Saka, however, was on the verge of unconsciousness.
He couldn't hear what Maya was shouting at all.
As if something was calling out to him from the depths, he extended his hand, reaching out for the green glowing greatsword involuntarily.
Just as he was about to touch the hilt.
Suddenly.
The surrounding space froze.
The pirates' greed, Maya's despair, and of course, Saka, who was about to touch the hilt of the green glowing greatsword.
Everything froze in place, as if time had stopped.
Until a voice filled with laughter echoed through the space, breaking the silence.
"Yo! Isn't that Saka?"
"When did you get so pathetic, man!"
With the sound came a tall, silver figure, whose presence couldn't be hidden even in the dim space. Especially his azure eyes, which glowed blue, deep like the starry sky, making one feel an irresistible pull to drown in them.
Trembling, his entire body, including every bit of flesh and blood, was trembling.
Sweat poured down him like a broken dam, instantly soaking him and forming a stream beneath him.
Although from the burly man's perspective, he could only see Kōta's profile, Kōta's iconic azure eyes and silver hair confirmed who the person in front of him was.
So as soon as Kōta released the surrounding stillness, he froze in place, trembling continuously, his pupils constricting to their absolute limit, as if he had encountered something extremely terrifying, filled with ultimate dread.
That's right, the person who arrived was so handsome, so stylish, you didn't even need to think to know who it was!
Well... it was Kōta!
As the Thousand Sunny gradually approached the altar in the center of the island, they discovered the anomalies on the island and increased their descent speed.
When the Thousand Sunny landed on the river surface in front of the altar, Kōta, upon sensing Saka's aura, remembered where they were.
He hadn't expected they would drift so far, all the way to this island from "One Piece Film: The Cursed Holy Sword."
Although he didn't know its exact location, he could still guess it was somewhere between Alabasta and Jaya Island.
Hahaha!!
Looking at it this way, their luck was truly terrible, drifting in the opposite direction.
Well! It might be bad luck for them, but for some people, it might be an absolute stroke of luck.
In fact, he had almost forgotten everything about this place. If it wasn't for Saka, who had grown up with them since childhood, and if Saka hadn't reappeared on this island as if by fate, he wouldn't have remembered where it was.
Logically, his appearance at the Isshin Dojo should have already altered Saka's destiny. But for some reason, this guy had ended up on this island just like in fate.
He couldn't figure it out.
He'd have to ask him later.
Just then, an arrogant and overbearing voice sounded from the side.
"Hey! Who are you? Why are you here, looking to die?"
The burly man clearly recognized Kōta, but his subordinates might not have.
So, seeing Kōta suddenly appear, despite his impressive aura and handsome looks, they didn't sense any strong presence from him. They assumed he was just an ordinary person, so they remained arrogant, completely unaware of their boss's utterly terrified expression.
"Hmm! Who am I?"
Kōta shifted his gaze from Saka and turned to stare at the lewd, short man who was shouting arrogantly. His azure eyes glowed blue, like the cold ice of winter. Though calm, they exuded a chilling aura that pierced the soul.
"Urk!"
Upon seeing Kōta's eyes, the pirate lackeys could no longer utter another word.
Staring into Kōta's eyes, they felt as if they were submerged in an abyss of ice, causing their entire bodies to tremble violently, from the inside out.
"This isn't a normal person! This is the Grim Reaper."
Indeed, to them, Kōta was the Grim Reaper at that moment.
Without giving them much time, Kōta extended his hand towards them and then, without hesitation, clenched it in mid-air.
The surrounding space suddenly began to warp around the burly man, with a black dot appearing and then rapidly collapsing inwards like a black hole.
Before the pirate lackeys and the burly man could even let out a scream, they were compressed into the black hole.
Due to the compression of space, the air in this area seemed to be instantly sucked out, causing both Maya and Saka to experience a moment of shortness of breath.
However, the air that was sucked out quickly returned.
When Kōta lowered his hand, ceasing his control over the black sphere, the air that had been drawn into the black hole reappeared in the space with a "bang," accompanied by a gust of wind.
Along with the air came a wisp of dust. The pirates who had been alive moments ago had completely vanished.
Before the dust could even settle, it was swept out of the room by the blowing wind, swirling around.
"There we go."
Kōta clapped his hands, as if he had just done something insignificant. He turned and smiled at Maya, who was crouching on the ground, staring at him in terror.
"Don't look at me like that. I know I'm handsome, but I'm a man with a fiancée. I can't accept you!"
His tone was casual and full of teasing.
"Alright, Kōta, stop joking. Can't you see I'm about to bleed to death?"
The moment Kōta appeared, Saka knew who it was.
That familiar aura, that familiar voice, that familiar spatial stillness.
He had heard and felt it too many times.
Because of the Isshin Dojo, he was the only one besides Zoro and Kuina who could occasionally train in Kōta's domain.
"Hahaha!! Don't worry, you're not going to die. You'll just have to suffer a bit more, who told you to be so useless!"
Kōta shook his head and turned to look at Saka, who had somehow turned over and was leaning against the sword coffin, smiling up at him.
"Saka, are you alright!"
Just then, Maya also snapped back to attention. This handsome man who had suddenly appeared and possessed such terrifying power clearly knew Saka.
So, while breathing a sigh of relief, she quickly stood up, rushed to Saka's side, knelt down, and took his hand, her beautiful large eyes filled with worry.
"Yo! Not bad, Saka."
Kōta's gaze swept across Saka and Maya, then he teased, "I didn't expect you to get such a beautiful girl after not seeing each other for a few years."
"Don't talk nonsense. Nothing's happened between us yet!"
Saka first glanced at Maya. Seeing that she didn't object, he smiled and turned to Kōta, saying bashfully, "Besides, Maya and I only met a few months ago."
"A few months is more than enough."
Kōta turned to Maya, winked, and smiled, "Don't you think so, sister-in-law Maya?"
"Uh..."
Maya glanced at Kōta, then lowered her head, not replying, as if tacitly agreeing. A blush crept onto her face, and she held Saka's hand even tighter.
"See!"
Seeing Maya's reaction, Kōta was convinced. He smiled at Saka and said, "She's implicitly agreed, what are you still hesitating about?"
"I'm not hesitating. I really like Maya, but..."
Saka trailed off here. He tried to stand up, but with a cough, he slumped back down dejectedly.
"Be careful."
Maya quickly helped Saka up.
"You saw it too, right!"
Saka didn't look at Maya. Instead, he shrugged at Kōta, "I'm a complete cripple right now. Having Maya follow me would just be a burden for her."
"I don't mind."
Hearing this, Maya quickly and firmly declared aloud.
Kōta stared at Saka, then looked at Maya again. The corners of his mouth widened, and he burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!!"
"What was I thinking?"
"It's just that one hand is gone?"
"I have a way!"