Everyone Understands

Gentle Fist: Empty Palm!

A technique created by Morito based on the principle of Shigan, capable of striking enemies with chakra from a distance with undiminished power.

With distance came the opportunity to dodge, introducing uncertainty in accuracy and lethality.

Fortunately, the Vulture was unaware of Morito's abilities and was not on guard.

One strike landed.

The Vulture froze in place as if his system had crashed, his pupils relaxed, and his eye color gradually lost its luster.

Life extinguished, he grew cold.

After dispatching the Vulture, Morito's attack was not yet over.

He then kicked the Vulture in the chest, sending him flying towards the frozen, dilapidated pirate ship.

Crack!

The Vulture's corpse landed directly on the ice sculptures of the Rossi brothers.

Frozen from the outside in by Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit, the two were fragile and easily shattered. The violent impact instantly reduced them to a pile of ice shards.

"The bodies are just ice shards now, they shouldn't be able to determine the cause of death, right?"

Morito muttered to himself.

Kuzan now clearly understood the deaths of the Rossi brothers. With the loose ends tied up, he no longer worried about future trouble.

He had merely accidentally destroyed two frozen corpses.

Morito turned and walked towards Kuzan, squatting beside him and reaching out to pat his face.

Most of the attention from both the Marines and the Vulture Pirates was focused on the main battlefield on the glacier.

The Vulture suddenly soaring into the air, as if thrown onto the broken ship, was seen by the vast majority.

However, after a long while, the Vulture did not flap its wings and fly out again.

The answer was obvious: the Vulture had lost. He was either dead or unconscious.

The commotion on the main battlefield subsided, and the sounds from the secondary battlefield around the warships also disappeared.

Silence, a deathly silence.

The scene on the warships seemed frozen, everyone stunned in place, even forgetting to deliver the final blow to their opponents.

"What's going on? Wasn't the Vulture boss gaining the upper hand just now?"

"Did something happen to the Vulture boss?"

"Don't guess wildly! Our Vulture Pirates are one of Golden Lion boss's main fleets. Don't you know the Vulture boss's strength?"

"Then why hasn't the Vulture boss appeared yet?"

As soon as this was said, the pirates of the Vulture Pirates looked at each other. This question voiced their inner thoughts.

If he wasn't unconscious or dead, why was the Vulture boss motionless after crashing into that broken ship?

The Vulture Pirates' vice-captain was not weak and was proficient in Observation Haki.

After sensing multiple times, he still couldn't detect any trace of the Vulture.

Is he really dead?

Only the dead could not be sensed at all.

The air suddenly became heavy.

With the Vulture dead, they stood no chance against the Marines.

After a brief silence, the Vulture Pirates' vice-captain swung his great saber, forcefully repelling Momonga and Kazan, who had joined forces.

"Retreat!"

With the Vulture dead, further fighting was pointless.

The Vulture Pirates arrived quickly and retreated just as fast, disappearing into the distance of the glacial snowfield like a receding tide.

The sea battle training was the mission for Morito and the others, not for the Marines on the warships.

The Marines on the warships would only intervene when absolutely necessary. Now that the Vulture Pirates had retreated, they would not help in the pursuit.

Capturing more pirates would earn more military merits, relying entirely on the individual abilities of Morito and the other Reserve Navy members.

Momonga, Kazan, and Ulysses all bore injuries, which was enough to show the strength of the Vulture Pirates.

The three did not greedily pursue the Vulture Pirates but quickly began cleaning up the battlefield.

"It seems our worries were unnecessary."

"Indeed, Kuzan's strength is unquestionable."

Momonga and Kazan had intended to quickly finish their opponents and go help. They hadn't expected Kuzan to turn the tables so quickly and defeat the Vulture.

Momonga and Kazan exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Sometimes, thinking about it, comparing oneself to others really made one want to die.

Kuzan wasn't much older than the two of them, especially Momonga, who was a student of the Elite Class's third cohort, just like Kuzan.

They had started from the same line, but now they couldn't even see the other's back.

Kuzan was a genius with the best chance of becoming the fourth monster in the Naval Academy!

"After this mission, Kuzan's military merits should be enough for him to be promoted to Rear Admiral. I wonder if he'll choose to stay until he becomes a Vice Admiral, like those three monsters, or if he'll apply for graduation directly?"

"Already Rear Admiral?"

Hearing Momonga's murmur, Kazan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Some people couldn't become Rear Admirals in their entire lives.

These monsters, at such a young age, had accumulated enough military merits in their twenties to become Rear Admirals, and not just any Rear Admirals, but those of Marine Headquarters.

Yet, they weren't satisfied and vowed not to graduate until they became Vice Admirals!

