After all, in their eyes, if it hadn't been for Uchiha Madara—acting under Kronos' orders—Marine would have surely taken down the world's strongest man!
In a way, wasn't all of this thanks to Kronos?
Yet there was one crucial detail they subconsciously ignored: it wasn't Marine who defeated the Whitebeard Pirates—it was Kronos.
Taking a step further, if Kronos hadn't intervened during the battle at Honeycomb Island, the main force of Whitebeard's side would have already been annihilated. In that case, Marine wouldn't even have the right or strength to pursue them now!
Meanwhile.
On the flagship, no one noticed as Whitebeard, resting in his cabin, opened his eyes for just a fleeting moment. Soon, however, he closed them again, sinking back into his weary slumber.
At the same time—on Honeycomb Island.
Thanks to Nagato's (Pain's) ninjutsu, Kronos and his crew could observe everything happening on the distant battlefield. Even the words exchanged there could be heard clearly.
"Tch… that Uchiha Madara really got lucky this time."
Senju Hashirama let out a helpless sigh.
"I don't care. I'll just follow the captain. There'll be plenty of chances to fight later. I'm not in a rush to make a move now."
Gojo Satoru yawned lazily, clearly indifferent to the situation.
Albedo, however, seemed deep in thought. After a while, she could no longer hold back her curiosity and voiced the question weighing on her mind.
"Captain Kronos… why did you insist on letting Marco and the others escape with Whitebeard?
If we just let Marine finish Whitebeard off, then dealt with Marine afterward, wouldn't it have been easy to clean up both sides?"
Not only Albedo, but the rest of the Kamui Pirates also wanted to know why Kronos had made such a baffling decision.
Perhaps even Marine—and Marco's group themselves—were eager to know the reason!
Kronos only smiled mysteriously.
"Didn't I already say it? I won't strike at Whitebeard yet, because he still has value. It's not the right time."
"Don't worry. One day, I will take down Whitebeard… but that day is not today."
"His life must continue—for now."
Albedo and the others exchanged looks, each seeing the same uneasy strangeness in the other's eyes.
Though they couldn't put their finger on it, somehow, after hearing Kronos speak, his reasoning felt… convincing.
Maybe it was because they had long since grown used to it—used to the fact that whatever Kronos said, no matter how strange, would eventually make sense.
Seeing their puzzled faces, Kronos chuckled softly.
"Keep your eyes open. Something very interesting might happen in the future."
At that moment, Bang Gu (Silver Fang) suddenly laughed.
"Why don't we make a bet? Who do you think will win in the end—Uchiha Madara, or that Marine called Akainu?"
Though he often fought against Madara with trickery, Hashirama spoke up without hesitation, his expression filled with confidence.
"Don't worry. Uchiha Madara will definitely win this battle."
"I know his strength better than almost anyone here. After all, I've fought him hundreds of times!"
"Killing Akainu may be impossible for most people…"
Hashirama paused deliberately, a grin spreading across his face.
"…but for Uchiha Madara, it's nothing more than child's play."
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