Chapter 312: The World Trembles

"I should have taken care of that guy in Water 7 earlier." The appearance of the Door-Door Fruit immediately reminded Daniel Davis of CP9, who had been lurking in Water 7 for the plans of the ancient weapon, Pluton. While the Devil Fruits of the other CP9 members were ordinary Zoan types, Bruno's Door-Door Fruit was a formidable ability when used correctly.

"If only Ada could use this Devil Fruit, it would be a perfect match for her. But now, with Apparition, it doesn't matter as much." Pushing these thoughts aside, Daniel Davis refocused. With such formidable opponents in front of him, distraction was a recipe for disaster.

Whoosh.

Refocused, Daniel Davis swung his longsword, sending a powerful crescent-shaped slash towards the CP0 agents. While using sword energy against Kizaru was futile, it was highly effective against CP0.

"If only I had 'Cross Slash' right now," Daniel Davis thought fleetingly before launching himself forward, sword in hand, using *Soru* to dash towards the CP0 agent behind him, like a rainbow piercing the sun.

Currently, Daniel Davis could only unleash sword energy in a fan-shaped range, not a full circle. With "Cross Slash," he could strike all enemies around him simultaneously. Having studied under Gai Nie, Daniel Davis had mastered all his techniques, including the Hundred Step Flying Sword. Unfortunately, the Flying Sword required charging time, making it difficult to use against Kizaru and in the midst of a chaotic battle.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Kizaru quickly fired three lasers at Daniel Davis, targeting his head, torso, and legs. This time, Daniel Davis dodged only the laser aimed at his head, ignoring the other two.

Even though he wore Vibranium armor, Daniel Davis couldn't risk Kizaru's laser hitting his head. The issue wasn't whether the Vibranium could withstand the attack but that the force behind the laser was too powerful to simply shrug off.

The CP0 agent Daniel Davis was targeting was tall and thin. Seeing Daniel Davis charging at him, the agent moved to intercept, his right hand encased in a blackened layer of Armament Haki. His entire upper body was similarly blackened, and instead of blocking Daniel Davis's sword, he aimed a punch directly at his head.

"Trading blow for blow? Truly worthy of CP0." Faced with the agent's suicidal combat style, Daniel Davis didn't flinch. With Vibranium armor, mystical runes, and Armament Haki at his disposal, he wasn't afraid of a mutual kill.

Thud.

Daniel Davis's sword pierced the CP0 agent's heart, while the agent's right fist missed its mark, sailing past the right side of Daniel Davis's head.

"Idiot." Daniel Davis didn't need to see the agent's face to imagine his shock—not because he was impaled by Daniel Davis's sword, but because his punch had missed. He had aimed perfectly, yet as his fist neared Daniel Davis's head, it was as if his target had suddenly turned to air.

This was thanks to Daniel Davis's use of techniques like "Blend with the Light" and the Yin-Yang Clan's "Illusion Technique." While these tricks might not fool someone like Kizaru, they worked perfectly against a CP0 agent.

"Speed is power. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?" Kizaru's voice suddenly echoed in Daniel Davis's ear, accompanied by the glow of Kizaru's right leg as it swung toward him.

Bang.

Daniel Davis barely managed to raise his left arm in defense before Kizaru's kick connected. The impact was immense, sending both Daniel Davis and the CP0 agent's corpse flying dozens of meters like a cannonball.

"*Yasakani no Magatama*." Still airborne, Daniel Davis heard Kizaru's voice again, followed by a barrage of golden light bullets that enveloped him and the area around him.

"Fighting Kizaru one-on-one is tough enough; having to deal with multiple opponents just gives him more opportunities to strike. But it seems Kizaru doesn't care at all about CP0's lives." Daniel Davis thought as he felt the relentless force of the light bullets hammering his armor. He transformed his sword into a shield, raising it to block the incoming barrage.

Even Vibranium armor would suffer some damage under continuous assault from Kizaru's light bullets.

"It's a shame I can't reveal all my abilities. Otherwise, using the *Secret Door* technique would make this much easier." While Kizaru's *Yasakani no Magatama* was formidable, the *Secret Door* could have redirected the attack to Marineford or the Holy Land of Mariejois, causing havoc there instead. That would've been quite a spectacle.

Though Kizaru's fighting style had surprised Daniel Davis, he hadn't used his full power either. If he had employed tactics similar to those used by the Ancient One against Odin, it would have been Kizaru who found himself in a tough spot.

The *Pika Pika no Mi* granted incredible speed, but what if I could send you straight to the East Blue? With the *Ope Ope no Mi*'s spatial manipulation combined with the *Secret Door* and *Akan's Form*, I could send anyone anywhere.

But for now, these abilities had to remain hidden. The more secretive the trump cards, the better. Just as no one could stop him from leaving, not even if all three admirals joined forces, neither could anyone stop Kizaru if he wanted to escape. Not even a Yonko could catch him.

"Maybe it's time to wrap this up." As Kizaru's seemingly endless barrage continued, Daniel Davis began to consider retreating. He had already accomplished his goals: securing the items he wanted and testing his strength. There was little point in dragging the fight on.

There was no way he could kill Kizaru, and taking out a few CP0 agents wouldn't make much difference.

"Time to go." With his decision made, Daniel Davis used Apparition to leave the small island, now nearly obliterated by Kizaru's *Yasakani no Magatama*.

"He's gone." Not long after Daniel Davis disappeared, Kizaru stopped his attack. He had been tracking Daniel Davis with Observation Haki the entire time.

