Ghost Spider rolled his eyes. "Can you guys be serious for a second? This isn't playtime!"
Dalmatian waved his hand lazily. "Eh, what's there to be serious about? It's just a bunch of little pirate, "
Before he could finish, his dog eyes bulged wide with shock.
"Holy crap! Crocodile?! Bullet?! The Red... the Red Count?!"
Hearing that, the other four Vice Admirals froze. Among them, Dalmatian had the sharpest eyes. If he said it, then it was almost certainly true!
Charging toward the pier where their ships were docked came four men, three in front and one behind, radiating deadly intent.
Who else could it be but Shiranami Hakusei and the others?
"The Count, he's yours!" Shiranami grinned and tossed the sword Raigū toward Redfield.
He knew Redfield was a master swordsman, while he himself hadn't trained in swordsmanship yet. So better to let the right man wield it.
"Raigū, huh? Not bad." Redfield smiled faintly, feeling the demonic energy pulsing from the blade. It actually suited him quite well.
His gaze sharpened, and with a casual motion, he unleashed a slash.
A crimson wave of sword aura surged forth with overwhelming force.
Swish!
All four massive Marine battleships were instantly sliced clean in half!
The hulls tilted, and the Marines aboard stumbled and fell overboard in a chaotic mess, flailing helplessly in the sea.
Shiranami's eyes lit up.
This old man's still got it!
The four Vice Admirals wore extremely grim expressions.
Damn it, Sengoku, you should've warned us!
With a lineup like this, they should've sent an Admiral, not just Vice Admirals!
Even if they could maybe restrain the others, who could possibly take on the Red Count?
The Vice Admirals had no choice but to abandon ship and leap to the docks.
Ghost Spider immediately grabbed a panicking Lieutenant Commander by the collar. "Contact Headquarters, now! Tell them we need an Admiral sent in immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
The officer snapped to attention and rushed off to find a Den Den Mushi.
But there was no time for further preparation. Shiranami's group had already reached them.
Without a word, Redfield charged Ghost Spider, sword in hand.
To his credit, Ghost Spider wasn't some green rookie. Though momentarily stunned, he quickly recovered.
His hair suddenly writhed and twisted, transforming into eight flexible appendages, just like a spider's legs.
Each tendril lifted a blade, and together with the one in his hand, he launched his Nine-Sword Style head-on against the Red Count.
Crocodile didn't waste time either, charging straight at Bastille.
Their fight erupted in an instant, Crocodile unleashing his Devil Fruit abilities, while Bastille's mastery of Armament Haki met him blow for blow.
The clash was fierce and evenly matched.
Meanwhile, Bullet engaged Dalmatian, the Zoan user.
Dalmatian wasn't just a Devil Fruit user, but also a master of the Six Powers, with incredibly solid fundamentals as a Vice Admiral. Against Bullet, it was a battle of speed and technique between equals.
They exchanged dozens of rapid-fire blows in the blink of an eye.
Among the Vice Admirals, only Burnt Mountain remained relatively at ease.
He had a harmless, almost friendly smile as he stared at the small, unknown figure before him, Shiranami.
He felt bored. Everyone else had already picked their opponents. He had no choice but to bully the little guy.
"Alright, brat. I don't really like picking on kids, so be smart. Get on the ground and put your hands on your head. Otherwise, you're in for a world of pain."
The surrounding Marines laughed uproariously.
"Ha! A snot-nosed brat trying to break out of prison? And of all things, charging at a Vice Admiral?!"
"This is what they mean by 'You refused the road to Heaven, and chose the gate to Hell!'"
"Hurry up and surrender, kid, or the Vice Admiral will beat the crap out of you!"
"Hahaha!"
But Shiranami only shook his head and sighed.
"You Marines really are a joke."
Huh?
That random line left everyone dumbfounded.
Burnt Mountain smiled as he asked, "What did you say, brat?"
Shiranami looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Don't tell me... you lot came out here without even being briefed? Like, you don't even know who the real number one among these escapees is?"
Burnt Mountain blinked, confused.
He glanced at the other Marines, then laughed along with them.
"Hahaha! Don't tell me you think you're stronger than those sea tyrants over there?" He pointed toward Redfield and the others, still laughing.
Shiranami solemnly nodded.
That only made the Marines laugh harder.
"Hahaha! Are you serious?! You're about to die, and you're still putting on airs?! Where do you even get this kind of confidence?!"
Shiranami's eyes turned cold.
"You're going to kill me?"
"Surrender now! If you resist, you'll be executed on the spot!"
"Excellent."
The moment he said that, Shiranami's figure vanished.
In an instant, he appeared right in front of Burnt Mountain, smirking.
Then, he struck with [Strongest Spear: Four-Finger Pierce]!
Burnt Mountain wasn't Vice Admiral-level for nothing.
A model Marine, among the elite, he reacted instantly to the sense of danger.
He crossed his arms over his chest, covering them in Armament Haki just as a massive force came crashing in.
Boom!
Shiranami's strongest spear strike slammed directly into Burnt Mountain's arms.
Even with his Haki defense, he couldn't completely block the sheer power.
Pain shot through him.
The residual force sent him flying back more than ten meters before he finally skidded to a stop.
Shock filled Burnt Mountain's eyes.
He's strong. Way too strong!
The group of Marines who had just been mocking Shiranami suddenly shut their mouths, shrinking back nervously.
Holy hell... how stupid were we to mock someone like this?!
These Marines weren't fools, they were elites from Navy Headquarters.
They instantly realized Shiranami was no ordinary fighter.
He had just sent a Vice Admiral, one fully clad in Armament Haki, flying with a single ability strike, without even using Haki himself!
Shiranami also raised his opinion of his opponent.
"Vice Admirals really are something else."
That earlier strike had been his full-speed charge, using his strongest ability.
Even without Haki, it was an all-out sneak attack timed perfectly while Burnt Mountain underestimated him.
And even so, the man had reacted instinctively and managed to guard in time.
That alone said plenty about his strength and battle experience.
Burnt Mountain took a deep breath, suppressing the numb pain in his chest.
His gaze turned serious. He drew his sword, no longer daring to take this fight lightly.
Seeing him getting serious, Shiranami was slightly surprised.
"Oh? So I was underestimated?"
He chuckled.
"You still think you can beat me?"
Burnt Mountain's face darkened. "I was just careless earlier! If we go all out, I, "
Shiranami cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"If we go all out, you'll be kissing the ground in seconds."
"You arrogant little, !"
"Yeah! He ambushed the Vice Admiral and now he thinks he's hot stuff?!"
"Once the Vice Admiral gets serious, he's not gonna hold back!"
Even before Burnt Mountain could respond, the surrounding Marines were already boiling with anger.
They couldn't stand Shiranami's cocky attitude.
Shiranami just shook his head.
"Forget it."
"Forget what?" Burnt Mountain frowned.
"Nothing."
As he said that, Shiranami disappeared again in a flash.
Only his voice echoed softly,
"I'm making my move now."
/////////////////////////
Support me by adding this fic into your library!
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter