CHAPTER 180 — Gathering Before the Exchange
Several days passed after the agreement with Sengoku.
The day of the broadcast between Naruto and Tanya ended quietly. There was no shouting. No sudden action.
Life simply continued.
Tanya and the others kept speaking through the Multiversal Chat. Over time, she began to understand each of them more clearly, even Gaius.
She learned that Saeko's world had once been modern before collapsing into a zombie apocalypse. At that, the former salaryman inside Tanya froze for a moment.
She understood the concept of zombies. Mindless infection. Civil breakdown. Total societal collapse. It was not a fantasy to her.
Tony and Mindy came from the same world. Modern. Advanced. But filled with supernatural elements. Technology and magic coexisting.
Diana's world was different, but still a modern world.
She was a princess of the Amazons.
The daughter of Zeus.
That detail had made Tanya pause.
Zeus, the king of the gods in Greek mythology.
If Zeus truly existed in Diana's world, then there were likely others as well. An entire pantheon. Multiple gods who could walk the world or influence it directly.
Tanya thought about that carefully.
What did that make Being X?
Was he something similar?
No.
She dismissed the idea almost at once.
Whatever Being X was, she would not label him a god.
And she would not give him that satisfaction.
Naruto's world fascinated her in a different way. A continent divided into nations and hidden villages, all structured around ninja forces wielding chakra. It was organized. Militarized. Strategic.
Magical ninjas, she thought dryly.
Then there was Gaius.
His world was beyond anything she had expected.
It was not confined to a single planet. Humanity had already spread into the stars. They had entered the interstellar age and expanded across the galaxy.
They were ruled by an Empire.
And at its center was the Emperor of Mankind.
According to the others, the Emperor was a corpse, yet still alive.
That detail unsettled her more than she showed.
Tony had also explained Gaius's enemies: rebellion, alien civilizations, and something called Chaos.
That word had been spoken more carefully than the others.
Tanya noted it.
She did not ask further questions. Not yet.
Meanwhile, the group remained stationed inside the G-4 Marine Branch
They did not leave the island.
They were waiting for the delivery.
Seven Devil Fruits.
Four Paramecia.
Three Logia.
It was a large demand.
Too large.
Tony knew that.
Gaius knew that.
Asking for seven powerful fruits for the return of one Celestial Dragon was not a small exchange.
The World Government would not forget that.
They would not accept it easily.
So instead of sitting still, the group used the time.
They began hunting Sea Kings.
The first hunt began before sunrise.
The sea was calm. The sky pale and quiet.
Gaius stood on the deck of a Marine warship. The wooden boards creaked under his weight. His armor reflected the early light. He did not speak much. He simply looked out over the water.
Sea Kings were massive creatures.
Some were longer than buildings.
Some had thick armor-like scales.
Some had long teeth like spears.
Gaius wanted them for research.
Meat samples.
Bone samples.
Blood.
Everything useful.
He planned to send them to Roboute Guilliman.
Cloning.
Breeding.
Possibly creating a controlled Sea King population in a water world.
A long-term resource.
Nothing was wasted in his thinking.
Only Gaius and Tony could carry a Sea King alone.
Even then, it was not simple.
The creatures were too large.
Dragging one across open sea without support would be slow and inefficient.
So they used Marine warships.
Four in total.
One for Gaius.
One for Tony.
One for Diana.
And one shared by Saeko, Naruto, and Mindy.
These were not the strongest ships in the world.
But they were large enough.
Strong enough.
And fast enough.
The Marines operated the ships.
They handled ropes.
Anchors.
Chains.
They secured the Sea King bodies after each hunt.
At first, they were nervous.
Very nervous.
Hunting Sea Kings was dangerous even for trained Marines.
Now they were doing it beside people who had defeated high-level forces and taken a Celestial Dragon hostage.
They did not know how these outsiders would act.
Would they lose control?
Would they harm them?
Would they change their minds?
The first few hunts were tense.
A massive Sea King rose from the water near Tony's ship, its body casting a long shadow over the deck.
Tony did not shout.
He did not panic.
He stepped forward in his armor, thrusters glowing softly, and met it head-on.
The fight was fast.
Controlled.
When it ended, the Sea King floated still.
Tony ordered the Marines calmly to secure it.
No anger.
No threats.
Just instructions.
The Marines followed.
On another day, Diana's ship encountered two Sea Kings at once.
The creatures circled the vessel, water crashing around them.
Diana did not hesitate.
She leaped forward without fear.
The fight was intense, but focused.
No Marine was harmed.
When it ended, she helped tie the ropes herself.
She even thanked one of the sailors for steadying the line.
That surprised them.
Day by day, tension faded.
Saeko remained composed during her hunts. She moved cleanly and did not waste motion. Naruto fought with speed and energy, but he was careful not to damage the ships. Mindy supported from range, always alert.
No one hurt the Marines.
No one acted cruel.
