However.
Before the frowning Jinbe could voice a counterargument, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"That rebel captain is dangerous."
Having docked his coffin-shaped ship, Dracule Mihawk walked over, the legendary Black Blade Yoru strapped securely to his back. He frowned slightly as he looked at the standoff. "I didn't expect him to show his face."
"Mihawk? You're here too?" Jinbe looked at the swordsman in surprise, then asked in confusion, "Do you know him?"
"No." Mihawk shook his head without hesitation. He kept his piercing golden gaze fixed forward. "Sure enough... so they won't fight after all."
The warlords stood thoroughly bewildered by his cryptic words. But before they could ask what he meant, another intense commotion erupted ahead.
Back on the pier, the atmosphere grew incredibly tense. The HQ Captain could no longer hold back his wounded pride.
"Surrender!"
The Captain stepped forward again, staring murderously at Dante. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'll report this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku and let him handle your punishment. Of course, if you refuse to stand down, don't blame me for breaking your legs."
He paused briefly, his tone remaining icy. "This is Marineford. Rebel, you should know this isn't a place where a mere rogue branch can cause a scene."
"I know that quite well. Speaking of which, I graduated from here." Hearing the Captain's threat, Dante nodded casually.
The surrounding Marines breathed a collective sigh of relief. Just as they thought the rebels were finally backing down,
"But what does that matter?"
Dante shifted his tone, his face going completely blank as he stared the man down. "You have absolutely no right to speak to me, and your HQ has no right to order us around anymore."
As those brazen words fell, the Captain let out a harsh, enraged laugh. "No wonder you defected. You're completely delusional."
Unable to suppress his boiling rage any longer, he glared at Dante. "In that case, I'll test the strength of the so-called prodigy myself!"
Without waiting for the arrogant rogue to say another word, he raised his hands, clenched his fists, and charged. His knuckles instantly coated in the dark sheen of Armament Haki. Although he was only a Captain, he already possessed the raw combat qualifications for Rear Admiral. HQ had simply been too busy lately to hold his promotion ceremony.
"If I have no right, then let's see if my fists have the right!"
Watching the surging, aggressive pressure, Dante stopped Kuma and Kuro from intervening. He slowly drew his sword.
Just as the darkened fist was about to smash into Dante's face,
The air violently dropped in temperature.
A tall figure appeared directly between them, radiating a suffocating, icy chill. One hand firmly gripped the Captain's Haki-coated fist, while the other, covered in frost, pressed flush against the flat of Dante's drawn blade.
With a detached, lazy edge to his tone, Kuzan spoke mildly, "Let's leave it at that. Alright?"
"Great! Admiral Kuzan is here!"
"The audacity of this rebel bastard. Admiral Kuzan will never let him get away with this!"
Once they recognized the towering, frosty figure, the HQ Marines erupted into relieved cheers. They stood tall, eyes fixed excitedly on the Admiral as he effortlessly neutralized the clash.
The Captain spotted the ice user at the exact same instant. He snatched his fist back and bowed his head deeply. "Admiral Kuzan."
"Mm." Kuzan nodded slowly, flicked a lazy glance at the Shichibukai watching from afar, and then looked down at Dante's sword. His mouth twitched in mild annoyance.
'He did that on purpose.' Dante had definitely sensed him coming and drew his blade solely to force his hand. If Kuzan hadn't reacted fast enough to block, that razor edge would have sliced right into the Captain.
"How about we let this end here?" Kuzan repeated, his breath misting in the air.
"Sure, I agree."
Dante sheathed his weapon as if absolutely nothing had happened, nodding with a cheerful grin while Kuzan kept a firm grip on his own freezing aura. "I already said we were done. This guy was the one pushing it."
The Captain tensed violently at the casual dismissal. "Admiral, he-"
"I already know what happened." Kuzan cut him off, easily guessing the sequence of events. He waved a dismissive hand, his face blank. "These are orders straight from the top."
"I..." The Captain froze. His mouth hung open in protest, but one look at Kuzan's blank look made him lower his head in bitter defeat. "Yes, sir."
