The approaching Marine fleet didn't bring the Rear Admiral any sense of security. Instead, a foreboding feeling gripped his heart.
In this particular sea region, there weren't many Marine officers capable of commanding a fleet. And among them, there was one person he absolutely did not want to encounter.
"Please don't let it be him… Please don't let it be him… Sakazuki!"
He murmured under his breath, praying fervently.
But as the saying goes, the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.
As the two fleets drew closer, the Rear Admiral finally got a clear view of a man standing at the bow of the lead ship, wearing a Marine cap, wielding a long blade at his waist, his features sharp and chiseled like an iron slab.
The Rear Admiral's heart sank completely.
It was the last person he wanted to see.
Sakazuki.
The man who would one day become the strongest force in the Marines, the wielder of the Magu Magu no Mi, the future Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki!
Though he had yet to reach the rank of Fleet Admiral, at this point, he was already in his early thirties and held the position of Vice Admiral.
But even now, he was already at the level of a top Marine powerhouse.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"
The Rear Admiral, Daly, bowed respectfully, doing his best to conceal his unease.
Even though the man before him was regarded as a monster, possessing terrifying combat strength and undoubtedly destined to become an Admiral—
Daly did not feel safe.
Because just moments ago, Mox, a man with the strength of a Vice Admiral, had been killed in a single strike.
Sakazuki was strong.
But was he strong enough?
"Rear Admiral Daly, why have you deviated so far from your assigned route?"
Sakazuki's deep, commanding voice rang out.
Under normal circumstances, a Marine warship straying from its route wasn't a big deal.
After all, in the vast ocean, pursuing pirates or engaging in battle often made it impossible to stick to designated routes.
But this time.
There wasn't a single pirate ship in sight.
Not a single enemy in the area.
Which meant… there was no justifiable reason for his deviation.
Hearing the question, cold sweat began to seep from Daly's forehead.
Just as he was about to come up with an excuse,
The very soldier he had mentally erased from existence earlier blurted out:
"Vice Admiral! We encountered a pirate who killed a Celestial Dragon!"
Silence.
The entire deck fell into a dead, suffocating quiet.
Killed… a Celestial Dragon?!
The sheer weight of that statement was enough to make anyone question their own hearing.
Even Sakazuki was momentarily stunned before speaking again.
"Rear Admiral Daly, explain. Now."
Daly knew there was no escaping this now.
Cursing the foolish soldier in his heart, he could only grit his teeth and recount what had happened.
Of course, with a few… minor adjustments.
Instead of admitting his own curiosity had led him to approach, he rewrote the story:
He had used his keen investigative instincts to notice subtle clues and deduce the man's identity.
Instead of watching Mox die helplessly, he altered the narrative:
He had fought alongside Mox in a fierce battle against Hui, and though they had gravely wounded him, Mox had tragically perished.
Instead of standing frozen while Hui left, he crafted a better ending:
After their battle, the gravely injured Hui seemed to hesitate, then quickly fled before Daly could pursue.
Yes, these were small changes.
Very reasonable minute changes. Nothing wrong with that.
"Killed a Celestial Dragon, huh? No wonder the entire world government has mobilized the Marines to capture him."
Sakazuki muttered to himself.
Then his expression darkened.
His voice turned cold and sharp.
"Full speed ahead. We're taking him down."
Sakazuki did not care why Hui had killed a Celestial Dragon.
To him, if someone was a pirate, they were evil.
And all evil must be eradicated.
His life's purpose was to eliminate all evil in the world.
Hearing the order, Daly responded instinctively:
"Yes, sir!"
He turned to deliver the command to his crew.
But as soon as he took two steps, a sharp pain tore through his chest.
"Urgh…!"
A mouthful of blood spurted from his lips.
His body swayed, nearly collapsing.
"Damn it…
"The injuries from fighting that monster… they were worse than I thought…!"
Daly spoke weakly, his face twisted in pain.
Because in reality, he was injured.
By himself.
If he was going to fake it, he had to make it convincing.
And honestly? He thought he did a fantastic job.
The only flaw in his performance was the lack of costume details.
He should've torn his uniform a little, maybe added some battle damage for effect.
He was still contemplating this when a sudden tension gripped his heart from the silence.
Did Sakazuki notice something…?
But then he heard Sakazuki's deep voice:
"Since you're already injured, return to base."
It wasn't of concern.
Sakazuki simply didn't want to drag along dead weight.
Daly, relieved, nodded immediately.
Under normal circumstances, he should put up some resistance to make it seem more convincing…
But he didn't want to risk overplaying it and ending up stuck on this mission for real.
As for what would happen when Sakazuki found out Hui wasn't injured at all?
Daly wasn't worried.
In his mind, Sakazuki wouldn't survive this encounter anyway.
With his personality, he was bound to infuriate that man.
And then, every last one of them would die.
Once they were all dead, who would be left to refute his story?
With Daly's departure, Sakazuki's fleet accelerated, heading full speed toward the direction of Hui.
Since Hui had only left a short while ago and wasn't moving at extreme speeds, the distance between them wasn't too great.
Before long, Sakazuki spotted him.
A lone figure, striding across the vast ocean.
"The ability to control Sea Kings…"
"This man, must not be allowed to live."
A cold killing intent surged in Sakazuki's heart.
As a Vice Admiral, his intelligence was well above average.
He had already noticed something off about Daly's story.
But the sheer shock of the "Celestial Dragon's death" had distracted him.
Still, it didn't really matter.
It was only a matter of sooner or later.
More importantly—
A pirate who had killed a Celestial Dragon…
And had the ability to control Sea Kings…
The threat this man posed to both the Marines and the World Government was immeasurable.
At that moment, Hui also sensed Sakazuki's presence.
He even got a clear look at his face.
"This guy… looks kind of familiar."
Anime and real people looked different, Recognizing someone instantly from a 2D version in real life was nearly impossible.
"Hope he's an interesting one."
Hui murmured to himself, but he neither stopped nor sped up.
He was free-spirited—
He had no intention of deliberately doing anything.
The distance between them rapidly closed.
Soon—
Hui had already entered Sakazuki's fleet's attack range.
"Vice Admiral, should we open fire?"
A Marine soldier approached Sakazuki and asked.
"Fire."
Sakazuki commanded without hesitation.
He wasn't the type to demand a fair, direct fight.
If he could solve something with cannons, why bother doing it himself?
Thus, the order was given.
Cannons emerged from the warships, all aimed at Hui.
"Fire!"
With a Marine's sharp command, dozens of cannonballs roared through the air, streaking toward Hui.
But—
Hui didn't move at all.
Instead,
From his body, twice as many streaks of light shot out,
Each one a crescent-shaped blade of sword energy.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted in the sky as every cannonball detonated mid-air, but not a single one reached him.
And beneath the deafening explosions—
A much fainter sound was masked.
The sound of flesh being pierced.
Every Marine soldier who had aimed their weapon at Hui, had died.
Without exception.
The precision he could achieve with his Celestial Eye was that high.
When the smoke cleared, Hui remained completely unscathed.
He hadn't even turned around.
Sakazuki's expression darkened.
This wasn't what Daly had described.
This man…was even stronger than he thought.
At the very least, his level of control over his power far surpassed that of a Vice Admiral.
This would be… a brutal fight.
With that in mind, Sakazuki didn't hesitate any longer.
He activated his Devil Fruit power, and unleashed one of his strongest techniques:
"Dai Funka!"
From behind Hui, an intense heat surged toward him.
Feeling the rising temperature, Hui let out a soft chuckle.
"...Oh… so that's why this Marine looked familiar."
"So it's Akainu, huh?"
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