The atmosphere was unbearably heavy — suffocating, even.
Every Marine there, from Admirals down to the rank-and-file, knew the truth: the enemy they faced now was stronger than any they had faced before. Not even the Whitebeard Pirates or the Beasts Pirates compared to the Kamui Pirates.
Especially Kronos. His power made people tremble. The threat he represented felt comparable to the age of Gol D. Roger, the pirate king who had dominated the seas twenty years ago.
The situation had come to this: the Marines led by Garp were prepared to die here. If they failed, it would be catastrophe.
But Sengoku had underestimated the Kamui Pirates. Everything he carefully planned had been seen through by Kronos. Under Payne's ninjutsu, Marine intentions and strategies were fed straight to Kronos. Under Payne's watchful eye, there was probably no Marine movement Payne didn't know about. He remembered the Marines' strongest units clearly.
Payne reported the Marines' disposition honestly to the Kamui crew. When the crew learned the Marines planned a surprise attack, they burst out laughing — they thought the Marines had badly miscalculated.
"They really underestimated us. Do the Marines really think they alone can take us down? Ridiculous."
Uchiha Madara sipped his wine and sneered at the Marines' arrogance. He'd already seen what the Marines were capable of — no Vice Admiral, no future Fleet Admiral, could stand against him. Akainu? Not a match. Anyone else? Even less so.
So when he heard the Marines were coming, Madara felt the itch to fight. After beating Akainu earlier, his hands still trembled with anticipation. How could he pass up such an opportunity?
Many in the crew felt the same. Senju Hashirama, Gojo Satoru, and others were already planning to strike — to teach the Marines a lesson. Madara's victory over Akainu had fired them up; if Madara could do it, then they believed they could, too. They wanted glory, and they wanted to test the strength of the Marine heavyweights.
"Haha — I was wondering if the Marines would even show up. Turns out they came right to our doorstep."
Gojo crossed his legs, the blindfold covering his eyes, but his voice was tight with barely contained excitement. Anyone who knew Gojo could see he was moving — eager to find the Marines and settle scores. He'd hated the Marines ever since the Summit War and secretly wanted them wiped out. Many in the crew shared that sentiment — they were itching to prove themselves.
Kronos grinned and looked over the assembled crew. "Next," he said, "we face the Marines who are throwing everything at us. No one knows how many powerful Marines they've sent this time."
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📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Naruto: I Don't Want Recognition]
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