The butler led a few people into the courtyard.
Stunnan Sling was currently fast asleep, snoring loudly with a woman in each arm.
Click click—
The sound of a doorknob turning echoed.
Stunnan Sling groggily opened his eyes.
"Hmm?"
A figure holding a blade approached and slashed at him. Stunnan Sling snapped awake in a panic.
Without time to think, he flung his blanket up to block.
Then he grabbed a jacket and leapt out the window.
The moment he landed, he saw Kirei Yasen and his men waiting with axes on the ground—Damn it...
Kirei Yasen grinned viciously.
He stomped the ground and shot into the air.
Both hands gripped his axe as he brought it down toward Stunnan Sling.
Stunnan Sling saw the massive axe swing toward his neck, his expression turned grim.
He swung his arm forward, the air in front of him cracked softly.
The motion shifted his body backward as he activated Tekkai:
"Tekkai!"
Clang!
The huge axe sank into his fleshy belly first, then the sound of metal clashing echoed.
Kirei Yasen felt the force in his axe fading continuously.
Then came the sound of air splitting.
Stunnan Sling grabbed the giant axe and smashed his fist toward Yasen's head.
Boom—
Kirei Yasen raised his fist at some unknown moment, and the two collided.
Both men separated and landed.
At that moment, a figure dropped down from the upper floor.
Seeing the figure, Stunnan Sling's pupils shrank sharply.
"Damn it, what are you trying to do?"
"Megan."
The burly Marine soldier Megan gave a cold snort.
"Just cleaning out the parasites."
Stunnan Sling gritted his teeth.
"You're looking for death."
Megan sneered and charged with his blade.
Stunnan Sling moved with surprising agility for his size.
He used Geppo and launched himself into the sky.
As Megan charged toward him as well, Stunnan Sling's legs left a blur behind him.
"Rankyaku!"
Blue crescent blades flew wildly toward Megan.
Megan used Kami-e to dodge and quickly caught up to the fleeing Stunnan Sling.
He gripped his blade with both hands and slashed downward.
Clang!
Tekkai blocked it again.
But Stunnan Sling was sent flying like a cannonball into the ground.
From below, Kirei Yasen and several elite pirates charged in, axes raised.
Stunnan Sling braced with his hand as he slammed into the ground.
His body spun several times in a full circle.
"Rankyaku!"
A wave of circular Rankyaku attacks rippled outward like water.
Kirei Yasen raised his axe and shattered the attack in front of him with a single chop.
Stunnan Sling backed away several steps, dodging the deadly axe strikes aimed at his vitals.
He bent his knees slightly, preparing to leap into the sky.
Whoosh—
A Shigan flew past his scalp, leaving a trail of cold sweat.
He clenched his jaw and struck back hard, punching Kirei Yasen away while cautiously watching both opponents.
Megan, who had just lowered his hand from the Shigan, also frowned—he was getting impatient...
Stunnan Sling's right fist, which had just clashed with the massive axe, trembled violently.
A deep, bone-revealing wound gushed blood. He glanced toward Kirei Yasen's side.
"You're pirates, right?"
"How much did that guy pay you?"
"I'll pay ten times more."
"No—fifty times more."
"As long as you help me kill him."
"I'll even give each of you two girls as playthings."
"What do you say?"
Some of the nearby pirates looked tempted. Kirei Yasen's grin only grew more twisted.
"Fool."
"Even if I kill you, it's still mine."
With those words, Kirei Yasen and Megan charged at Stunnan Sling simultaneously.
The three clashed in a chaotic melee, their shadows weaving and colliding.
Gradually, Stunnan Sling began to notice something was off.
Boom—
After kicking Megan away with one foot—
Stunnan Sling suddenly snapped to attention and looked at Kirei Yasen.
"Wait!"
"That was Soru!"
"You're a Mar—!!"
Splurt splurt splurt—
A series of blade stabs pierced through flesh.
Megan, who had just been kicked away and landed near several elite pirates, suddenly erupted into action.
