Chapter 264: Reiner: It's Me Who's Surrounding You!
Finally, Chopper and Brook were matched against the seventh division commander, Rakuyo, and the fifteenth division commander, Fossa, respectively.
Reiner had a slight impression of Rakuyo, a man with yellow dreadlocks like a lion's mane, holding a flail. During the Summit War, after Luffy had broken Ace out from the execution platform and was breaking through the encirclement, it was he and Izo who had led men to receive them.
The other, Fossa, was a tall, burly man. A cigar was held in his mouth, and the longsword on his shoulder was burning with raging flames.
Reiner didn't have a deep impression of many of the commanders. Judging from their performance in the Summit War, they basically all had strength comparable to a relatively strong Marine Vice Admiral.
Compared to the Big Mom and Beasts Pirates, Marco, Jozu, and Vista were on par with the Sweet Commanders or the All-Stars in terms of combat power, and the three before him were only stronger, not weaker.
The other commanders' strengths were relatively balanced, all at the level of the Tobi Roppo. Now, with the reinforcement of Jinbe and Yamato, in terms of the overall strength of the crew members, the Whitebeard Pirates were indeed the strongest team.
After all, there were also more than forty affiliated pirate crews forming a fifty-thousand-strong grand fleet. Many of the captains among them were well-known pirates in the New World: Little Oars Jr., Doma the Knight, Makugai the Thunder Lord, the Great Maelstrom Spider...
Uh, is the Great Maelstrom Spider still alive?
Reiner suddenly remembered something and paused.
Back then, in the town behind the plaza, after he had knocked that great filial son out, he had casually tossed him into a house. He didn't know if the other had successfully retreated later.
Oh well, who cares.
Reiner scanned the area. Battles had started in various locations on the island. Besides the clash between Usopp and Izo, the others' fights were not as intense for the time being; they were all still testing each other.
"I'll leave Ace to you, Luffy. Since it's a duel between you brothers, we won't interfere if you lose. But if you win..."
Reiner leisurely walked up two steps, met his gaze, and said with a light laugh, "We'll be the new Sea Emperors. What do you think? Are you confident?"
To the New World, they were still a group of newcomers.
It wasn't difficult to make a name for themselves, but to ascend to the throne of a Sea Emperor, it wasn't enough for just the crew to be strong; the captain also needed to be recognized by this sea.
Unless you were like Buggy, who had two Emperor-level foster fathers, and whose own strength was entirely imagined by the enemy.
Luffy's lips curled up as he faced him sideways, pressing down on the hat on his head. "Don't worry. I'll win."
"Ah, you're quite confident," Reiner couldn't help but feel a little curious.
The current Luffy had already mastered all the usage techniques of Haki. Even against Kaido, he could exchange a few blows. The only thing missing was Nika. Could it be...
Reiner tentatively asked, "Luffy, has your fruit awakened?"
"Huh?" Luffy was suddenly stunned. "Awakened?"
"Ahem, never mind. We'll talk about it next time."
Seeing his expression, Reiner silently withdrew his gaze. It was normal not to be awakened.
The development of a Zoan-type fruit was nothing more than making oneself more and more inclined towards that creature. But the so-called Sun God was not a real sun god, but a symbol of freedom and liberation.
In the original story, it was the will to liberate Wano Country that stimulated Nika's awakening in battle. This kind of thing couldn't be replicated through training.
Reiner had never mentioned the matter of fruit awakening to Luffy either. This thing was too abstract. He was afraid that mentioning it deliberately would be counterproductive.
He looked back at Ace on the other side. Flames, as if alive, coiled around his body, containing a destructive aura that could burn everything to ashes.
Will he really win...
Reiner shook his head and sighed with a laugh.
He had clearly grown to be on par with Jinbe in just one year after setting out to sea, yet his strength had stagnated after joining the Whitebeard Pirates.
When Ace was determined to put Whitebeard on the throne of the Pirate King, his ambition had actually greatly diminished.
And in this world, ambition greatly affects strength. Whitebeard was both the father who had untied the final knot in his heart and the shackles that invisibly suppressed him.
Now that Ace had been reborn from the ashes, what height he had reached could only be known after a fight.
Reiner stepped on the railing and leaped out. "Let's go, Apis."
"—Hiss."
The black long snake behind him flicked its forked tongue, then bent its body to gather power and shot towards the sea surface like an arrow. Reiner landed on it and sped towards the coast as if surfing.
At this moment, far from Raijin Island.
A slowly approaching warship was observing the situation on the island from afar. A soldier jumped down from the crow's nest and rushed into the ship's cabin.
Bang!
"Reporting, Boss Smoker!"
The door was roughly opened. The form of address was also a bit strange, as if this were not a Marine unit but a group of bandits.
Smoker, sitting on the sofa, didn't say anything. He was long accustomed to the behavior of this group of G-5 thugs. He held two cigars in his mouth and said impatiently:
"Spit it out if you have something to say."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier still saluted, then came forward and said with a loud laugh:
"You're too amazing, Boss Smoker! The Straw Hat crew really came to Raijin Island as you guessed! They seem to be about to fight the Whitebeard Pirates now."
"The Whitebeard Pirates?"
Smoker frowned. He wasn't surprised that the Straw Hat crew would choose Raijin Island.
The chaotic magnetic field here always tended to attract brainless idiots to explore. After learning that Luffy had entered the New World, he had immediately dispatched troops to wait here to intercept him.
And the facts proved him right. Luffy really didn't have much of a brain.
But why were the Whitebeard Pirates here?
