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OP: My Aircraft Carrier Evolves#172+173: Beware of the Bear! The Dance of Nika Between the Warships!
🕑 Added 2025-11-10 13:49:20 +0000 UTCIs he here for Spandam??
Franky was about to speak—but Iceburg tugged on the corner of his shirt and gave a subtle shake of his head.
"Then... we'll be on our way."
They watched Kuma walk away. Only then did the two of them finally exhale, the crushing pressure lifting.
"The Tyrant... Kuma," Franky breathed, his expression a mixture of disbelief and frustration. "Hey! Why'd you stop me? If he was going to kill that bastard—"
"We can't!" Iceburg's face was grim. "If Spandam dies here, in Water 7, Cipher Pol will come down on us with their full force. It would bring disaster to this city!"
He wanted Spandam dead as much as anyone—but not here. Not like this.
Franky fell silent, sighing. They were powerless, facing a monolithic entity they couldn't possibly fight. All they could do was try to protect their own.
—————————
Iceburg rushed back to the Galley-La headquarters, his face a mask of panic.
Kalifa looked up, confused. "Mr. Iceburg? What's wrong?"
"Quickly! Contact Marine Headquarters! It's Kuma!"
Kalifa was baffled. A bear? What was so alarming about a—
Her train of thought screeched to a halt. The realization hit her like a physical blow. "You don't mean... Kuma the Tyrant??"
"Yes," Iceburg said grimly. "I saw him when I was meeting with the other shipwrights. Kuma has made landfall at the scrapyard. His target is the commander of CP9, Spandam. Contact Marine Headquarters and the hotel at once—No, I'm going to the hotel myself. We have to protect Commander Spandam, no matter what!"
Iceburg sprinted out the door.
Kalifa's blood ran cold. 'Kuma the Tyrant is here?? He slipped past two Admirals, Kuzan and Sakazuki, and came to Water 7 without anyone knowing?'
Or... maybe he was hiding here all along. In the scrapyard.
Water 7 was practically under the nose of Marineford and Enies Lobby, connected by the Sea Train. No one would ever think to look.
The perfect blind spot.
Shaking herself from her shock, she immediately dialed the direct line to the Marines to report Kuma's presence.
Next, she contacted Blueno, telling him to use his Door-Door Fruit to get to Spandam and move him to safety.
Having done that, Kalifa hesitated for a moment, then contacted Lucci and the other foremen, ordering them to the hotel to "protect" Iceburg—a pretext to get the information to Lucci and Kaku so they could provide backup.
—————————
Marineford.
Sengoku received the report. He was dumbfounded.
"What do you mean, Kuma is in Water 7? How did he get into the Grand Line? How did he infiltrate the city without anyone noticing? What the hell is our intelligence division even doing?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed. "The most dangerous place is often the safest. Kuzan went to the South Blue. Sakazuki followed, even making a trip to the East Blue and the Calm Belt. Everyone assumed he was hiding out there. It left Headquarters undermanned and the patrols in our immediate vicinity... complacent. And then there's his Paw-Paw Fruit. That ability is far too powerful. It comes from that place."
Sengoku took a breath. "Get Borsalino. Give him ten Vice Admirals and ten thousand troops. Deploy immediately. Capture him at all costs!"
The alarm bells shrieked, jolting the sleeping marines from their bunks.
—————————
Inside the hotel.
Spandam, enjoying a rare break from Enies Lobby, was relaxing with a beautiful woman, a massage easing the tension from his shoulders.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The wall, the windows, the glass—everything exploded inward, shattered into dust by a terrifying shockwave. The blast hurled Spandam from the bed.
The terrified woman wrapped herself in a sheet and fled.
"Who is it??" Spandam scrambled to his feet, the pain from his fall fueling his rage. "Which bastard is firing cannons??"
He cursed as he grabbed his sword from the table and looked toward the shattered window.
The moonlight silhouetted a massive dark shape. Vaguely... it looked like a bear.
Crack.
Kuma stepped inside, the sound of crunching glass echoing in the sudden silence. As Spandam's eyes adjusted, he saw him clearly.
His eyes widened. Sweat poured from his brow. His body began to tremble—whether from the cold or from pure terror, he couldn't tell.
"The... The Tyrant... Kuma?" he stammered, scrambling backward. "What... what are you doing here?? Help! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"Sir!"
"Commander Spandam!"
His guards burst in.
Kuma casually backhanded the air. A concussive blast erupted from his palm, sending the guards—along with the door and the rest of the wall—flying into the night.
"Ivory Rush!" Spandam shrieked, seizing the opportunity for a sneak attack.
The sword in his hand suddenly transformed into a full-sized elephant—a Zoan-type Elephant-Elephant Fruit weapon—its long trunk and ivory tusks lunging forward.
