll make you my 29th wife as a reward!" the Tenryuubito shrieked, snot still dripping from his nose.
"So disgusting…" Kara muttered, frowning. "Now I don't even want to save you."
Kid's crew, confused, raised their weapons. They thought Kara was joking.
"Don't move, Marine! One more step and we'll fill this idiot with holes!" Kid shouted with disdain. His voice trembled"not with fear, but with barely restrained fury.
"Oh yeah?" Kara asked as she took a step forward, still smiling.
No one moved.
"Oh yeah?" she repeated, stepping back, then forward again. She began hopping from side to side in a mocking tone. "Come on, if you're going to make threats, follow through."
"Stop messing around, damn you! We'll kill this noble right now if you take another step!" Kid roared, teeth clenched, his body shaking with rage.
"Oh yeah?" Kara vanished from sight and reappeared right in front of Kid with a mocking grin, then returned to her place like nothing had happened.
"Well… you still haven't shot him. What are you waiting for?" she asked disinterestedly.
"Woman, get me out of here! Or I'll have your head chopped off too!" the Tenryuubito shouted, spitting as he spoke.
Killer swallowed hard. When Kara moved, even he couldn't follow her. That woman was dangerous"both in strength and demeanor. And worst of all, she seemed to be toying with them.
Kid, on the other hand, wasn't thinking. Something inside him was burning. He felt mocked, ridiculed, and that humiliation fueled his hatred like gasoline on a fire.
"SHUT UP!" Kid suddenly yelled, pulling out a revolver and shooting the noble in the head without hesitation. The gunshot echoed, and the body dropped dead.
"Kid, are you insane?!" Killer screamed, staring at his captain in horror.
Then… something changed.
Kid closed his eyes… and when he opened them again, his expression was different. Disoriented, he looked around.
"What… what happened?" he asked, seeing the shocked faces of his crew… and the smoking gun in his hand.
"You killed a Tenryuubito," Kara said coldly, her eyes analyzing him. "But more than that… your behavior was really strange. Like… something was controlling you."
At that moment, Kara turned her head.
A shadow was swiftly moving across the rooftops, fleeing.
"You damn birdbrain! I knew you were here! Capture these idiots!" Kara shouted, vanishing in a burst of speed.
The pirates didn't understand what was going on, but they knew they had to escape.
"How many times have I told you not to call me birdbrain?!" complained a voice from the sky.
Looking up, they saw a humanoid figure with black feathered wings descending slowly.
"Sorry, sorry. But you might as well surrender. You're surrounded," said the strange bird-man. "The bounty hunters' guild is here to help the Marines. You've got no way out."
...
Kara chased the shadow at full speed. It was fast, but she was getting closer.
The dark figure zigzagged through a group of incoming Marines, lightly touching their heads as it passed. One by one, the soldiers' expressions changed and, without hesitation, they raised their weapons against their comrades.
"Tch…" Kara clicked her tongue and moved her hands in a flash, breaking the weapons before they could fire.
The affected Marines blinked, confused. They didn't understand what had happened.
But that brief second was enough.
The shadow had vanished.
Not even her Haki could sense it.
"Tch… it got away," she muttered, annoyed.
One of the Marines quickly approached her.
"Vice Admiral Kara! Admiral Kizaru has arrived at the archipelago!"
"Tell him he's late," she replied, still staring into the horizon. "We caught everyone… but one slipped away."