After a brief moment of shock, Denjiro took a deep breath to steady himself, then turned his gaze towards the figure who had been brimming with murderous intent just moments ago, intent on killing them all.
Yet upon hearing the arrival of the Fleet Admiral, this same figure had immediately turned and strode out the door, raising a hand in salute.
Just from Sakazuki's reaction alone, Denjiro couldn't even begin to fathom the sheer weight the Fleet Admiral carried in the hearts of the Marine officers!
Swallowing hard, Denjiro silently withdrew his gaze and scanned the hall.
Whether it was the Fleet Admiral's personal arrival or just Sakazuki's presence, he knew all too well that escape was impossible today.
Of course, this was also one of the reasons Sakazuki had decisively abandoned his final assault on them—because at this point, they were nothing more than trapped rats.
Breaking free from this encirclement was utterly hopeless.
Since escape was impossible, they might as well face it head-on.
This was also a chance to meet the legendary Fleet Admiral who had seized power through a coup.
With this thought, Denjiro took another deep breath, tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and steeled himself as he walked towards the door.
Hiyori didn't follow.
Instead, she took the opportunity to glance at Yamato, whose lips were still stained with traces of blood.
"The Fleet Admiral, huh?"
Before Hiyori could speak, an unusual glint flashed in Yamato's eyes.
Without hesitation, she hoisted her kanabo and strode toward the door as well.
Seeing this, Hiyori swallowed her words and chose to stay silent, following closely behind.
***
When the three stepped out of the temporary base's entrance, two imposing figures immediately came into view on the street.
On one of the roads outside the base stood two massive, otherworldly beasts—rare creatures from Wano known as komainu and baboons.
The Marines who had been riding the baboon had all dismounted, standing in disciplined rows along the street, saluting towards the komainu.
Standing atop the komainu, bathed in the glow of the setting sun was the young Fleet Admiral, draped in his signature coat.
The sight struck everyone present with an extreme visual impact.
Before the base's entrance, Marine officers stood in two neat rows, saluting with rigid posture, their respect for the Fleet Admiral unmistakable.
Their expressions brimmed with enthusiasm.
The overwhelming pressure of justice surged to its peak at this moment, stirring an almost instinctive urge in Yamato, Denjiro, and Hiyori to kneel in worship.
"Such overwhelming presence!"
"He truly lives up to his reputation!"
Suppressing the growing impulse to prostrate himself, Denjiro lifted his head to study the figure atop the komainu.
When his eyes finally settled on Orion's face, his pupils contracted sharply in shock.
"He is the Fleet Admiral?"
From the intelligence he had gathered, Denjiro had always assumed that Orion—the man who had seized the position of Fleet Admiral through a coup—would either be an aged powerhouse like Sengoku or Garp, or at least around the same age as Sakazuki and Borsalino, the two Marine Admirals.
Yet the Fleet Admiral before him appeared to be barely in his twenties—so young it was almost unbelievable.
A Fleet Admiral in his twenties? And Sakazuki, the Admiral who upheld Absolute Justice, had immediately abandoned his target upon his arrival!
The Fleet Admiral was actually this young?
Similarly, Hiyori and Yamato were also momentarily stunned, not expecting the Fleet Admiral to be so young.
"Fleet Admiral!"
"You're here!"
At that moment, excited and enthusiastic voices suddenly rang out, shattering the silence in front of the temporary base's gates.
Immediately after, Morgan led a group of Marine soldiers as they swiftly ran up to the komainu statue before saluting in unison towards the young Fleet Admiral standing atop its back.
Orion scanned his surroundings, noticing that many of the soldiers' uniforms were stained with blood, and some were even injured to varying degrees.
His brow furrowed slightly before he spoke.
"It seems something major happened in the Flower Capital? Wasn't Wano already secured? Why are there still wounded soldiers?"
"Haha, nothing too serious!" Morgan laughed heartily.
"Just a bunch of ronin stirring up trouble among the civilians. Don't worry, Fleet Admiral—everyone involved in the chaos has already been dealt with!"