"Boss, should we wait for them to fight until both sides are exhausted before we make a move? Taking down the Whitebeard Pirates would be a super, super great merit, boss."
The stubbled soldier laughed somewhat sleazily.
Smoker didn't even want to look at him. "Take down the Whitebeard Pirates? With you?"
The other was a Sea Emperor. Although Smoker didn't care about the rule of not being able to start a war without permission—he was famous for not following orders, and no one would blame him for catching pirates—
...but being unable to win was another matter. If there was a real chance to take down a Sea Emperor, he certainly wouldn't miss it.
"Observe the situation for now. Send the news back and have headquarters be ready for support at any time."
Smoker stood up and said lightly, walking towards the door, his thoughts rising with the swirling smoke.
Headquarters was at the entrance to the New World, not very far from here.
If the battle really fell into a stalemate and lasted for several days and nights, it wasn't impossible to take down both crews by taking advantage of the opportunity.
But with just the Straw Hat crew, could they force the Whitebeard Pirates into such a situation?
No. The others are hard to say, but with that man there, perhaps it's really possible.
Thump—Thump—Thump.
Smoker walked out onto the deck and stood still, his grave gaze crossing the distant sea and landing on a blond man.
"Black Snake Reiner..."
During the Summit War, with just the ability to summon undead, he had the power to command the battlefield. Now, two years had passed. Even if the other had made no progress, he absolutely could not be underestimated in the slightest.
Smoker lowered his head and clenched his fists, his expression heavy.
If I were to face him now, would I have a chance of winning?
"Lord Smoker, should we move closer?"
A girl with her long hair tied up in the back, a "Justice" cloak over her shoulders, and an exquisite longsword at her waist walked out.
Tashigi came up behind Smoker, her posture straight, her movements crisp and clean.
Now, she had also shed some of her immaturity and had grown into a heroic female officer. Although she was a woman, no one on the ship dared to look down on her.
After experiencing repeated setbacks, Smoker had not been in a hurry to capture pirates everywhere these past two years. Instead, he had retired to a secondary role and followed Garp, who had a lot of free time, to train diligently.
His strength was already worlds apart from back then. It wasn't until half a year ago, when it became difficult to grow stronger through training, that he graduated and entered the New World.
During this period, Tashigi had also continuously improved her swordsmanship under Bogard's guidance. Now, she was assisting Smoker in taking over the G-5 base.
Having repeatedly achieved outstanding merit in battle, she had already been promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. If Smoker hadn't been nominated for the Admiral candidate list two months ago, she would probably have been transferred to lead her own team.
"No need to get too close. Ace and Straw Hat are brothers. They probably won't fight to the death. It would be troublesome if their spearhead is turned on us," Smoker said calmly.
"Send out a few more small boats to monitor the battlefield on the other side of the island. Record the Straw Hat crew's battle as much as possible. If there's no opportunity here, then forget it. The Straw Hat crew's next target will probably be that country."
"That place... I understand."
Tashigi nodded in response. The country Smoker was talking about was Dressrosa, where they were originally going.
Not only them, but the plan formulated by headquarters might also include two Admirals leading a large number of headquarters elites.
If the recently circulated news was true, the Marines might very well go to war with the Beasts Pirates soon.
With such a lively event, if the Straw Hat crew heard any rumors, they would definitely go.
"Someone! Dispatch six speedboats to circle around to the other three directions to monitor the movements on the island!"
"Coming, sister Tashigi!"
Tashigi waved and called over a group of informal soldiers, beginning to assign them tasks one by one.
On the other side, on Raijin Island.
"Yo, long time no see, Reiner-bro."
Blue and yellow flames covered half of Marco's face. He hovered in mid-air, his arms transformed into wings, a slight curve on his lips. "It's been two years. Your aura is a bit astonishing."
"Can't compare to you guys. This formation is really exaggerated."
On the ground, Reiner chuckled, his hands crossed in front of his chest. He stood straight on the coiled Apis, his gaze sweeping over the area.
With Marco at the head, ten commanders, each holding their weapons, surrounded him, their eyes burning, almost unable to hold back their desire to come up and test their skills.
This was the way of the Whitebeard crew. Whether friend or foe, they always had to fight first when they met.
"Since you boasted you would fight all of us, don't blame us for ganging up on you."
The sixth division commander, the fish-man Namur, grinned. "Want me to give you a chance to fight Marco one-on-one? As long as you apologize for your arrogant words just now, we won't interfere in your duel. How about it?"
"Stop being so full of yourselves, you stinky salted fish. All of you, come at me together. If a single one of you can get close to me, I'll apologize," Reiner sneered contemptuously.
The moment these words were spoken, several commanders immediately couldn't hold back.
"This guy is really infuriating!"
"Don't be so arrogant, you bastard!"
"Don't think we'll hold back just because you're Ace's brother's companion! Today, we'll let you see what the New World is all about!"
Namur and the others had ferocious expressions as they charged up with their cannons and longswords!
"Hey, hey, hey! Be careful, you guys! Have you forgotten this guy's ability!"
"These idiots are too easily provoked," Marco held his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.
As expected, the moment his words fell, countless void rifts opened out of thin air in the surrounding space, and one by one, undead figures stepped out, exuding a cold aura.
Surround me? Not happening, bro.
Sukuna, the War Ogre, Frieren, and other powerful undead appeared one after another.
"Two years have passed. It seems the world has forgotten how I got to where I am today."
Reiner bared his large white teeth. A massive purple poison dragon soared up from behind him, its ferocious dragon head diving down!
"Now, you're the ones being surrounded by me, you idiots!"
(End of chapter)
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