If this had been said just half an hour ago, no one would have believed it.
But after what happened just now—if they still refused to believe, they'd be lying to themselves. The truth had unfolded before their very eyes. How could they deny it?
"Impossible! How could Admiral Akainu's magma be suppressed by someone else's flames?"
Vice Admiral Huoshaoshan, one of Akainu's closest men, was completely stunned. He never imagined such a thing could happen.
"Are we dreaming…?"
Another Vice Admiral rubbed his eyes wide, almost wishing this was just some kind of nightmare.
But Akainu himself could not remain calm.
For the first time, he had encountered such a troublesome opponent!
"Akainu," Uchiha Madara's voice echoed coldly.
"Have you thought about what your last words will be?"
Then, as if remembering something amusing, the corner of Madara's mouth curved into a mocking smile.
"I heard you're aiming to become the next Fleet Admiral? Perfect. I'll take care of the future Marine Marshal right here and now."
Those words were like oil on fire.
Anyone could see that Akainu was already furious, and yet Uchiha Madara deliberately provoked him even further. It was as if Madara was forcing Akainu into a berserk rage!
"Uchiha Madara—you die here today!"
Enraged beyond reason, Akainu charged straight at Madara with killing intent.
"Haha… You're mistaken." Madara smirked, calm and confident even as their powers clashed. "That's my line."
The two titans collided again, shaking the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the other Marine Vice Admirals finally snapped back to their senses. They realized they couldn't just stand by—they needed to chase after the fleeing Whitebeard Pirates.
Otherwise, it would really be too late.
But reality soon proved that without Akainu, the Marines could do little to threaten Marco and the others.
Each Vice Admiral had unique abilities and was far from weak. But Marco—the Phoenix—was an emperor-level powerhouse. To think he would be afraid of a few Vice Admirals was laughable.
He might not be able to defeat Akainu head-on, but dealing with Vice Admirals? That was child's play.
"Just the likes of you… and you dare to think you can stop us?"
Marco sneered, his tone filled with contempt. Without hesitation, he and the other division commanders launched a counterattack.
And facts proved Marco's judgment right.
Within half an hour, the Marines who had been pressing the offensive were now completely on the defensive. Suppressed by the furious Marco and the captains, their advantage had flipped.
Marco alone was enough to hold back the Vice Admirals. The other captains didn't even need to step in too much.
The Vice Admirals were miserable!
Moments ago, they had the upper hand. Victory was within reach.
But then—the Kamui Pirates had interfered and ruined everything.
If not for that, Marco and the remnants of Whitebeard's crew would have been finished long ago.
"Damn Kronos! That man deserves death! Why does he always stand against us Marines?" Huoshaoshan cursed through clenched teeth.
"I don't get it either," another Vice Admiral spat. "What is his purpose? What is he even after?"
"If this keeps up, we won't just fail to capture Whitebeard's crew—we'll end up the ones disgraced! If that happens, we'll be the laughingstock of the entire world!"
Compared to the Whitebeard Pirates, Huoshaoshan found himself hating Kronos even more. The kind of hate that burned to the bone.
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