A massive iron cage crashed down, instantly trapping Lily and Kaido. The two tried to dodge, but just then, two masked agents in black suits appeared on either side of them, blocking their escape. That one second of delay was enough—Kaido and Lily couldn't get out in time.
CLANG!
With the iron bars sealing shut, Kaido rushed up to the bars, roaring in fury at King Vodka III.
"Why?! Why the hell are you handing me over to the damn World Government?!" Kaido clutched the bars, teeth bared like a beast.
"It's simple. The Navy is recruiting. And once you two are extradited, this country gets a seat at the next Reverie," a navy officer in a baseball cap said flatly.
"I'm not your political tool!" Kaido bellowed and tried to rip the bars open with brute strength.
The two CP agents who had blocked them before quickly kicked Kaido hard, sending him flying back—but not before he gave them a smug smile.
As all eyes turned to Kaido, Lily seized the moment. She drew her ceremonial sword and slashed in a powerful X.
"One Qi Slash!"
With her low shout, the bars were halfway sliced through—but her shoddy sword snapped to pieces.
CRASH!
At that moment, Kaido slammed into the damaged bars, breaking them completely. "Didn't see that coming, huh?! That was my planned escape route all along!" he shouted—then crashed hard onto the floor.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. Just seconds ago, nobles had been cheering the kingdom's ascension to the World Government. Now, their prized warriors were escaping from a trap.
But while others were frozen, Lily was already on the move. She dashed out of the cage, grabbed Kaido by his horn, and sprinted for the exit.
"Getting kicked like that and still trying to show off? Run, damn it!" Lily growled.
Just then, the doors burst open. A squad of marines with rifles stormed in. With no time to think, Lily improvised—she hurled Kaido like a giant throwing weapon. Yes, a three-meter-tall, nearly four-meter-long throwing weapon.
"CRASH! BAM! THUD!"
"W-what was that?!"
"AHH! My hand! Someone's stepping on my hand!!"
Chaos erupted. Meanwhile, Lily rolled forward to dodge an incoming attack—those two CP agents were back.
But before they could strike again—
"AAAAHHH!"
"HELP!!"
Two marines were suddenly thrown through the air, slamming into the CP agents.
"You muscle-brained lunatic! Who the hell throws people like that?!" Kaido shouted, still in his follow-through stance.
"You should be honored I even threw you, idiot!" Lily retorted, tossing a bayonet-rigged musket to Kaido and grabbing a cutlass for herself.
A calm voice rang out amid the chaos.
"I underestimated you. Not bad at all."
It was the navy officer who had been standing beside King Vodka III—finally stepping down from the dais.
Kaido and Lily instantly tensed. Now that they got a better look, they realized he was a rear admiral. Strong as they were, they were still teenagers. And without proper weapons, this was bad.
"Soru."
With a sharp snap, the rear admiral vanished.
Kaido and Lily reflexively went back-to-back—battle-hardened instincts built from years of war.
"Rankyaku!"
From above, a blade of compressed air descended.
"Don't underestimate us! Blade Style: Solar Slash!" Lily shouted, slashing upward to meet the wind blade.
The two techniques collided. The admiral's attack pressed down hard, clearly stronger.
But he wasn't done. He flashed forward again.
"Seize them—Shigan!"
The admiral lunged at Lily with a deadly finger thrust.
"Not happening! Thunder Bagua!"
Kaido turned his musket around, smashing the stock toward the admiral's head.
The admiral clicked his tongue and shifted.
"Tekkai!"
Activating the Iron Body technique, he braced himself. After all, no kid could possibly break through his defense.
But what he didn't know was—Kaido wasn't human. He was an Oni.
Iron Body works by speeding up blood flow to harden the muscles. But no matter how much you harden the body, the eardrum and cochlea, which govern balance, remain fragile.
CRACK!
Kaido's Thunder Bagua smashed into the admiral's ear.
The admiral was flung across the room. Years of warfare and Lily's teaching had trained Kaido to understand the human body's weak points. (You can thank Lily's adoptive father—read the character bios for more.)
The admiral's cochlea was shattered. In a world like this, it might be treatable—but not right now. The threat was neutralized.
King Vodka III began to panic. He never imagined a navy rear admiral would lose to two teenage soldiers.
Kaido and Lily weren't sticking around. They had to flee before they got surrounded.
But—
"Ahahaha… Guess I got careless."
The admiral stood back up—unharmed.
"Impossible… I shattered your cochlea." Kaido stared in disbelief.
"You did. If I were human, that is." The admiral smirked, taking off his coat. A metallic sheen spread across his face.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm André Poff, Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters. A Paramecia-type: the Iron-Iron Fruit user."
His body turned fully metallic. With a roar, he charged.
"Iron Arm Hammer!"
He bent his right arm and smashed it into Kaido, nearly knocking him out in a single hit.
"Now for you! Iron Smash!"
Lily narrowly dodged with Kaido in tow.
"Not done yet! Iron Gatling Gun!"
Poff launched a barrage of rapid punches, pushing them back as their weapons shattered. The iron fruit made him virtually indestructible.
"This ends now—Iron Blazing Cannon!"
Cornered against a wall, Poff raised his red-hot fists. With boosted speed, he drove his molten knuckles into both their temples.
"THUD!"
The strike landed. Kaido and Lily collapsed, unconscious.
"Hahaha! Not bad, you little monsters—but still green. Haul 'em onto the ship and lock 'em up." Poff crossed his arms and smirked.
Just then—
"Wait, Admiral!"
It was Doro.
"Hmm?"
Poff glanced over, seeing Doro with a pack on his back.
"These two are my subordinates. I apologize for their actions—it was my failure to discipline them." Doro bowed deeply.
"No worries. They're tough kids. The higher-ups will love them," Poff said casually.
"Thank you, sir. This bag contains some of their personal items. Please give it to them when they wake up." Doro bowed again. He couldn't change their fate—but he could make things slightly easier.
"Sure. You—take this up too," Poff said to a soldier, then turned back toward the terrified King.
"We'll be off, Your Majesty. No need to risk complications."
"Y-y-yes, of course! As you wish!" King Vodka III stammered as Kaido and Lily were dragged away. The joy in his eyes was gone, replaced by fear.
(End of Chapter)
If you'd like, I can help with further chapters or support me at https://www.patreon.com/YugiroTL