"Although we don't need to help, we should still go take a look!"

"Yeah, we've finished cleaning up here too."

On the frozen sea, cold air swirled.

Kuzan had already regained consciousness.

The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to spring up like a carp, exclaiming, "Don't fight Vulture, run! You're no match for him!"

"Huh? Where's Vulture?"

He activated his Observation Haki, but Kuzan couldn't sense Vulture's presence.

Had the fight ended?

Kuzan came to his senses and found that the heavy atmosphere was gone. The sounds of battle from the warships on the ice field had also disappeared.

What was going on?

Kuzan was confused.

Just then, Momonga, Kazan, and Ulysses arrived at the main battlefield.

They came to Kuzan and Morito's side.

The three of them scanned their surroundings and saw Vulture's corpse, the pirates' corpses, and the bodies of the Rossi brothers.

The Rossi brothers were no match for Vulture and were eliminated.

Kuzan had fought with all his might to kill Vulture, and he himself was severely injured.

Morito had dealt with some of the weaker pirates.

The logic was sound, and the events unfolded naturally.

"If Kuzan hadn't shown up, we probably would have all perished here," Momonga said, understanding everything and sighing.

The Rossi brothers had decent strength; they were definitely not weak. Even for Momonga, defeating them would have required a life-or-death struggle with a sliver of luck.

Since even the Rossi brothers were killed by Vulture, they naturally wouldn't have stood a chance.

Only Kuzan could defeat Vulture!

"I'm still too weak. I need to train even harder."

Kazan put away his smile. Although he had only been classmates with the Rossi brothers for a day, his heart ached for the death of his comrades.

Ulysses remained silent, but a hint of sadness could be seen in his eyes.

Kuzan was still in a state of complete bewilderment.

He defeated Vulture?

How did he not remember?

And what was wrong with his face? It felt like it had swollen by two sizes! He had no sensation in it at all, as if it weren't his own.

Momonga, Kazan, and Ulysses looked at Kuzan upon hearing him.

When everyone turned their heads, their eyelids twitched violently.

Who the hell was this?

Was this Second Brother?

If it weren't for that messy, bird's nest-like hairstyle and the familiar voice, they wouldn't have recognized that pig-like face.

How deeply must Vulture have hidden his strength to beat Kuzan into such a state!

Fortunately, everything was over now.

"Congratulations. After this mission, your military merits should be enough for you to be promoted to Rear Admiral," Momonga said, congratulating him. Kazan and Ulysses also offered their congratulations.

Kuzan, having calmed down, began to recall.

If he remembered correctly, it was Morito who had knocked him out.

While he was unconscious, Vulture couldn't have died for no reason.

Then there was only one truth!

Morito killed Vulture!

Kuzan glanced at Morito with an unreadable expression, only to see him standing aside like a bystander, acting as if it had nothing to do with him.

Seeing this, Kuzan hesitated.

Wasn't it Morito?

No, it was 100% Morito!

Morito killed Vulture?!

As he thought of this truth, Kuzan's pupils contracted slightly, and he was immensely shocked. Only those who had fought Vulture knew how powerful he was.

Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and a Zoan Devil Fruit!

His true strength warranted a bounty of 300 million, and that wouldn't be an exaggeration!

"With Vulture dead, Golden Lion won't let this go. Our patrol mission will likely have to end early."

Since Morito didn't speak up to claim credit, Kuzan chose to respect Morito's decision.

It wasn't that Kuzan was greedy for the military merit of killing Vulture, but rather that he remembered Zephyr's instructions to protect Morito well.

"A tall tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind." Exposing a genius too early only brings danger.

With the monstrous talent Morito had displayed, if he grew steadily, he could become a new Admiral in the future.

Military merit? That would be easily obtained!

Seeing Morito's gaze turn towards him, Kuzan nodded. "I understand."

Morito: "???"

Understand what?

Kuzan didn't say more, only giving Morito a reassuring look before ordering, "Quickly clean up the battlefield, then set sail, and rendezvous with Teacher Zephyr as soon as possible."

Nominally, Morito was the leader, but everyone present trusted Kuzan more.

As soon as Kuzan finished speaking, everyone immediately got to work.

Twenty minutes passed. The ice was chiseled open, the battlefield was cleared, and everyone boarded the warship, preparing to set sail and rendezvous with Zephyr's main ship.

Just as the warship weighed anchor and set sail, a medium-sized warship appeared at the far end of the glacier.

The warship Morito was on was forced to stop.

Kazan's eyes lit up. "It's Teacher Zephyr!"

"If it were Teacher Zephyr, he should be coming from the direction of Marine Headquarters behind us, but this warship is coming from directly ahead."

