Dragon could understand why Nereus wanted someone to test his strength. It was nothing more than a lack of trust in those pirates.
If he were too weak, he probably wouldn't be able to make use of those people at all.
But Dragon now had confidence in his own strength and believed he could handle this matter.
Mariejois had been attacked, rebellion had broken out in distant East Blue, and pirates everywhere were scrambling to seize territory.
The entire sea could be said to be in turmoil. Yet even under such circumstances, the Levely was fast approaching, and the Marines were feeling mounting pressure.
"What exactly are these b*stards trying to do?! Are they competing to see who can cause the biggest mess at a time like this?!"
At Marine Headquarters, Kong, who had recently been promoted to Fleet Admiral, looked at the reports in his hand and felt a splitting headache.
A few days earlier, Kaido had single-handedly attacked a Marine branch in the New World. Nearby reinforcements had arrived quickly, preventing Kaido from causing too much damage.
However, the Vice Admirals had failed to hold down Kaido who could freely fly. By the time the reinforcements drew close, he had already withdrawn.
After that, Silver Axe and the Golden Lion, who had originally been locked in conflict, suddenly declared a ceasefire and separately launched attacks on two nearby Marine branches, as if trying to compete with each other.
During this period, the Marines' high-ranking combat forces were fully occupied. Not only did they have to escort the kings arriving one after another, but they also had to rush around putting out fires everywhere.
If one were to ask whether Kong had any good news at all right now, it would be that although Garp did as he pleased, at least he was still working.
However, that bit of good news was soon drowned out by a grim news.
"Report, Fleet Admiral Kong! Urgent message from the New World! Admiral Zephyr has… encountered Nereus in the waters near the G1 branch!!"
"What did you say?!"
In the Marines' eyes, Nereus was a complete madman.
Under normal circumstances, when a Marine admiral encountered a pirate, even if they couldn't defeat them, they could still retreat safely.
The Roger Pirates had the ability to take down a Marine admiral, but that crew had never been obsessed with fighting the Marines. They usually exchanged blows and then turned around and left.
Moreover, for reasons unknown, the World Government's Knights of God had been tailing the Roger Pirates.
But Nereus…
This was someone who had dared to charge into Mariejois alone and, in a short time, kill their Fleet Admiral.
Even if he had taken advantage of both a rainstorm and the cover of night, he was not someone Zephyr could handle.
"Notify Zephyr to retreat immediately. Sengoku and I will go provide support to him at once…"
Ordinarily, someone had to remain at Marine Headquarters, but Kong no longer cared about such conventions. If Nereus were to kill another Admiral at a time like this, it would no longer be merely a matter of the Marines losing face.
The authority they had painstakingly rebuilt would vanish in an instant, and who knew what the seas would descend into.
By the time Kong and Sengoku rushed toward those waters at top speed, Nereus had already boarded Zephyr's warship.
The children from Fishman Island were still undergoing land training on Delta Island. Sebastian and Big Pan remained stationed there. Nereus had simply gone out alone for a stroll.
He knew far better than the Marines which nearby islands could provide supplies and which had ample fresh water. By chance, he encountered a Marine ship replenishing fresh water near one such island.
"All personnel! Board the ship and withdraw! This is not a battle you can interfere in!"
Zephyr stared at Nereus warily and ordered the Marine soldiers to leave immediately.
"Admiral Zephyr!"
"Execute the order!"
"Hey, hey, hey, why are you acting like you're parting forever? I'm not some devil. Is there really a need to be this wary?"
Nereus glanced toward the Marines who were slowly backing away. Yet that single glance made Zephyr react as if triggered.
Jet-black Haki gathered around his arms. His Armament Haki had long since been tempered to its peak. From a distance, he hurled a punch straight at Nereus.
Boom!
A terrifying fist mark was left on the rock wall behind Nereus. The cliff itself did not collapse. Aside from a few fine cracks, it was almost completely intact.
But from the center of the fist mark, faint light could be seen.
Under Zephyr's punch, the entire cliff had been blasted clean through. Nearly all the force of that strike had been concentrated into a single point, which was why it produced such an effect.
Yet Nereus merely brushed the dust off his body. Though compressed and condensed power was formidable, it was also easier to evade. As long as he transformed that part of his body into blood in advance and shifted it aside, he would naturally remain unharmed.
"How rude. I was only greeting you, and you attacked me right away."
"Do you really think saying that isn't laughable? You b*stard who only knows how to bully the weak!"
"Bullying the weak?"
"Isn't it? Over the years, how many Marine soldiers have died at your hands! Yes, they accepted orders and stood against you, but with your strength, could those soldiers possibly pose any threat to you?!
Slaughtering them, what meaning does it have beyond satisfying your own desires?
They were just soldiers obeying orders. You clearly had many other ways to deal with such situations."
"Hahaha, interesting. Saying that to an enemy only makes you look foolish to me. But you, I can somewhat understand; after all, you're the 'Black Arm' who doesn't kill."
Black Arm Zephyr—the Admiral who did not kill. Among the Marine Admirals throughout history, he was perhaps the most naive and the most extreme.
In his earlier years, even when facing pirates, he would not strike to kill. He would simply capture them and let the World Government's laws judge them.
Even the death of his wife and child at the hands of pirates had not changed that belief. He had merely stepped back to work behind the scenes as a Marine instructor.
But after witnessing his students slaughtered, losing his own arm, and then seeing the World Government recruit that very pirate as a Shichibukai, Zephyr had moved toward another extreme. He had even once sought to destroy the entire New World.
"I suddenly have a question. Right now, do you intend to kill me, or capture me and let the World Government judge me?"
"Of course I'll capture you. A pirate like you, Impel Down is your only destination."
"You're quite persistent… I suddenly have no interest in fighting you anymore. Compared to killing you, I've thought of a better idea."
As soon as he finished speaking, a crimson ripple spread outward from Nereus, instantly sweeping across the entire island.
Zephyr's Armament Haki enveloped his whole body, resisting the unknown force. But the soldiers who had retreated under his orders suddenly lost the ability to move. One after another, they collapsed to the ground, their faces twisted in agony.
"You b*stard… what are you doing?!"
"If I were you, I wouldn't move. Their blood and hearts are in my grasp right now. With a single thought from me, every one of them will die."
"You… what exactly are you trying to do?!"
"It's not difficult for me to answer you, Zephyr. Tell me, if there are people who, every three years, massacre hundreds of thousands, even millions, treating slaughter as a game…
And the Marines are their accomplices, what should such soldiers be considered?"
Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 25 chapters on my pa*reon.
Tiers-
1$- 10 chapters of OPUK
3$- 12 chapters
5$- 15 chapters
10$- 25 chapters