"Young Master! Aeridar-sama! The Marines are here!"
Suddenly, Baby 5 rushed over, a cigarette dangling from her lips.
"The Marines, huh? They got here fast!" a hint of surprise flashed in Aeridar's eyes.
It had only been the day after the battle, and the Marines had already crossed over three hundred kilometers to get here.
"Fufufufufu! The Marines are in a hurry! They know you defeated the legendary pirate Golden Lion!" Doflamingo said with a wicked grin. "After all, they don't know that man's strength had seriously declined."
"Young Master, the Marines' leaders are the Admirals, Akainu and Aokiji!" Baby 5 said, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Baby 5. Just leave this to us," Aeridar said, waving his hand nonchalantly.
Aeridar had received the news the moment the Marines landed at Port Florent, as the Chris Investigation Bureau had planted many spies there.
"Let's go meet them. That mad dog Akainu isn't easy to get rid of," Doflamingo said, taking the lead. He walked with his characteristic arrogant, bow-legged gait.
"That's a pretty good way to describe him," Aeridar said, shrugging. As he walked, he teased Baby 5 at his side, "Hey, Baby 5, you're so pretty. Why don't you come with me instead?"
"Huh? What?" Baby 5 squealed in embarrassment, her face flushed as she trembled. "Does this mean I'm needed?!"
"That's enough!"
Walking ahead, Doflamingo's eye twitched. He turned around and roared, "You bastard! She's my subordinate!"
"Heh heh heh! Doffy, it was just a joke! Ha ha ha ha!" Aeridar said, rubbing his head and laughing. Baby 5 was always so much fun.
At the rear of Fort Respler, the city wall wasn't particularly damaged. Only a stretch of less than twenty meters on the left side had been shattered, and a section on the right had been crushed into ruins by a massive earthen mound that had fallen from the sky.
At the fortress's gate, thousands of Marines were in a tense standoff with a mixture of soldiers and pirates. The air was thick with tension and the smell of gunpowder. Soldiers and pirates were continuously streaming to the gate, and many soldiers on the walls were manning cannons and ballistae.
Here, both the soldiers of the Dunlite Kingdom and the pirates under Aeridar and Doflamingo's command looked at the thousands of Marines with hostility.
"Get out of the way! We're the Marines!" a furious Rear Admiral Yukimura shouted, his hand on the hilt of his long sword.
"Just some Marines, that's all. This isn't your territory to act like you own the place!" A Dunlite Kingdom general dismissed him with a sneer. On Aznat, neither the people of the Dunlite Kingdom nor those of the Barrid Kingdom had any love for the World Government or the Marines.
"Ha ha ha ha! Marines, you're not welcome here!" Marcus said, clutching his massive blade and looking at the Marines with disdain.
"Yeah! Yeah! The Marines aren't welcome here! Puh!" Buffalo flailed his arms around, nodding along in agreement.
"Executioner Muir Marcus, bounty of 186,000,000 Berries (new bounty), we're here for Golden Ring Aeridar and Doflamingo. Get out of the way." Onigumo, wearing a helmet with a two-headed dragon design and smoking a cigar, said in a harsh voice.
"Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Onigumo? My apologies, I've already sent someone to inform my captain. But whether or not he meets with you isn't up to me," Vito said, sauntering out with a playful smile.
"Arara... 'Fanged Devil' Quiniel Vito. It's going to be a real pain if we can't see who we came to see. Can you just get out of the way?" Kuzan walked out from the crowd, scratching the back of his head and looking completely listless.
"Hiss... An Admiral, Aokiji Kuzan!"
Seeing the newcomer, everyone present gasped in shock.
"Move." a cold voice said.
The Marine ranks parted, and Sakazuki walked forward with a stony expression, staring directly at Vito.
"Admiral, Akainu Sakazuki!"
This time, the crowd wasn't just surprised; they were stunned. Many of the pirates unconsciously took a step back. Facing two Admirals, everyone on Vito's side, including Vito himself, was sweating profusely.
"Heh, heh heh... two Admirals. It's the first time I've ever seen a scene like this!" Diamante, who had just arrived, pulled at his lips, unable to force a smile.
The tension was palpable. While they were all afraid of the two Admirals—their clothes soaked with sweat—not a single person backed down. Sakazuki's brows furrowed, and a flicker of anger appeared on his face. A faint red glow radiated from his body, instantly raising the temperature around them.
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing to my cute subordinates, you bastard?!"
Just as Sakazuki was about to make a move, a voice he found irritating rang out.
Everyone looked up and saw Aeridar, wearing a black coat with a white wave design, and Doflamingo, with his pink feather coat, floating down from the sky.
"Fufufufufu! Sakazuki, you mad dog, are you looking to bite someone again?" Doflamingo said, pointing a finger at Sakazuki with a defiant sneer.
"You sea scum, watch your mouth, or I'll rip it to shreds!" Sakazuki took a few steps closer. He scoffed at Doflamingo, whose chest was wrapped in white bandages, and said coldly, "I'll kill you right here and now if you think you're so tough!"
"You bastard! Are you asking to die?!" Doflamingo's face darkened, veins bulging on his forehead. He shaped his hand into a claw, and crystalline threads pulled taut between his fingers.
"Heh heh heh heh! Sakazuki, this isn't the place for you to show off. This is our territory!" Aeridar said, looking up with a cold glare. He had no choice but to look up; he was the shortest of the three of them, all of whom were over three meters tall.
"Arara, can't we just talk things out? Why does it have to be so full of gunpowder?" Kuzan said, scratching his head with a look of frustration. "Sakazuki, we're not here to fight."
"Hmph... You scum of the sea. One day, I'll send all of you to Impel Down," Sakazuki said with a cold snort, clearly displeased. With his personality, he would never like the Seven Warlords of the Sea. If it were up to him, he would have attacked them long ago.