Kuma simply pressed his palm down against the elephant's head. A bubble of compressed air, shaped like a paw print, formed in his palm.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The elephant collapsed, knocked out cold in a single blow.
Kuma grabbed Spandam as he tried to escape through the window and slammed him against the wall. The wall shattered. Spandam, embedded in the plaster, went limp, blood streaming down his face.
Kuma pulled him from the wreckage and, using his Paw-Paw Fruit, "pushed" all the pain and injury out of Spandam's body, leaving him feeling refreshed and whole.
Then, he made him take it all back.
"AGGGHHHHH...!"
He pushed it out again.
And then back in.
After the third time, Spandam's mind broke.
"Wait! Wait, what do you want to know??" he sobbed, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Just ask! Please, stop torturing me!"
'For the love of god, just say something! Who bursts in and just starts torturing someone without a word? Is this how you interrogate people?'
"Spandam, Commander of CP9," Kuma's voice was a low, cold rumble. "I have been waiting for you."
"Where is the Tequila Wolf? What is it? And who else was involved in the Sorbet slave trade?"
Spandam froze.
The realization dawned.
So that's what this is about... Kuma must have learned about Cipher Pol's involvement in the slave trade from King Bekori and had been investigating in the shadows. And because he, Spandam, had been the public face of the Tom's Workers incident years ago, Kuma had been lying in wait for him here.
'It's because I'm too famous! Dammit! The Marines are useless! Water 7 is right next to Marineford, and they didn't even notice him??'
An idea sparked in Spandam's mind. 'If I can just stall for time... Headquarters is so close. If I can help them capture Kuma, it'll be a huge promotion...'
Kuma didn't know what he was planning, but he sensed the malice. He pushed the bubble of pain back into Spandam's body.
"AAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!"
<><><><><><><><>
Kuma's face was a stony mask. The events in the Sorbet Kingdom had forged his heart into steel. The old Kuma, who hated to hurt anyone, was gone.
For scum like Spandam, he would show no mercy.
"I'll talk! I'll talk...!"
Amidst his agony, Spandam spilled everything.
The Tequila Wolf... a place where every worker was a slave. Most were from countries that had refused to join the World Government, or they were convicted criminals. But... there was another source. People like those from the southern part of the Sorbet Kingdom, betrayed and abandoned by their own king. The bridge was located in the East Blue. Construction had begun seven hundred years ago, an endless project to link the islands.
"The East Blue?"
Kuma suddenly remembered something Dragon had once said—that the East Blue held secrets unknown to the world. Could this be one of them?
In that moment of distraction, a door opened in the wall behind Spandam. A pair of hands reached out and pulled him through.
At the same time, Iceburg, Lucci, and Kaku appeared, attacking Kuma from all sides.
Kuma still had a grip on Spandam's arm. He threw a punch at the closing door. Blueno, terrified, slammed it shut.
Spandam's arm was torn clean off, a spray of blood arcing through the air.
The attacks from Lucci, Kaku, and the others slammed into Kuma's back. He stood firm, unfazed by the massive explosions.
He turned, shot a sidelong glance at Lucci, and swatted him out of the air like a fly.
"Get out of my way," he said. "I don't want to hurt you."
He took a step forward.
The others rushed to stop him.
One punch each. He sent them all flying. Iceburg took a slap as well.
No one could stop him.
Kuma picked up the Devil Fruit sword and walked out of the hotel. His Observation Haki locked onto Blueno's fleeing presence. He leaped, his massive body moving with incredible speed, and in a matter of moments, he was standing in front of him.
Blueno created a door in the air and scrambled through, pulling the screaming Spandam with him.
Kuma pressed his palm forward, and an invisible wave of his Paw-Paw Fruit's power rippled through the area.
Blueno and Spandam fell out of the sky. Blueno couldn't believe it. His fruit's power had failed.
No... Kuma had "pushed" them out of the pocket dimension.
There was no escape.
Blueno hurled Spandam into the distance. Kalifa, who had come to meet them, caught him with her whip and, after a quick glance, fled.
Blueno stood his ground, facing Kuma.
"Tempest Kick!" he roared, lashing out with his leg.
Kuma deflected the attack with his palm, then threw a heavy punch.
"Iron Body!" Blueno crossed his arms, his body hardening like steel.
The punch was heavier than he could have ever imagined. His arms shattered. His chest caved in. He was sent flying, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
Before he even hit the ground, Kuma was there. He hung the Devil Fruit sword on Blueno's back and enveloped him in a bubble of compressed air.
"If you were to take a trip," Kuma asked, "where would you like to go?"
He slapped the bubble.
Blueno and the sword vanished.
————————————
They reappeared moments later on the deck of the Empress—
Before the dazed Blueno could even process what had happened, the deck split open and swallowed them both.