Rage boiled in his chest. Getting slapped in the face in their own harbor, only for their own Admiral to step in and prevent retaliation. But orders were absolute. As an officer, he had to obey.
"Break it up now. Maintain order and arrange the perimeter. This is a critical moment. All actions will follow Fleet Admiral's requirements, do not cause any more disruptions."
Seeing the Captain accept the command, Kuzan sighed inwardly but maintained his detached facade. "As for him... I'll take over hosting him."
With that, pretending not to recognize Dante personally, Kuzan turned and lazily gestured for the East Blue group to follow him toward the interior of the fortress.
Dante didn't refuse. Putting on a show of force here was enough, he couldn't actually start a full-blown war with the World Government yet. He shrugged and fell into step behind the tall Admiral.
Once the group walked a fair distance away, the previously silent soldiers finally spoke up, heavy annoyance thick in their voices as they addressed their disgraced leader.
"Captain, those rogues are way too arrogant. And why did the Admiral just compromise? You were about to beat that bastard to a pulp!"
"Enough. Since those are orders from the Fleet Admiral, we obey." The Captain let out a dismissive scoff, then sighed heavily. "As for beating him..."
He shook his head in lingering resignation, he looked at his fist in fear as a chilling realization struck him. "If Admiral Kuzan hadn't stopped me just now, I'd probably be bleeding out on the pavement."
When Dante had drawn his sword, the Captain had felt it. Even though the blade hadn't touched him, that sheer, suffocating intensity... It was terrifyingly strong.
He stared hard at Dante's retreating back, sighing again, his tone laced with reluctant awe. "He truly is the former prodigy of HQ."
And the formidable fighters walking behind him... No wonder they had the absolute nerve to sail right up to the gates. All that mocking talk about his fall from grace and wasting away with women in the weakest sea was just a massive, misleading rumor.
At the same time, Kuzan, leading Dante's group toward the isolated guest quarters, suddenly broke the silence.
"Instead of playing around in the East Blue, what are you doing here?"
"Weren't you the ones who invited me over?" Dante shot back easily.
"Oh, is that so? I almost forgot."
At Dante's words, Kuzan recalled that HQ had indeed issued the formal summons. He nodded in mock realization, then stopped abruptly in the middle of the stone path. He spun around to stare directly at Dante, his tone dropping several degrees into pure ice.
"Then let me ask you straight: what exactly are you trying to do? You suddenly defect, let Mock expose countless dirty secrets to the world, and then effectively declare war on us. Are you planning to throw this entire ocean into chaos? Do you have any idea how many innocent people will die because of your games, Dante?"
"I'm not taking the blame for that. This world is chaotic enough as it is." Dante didn't back down an inch. He met the Admiral's freezing gaze steadily. "As for the rest... the world is too vast and the waters run too deep. I can only look after my own territory."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Kuzan looked deeply disappointed, though a part of him understood the brutal logic. After a long moment, he fixed Dante with a steady, searching gaze. "What exactly is your plan next?"
"To dominate the East Blue."
"And what about Mock?"
"Don't worry, he's just joining in on the fun."
"The sea will fall into even greater turmoil. With so many massive casualties, won't you feel even a shred of guilt?"
"That's inevitable, and I'm not the only one causing the fire. For the sake of the East Blue, I have to do this."
"You're a dangerous man after all." Kuzan sighed, shaking his head slowly.
He fell silent again, then turned and stepped aside, pointing down the path. "Your lodging is just up ahead. You can walk the rest of the way yourselves."
As he began to walk away, he threw one last warning over his shoulder. "Stay put during this time and don't cause any unnecessary scenes. If I see you acting up during the execution, don't blame me for being ruthless. As a Marine Admiral, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch pirates do as they please. Also, the Shichibukai have a strategy meeting shortly. I hope you have prepared Kuma for what's to come. Furthermore..."
He paused briefly, the chill in the air spiking.
"Since that is your grand ambition, let me see exactly how far it can take you. But if you cross my line of justice, I will personally judge you, Dante."
With that, his towering figure receded into the distance, leaving a trail of frost.
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