They hunted only Sea Kings.
Nothing else.
Gradually, the Marines relaxed.
They spoke more freely.
They even began to ask questions.
"Are these all going to be eaten?"
"Some," Tony answered. "Some are for study."
The meat collected was massive.
Far more than the group needed.
Far more than research required.
So they made a simple decision.
They distributed the extra meat to the Marines.
No waste.
Sea King meat was valuable.
Nutritious.
Rare.
The storage rooms filled quickly.
Morale improved.
Marines who had once feared them now looked on with a mix of respect and caution, not hatred, not the fear of sudden death, recognizing that these outsiders were powerful, but neither careless nor cruel without reason.
There was one exception.
Gaius.
He had never harmed a Marine.
He had never raised his voice.
And yet, they feared him.
He was massive, his armor thick and heavy. When he walked across the dock, each step carried a solid weight that echoed against the wood and stone.
Sometimes, he removed his helm.
His face was calm.
But his eyes were steady. Focused.
When he looked at a Marine, it felt like being carefully assessed, measured without a word being spoken.
He did not glare.
He did not threaten.
But his presence alone felt heavy.
Marines lowered their eyes when he passed.
Even when he said nothing.
He noticed.
He always noticed.
But he never said anything about it.
Several days passed like this.
Hunts.
Preparation.
Quiet conversation.
Then, far out at sea, a ship approached.
It flew the flag of the World Government.
It moved at steady speed.
On its deck, a secured chest rested under guard.
Inside were seven Devil Fruits.
Four Paramecia.
Three Logia.
Behind that ship, far in the distance, dozens more vessels followed.
They stayed far enough away to avoid notice by normal observation.
To an ordinary observer, the waters looked empty.
Inside those ships were numerous CP0 agents, waiting in silence.
Elite.
Silent.
Trained for assassination and capture.
Also present was Kizaru.
He sat comfortably in a chair, tea in hand.
His posture was relaxed.
His face calm.
He looked almost bored.
Across from him stood a high-ranking CP0 agent, masked and straight-backed.
Kizaru took a slow sip of tea.
"Are we really going to attack them?" he asked casually.
His tone was light, lazy even, but his eyes told a different story.
"I don't think we'll win."
He meant it.
He remembered their strength. The speed. The force. The strange abilities.
Still, he did not show fear.
But he did not want unnecessary combat.
The CP0 agent replied calmly.
"Do not worry, Admiral. You are here for insurance and assistance. We have brought many strong agents."
Kizaru glanced toward the distant horizon.
"I see. That's good."
He paused.
"I don't want to fight that monster."
He did not say Gaius's name.
He did not need to.
Even he was surprised at the number of CP0 agents deployed.
All for a single Celestial Dragon.
It seemed the World Government intended to strike and eliminate them.
"Though I don't think they'll succeed," Kizaru thought quietly.
Back at G-4, Tony had already made a decision.
The Marines would evacuate the central area of the island before the delivery.
Not abandon the base.
But clear the main zone.
At first, the Marines resisted.
They wanted to stay, pride, curiosity, loyalty all holding them in place.
But Tony insisted.
"If fighting starts, you will be in the way," he said calmly. "You will die for no reason."
That was enough.
They complied.
The ships moved toward the nearby islands.
They didn't fully understand what was happening, but they could sense that something serious was coming.
The battlefield had been cleared.
No unnecessary lives would be caught in the crossfire.
Inside the Marine Branch office, the group waited.
The Celestial Dragon was still alive.
Unharmed.
Secured.
Diana leaned against the wall, arms crossed, calm but ready.
Saeko stood near the window, watching the harbor quietly.
Naruto sat at the table, steady and focused.
Mindy adjusted her gloves, eyes sharp.
Tony stood beside Gaius.
They didn't speak, there was no need.
Both had already calculated the same outcome: a high probability of combat.
Seven Devil Fruits were too many to ignore.
The World Government would not simply hand them over and walk away, but they were all ready, and the air inside the office was calm, controlled, and filled with sharp awareness, no panic, no raised voices.
Outside, the delivery ship eased into the dock.
CP0 agents stepped onto the pier.
They carried the secured chest carefully.
Their movements were clean.
Precise.
No wasted steps.
Behind them, far at sea, dozens of ships waited.
Hidden, watching, and ready.
Inside one of them, Kizaru finished his tea.
He set the cup down gently.
"Let's see how this goes," he murmured.
Back in the office, Gaius opened his eyes slowly.
He had been silent for several minutes.
With his Observation Haki, he had already sensed the arrival of the World Government's ship.
Tony glanced at him.
"They're here."
Gaius gave a small nod.
Outside, the footsteps of CP0 echoed across the dock.
The chest was heavy.
The promise inside it even heavier.
Seven Devil Fruits.
Power in physical form.
The door of the Marine Branch office stood closed.
Between both sides, only a few walls separated peace from war.
~~~
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