"Package delivered," Jin's voice echoed from within.
Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit could repel the air around him, allowing him to move at the speed of light, a form of spatial displacement. After the Thriller Bark incident, he had used this ability to send the Straw Hats to islands he had previously visited.
Jin had tested it. With the "mark" he had placed on Kuma, Kuma could send things—and himself—to the moving carrier.
————————————
His mission accomplished, Kuma went after Spandam. He found them at the shore, just as the Marine warships appeared on the horizon.
"Quickly! Open fire! Kill him!" a blood-soaked Spandam shrieked at the ships.
Kuma advanced, his presence overwhelming. Kalifa, her face pale, dragged Spandam into the sea.
"FIRE THE CANNONS!" another voice roared. Spandine, having heard his son was in trouble, had rushed from Enies Lobby.
"But, sir! That's a residential area! There are civilians—"
"To hell with the civilians! Our mission is to capture Kuma!" Spandine snarled, lighting a cannon himself.
The cannons roared.
Kuma frowned. The citizens, who had been drawn out by the commotion, were now in the line of fire.
He flashed in front of them and pushed his hands forward, creating a cushion of air that repelled the cannonballs.
"What??"
"Look out!"
The cannonballs rained down on the ships, and the sea erupted in a series of massive explosions.
"How terrifying," Kizaru said, a lazy drawl in his voice. A beam of light shot from his body, streaking across the night sky like a shooting star. In an instant, he had crossed a kilometer of open water.
He appeared above Kuma and brought his leg down in a devastating kick.
Kuma met the blow with a punch.
The impact sent a massive shockwave rippling through the air. Kuma's massive body slid backward, his feet carving two long furrows in the ground.
Kizaru was surprised. He hadn't held back. He hadn't expected Kuma to be able to block it.
Kuma looked up. "To capture a criminal, you would fire on civilians? Is this the justice of the Marines?"
He was angry.
"I didn't give that order," Kizaru said. "It was Cipher Pol, acting on their own."
As he spoke, the cannons roared again.
Kizaru looked back.
What??
He'd just been contradicted.
The Five Elders, upon learning of Kuma's appearance, had bypassed Marine Headquarters and taken direct command of the fleet. They didn't care about civilian casualties.
Kuma ignored Kizaru. He leaped high into the air, facing the oncoming barrage.
"Pad Cannon!" he roared, firing a continuous stream of paw-shaped shockwaves from his palms, filling the sky and deflecting every single cannonball.
The sound of the explosions echoed across the island, waking everyone. They looked up at the sky, the fiery bursts like fireworks, illuminating their terrified faces.
To stop the attack, Kuma "pushed" himself, instantly appearing on the deck of one of the warships.
"It's Kuma the Tyrant!"
"Get him!" Vice Admiral Onigumo charged forward, his swords drawn.
Kuma had no intention of fighting the Marines. He stomped his foot.
A Zoan-type Triceratops Fruit.
Combined with a paw-print shockwave.
The raw, brutal force of the stomp shattered the deck and the keel below.
Seawater poured in, and the warship began to list. The soldiers, along with Onigumo, lost their balance.
By the time they had recovered, Kuma was already on another warship.
It was as if he were dancing between the warships.
A dance...
Of Nika.
Borsalino recognized it instantly.
'??' He was stunned. Not that Kuma knew the dance of Nika, but that he had changed so much.
One by one, the warships were destroyed. He leaped from one to the next, free, unbound.
Kalifa, who had dragged Spandam from the water, watched, horrified.
Spandam, seeing Kizaru just standing there, was furious. "Hey! What are you doing?? ADMIRAL BORSALINO!" he screamed.
The shout snapped Kizaru back to reality. He was a Marine Admiral... he couldn't just stand by and watch this happen.
"STOP!" Kizaru leaped into the air, particles of light gathering in his hand.
"Ama no Murakumo Sword!" he roared, swinging the blade of light at Kuma.
Kuma shattered the last warship and leaped into the air, repelling the very atmosphere with his palm.
"Ursa Shock!"
The brilliant light and the shockwave met in the sky and exploded, unleashing a violent blast of air.
Kizaru was sent flying.
The sea below was churned into a maelstrom, a tsunami that tore the shattered warships apart and sent them to the bottom of the sea, the surviving marines struggling in the water.
Suddenly, a massive paw-print of compressed air descended upon them. As the marines panicked, the paw enveloped them and the water around them.
Kuma slapped the bubble, and they were all sent flying to the shore, landing in a heap, drenched but alive.
Kuma was angry, but he wasn't a murderer.
Just as Kizaru's kick was about to land, Kuma slapped his own body and, with a soft thump, vanished.
The kick hit empty air. Kizaru landed on a piece of driftwood, the waves churning around him, a perfect mirror of the turmoil in his own heart.
