Around a hundred marines had been dispatched this time.
Among them were Yuno, Ain, Hina, Zed, and Berigud.
They hadn't been chosen for the previous combat mission, so this time it was their turn. Roy, who had entered the camp alongside Yuno, also hadn't been selected—combat assignments still depended on strength. Zephyr would never risk sending anyone into a real battle without at least mastering two of the Rokushiki techniques.
This was a lawless zone. Anyone here was likely a wanted criminal. Even those without bounties were rarely "good people"—ordinary civilians almost never set foot in such places.
And so, almost as soon as the marines landed, battle broke out!
Pirates—the very embodiment of ruthlessness—would never simply cower before the navy.
With the Divination Club leading resistance, Hawkins ordered everyone on the island to be on guard, rallying them to fight the marines.
But before Hawkins' forces even struck, someone else acted first…
"Cutthroat" Roosevelt—bounty: 53 million berries.
Scowling as he spotted the approaching marines, he growled,
"Marines? Are they here to capture us?"
Brutal by nature, Roosevelt immediately assumed they were targeting the Kama Pirates. His rage flared. The navy's audacity was unbelievable! How could it be a coincidence that they had only just docked when the marines arrived at their doorstep?
"Hmph… Navy."
He spat the word like venom. Roosevelt had sailed the Grand Line and clashed with marines countless times. His eldest brother had even killed a branch captain. Now, with a bounty over 100 million, his brother had been recruited by the Shipping King into the Deep Current as a Governor.
Roosevelt strode forward, menacing aura radiating, heading straight for the marines.
The marines spotted him immediately.
"They must be pirates! Open fire!"
A recruit frowned. In a place like this, anyone they saw was an enemy. Gunfire erupted.
This mission was meant as real combat training—to harden the rookies so they wouldn't falter in future wars.
But when the bullets flew, the marines were stunned—Roosevelt dodged them effortlessly!
"Retreat! This guy's dangerous!"
Too late. Roosevelt blurred forward, his scimitar flashing.
"Marines… Why do you always chase us?"
With a cold, bloodthirsty grin, he swung his blade and cut a marine clean in half. Blood splattered across his body, making him look even more like a demon.
"Damn it!"
"Don't panic! Attack together! As long as we hold on, someone will notice!"
"Kill!"
The recruits of Zephyr's elite camp were far from weak, but against Roosevelt—a pirate who had survived the Grand Line—they were simply outmatched.
Within minutes, several marines lay dead. Blood soaked the dirt, and the rest fell back in fear.
"You… who are you?"
Roosevelt licked the blood from his scimitar, sneering. "Marines, is this all you've got?"
The instant several marines were cut down, both Yuno and Zephyr sensed it.
"There was a sound… and then silence."
Zephyr's face darkened. His body blurred as he rushed toward the disturbance, a cold glint in his eyes.
Ian noticed Yuno's expression harden. "What happened?"
"A comrade was killed," Yuno said grimly.
"What?!"
"I don't know the details. I'll check it out!"
Without hesitation, Yuno vanished in a burst of speed. The others exchanged glances, then followed after him.
Meanwhile, deeper within the Kama Pirates' camp…
Kamaitachi Peter, their captain, suddenly rose to his feet. His gaze sharpened.
"…A fight has started?"
"Boss, is Second-in-Command in trouble?" one crewmate asked nervously.
Peter's expression shifted. Without another word, he stepped forward as a cyclone of wind burst from him. Leaping skyward, he extended his Observation Haki—his heart clenched.
An aura… terrifying, unlike anything he had ever felt before, was rapidly approaching!
There was only one thought in his mind: Get my foolish brother away from here before it's too late.
The rest of the Kama Pirates, seeing their captain move, roared and surged into battle. If the boss had gone out, how could they hang back?
Back on the battlefield, Roosevelt slashed another marine, grinning madly.
"What's wrong? Marines, so weak!"
His blade came down again, severing a recruit's arm. The young marine screamed, clutching the stump in terror, scrambling to escape.
"Hold the line!" his comrades cried, charging again—only to be overwhelmed and wounded within moments.
Roosevelt cackled, eyes gleaming with madness. "Hahaha! This is the North Blue's navy? Pathetic trash!"
He gave no mercy, cutting down another marine. The one he'd maimed earlier was finished with a single beheading strike. Blood sprayed, and Roosevelt stepped toward his next prey—
Only for a sudden swish! A flying slash cut through the air, deflecting his killing blow!
"Huh? Who's there?"
Roosevelt frowned, turning to see a young figure striding through the sky on Moonwalk.
"Another fearless marine?" he sneered, dismissing him. His scimitar rose again to kill the trembling recruit before him.
"You dare act so arrogantly in front of me?"
Yuno's eyes flashed cold. Raising his sword, he unleashed a slash nearly ten meters wide.
Alarmed, Roosevelt spun, his instincts screaming danger. He swung his blade to intercept—
Boom!
Steel clashed with raw force. Roosevelt was blasted backwards, feet carving long trenches before he finally smashed into a building, reducing it to rubble.
Debris rained down. Smoke filled the air.
Yuno strode forward, landing among the shaken marines. "Are you all right?"
The survivors exhaled in relief—only for grief to set in.
"We're alive, but… Yaner and the others…"
Zephyr had warned them from the start—combat training meant true life-and-death. Yet, the pain of losing comrades cut deeply.
