One Piece: Song of Despair - Chapter 24

“Im… impossible…” Kizaru gasped, clutching Nokiyoru’s foot tightly. His bloodied face twisted in disbelief.

He couldn’t accept that he had lost so quickly at that.

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth.” Transforming back into human form, Nokiyoru spat blood, his chiseled face marked by fatigue. Most notably, his right foot, which pinned Kizaru’s chest, was drenched in blood, emanating a sharp, metallic scent.

Capturing Kizaru had come at a significant cost to Nokiyoru.

In that critical moment, Nokiyoru had utilized several newly developed abilities, such as the Endless Fire Domain—a massive entrapment move. He swiftly drained the oxygen from the fire domain, transformed it into his full beast form, and used extreme speed. All these maneuvers showcased Nokiyoru’s limits, but fortunately, he had finally captured Kizaru.

“Too bad you haven’t fully developed your Devil Fruit abilities. Otherwise, catching you would be nearly impossible.”

Nokiyoru’s face remained calm. If Kizaru had been the fully developed Admiral he would become in a few years, Nokiyoru would have conceded immediately. Unfortunately for Kizaru, he wasn’t.

As for the future, Nokiyoru was confident he would still be able to suppress Kizaru because as others grew stronger, Nokiyoru would also become more powerful.

“Any last words?” Nokiyoru’s expression was emotionless, though a flaming spear with a blackened tip appeared in his right hand.

Kizaru’s pupils contracted, his face paling. “What are you doing?”

“You tell me. I already gave you a chance.” Raising the spear, Nokiyoru’s eyes turned cold. “I don’t want a troublesome opponent coming after me later. A powerful, indecisive person like you has only one outcome—death.”

“No, you can’t do this. Intervening last time was my mistake. But I backed off and didn’t hurt you.”

“But you acted against me. I live by the principle that I won’t harm others unless they harm me first. Regardless of the reason, what’s done is done. I would have liked to work alongside you, but… goodbye.”

With eyes cold as ice, Nokiyoru thrust the spear toward Kizaru’s heart without hesitation.

“No…” Kizaru’s terrified roar echoed. Facing imminent death, he felt an all-consuming fear. He regretted provoking this madman. He had ambitions of becoming an Admiral and living a carefree life at sea.

If given another chance, he would never have crossed this maniac.

As Kizaru screamed outside the flaming barrier, Kong and the others’ faces changed drastically, their eyes locked on the fiery dome.

With their advanced Observation of Haki, they could clearly hear Kizaru’s terror and despair.

“This is bad,” Kong’s face darkened.

“He’s going to kill Kizaru.”

“Stop him, Kizaru must not die.”

“This guy is out of control.”

“Madman.” Tsuru’s face turned black.

Almost simultaneously, four powerful attacks struck the flame barrier. Kong, Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku appeared in the arena, exuding powerful auras that stirred the sky.

“Crack…” The flame barrier shattered in an instant, revealing the scene inside.

“Hiss…” Everyone gasped at the sight of the blood-soaked Nokiyoru standing over the terrified, desperate Kizaru with a spear in hand. The scene sent chills down their spines.

What was he going to do? It looked like he intended to kill Kizaru on the spot.

“Stop…” Kong roared.

“Nokiyoru, calm down.” Zephyr was anxious.

“Kid, you better stop.” Garp frowned.

“Are you threatening me?” Nokiyoru turned, his dislike for Garp apparent.

“This kid is still holding a grudge for me saving Akainu?” Seeing Nokiyoru’s icy gaze, Garp shivered. He realized that Nokiyoru’s personality was either calm or explosive, and it seemed he had now made a permanent enemy.

At that moment, Sengoku subtly signaled to Zephyr, indicating that only he could stop Nokiyoru.

“Nokiyoru, you can’t kill Kizaru.” Understanding his friend’s intent, Zephyr spoke. Nokiyoru could not kill Kizaru; doing so would complicate his future in the Navy.

“Master.” Nokiyoru hesitated at Zephyr’s words.

“Think of your goals.” Zephyr shook his head, full of affection.

Startled, Nokiyoru realized he was on the verge of making an irreparable mistake. When had he become so bloodthirsty?

Kizaru was different from Akainu. Everyone knew Nokiyoru and Akainu’s feud was irreconcilable. But with Kizaru, there was room for reconciliation. The Navy could afford to lose one future Admiral but not two. Understanding this and considering his own goals, Nokiyoru realized killing Kizaru might not be the right move.

“Phew…” Taking a deep breath, Nokiyoru dispelled his weapon and stepped back. “Thank you, Master, for your guidance. I was wrong this time.”

Openly admitting his mistake, Nokiyoru smiled at Zephyr.

“Good that you understand. Fortunately, you avoided a disaster this time.” Zephyr patted Nokiyoru’s shoulder affectionately.

“Mm.” Nokiyoru calmed down, thinking, “Having a master like Zephyr is invaluable. He supports me unconditionally and pulls me back when I lose my way.” His respect for Zephyr deepened.

“Medic! Medic!” Kong’s face was grim, his mood sour.

As Kizaru, breathing a sigh of relief was carried away, Nokiyoru frowned and said to Kong, “Admiral Kong, I think I need medical attention too.”

Seeing Kong’s dark look, Nokiyoru spread his hands, pointing to his bloodied, bone-deep legs, making his point clear.

Out of sight, out of mind, Kong waved dismissively, feeling the urge to discipline Nokiyoru harshly.

“Master, I’ll go now.” Nokiyoru turned to Zephyr.

“Go ahead, I’ll inform you of the next match’s time.” Zephyr smiled warmly.

“Thank you, Master.”

Watching Nokiyoru limp away, everyone couldn’t help but admire his tenacity despite his craziness.

“Zephyr, you’ve got a good disciple,” Sengoku envied. Nokiyoru was not only respectful but also exceptionally diligent in his training. His future was limitless.

“Indeed.” Zephyr’s expression revealed his pride.

“Alright, let’s continue the matches.” Kong gave Zephyr a rare eye-roll.

With Nokiyoru and Kizaru’s match concluded, the next about was between Akainu and Aokiji.

Needing medical treatment, Nokiyoru didn’t watch their match.

However, near dusk, Zephyr visited the infirmary and personally informed Nokiyoru of the result. Unfortunately, Aokiji lost to Akainu by a small margin.

Although Akainu won, his injuries were as severe as Kizaru’s, and Aokiji was also hurt.

Unusually, with all four top contenders injured, the competition was postponed for half a month.

Next up would be Kizaru versus Aokiji, followed by Nokiyoru versus Akainu. The final two winners would then compete for first place.

Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉

Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.