Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, but just as Kaito was about to respond, Garp's voice cut in.
"Kaito, not bad at all! You actually injured the Dark King Rayleigh. As expected of someone I brought back—hahaha...!"
The laughter came to an abrupt halt. Sengoku had taken the Den Den Mushi back, shooting a glance full of disdain at Garp.
You brought him back? Please. I'm the one who recognized his potential and gave you the opportunity. Now you want the credit? Where were you back then? Why don't you go spend a few more days doting on your grandson?
After throwing Garp some serious side-eye, Sengoku turned his attention back to the Den Den Mushi, waiting in silence for Kaito's reply. In his mind, Kaito was always calm and composed—he wouldn't reach out without a good reason.
But what Kaito said next made Sengoku's expression change drastically. Even Garp behind him looked grim.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I'm very disappointed in the Marines."
Those words hit Sengoku like falling into an ice-cold abyss. If it were anyone else, he would've erupted on the spot.
A Marine saying they're disappointed in the Marines? What kind of betrayal is that?
But coming from Kaito, it was different.
Kaito had already become Sengoku's unofficial successor. Even the Five Elders were favoring him. For someone like that to say he'd lost faith in the Marines—that was terrifying.
It wasn't just a blow to the morale and reputation of the organization; losing Kaito would be a loss the Marines couldn't even begin to measure.
Sengoku quickly asked, urgency in his voice:
"What happened? What's going on, Kaito? Don't rush—where are you right now?"
"I'm at the 16th Marine Branch in the East Blue."
"East Blue? Weren't you just in Sabaody? How did you end up all the way there?"
Even traveling by warship, it took several days to get from Sabaody to the East Blue. It hadn't been long since Sengoku received the report about Kaito's battle with Rayleigh. How did he suddenly appear in the East Blue?
Kaito didn't bother explaining how he got there. His voice was ice cold.
"How I got here doesn't matter. What matters is that I've seen the filth within the Marines. The 'honorable' Captain Nezumi here took bribes from the Arlong Pirates and allowed them to attack my village!"
"What did you say!?"
Sengoku was furious. Golden light flickered off his body, and Garp clenched his fists so tightly that a faint black sheen appeared.
Fighting to control his rage, Sengoku spoke in a voice laced with pressure.
"I understand. Where is this Captain Nezumi now? I have questions for him."
Before Kaito could respond, the man in question—currently being choked by Kaito—saw a lifeline and screamed into the Den Den Mushi.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! I'm here! Save me! Uchiha Kaito is attacking me without any proof! Is this how the Marines are supposed to act!? I'm still a Marine too!"
Sengoku's brow furrowed. He never doubted Kaito's word, but as Fleet Admiral, he couldn't act solely on personal feelings.
Just like when Akainu ordered a bombardment on a civilian ship—Sengoku had been furious, just like Kuzan. But from the Marines' and World Government's perspective, Akainu's actions were justifiable.
Sengoku sighed heavily. He was conflicted.
But Garp didn't care about any of that political crap.
Boom!
He slammed the table so hard it shattered into splinters.
Sengoku stared dumbfounded at the ruins of his desk, then glared at Garp in silence.
Garp, burning with real anger now, dug the Den Den Mushi out of the wreckage and yelled:
"Kaito! Don't pay any attention to that bastard! You do whatever you want with that scum. If there's fallout, I'll take the blame! Damn it!"
Sengoku looked at Garp, torn and conflicted. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately stayed quiet. He didn't stop Garp. He silently approved.
But of course, Garp taking the blame was out of the question.
He, Sengoku—the Fleet Admiral of the Marines—would shoulder this.
It was just a branch Captain. No matter what background he had, even if there wasn't hard evidence, it didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that he trusted Kaito. He would back Kaito.
After all, Sengoku had once been a young, hot-blooded Marine too.
Hearing the voices on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Kaito's gloomy mood began to ease. These two stubborn old men... they actually trusted him that much.
If they believed in him, he wouldn't make things difficult for them.
"Don't worry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp. I'll make sure he tells us everything."
With that, Kaito slowly turned around. His Rinnegan locked onto Captain Nezumi as he spoke coldly:
"In front of these eyes... you have no secrets."
Captain Nezumi's entire body trembled. He began struggling wildly, screaming that Kaito was violating protocol and calling for the nearby Marines to save him.
But no one moved.
The only response came from Kaito's icy voice:
"Realm of Hell — Judgment of the King of Hell."
Captain Nezumi looked behind Kaito in terror.
From his perspective, a dark, purple-flamed rift had opened behind Kaito. A monstrous face emerged from the void.
It had the same eyes as Kaito—Rinnegan—and they twisted grotesquely before locking onto Nezumi.
That horrifying face alone made Nezumi wet himself.
The surrounding Marines looked on in confusion. They didn't see anything—just Nezumi suddenly pissing himself in fear.
The face summoned by the Judgment of the King of Hell could only be seen by the caster and the target.
Kaito, emotionless, helpfully explained:
"What you're seeing is the King of Hell. If you dare to lie, he'll rip out your tongue—and you won't survive. Understand?"
Nezumi frantically nodded, but deep down, he still clung to a shred of hope.
Kaito ignored him and asked coldly:
"Did you take bribes from the Arlong Pirates and allow them to pillage the village?"
Nezumi said nothing—just shook his head.
But the King of Hell didn't have the patience for filth like him.
A long, purple tongue forced its way out of Nezumi's mouth, where a tentacle-like hand from the King grabbed it and slowly began dragging it toward its mouth.
Nezumi's eyes bulged. He had a terrifying feeling—once that tongue went in, his life was over. His soul wouldn't even find peace.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I did it! Arlong gave me treasure—it's all there! Uchiha Kaito is telling the truth! I'm scum, a disgrace to the Marines! Please, just don't let that thing eat my tongue—it's too terrifying!"
As Nezumi confessed everything, the Marines nearby and even Sengoku and Garp on the other end of the Den Den Mushi all breathed a sigh of relief.
No one wanted this to derail Kaito's future.
Nezumi, panting and drenched in sweat, looked up at Kaito with a pleading grin.
"Kaito-sama, I've told you everything. Can you let me go now?"
Kaito gave a pleasant smile.
"Sure."
Nezumi's face lit up with joy.
But before he could fully celebrate, the King of Hell's hand clenched suddenly.
Snap.
His tongue tore apart in a spray of blood.
Crunch, crunch...
The King of Hell chewed it loudly. Each bite echoed like it was grinding down Nezumi's very soul.
The pain was so overwhelming, he couldn't even scream.
Then, with a loud gulp, the King swallowed.
Nezumi's eyes rolled back. Foam and drool spilled from his mouth.
He was completely, irrevocably dead.
Kaito let go. Nezumi's corpse dropped to the floor like trash.
Coldly, Kaito looked down at the body.
"You can be let go... after you die."
Then, under the awe-filled gazes of the surrounding Marines, Kaito turned and walked out of that wretched office.
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I recommend that you check out my new fanfic "The Shimura Actually Has Ice Release". It's really good. In short, the protagonist is Danzo's son, so Danzo supports him, he has good mentors, bloodline limit and so on, I won't say much about his background, the fanfic will explain it in the first chapters. I would recommend to check it out, quite a nice fanfic, no system, no harem, no excessive power, I like his backstory, especially that he has support, so his power has backup, and the relationship with Danzo without much emotion, more like Danzo's dream of becoming a Hokage, transforming to make his son a Hokage.
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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