"Don't worry," Yuno said, his gaze locking on the rubble where Roosevelt stirred. "I'll avenge them."
"Be careful! This guy's strong!" the marines warned.
Yuno simply nodded, his grip tightening.
Roosevelt pushed aside the rubble and staggered to his feet, his expression dark.
"That's really impressive, Marine... you actually hurt me!"
His voice was hoarse and sinister, his bloodshot eyes gleaming like those of a demon from hell.
"Hurt? Don't worry—I'll kill you soon enough," Yuno said coldly. His feet tapped the ground and his figure vanished, charging straight at Roosevelt.
Roosevelt burst into manic laughter and raised his sword to block.
Bang!
Their blades clashed, releasing a shockwave that tore up the ground and sent dust billowing into the air.
"Go to hell, Navy!" Roosevelt roared, thrusting forward. The impact forced Yuno back. In the same motion, Roosevelt pulled a flintlock from his belt and fired several shots at Yuno's head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yuno's eyes gleamed red. With subtle head tilts, he dodged every bullet. Raising his sword, he slashed again.
This time, Roosevelt avoided rather than resisted. The slash cut through the air and cleaved the building behind him in two.
"Hehehe... let's see where you run now!" Roosevelt sneered, leaping at Yuno with both hands gripping his sword.
Yuno met him head-on.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Their blades rang out in rapid succession, each collision throwing sparks. They darted across the battlefield at high speed, their duel leaving deep craters with every step.
"Marine, stop dodging!" Roosevelt growled, frustrated. The opponent was as slippery as a monkey, and worse, he couldn't gauge the true power hidden in Yuno's blade. Every time Roosevelt unleashed his full strength, Yuno parried with ease.
"Fine. I'll grant you that," Yuno replied calmly. With a precise twist, he deflected Roosevelt's sword, leaving him wide open.
Yuno immediately stepped in, kicking Roosevelt away before following with a vicious slash.
Slash!
Blood sprayed across Roosevelt's chest as his body was hurled backward, crashing through several buildings.
"This Marine... he's too strong!" someone gasped.
"Wait—that man looked like Roosevelt, vice-captain of the Kama Pirates! He's worth 53 million berries!"
"What?! If Roosevelt's here, then the Kama Pirates must be on this island!"
Whispers spread quickly among the onlookers, who now recognized Roosevelt.
Roosevelt coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face so dark it looked as though water would drip from it.
"You're pretty resilient," Yuno said coolly, walking forward with his sword in hand.
Roosevelt licked his lips, wiping the blood away. Despite his wounds, he sneered: "You're finished, Marine. My elder brother is here on this island! If you dare oppose the Kama Pirates, none of you will leave alive!"
The crowd paled, many slipping away quietly. They wanted nothing to do with what was coming. But with the harbor under Marine control, escape was impossible.
More marines arrived, drawn by the commotion. Among them, veterans who frequently studied wanted posters blanched at the name.
"Did he say Kama Pirates? That's the crew with a total bounty over 180 million berries!"
"Their captain, Peter Kamaitachi—his bounty alone is over 180 million!"
"What are they doing in the North Blue? Aren't they supposed to be in the Grand Line?"
"Quick, get Zephyr-sensei! If it really is Peter Kamaitachi, we can't handle this!"
The marines panicked, some rushing toward the harbor to fetch Zephyr.
Hina, Ain, Shuzo, and Berigold also arrived. Their faces darkened as they took in the battlefield—Yuno locked in combat, and the corpses of fallen comrades nearby.
In the center of the field, Yuno stood firm. "Kama Pirates? Never heard of them. Enough nonsense—I'll send you to your grave."
Had Yuno not been holding back, he would already be dead. Compared to Simon Sandy, whom Yuno had slain with a single blow, Roosevelt's strength was only marginally higher. And Yuno was far stronger now than he had been then.
Still, he couldn't afford to reveal everything at once.
He stepped forward, swinging his blade in a lightning-fast slash. This time, Yuno infused it with true power—the strike ripped through the air, faster than the eye could follow.
Roosevelt's pupils shrank in terror. With his chest wound slowing him down, dodging was impossible.
"Brother, save me!!" he screamed, reaching desperately in one direction.
"Sickle Slash!"
A sharp voice rang out. From the distance, a cyan wind blade sliced through the air, colliding with Yuno's strike and shattering it.
A cyclone swirled beneath Peter Kamaitachi's feet, propelling him high into the air as he descended toward the battlefield.
"Storm Blade!" Peter barked, flicking his fingers. A barrage of spinning wind blades erupted, tearing through the air toward Yuno.
Yuno's Observation Haki—already at a level comparable to a Marine Vice Admiral—flared. The fusion of his dual souls had sharpened his senses far beyond normal.
He had already sensed the newcomer's arrival.
But Roosevelt had sworn to kill him, and Yuno would not let that threat stand.
His slash intercepted, Yuno flashed forward without hesitation. His blade cut clean.
Thud!
Roosevelt's head tumbled to the ground, his face still frozen in a twisted smile of relief.
Dodging Peter's wind blades with ease, Yuno returned to the marines' side. He shook the blood from his sword, glanced coldly at the red-haired man standing near Roosevelt's corpse, and said flatly—
"What was it you just said?"
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