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"After Roger dies, you're next, Ayr!!!" Kong's face darkened and his voice turned cold and resolute as he shouted the threat.
"We will not allow you to survive long in this sea; soon, we will take your life and send you to hell alongside Gol D. Roger!" he added, growing louder. "Just wait, Ayr! Your death isn't far off!!!"
Although the Marines had no real intention of launching an attack on Ayr today in Logue Town, they had to voice such threats publicly because countless reporters had flooded the town and everything occurring here would be published worldwide tomorrow in earth-shaking headlines; whether they fought or not, their rhetoric had to be fierce — they couldn't let the prestige of a single pirate, even someone like Ayr, overshadow the honor of the Marines.
"Really? I'm curious," Ayr replied with calm indifference, "when exactly do you plan to take me down?" Unless the full might of Marine Headquarters was mobilized — Fleet Admiral, Admirals, Vice Admirals, the Seven Warlords, and even the SSG — it was nearly impossible to bring Ayr down, and that was unrealistic: the New World wasn't home to Ayr alone, and other monsters — Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and more — prowled the seas, so if the Marines really deployed all their forces against just Ayr they might win, but at a cost so devastating the Navy's dominance would collapse entirely and the resulting power vacuum would give the remaining Emperors and Supernovas a chance to unite and wipe out the Navy's remnants in one coordinated strike.
"Jiehahahaha! If you really want to take Ayr down, you better do it now," Golden Lion Shiki laughed uproariously while floating above the square with his two swords drawn, because if the Marines let him go today they would never get another chance: he would only grow stronger, stronger than anyone they had ever faced. At his age Ayr was younger than Shiki had been when he dominated the seas, and having seen the likes of Rocks, Roger, and Whitebeard, Shiki recognized terrifying potential when he saw it; Ayr's growth wasn't complete — not by a long shot — his power was still evolving.
"Shiki, are you giving orders to the Navy now?" Sengoku snapped, his brows furrowed. "Hmph. I just pity you cowards who don't dare act," the Golden Lion sneered. "If you had the guts to stop him, you'd have already attacked. Yet here we are — standing still." "Don't be so arrogant! You really think we Marines can't deal with the likes of you?!" Kong growled, his fist enveloped in thick black Armament Haki as a storm of hostility radiated from him.
"If it's a fight you want, then step forward," Ayr replied coolly; his Sage Body, though not yet perfected, had already reached the late stage and, if necessary, he could borrow the power sealed within him — the Ten Tails — and by activating Six Paths Sage Mode he could go head-to-head with the strongest figures in the world. Of course, Ayr wasn't so arrogant as to think he could kill all of them single-handedly, but he could certainly slaughter several and escape alive.
"Damn you!!!" Akainu exploded, lava bubbling from his fists as fury took him and he took a step forward ready to confront Ayr head-on, only to be intercepted by Sengoku, who ordered sharply, "Stand down, Sakazuki! Our objective today is complete! This is not the time to throw away your life." Sengoku, knowing Akainu's aggression, saw the move as pure recklessness: Ayr had taken down the core forces of the Roger Pirates — the very crew that had stumped even Garp and Sengoku years ago — and Akainu was still far from that level; charging in now would be suicide.
"Don't lose your head, Sakazuki," Vice Admiral Tsuru warned calmly, reminding them that if Ayr were the only pirate in Logue Town today they would have attacked him already, but he wasn't alone: she glanced across the square at Red the Earl, Douglas Bullet, Golden Lion Shiki, and even the enigmatic Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army — each one a monster — and if battle broke out there was no guarantee those four wouldn't intervene, and if they did it would be a disaster.
"Damn it!!!" Akainu clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked and lava dripped onto the cobblestones as he glared daggers at Ayr; to him justice was absolute, and now, in front of a crowd and global reporters, Ayr — this criminal, this defiler of order — was mocking that justice openly, making his rage burn brighter than his fear. But deep inside he knew he wasn't strong enough yet; he couldn't win.
"Still," a voice said behind him. Garp stepped up and placed a hand on Akainu's shoulder, telling him, "You've got guts, Sakazuki. I'll give you that." Even Garp hadn't dared to make the first move today, yet here Akainu was — still unpolished, still young, ready to charge into death without flinching — and Garp, who didn't admire many Marines, found this admirable. "One day, Ayr! I'll take you down myself!!" Akainu bellowed, pointing at him.
Before Ayr could reply the Golden Lion's wild laughter rang out again: "Jiehahahaha! You're truly brainless!!! The entire world fears Ayr; not many can face him alone. Yes, you've got potential, kid — you might even make it to the top one day — but even then, what would you do? Stand in front of him and die?!" Ayr said nothing, though his expression turned cold as he turned toward Garp and warned, "Take care of your Marine dog, Garp; if he speaks one more word, I'll kill him where he stands," the air around him crackling with chakra and oppressive Conqueror's Haki as Six Paths chakra began to stir; if Akainu challenged him again he wouldn't hesitate — he'd use Susanoo, crush Akainu before anyone could stop him, and vanish.
Akainu trembled, veins pulsing in his forehead as he clenched his jaw and opened his mouth to respond, but Kong barked furiously, "Enough, Sakazuki!" and stepped forward because even Kong was now sweating and could feel it — if Ayr wanted to kill Akainu he could, and none of them could stop him in time; Akainu was one of Marine Headquarters' three rising stars and to lose him here would be devastating, so Kong couldn't allow it.
"Retreat. All of you. There's no further point in staying," he ordered, and at that moment the leader of CP0 — a man in a black suit and sunglasses — stepped forward to say, "It's over. No battle will happen today. Let's not waste any more time," and, glancing at Ayr briefly, made it clear they would return and find a way to kill him, but not today: today they had lost the stage, for Ayr had walked into the place where Roger died and left untouched, a tyrant rising unchallenged, and the world would awaken to it tomorrow.
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