The ship "Freedom" bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.
A youth, lounging by the railing, with a shock of radiant white hair, a snow-white shirt, and a handsome face exuding a lazy charm.
He seemed to blend with the ship and the heavens, a vision painted by a master's brush, strokes of ink dancing freely.
Only the intermittent sounds of impact from the beach marred this perfect scene.
The beach was no longer a flat expanse; it was riddled with countless pits, large and small.
In one of these craters, Vergo gasped for air, his chest expanding and contracting like a bellows.
Across from him, A Luo also panted heavily, even more so than Vergo.
Yet, Vergo found no joy in this.
Initially, he believed A Hua and the others were weak, thus Kotaro had specifically brought him here to be their punching bag.
The subsequent battle confirmed his suspicion; A Hua and his companions' Haki was indeed lacking.
(Without using devil fruit abilities)
But these three had shamelessly employed a strategy of attrition.
Well...
Attrition, so be it! It wasn't too bad; he was a punching bag, after all, with no other expectations.
But, but...
Just as these three were about to collapse completely, the bespectacled fatty produced three carrots from his bag. After consuming the carrots, they instantly became vigorous and lively.
How could he possibly fight this?
This was pure bullying!
On top of a battle of attrition, they were using cheats.
Miserable.
Vergo watched as A Luo, who had been breathing harder than him moments ago, recovered after eating a carrot, then moved aside to spectate.
Vergo's mouth twitched incessantly. His usually stern face finally cracked, collapsing completely.
The ebony hue covering his body also dissipated with his expression, no longer able to maintain full coverage.
Spreading his arms, he relinquished all control over his Haki, then fell backward with a "bang," landing in a spread-eagle position.
"Destroy me! World."
His eyes vacant, his gaze unfocused, Vergo had utterly surrendered.
A Tao, who had just emerged, saw Vergo lying on the ground, utterly defeated, a hint of helplessness crossing his face.
Was it that big of a deal to cheat in a fight?
Did it warrant this reaction?
If Vergo could hear his thoughts, he would have surely let loose a torrent of expletives and spat in disgust.
"Hey! Get up."
A Tao walked over to Vergo and gently nudged him with his foot, speaking softly, "I promise, no more carrots. Get up, rally your spirits, and continue fighting."
"How can a man lie down? How can he say he can't do it?"
Vergo remained motionless, his eyes fixed on A Tao.
"You say it so easily. Did you forget everything you said earlier?"
"Uh..."
A Tao looked at Vergo, as if sensing his unspoken thoughts.
He had indeed said he would only eat one carrot to spur Vergo's fighting spirit. Now, being stared at by Vergo, he felt a bit awkward.
So, he chuckled, then drew his Mirror Flower, Water Moon, his expression instantly turning cold.
He held the tip of his sword above Vergo's chest, staring into his eyes, and said indifferently, "If you don't get up, you'll truly go to hell!"
Even then, Vergo showed no reaction.
If, at the beginning, he had harbored hope of escape upon hearing Kotaro promise to spare him if he defeated A Hua and his companions, that hope had vanished.
Ever since A Hua and the others produced those carrots, he knew there was no way he would leave alive.
His stamina had been nearly depleted from fighting for so long.
Did they really think covering their entire body with Haki was easy?
Furthermore, he wouldn't believe a single word A Tao said. This guy had promised not to eat carrots, but as soon as he stepped off the battlefield, he'd immediately grabbed one to recover his strength.
"Liar."
Seeing Vergo lying there like a corpse, sensing the death wish emanating from him, A Tao felt a flicker of boredom.
Without hesitation, the tip of Mirror Flower, Water Moon plunged fiercely towards Vergo's heart.
As death loomed, a momentary flicker of emotion appeared in Vergo's eyes, only to vanish instantly.
*Squelch—!*
The blade pierced Vergo's heart without obstruction, causing his heaving chest to momentarily falter.
*Sss—!*
Drawing the blade, A Tao turned, his right hand swiping to the right, flicking off the blood, and then sheathing his sword.
Behind him, Vergo lay with his mouth agape, blood gushing from the wound in his heart and from his mouth, soon dyeing the ground crimson.
On his face, a look of relief appeared.
Then, his eyes dimmed, and his breath gradually faded.
On the "Freedom," Kotaro sat up, looking at Vergo, who was now devoid of life signs, his eyes impassive.
This man deserved his fate.
If for no other reason, the fact that he knew how the children went missing and concealed it instead of reporting it was enough for him to die.
He shifted his gaze from Vergo and looked towards the open sea.
"Finally, they're here."
Logically, the G5 branch shouldn't have taken this long to arrive.
From what he overheard from Monet and Vergo's conversation, it should have been about an hour.
Yet, it had been a full half-day since he spoke with Sengoku, and the Marines were only now arriving.
Seeing the large "G1" insignia on the Marine warship, Kotaro's eyes widened in understanding.
So, the notification was sent to the G1 branch.
That made sense.
If he were Sengoku, he wouldn't have sent the G5 branch's Marines at this juncture either.
Who knew how deeply Doflamingo had infiltrated the G5 branch?
With only Vergo being the spy, it was one thing. But if there were more, wouldn't notifying the G5 branch allow them to escape?
However, only Kotaro knew that Sengoku's actions were entirely unnecessary.
Because, within the G5 branch, Vergo was the only mole.
Of course, there were also scoundrels like Commodore Douta.
But, none of that concerned him.
After the Marines landed, Kotaro had them clear the bodies from the beach, and only then did he allow Kuina and Robin from the research institute to bring out the children.
Upon seeing the Marines, the children became instantly lively. If they had any worries earlier, they vanished the moment they saw the Marines had indeed arrived.
The Marines did not linger.
Strictly speaking, the silver-haired man was a pirate, and they were Marines.
And it was pirates who had rescued the children, which made them feel somewhat uneasy.
After ensuring the children were on board, the Marines departed without exchanging any greetings with Kotaro and his companions.
On the ship, the children leaned over the railing, waving incessantly at Kotaro and the others standing on the shore, their faces filled with gratitude.
Kotaro and his companions waved back in farewell.
Before long, the Marine warship disappeared over the horizon, and Punk Hazard returned to its quiet solitude once more.