"Whoosh~"
Kaji reached out, wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, and looked at the closed elevator door with lingering fear. He opened his mouth and exhaled.
"This is truly terrifying. Is this the world's strongest?"
He had thought Kouta was very strong. After all, he could kill two Emperors who made the Navy wary. How could he not be strong?
But this was too terrifying!
With just a look, he had them so intimidated that they dared not move an inch.
Of course, this pressure stemmed from his title as the world's strongest, but more importantly, from his strength.
They were indeed Admiral candidates, but they were only candidates. Their strength was only slightly better than Vice Admirals.
Of course, Vice Admiral Garp was an exception.
However, compared to an Admiral, there was still a gap in their strength.
This gap was like the difference between an Emperor and the Yonko Commanders in their pirate crew.
...
Inside the elevator.
"Kouta, that female Marine is a very strong swordswoman!"
Kuina held Kouta's hand, looked at the closed elevator door, and her eyes showed a restless fighting spirit.
However, realizing that the other party was a Marine and would not engage in a life-and-death battle with her, that restless fighting spirit quickly disappeared.
"Mmm!" Kouta rubbed Kuina's head and smiled, "Indeed, she is a swordswoman. She should be the Admiral candidate 'Momousagi' of Marine Headquarters."
"Mmm..." Kouta stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then continued, "She should be the strongest female Marine in terms of swordsmanship among the current Navy!"
"Is that so!"
Kuina nodded, tilted her head to look at Kouta, and smiled, "No wonder I felt such a strong sharpness from her. If she weren't a Marine, I would really want to have a fight with her!"
"Heh heh!!"
Kouta chuckled and shook his head, "Forget it! With your current strength, although overall you might not be able to match an Emperor, defeating her is not a difficult matter at all. Fighting her would be meaningless."
"When we go to Wano Country, you can have a spar with Mihawk then."
"Mihawk?" Kuina lowered her head, and a glint flashed in her black and white pupils in the shadows.
In this world, as a swordsman, no one did not yearn to fight Mihawk.
She was no exception.
Previously, her strength was insufficient, and she could only stand aside and watch silently when Kouta and Mihawk sparred.
But now, she felt that she could fight Mihawk.
Thinking of this, her dormant heart reignited with passion.
As if sensing her desire, Kouta gently rubbed her head with his hand.
Swish!
Looking up at the elevator door that had opened in front of them, Kouta chuckled, then took Kuina's hand and led his companions out of the elevator with the security captain.
"Sir, I will escort you this far. The last room inside is where Lord Tesoro usually rests."
At the elevator entrance, the security captain said respectfully to Kouta, then pointed to the innermost room.
"Mmm! Understood."
Kouta nodded to the security captain and then walked forward without hesitation.
Reaching this point, he could clearly sense the aura from the luxurious room at the end of the corridor.
Tread tread tread!!
As Kouta and the others approached.
The people in the room seemed to sense his arrival as well.
Behind the door.
Mr. Tanaka looked at Tesoro's back with a solemn expression, "Lord Tesoro, should we open the door to welcome him, or..."
After thinking, he spoke his mind: "Escape?"
On Tesoro's other side, the slender, wavy-haired beauty Baccarat also looked at Tesoro's back with a solemn expression.
They both knew that if they didn't run now, they wouldn't be able to escape when Kouta arrived if he wanted to kill them.
But this was only if.
They also knew that it might be a bit difficult for Tesoro to give up the status and wealth he had finally obtained and return to his days of hiding.
As expected, Tesoro, who had his back to them, had a constantly changing dark expression.
He naturally understood that escaping was his best option in front of Kouta.
But after so many years in a high position, the change in his status had long altered his heart.
The Celestial Dragons and the Navy, forces he had never dared to imagine before, now served him for money.
In his opinion, as long as there was enough money, he could cooperate even with the world's strongest.
So after a moment of hesitation, his heart gradually calmed down.
"This floor has Celestial Dragons and CP0, the gambling hall below has Marines, and countless nobles. I don't think even the world's strongest would act recklessly!"
"Moreover, on this ship, I believe even an Admiral couldn't do anything to me."
He was saying this more to himself than to his two subordinates behind him.
The more Tesoro spoke, the calmer his expression became, and finally, a smile appeared.
He spread his hands and said loudly, "The title of the world's strongest is indeed intimidating, but it's impossible to kill us in a short time. As long as we hold on, countless Marines will arrive here."
"Furthermore, this is just our speculation. The silver-haired group's purpose for coming here might also be just for leisure."
"So..."
He turned his head to look at the surveillance footage projected on the wall beside him, put down his hand, stepped forward, gripped the door handle, and said with a smile, "Let's properly welcome our new friends!"
With that said, he pulled open the door without hesitation.
Creak~
The slightly grating sound was a little sharp in the quiet corridor outside the door.
At this moment, Kouta and the others had just walked to the door.
Looking up at Tesoro and the other two, who were smiling as if welcoming guests, Kouta's lips curved upwards, and an amused smile appeared on his face.
"Welcome, Silver Hair, to Gran Tesoro."
This scene was somewhat familiar, just like with the security captain downstairs.
However, compared to the security captain's caution, Tesoro and the other two were much more relaxed.
Although they were nervous, it wasn't much.
It was mainly concentrated on Mr. Tanaka and Baccarat. There was no tension on Tesoro at all.
He cast a deep glance at Tesoro.
Kouta's calm eyes gradually revealed a dangerous aura.
Although it was said that one shouldn't strike a smiling face, his main purpose for coming up this time was to kill this guy.
Since he had already made up his mind about the person in front of him, there was no need to give him hope.
Therefore...
As Kouta's killing intent permeated the air.
The smiles on the faces of Tesoro and the other two instantly froze.
Without hesitation, the three of them used their respective abilities, wanting to turn and flee.
They hadn't expected that Kouta would show killing intent as soon as they met. While they hadn't experienced the might of the world's strongest firsthand, they all understood that if they didn't run, they would be waiting for death.
"It's too late to escape now."
As Kouta's voice rang out, an immense pressure, like the sky collapsing, instantly fell upon the three of them.
Bang bang!!
Without any surprise, Mr. Tanaka and Baccarat, under the immense pressure, bent their knees and fell directly to the ground, then collapsed like dead dogs.