"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Teach swam furiously through the icy seawater, his heart filled with hatred.
Today was the worst day of his life. First, he was humiliated by his father's murderer. Then, he was inexplicably hunted down. Finally, he was forced to expose his strength.
"I can only hope those Marines won't actively publicize it," Teach consoled himself. Those Marines defected from Marine Headquarters and were trying to establish authority. Surely they wouldn't expose their own shortcomings.
Thus, Teach swam in the vast sea for a day and a night before finally seeing the silhouette of the [Gluttony].
Tears welled up in Teach's eyes. He had only followed Setsuna for two months, yet it was more torment than twenty years with Whitebeard.
When he finally climbed onto the [Gluttony], exhausted, he was greeted by Ace's hearty laughter and enthusiastic applause.
"Teach, you're something else! You actually escaped from [Black Arm] Zephyr!"
Teach's body instantly stiffened. He couldn't even maintain his simple smile. "How... how do you know?"
Ace waved the newspaper in his hand. The cover clearly showed Teach confronting Zephyr. "I don't know which journalist captured it. You should thank this benefactor properly. Now the entire New World is spreading the tale..."
Ace deliberately dragged out his tone. "A pirate named Marshall D. Teach actually escaped unscathed from a former Marine Admiral!"
The surrounding crew members exclaimed in awe. Some even whistled.
Ace excitedly patted Teach's shoulder. "Captain said he'll promote you to officer! It's time to let everyone on the seas know your name!"
Teach felt his vision darken, ears buzzing.
He did crave fame across the seas, but after obtaining the Yami Yami no Mi!
Being forced to expose his strength now completely disrupted his twenty-year plan of endurance.
Especially since Ochoku recognized his appearance yesterday. Though he managed to deceive him with his act, now that his strength was exposed, Ochoku might already be connecting him to Rocks in his mind.
It wasn't that he feared Ochoku, but the identity of 'Rocks's descendant' was too sensitive, likely to attract the World Government's pursuit. He wasn't ready to oppose the World Government yet.
He forced a smile, though the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. "Hehehehe... Thank you for Captain's appreciation."
"Come on, I'll take you to see Captain," Ace enthusiastically slung an arm around his shoulder.
Seeing Setsuna again, Teach's tears flowed like a river. Sobbing, he lamented, "Captain, I almost couldn't see you again! They bullied me, that's one thing, but they even scorned your authority! I couldn't stand it, so I reasoned with them, then they hit me..."
Watching his choked-up appearance, Setsuna almost laughed but forcibly restrained himself from smiling.
Setsuna said with a stern face, "Don't worry. I'll help you get revenge."
Teach prostrated himself at Setsuna's feet, crying out gratefully, "Captain!"
Ace watched, deeply moved, 'So touching.'
...
Three days later, the flames of war reignited on Hachinosu.
Kizaru appeared near the [Gluttony] with Marine Headquarters' forces. Welcomed aboard, Kizaru greeted warmly, "Setsuna-sama, we meet again."
Setsuna chuckled lightly. "Admiral Kizaru is truly busy with official duties. It seems Marine Headquarters values you greatly."
Kizaru sighed. "I shouldn't have eaten the Pika Pika no Mi back then. Now, whenever there's trouble somewhere, they send me."
"But thankfully, Setsuna-sama is accompanying me this time, which puts me at ease. How does Setsuna-sama plan to handle this incident?"
Setsuna cracked his knuckles. "Isn't it simple? Just beat all three sides into submission."
"Woah~ Do we have to go that hard~?" Kizaru exaggeratedly spread his hands, his voice drawn out. "Just fight a bit, enough to justify the government's salary, right~"
Setsuna glanced at him with a smile that isn't quite a smile expression. "Then how about this: I'll handle Zephyr. My subordinates handle Ochoku. You and the Marines deal with Crocodile, Moriah, and Weevil. No problem?"
Hearing this, Kizaru immediately felt relieved, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Though those three combined might be trickier than Ochoku or Zephyr, I'm least afraid of group attacks. As long as no one has individual strength approaching mine, it's easy to handle. But..."
"They have considerable forces under them. Can our people handle it?"
Setsuna was very calm. "Don't worry. I have ways to deal with them."
…
After Setsuna and Kizaru finalized the battle plan, they immediately led their fleet towards Hachinosu.
When their combined fleet entered the waters near Hachinosu, the three warring factions all simultaneously stopped fighting.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence. All eyes focused on Setsuna standing at the fleet's forefront.
"I have come to stop this war," Setsuna's voice was calm yet full of authority, clearly reaching across the entire battlefield.
Ochoku laughed loudly in response. "Don't dream! Pirates are the least restrained beings! The flames of war are already lit! Even I, as their commander, can't stop them now!"
As if echoing his words, the pirates on the island all laughed loudly.
"This is the New World! Don't think we'll be intimidated by a Warlord's reputation like those in Paradise!"
"Before these seas are dyed red with blood, no one can make us stop!"
Setsuna smiled. "It seems you misunderstood my words. When I said 'stop this war', I didn't mean for you to cease fighting. I meant... I will beat you all into submission."
As the words fell, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki surged forth like a tsunami. Violent air currents spread outwards from the [Gluttony], pressing the sea surface into rippling depressions.
One-third of the cannon-fodder pirates immediately fainted, eyes rolling back, falling to the ground.
"Haha, truly fearsome spirit," Ochoku laughed, both shocked and amused. "But pirates who enter the New World aren't weak. Conqueror's Haki is useless against them."
"This is just the appetizer," Setsuna clenched his right fist like a hammer, striking the air before him.
Vast Knocking!
Air currents became the world's veins. An invisible force spread along these veins to the pirates.
After comprehending [Listening to the Voices of All Things] and understanding the world's veins Jiro spoke of, this move's power was no longer what it used to be.
Pirates already slightly dizzy from Conqueror's Haki had even less resistance now.
Pirates and Marines on Hachinosu fainted in large swathes. In an instant, less than a hundred people remained standing on the battlefield.
Ochoku's smile froze on his face. "Impossible?! What kind of power is this?"