In a flash, his long sword cut down several men at the waist.
He flicked the blood from his blade and slowly walked toward Stunnan Sling.
Stunned, Stunnan Sling finally realized—
It was all a trap... a trap set just for him...
Damn it—who was behind this?!
Now only three people remained in the courtyard. The rest had already been dismissed by the butler.
The two slowly approached Stunnan Sling.
Suddenly, Kirei Yasen's expression twisted into something malicious.
His body began to squirm and transform.
Swish—
He completely changed into Stunnan Sling!
Seeing the terrified expression on the real Stunnan Sling's face—
This "Stunnan Sling" let out a mocking voice:
"Round two."
"Begin!"
...
Windbell Island, Marine Branch 65.
BZZT—BZZT—BZZT—
The emergency alarm blared loudly.
Gunfire and shouts of battle echoed throughout the base.
At some point, the pirates had broken inside.
The awoken soldiers panicked, grabbing weapons and firing back chaotically.
After leading the pirates into the base, four soldiers vanished without a trace.
In reality, they were hiding atop a rooftop, watching the battle unfold below.
Watching soldiers and pirates alike fall one after another, their fists clenched tightly.
They were the ones who had led them here...
They were nothing but trash...
Good-for-nothings...
They should've been wiped out sooner...
But now that it was happening, they couldn't stop the urge to jump in and help.
Yet the calmest of them all stopped them every time:
"For the plan."
"Jeram."
The youngest and most hotheaded among them, Jeram, took several deep breaths.
He shut his eyes, trying not to watch what was happening below.
But the endless sound of gunfire forced his eyes open again.
Finally, after seeing several Navy soldiers being torn apart by pirates—
He couldn't take it anymore.
Swish!
His figure vanished and reappeared on the battlefield.
Using Soru, he blinked through the chaos, his Shigan piercing through the throats of pirate after pirate.
The calm soldier looked toward the mountain in the distance and sighed.
"Let's move."
When familiar comrades die before your eyes—
No one can remain calm. Right or wrong, good or evil—it doesn't matter anymore.
But sacrifice is unavoidable.
This is a step that must be taken.
The plan—must not stop...
And similar plans were already underway—or being prepared—in Marine branches around the world...
Swish swish swish—
Three more figures streaked across the air, diving into the battlefield.
...
Dawn.
Most of the surviving soldiers collapsed where they stood.
Scattered groups of Marines gathered the corpses of their fallen friends.
The four soldiers from Headquarters had become heroes in everyone's eyes—but strangely, their leader was nowhere to be seen.
At some point, two long shadows appeared again at the gate of the branch.
The atmosphere instantly tensed.
But when they saw it was Branch Commander Stunnan Sling, the soldiers let out a collective sigh of relief.
Stunnan Sling and Megan were both heavily injured.
Megan carried Kirei Yasen's pale, lifeless head—he looked like he'd been dead for a long time... but no one paid much attention to the details.
Stunnan Sling's throat was a mess of blood and torn flesh as he leaned on Megan for support.
Just as they reached the gate, Stunnan Sling suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Before everyone's eyes, he lost all signs of life.
Megan slowly withdrew the hand he'd placed behind Stunnan Sling's back...
...
A few days later.
Following Stunnan Sling's recommendation before his death, and after a brief discussion among high-ranking officials—
Megan, the man who had decapitated the 21 million Belly bounty pirate "Kirei Yasen,"
He was appointed acting Base Commander of Marine Branch 65.
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fleet Admiral Kong glanced at the document and tossed it aside.
It was just a report from below.
For the smaller branch bases in the Four Seas, there was no need for him to make personal appointments—just a routine report was enough.
However...
How many branch attacks was this now?
Pirates were becoming bolder by the day...
...
Sakazuki's home, study room.
Knock knock knock—
"Come in."
Sakazuki's voice rang out.
Karol pushed open the door and entered.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, you've taken over another branch."