In the next moment, Akainu's eyes sharpened like a hawk, locking straight onto Ryuen, who was clearly enjoying his misfortune.
"Are you involved in this?" Akainu asked in a cold, heavy voice, staring straight at Ryuen.
"Oh come on, Fleet Admiral Akainu, don't blame the wrong guy!" Ryuen said with an innocent look on his face. "I just feel a little happy seeing our great Fleet Admiral getting put in his place, that's all."
He put extra emphasis on the words "Fleet Admiral."
Akainu, of course, picked up on the mockery in Ryuen's tone. His expression instantly turned a mix of dark colors, like an angry chameleon.
Ryuen didn't admit anything, but Akainu still felt like he had something to do with it.
Kuzan was smart, sure, but there was no record of him ever knowing anyone strong enough to match an Admiral. And this person they just fought—Marine had never even heard of them before.
The only explanation was that Kuzan met him recently.
But even now, Marine's intel system had found nothing about it.
Which meant Kuzan had help.
"Sakazuki, we should get going," Kizaru said at the right moment. "The front half of the New World is unstable right now. It's better to settle the Admiral situation quickly."
Hearing Kizaru's words brought Akainu back to focus. Marine really did need to pick their next Admiral soon.
He also wanted to see just how strong the man Kuzan brought back was. Even though his idea of justice clashed with Kuzan's, they were still on the same side in the end.
If the man was strong enough, Akainu wouldn't object.
By now, the huge waves caused by the shockwave had calmed down. Nami opened a portal on the deck of the warship, and the Marines began coming out one after another.
They kept repeating how lucky they were to be saved.
Akainu looked at the sorry state they were in, and his face turned so dark it was like the bottom of a burned pot.
Once they returned to Marine HQ, he was definitely going to replace this whole group of Marines.
"Akainu, we'll let you off this time, but only this time," Ryuen said coldly. "The sea may still need the Marines, but it doesn't need you, Akainu."
Akainu didn't show any reaction to Ryuen's words, but he could clearly feel the killing intent from Ryuen and the entire Dream Exploration Group.
Even Kizaru, standing next to him, started looking serious.
At last, Akainu gave Ryuen a long, deep stare, then turned and jumped back onto the warship.
The Marines saw him return and immediately knew it was time to leave. They dropped the sails and quickly set sail, slowly pulling away from Punk Hazard.
Kizaru didn't leave right away. Instead, he walked toward Ryuen.
The rest of the Dream Exploration Group also gathered around Ryuen.
Kizaru stopped when he was about ten meters away, then said, "Sengoku asked me to pass on a message. You guys need to deal with the orphanage situation as soon as you can.
After all, Sengoku is no longer the Fleet Admiral. His influence in the World Government is fading fast, and both he and Vice Admiral Garp are getting old.
So…
At most, they can only hold off the World Government for one more year."
As Kizaru spoke, his tone was unusually serious. It wasn't just because Sengoku and Garp were aging—it was also because the World Government had new top-tier fighters now.
And those fighters were a lot more obedient.
The Dream Group looked a bit surprised after hearing that, but only a little. They had already started building a new Sky Island.
Once the new island was finished, the orphanage would be moved into the sky right away.
"One year, huh…" Ryuen thought for a moment, then looked at Kizaru. "Tell Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp that we're fully prepared. They don't need to worry."
Kizaru said nothing more. He turned into light and shot away like a meteor, quickly leaving Punk Hazard.
Just like Ryuen said, he had been ridiculously busy lately. Working overtime had become normal. The worst part? His pay hadn't gone up at all!
"What was with his face at the end?" Hogg asked. He had noticed something strange in Kizaru's expression before he left.
"Yeah, that was kind of weird~" Anya added, also curious.
But no one answered.
Ryuen was still thinking about something.
Kizaru said they had one year—why one year, exactly? That was something Ryuen wanted to figure out.
"Oh right."
"Nami, did you take care of what we talked about earlier?" Ryuen turned to Nami, remembering what he told her before the fight with Akainu.
"Don't worry, I handled it!"
"They won't be making it back to Marine HQ. Whether they survive or not... that depends on their luck now." Nami's tone was cold by the end.
Sugar and Reina started giggling beside her.
"Nami, what did you guys do that was so fun?" Robin asked, curious.
"I'll tell you!"
"Robin-sis, we broke the power system on the warship, and we also planted a time bomb on it! Nami-sis said we couldn't let that ship make it back to HQ!" Reina shouted excitedly, jumping to answer first.
Ryuen, Nami, and Sugar all had mischievous smiles on their faces.
The others were completely shocked.
Then, everyone burst into laughter.
"Alright, the fight's over—so can we get back to partying now?" Daisy stepped in with her hands on her hips, looking around at everyone.
"That's right!"
"Party time!"
"Hahaha, let's keep the party going!"
Nami quickly unpacked all the supplies from the camp, Anya rushed into the kitchen to start cooking, and the others got busy setting things up for the party.
Before long, a joyful celebration was underway along the coast of Punk Hazard!
On the way back to Marine HQ, Akainu stood at the front of the ship as usual.
But—
Unlike when they first came, with confidence all over his face, Akainu now looked extremely serious. His aura was so heavy that none of the Marines dared get close to him.
*Boom!*
A sudden loud explosion!
The huge warship split in half right down the middle in an instant!
"Ahhh!"
"What happened?!"
"Help!"
"Why did the ship blow up?! Did the ammo storage catch fire?!"
"Everyone, grab something that floats!"
*Glug glug~~*
"Help us!"
...
After the ship exploded, seawater quickly rushed into the ship's interior, causing it to sink fast.
Ten minutes later—
The warship was completely gone. Akainu was standing on a piece of floating wood, face dark and stormy.
The Marines still alive were floating in the sea, looking totally lost. They might have survived the blast, but this was the New World—they weren't safe yet.
Akainu immediately ordered someone to contact HQ.
Without a ship, they might all end up as fish food, including him!
"Ryuen!!!"
Akainu was burning with anger.
He was sure this had to be the work of the Dream Exploration Group!
```
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman