Chapter 4: The Eternal Pose
"This... this is impossible!!!"
Olek stared blankly at the dissipating aura of the Rankyaku on Mahoraga's arm, cold sweat sliding down his temples.
A gentle sea breeze blew past, but a biting chill rushed from his spine straight to the top of his head.
However.
Before he could even adjust his posture, Mahoraga had flashed before him like a phantom.
A giant, pale palm seized his face with lightning speed.
Carrying him like a cannonball, it crashed straight down onto the deck!
Boom—!
Wood chips flew as Olek was violently smashed into the shattered planks.
To avoid the opponent seeing through the mechanism, and also to prevent the opponent from being too afraid to attack when facing Mahoraga.
According to Marubu's instructions, Mahoraga would not use the opponent's moves to counterattack in front of them.
"Monster! Go to hell!"
Severe pain spread from his head throughout his body. Olek felt as if his entire face was being crushed by immense force.
He struggled frantically in the crater, his Shigan raining down like raindrops on the monster pinning him down.
Flowers of blood bloomed on the white body, fresh blood dripping like a rainstorm.
However, this time.
Against the light, on Mahoraga's gloomy face, a terrifying smile slowly spread.
"Who... exactly are you!!??"
Through the gaps in Mahoraga's fingers, just as Olek let out his final roar, his head exploded like a watermelon dropped from the seventh floor.
As his consciousness dissipated.
A low, hoarse voice was slowly spat out from the throat of the white Demon God.
"Ma... ho... ra... ga..."
...
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
"Olek!!!"
Cyborg Kong slammed the table, his gaze locked deadly onto the surveillance screen. "Damn it! It's over!!!"
On the screen, the white demonic shadow flickered like a ghost. Wherever it passed, Marine soldiers fell one after another or were directly thrown into the surging sea.
The deck suddenly appeared unusually empty.
The Marines were utterly defeated!
At this moment, two figures appeared on the deck, one after the other.
Kaido, with horns on his head, looked around, his face full of shock and delight. "Hahahaha, Mahoraga, beautiful work! The rats have been cleared out!"
Marubu looked indifferent, as if he had known the result long ago.
Mahoraga quietly came to his side, nodded, and stood firm, like the most loyal guard.
"Good job!"
The next second, darkness spread out, obscuring the Den Den Mushi's field of view.
Cyborg Kong's brows were tightly locked, staring at the blackened screen for a long time. "Mahoraga...? Is that really Marubu Namoto's ability?"
After a long while, he squeezed a whisper full of unwillingness through his teeth: "The escort mission issued by the 'Room of Authority' in Mary Geoise has completely failed."
Tsuru gently placed a stack of documents on the table, her tone grave: "Marubu Namoto once proposed tactical ideas in the Vodka Kingdom army that transcended the era. With his outstanding wisdom, he was called the 'Strongest General.' That existence named 'Mahoraga,' I guess, is his ability. This is also its first appearance before the world."
"The Vodka military shouldn't know about this." Sengoku took over the conversation, turning his gaze to Cyborg Kong. "But I don't understand, what is Marubu's motive for hiding his strength? Why didn't he resist in the Vodka Kingdom and insisted on waiting until he was on the warship to act... What do we do now? Organize a pursuit immediately, or issue a bounty?"
"What else can we do..."
Tsuru leaned back on the sofa with a disappointed look, looking up at the ceiling. "Based on the voyage calculations, that warship is currently in the Walter Sea. There are no Marine bases nearby, nor any troops executing missions there. It will take at least a day for reinforcements to arrive. It's too late."
"Even Olek was defeated by these two brats!"
Cyborg Kong hammered the table, closing his eyes to endure. "One day, they will become a huge threat to the Marines! They must be eliminated as soon as possible!"
Garp clenched his fists, knuckles cracking, and strode out of the office.
Two sentences of complaint drifted back.
"This sea never lacks monsters. Charlotte Linlin is one, and so are Marubu and Kaido."
"Those bastards, why provoke them for no reason!"
...
Inside the warship's cafeteria, it appeared exceptionally empty due to the elimination of the vast majority of the Marines.
It was lunchtime.
The table was covered with a sumptuous feast originally prepared for dozens of people.
"Delicious! So delicious! This stuff is too delicious!"
Kaido grabbed large chunks of juicy roast meat, stuffing them frantically into his mouth, his cheeks bulging into two round balls. "Brother, the food in the Navy is way better than the Vodka Army!!!"
"Slow down, no one is fighting you for it." Marubu remained calm.
Kaido continued to evaluate: "This is the first time I've eaten something so delicious. Brother, going out to sea is good!"
Marubu took a sip of orange juice. Beside him, Mahoraga remained like a silent statue.
The gains from this battle far exceeded his expectations.
In the battle with Olek, Mahoraga adapted to Armament Haki, Soru, Shigan, and Rankyaku.
Among them, he not only perfectly analyzed "Shigan" but also upgraded it to "Flying Shigan" on that basis!
And "Rankyaku" was deduced into the more powerful "Spiral Blade Cannon"!
"Flying Shigan" shoots Armament Haki condensed at the fingertips like bullets, perfecting the attack method and increasing the attack range.
"Spiral Blade Cannon" compresses and releases the slash of Rankyaku, forming an energy mass with dual effects of strangulation and explosion within a certain range of the toes.
Marubu was in a good mood.
He couldn't help but praise in his heart: "Mahoraga is awesome!"
At this time.
Kaido had swept the table clean of food, sucking his fingers unsatisfied and spitting out a few pieces of bone.
"Brother, why did you keep those few Marines? Why not kill them all? These rats are an eyesore!"
The six Marine soldiers standing behind him immediately turned pale.
"What are you standing there for! Come here and polish my shoes!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
As novices sailing for the first time, Marubu and Kaido neither understood navigation nor knew how to operate a warship.
On this unpredictable Grand Line, those lacking experience were destined to pay a price.
To be safe, they simply kept a few sailors and chefs.
Anyway, after using them, they could just be thrown into the sea.
After a full meal.
Marubu curled his finger, calling the few people over, and asked in a deep voice, "When leaving the Vodka Kingdom, the army should have given you a few boxes of treasure."
Mentioning this, Kaido immediately cursed loudly: "Those parasites!!!"
Because of poverty, the Vodka Kingdom could not pay the "Heavenly Tribute" and could not become a member nation of the World Government, thus losing basic human rights.
To raise funds, the kingdom fought wars year after year. However, the wealth exchanged for the soldiers' blood was pocketed by high-ranking military officials and eventually became chips to bribe the Marines.
Even more ironic was that the ones receiving these treasures were small fry responsible for escorting the Vodka Kingdom's "War Heroes"!
A Marine soldier answered tremblingly, "It's all... all in the command room..."
"Lead the way." Marubu ordered briefly.
Inside the command room, several treasure chests were neatly stacked in the corner. The moment the lids were opened, golden light flowed out, filling the entire room.
Worth about two hundred million Berries.
And on Vice Admiral Olek's desk, there was a lunch that had long gone cold, and a long sword of decent quality resting quietly on the sword rack. That was a trophy Kaido had seized from an enemy general months ago, which was also bribed to the Marines by the military.
However, what was more eye-catching were the few Eternal Poses placed under the sword rack.
Marubu picked up two of them, his pupils shrinking slightly:
"This is..."
"Wano Country's waters, Kuriti Island..."
His gaze fell on another Pose, softly reading the inscription on it:
"Sleepy Ancient Town...?"