Hearing this, Orion nodded. "Since the matter has been resolved, all of you should return to your camps and rest."
"Yes, sir!"
With a unified response, the assembled officers and soldiers turned and left the temporary base gates in an orderly fashion.
However, Morgan didn't follow them.
Instead, as soon as Orion landed on the ground, he strode up to walk beside him on the left, carrying his axe with a swagger that made him resemble a pirate version of an ancient warrior.
"Fleet Admiral Orion!"
When Orion reached the base gates, Sakazuki's eyes flickered with a trace of barely concealed confusion as he tentatively asked.
"Why have you suddenly appeared in Wano?"
"I set out three days ago." Orion smiled faintly before continuing.
"Made a detour to G-5 and Whole Cake Island. Otherwise, I would've arrived in Wano yesterday."
Just then, Morgan who's standing to Orion's left, suddenly took a step forward.
Using his height advantage, he fixed an intense gaze on Yamato, Denjiro, and Hiyori, who stood by the gates and shout.
"HEY!"
The sheer volume of Morgan's sudden outburst caught even Orion off guard, while Sakazuki nearly couldn't stop himself from throwing a punch.
Naturally, Yamato, Denjiro, and Hiyori were no exception—all three reflexively widened their eyes in surprise at Morgan!
Before anyone could react, Morgan immediately raised a hand and pointed at the trio, growling.
"You see the Fleet Admiral, yet you don't bow? Kneel!"
Hearing this, Sakazuki couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.
All that shouting just for this?
If not for Orion's presence, given his temper, he would've scolded Morgan on the spot.
The Fleet Admiral is here, and an Admiral stands beside him—
What right does a mere captain have to steal the spotlight like this?
Utterly lacking in discipline!
Before Denjiro and Hiyori could respond, Yamato stepped forward, her gaze locking onto Orion as an overwhelming surge of fighting spirit erupted from her.
With fearless dominance, she declared.
"So you're the Fleet Admiral? Let's fight. If you lose, you and your Marines will leave this place at—"
Before she could finish the word "once," Yamato's pupils abruptly constricted.
The next instant—
A dazzling, golden Conqueror's Haki silently bloomed.
In an instant, she, along with Hiyori and Denjiro, were enveloped.
With a thud, Yamato—who had been exuding an imposing aura just a second ago—found herself involuntarily dropping to her knees before Orion.
Immediately after, Denjiro and Hiyori also wore expressions of terror as they too, were forced to their knees under the overwhelming pressure of Conqueror's Haki, kneeling behind Yamato.
"How is this possible?!"
The moment they knelt, Denjiro and Yamato simultaneously looked up in shock at the Fleet Admiral, whose mere gaze had brought them to their knees.
An unprecedented fear surged within them.
"Since Captain Morgan ordered you to kneel, you'll stay kneeling."
Orion who had subdued the three with his Conqueror's Haki, stepped forward with a gentle smile, stopping before Yamato.
Casually, he reached out and seized the kanabo in her grip.
BANG!
With a deafening crack, the weapon shattered into fragments the moment Orion grasped it, scattering across the ground.
"!!!!"
Stunned that Orion had crushed her weapon so effortlessly, Yamato's pupils constricted in shock.
Furious, she tried to rise, but the oppressive weight of Conqueror's Haki kept her pinned.
Realizing she couldn't break free, Yamato's eyes trembled as she stared at the shattered remains of her kanabo.
The confidence she had built over years of challenging Kaido crumbled in an instant.
After destroying Yamato's weapon, Orion turned to Kozuki Hiyori, his gaze settling on the sword at her waist.
Under Hiyori's terrified stare, Orion casually reached out and seized the black blade, lifting it for inspection.
"One of the 21 Great Grade Swords—Enma, the former blade of Kozuki Oden!"
Without another word, he tossed Enma to Gion, who stood quietly at his right.
Then, he glanced at Sakazuki.
"I'll handle these three personally. Draft a Sword Ban immediately."
"From today onward, Wano will enforce a complete prohibition on swords!"
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