Kuzan shook his head and analyzed, "It might be a warship returning to Marine Headquarters."

The fleet, consisting of Zephyr, Dragon, Borsalino, and Morito's four ships—one large and three small—had departed from Marine Headquarters.

Zephyr's main ship was behind the three smaller warships.

Having received their earlier distress call, Zephyr should also be approaching from behind. How could he have gone around to the front?

The only explanation was that the approaching warship was not Zephyr's main ship!

Soon, the distant warship drew closer.

It was indeed not Zephyr's main ship!

The warship's prow was adorned with a ferocious Tarantula. It was clear that the approaching warship was the flagship of Vice Admiral Tarantula of Marine Headquarters.

"Vice Admiral Tarantula? Why is he here?"

"He probably saw the vast area of sea frozen by Kuzan, guessed that a battle had occurred here, and came to provide support."

"That makes sense, after all, it's not far from Marine Headquarters."

The crowd analyzed the reason for Tarantula's appearance, chattering amongst themselves.

However, Kuzan didn't think so. He remembered Zephyr's repeated warnings to be wary of Vice Admiral Tarantula, and he also had some understanding of Morito's exploits.

During the Training Camp's final exam, Onigumo had been defeated by Morito.

And Tarantula was Onigumo's father.

Onigumo, hailed as a genius and expected to enter the Elite Class, had lost. He couldn't even become a Marine and would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

One could imagine how furious and disappointed Tarantula must have been.

It was only natural for Tarantula to resent Morito.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Don't stray too far from me later."

Kuzan reminded him kindly.

Morito was somewhat surprised by Kuzan's behavior, not expecting the usually lazy Kuzan to have such a warm heart beneath his cool exterior.

If I had known this would happen, I should have woken him up differently earlier.

Glancing secretly at Kuzan, whose facial swelling had yet to disappear, Morito silently averted his gaze.

It wasn't me, I didn't do it, I don't know!

I only patted him twice.

It swelled up on its own!

Before the medium-sized warship had fully approached, a figure in a Vice Admiral's coat was seen ascending into the sky, stepping on Geppo.

With a thump!

Tarantula landed steadily on the deck.

His gaze swept around, and he was somewhat surprised to see Kuzan. Didn't the intel say Morito was the leader?

Only Momonga, Kazan, Ulysses, and the Ro brothers were on the warship!

Then, upon seeing Morito, Tarantula put on a facade of suppressed anger.

The plan had failed?

Tarantula's eyes darkened, and a surge of rage welled up.

He had not only spread false information to lure the Vulture Pirates, but he had also planted moles within the Marines, all with the aim of crippling Morito.

What was the situation before him?

Not only was Morito unharmed, but the Vulture's corpse also lay at the edge of the deck, and even the Ro brothers had disappeared?

The dismembered bodies of the Ro brothers were all packed into body bags and collected along with the fallen Marine soldiers.

"I noticed a battle had occurred here and rushed over."

"What are your casualties?"

Tarantula couldn't ask directly about the Ro brothers, so he beat around the bush.

Tarantula wasn't concerned about the Ro brothers' lives, but rather whether his plan had been leaked.

If the Ro brothers died at the hands of pirates, it didn't matter; they were just two pawns that could be replaced at any time. If they died, they died.

If Morito discovered the Ro brothers' objective, and Morito became wary, it would be difficult to make a move in the future.

"Including the brothers Luomen and Roer, thirteen people were sacrificed, and part of the warship's cannons were destroyed."

"Overall, the casualties were not significant."

Momonga explained, as the battle hadn't lasted too long.

Tarantula let out a silent sigh of relief upon hearing this.

The Ro brothers dying at the hands of pirates meant only the failure of this plan. Next time, he definitely wouldn't let Morito survive unscathed!

"Vice Admiral Tarantula, where are you headed?"

"The Vulture Pirates are one of the main forces under Golden Lion's Flying Pirates. We've already notified Teacher Zephyr and are planning to turn back to rendezvous with Teacher Zephyr."

Kuzan's implication was to inform Tarantula that Zephyr knew about the situation here, and Zephyr's main ship was right behind them.

Tarantula, who had naturally become a shrewd individual to reach the rank of Vice Admiral, understood Kuzan's veiled meaning.

Tarantula's strength was not inferior to Kuzan's current strength.

One-on-one, Tarantula had a higher chance of winning.

However, Tarantula couldn't possibly kill everyone on this warship before Zephyr's main ship arrived and then fake it as if the Vulture Pirates had done it.

Tarantula gave Morito a deep look, then grinned.

"Since you're all alright, I'm relieved. I have another mission, so I'll be taking my leave."