"Even continuous attacks couldn't stop him from escaping. This is going to be a huge problem." While Daniel Davis had been frustrated by Kizaru's light-speed attacks, Kizaru himself was equally troubled by Daniel Davis's spatial abilities.

If he couldn't find a way to counter them, he'd never be able to prevent the enemy from escaping. Kizaru's line of thinking was sound. In the world of Harry Potter, Apparition could be extremely dangerous if interrupted, often resulting in gruesome injuries. But for Daniel Davis, this was no longer a concern. His physical strength was immense, and his deep study of the Space Stone had given him significant mastery over spatial manipulation. Minor spatial disruptions were no threat to him.

"Where is he?" After Kizaru halted his assault, the remaining three CP0 agents rushed forward. They found nothing but the tattered remains of their comrade.

"He's a spatial fruit user with formidable power. There was no way to hold him," Kizaru said calmly, meeting the CP0 agents' gazes with indifference. He harbored no fondness for CP0. An ordinary marine would never dare treat them this way, but Kizaru was one of the Navy's three admirals.

Just as Daniel Davis's earlier notion of trading an admiral's life for a Celestial Dragon's was impossible, the Five Elders would never admit it, even if they didn't value the admirals' lives. If they did, the admirals would likely turn pirate immediately.

"You should think about how to explain this to the World Government." After a moment of silence, the CP0 agents collected their fallen comrade's remains and used Bruno's Door-Door Fruit to return to the Sabaody Archipelago.

"He got away." Back at Marineford, Sengoku erupted in fury after hearing Kizaru's report.

"It's confirmed—a spatial fruit user. This is a major problem," Tsuru said gravely. A spatial fruit user could escape even if the Navy's top brass mobilized. With no clue about his identity, there was no way to force him out of hiding.

The Navy had never attempted to eliminate the Yonko in the New World because they could always escape. Unless the Yonko united against them, the Navy had the power to take them down.

With Sengoku, Garp, the three admirals, several admiral candidates, and countless elite vice admirals, the Navy was an incredibly powerful force.

"A spatial fruit user and the Golden Lion Shiki... The Navy is in for a tough time," Tsuru added.

Sengoku sighed deeply and slumped back into his chair. The situation had spiraled out of control, leaving him feeling overwhelmed. Just recently, everything had been going well for the Navy.

Although the New World had its Yonko, they hadn't caused much trouble. Big Mom might have destroyed a small country over candy, but Sengoku saw that as a minor issue.

Roger's era of piracy had lost its luster over the years. With no one finding Raftel, fewer and fewer believed Roger's final words. The World Government and Navy's efforts had turned public opinion, leading most pirates to see Roger's words as the century's greatest hoax. This was evident in the dwindling number of pirates visiting Loguetown, where once every pirate had paid homage to the Pirate King.

Today's strong pirates were mostly those who had witnessed Roger's execution firsthand.

"Sengoku, this isn't like you. We've faced worse before and come out on top," Garp said, uncharacteristically offering comfort to his old friend.

"Don't worry. I'm not that easy to defeat." After a deep breath, Sengoku regained his composure. Despite the complaints from lower-ranking marines and the Five Elders' earlier scolding, not to mention the Celestial Dragons blaming the Navy, Sengoku, the "Strategist," would not be easily defeated.

When he took over as Fleet Admiral from Kong, he knew the job wouldn't be easy. But he accepted it for the sake of his ideals.

"Tsuru, focus on finding Shiki's whereabouts with the intelligence department," Sengoku ordered after a long moment of reflection.

"Understood," Tsuru replied, nodding. If they couldn't track the spatial fruit user, they would focus on the Golden Lion Shiki.

"Polusalino, if you find Shiki, I expect you to give it your all. I won't tolerate any excuses this time." As Fleet Admiral, Sengoku was well aware of the admirals' true strength.

It was one thing for Kizaru and Aokiji to slack off when the situation wasn't dire, but now, any further laziness would be unacceptable.

"Understood." Kizaru nodded, for once showing a rare display of seriousness.

Though Kizaru was a high-ranking admiral, even he would be in trouble if the Celestial Dragons decided to target him. In this situation, he needed to secure some achievements to help Sengoku appease the Five Elders.

Daniel Davis's actions had truly angered the Five Elders. The assault on the Celestial Dragons and the destruction of Mariejois on the Red Line had pushed them to the brink.

While the Red Line's World Government was undoubtedly powerful, their long years of complacency had made them believe no one would dare attack the Holy Land. This made Daniel Davis's faux meteor strike even more devastating. Though Marineford didn't suffer the intended damage, the attack on Mariejois was a resounding success.

The Holy Land of Mariejois was almost completely destroyed. Only the strength of the Five Elders had prevented them from being killed. Though they were unharmed, many others, including numerous Celestial Dragons, were not so lucky.

Daniel Davis had killed only one Celestial Dragon in the Sabaody Archipelago, but he had taken out more than a dozen on the Red Line.

The Five Elders were furious, and the World Government's CP organizations went into overdrive, scouring the world for Shiki. Like Sengoku and Tsuru, the Five Elders believed Shiki was responsible, mainly because he shared the same ambitions as Rocks D. Xebec.

"Golden Lion Shiki... Haha! I can't believe you're taking the fall for this. I almost feel bad for you," Daniel Davis laughed heartily after returning to his secret base and learning that the World Government and Navy had pinned the attack on Shiki. It was as if Shiki had become the ultimate scapegoat, similar to the unfortunate Smoker.

While Daniel Davis laughed, the world was in turmoil. The news of the Celestial Dragons' assassination and the return of the Golden Lion Shiki spread like wildfire.

After all, Shiki was a legendary figure, a star player in the annals of piracy.

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