"Everyone, retreat."
The arsenal explosion was so powerful that the Navy's ordinary soldiers suffered heavy losses. Seeing this, Sengoku immediately ordered the regular soldiers to withdraw. At the same time, he repeatedly used Soru to rapidly reach the scene. In the next moment, golden light rose over Marine Headquarters as Sengoku transformed into a gigantic golden Buddha.
As shockwaves continuously erupted from the Buddha's palms, the flames caused by the explosion were suppressed. What could have caused even greater destruction was confined by him to a single area.
Meanwhile, Admiral Kizaru on the other side had also brought the flames in the supply warehouse under control. The Marines then began salvaging the supplies inside. Although it was already too late, recovering even a little was better than nothing. Losing the arsenal merely meant they could no longer use weapons such as guns and cannons, but losing the supply warehouse meant going hungry.
Splat.
Just as Sengoku released his transformation after containing the arsenal explosion, a black longsword pierced through his chest. This sudden development left the nearby Marines stunned. Sengoku himself reacted swiftly, ignoring the intense pain as he lunged forward to pull himself free from the blade, then turned and threw a punch.
Clang.
A deafening crash and a powerful shockwave erupted where fist and sword collided. Only then did Sengoku clearly see who had ambushed him: a Marine wearing a fox mask.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
The surrounding Marines finally snapped out of it and immediately charged the assassin with all kinds of weapons in hand. For someone to disguise himself as a Marine and ambush the Fleet Admiral at Marine Headquarters was an utter humiliation for the Navy.
"All of you, stand down!"
Seeing the Marines charging the assassin, Sengoku suddenly shouted in alarm. At the same time,