"Black Snake Reiner."
"Why was he in a place like this?"
"I never heard that this mission involved fighting an Emperor of the Sea."
Scattered whispers spread through the Marines.
They clearly held an overwhelming numerical advantage, yet the Marines, blanketing the mountains and plains like white waves, stopped dozens of meters away.
One after another, they gripped their blades and guns tightly, their expressions grave and their eyes wary as they watched Reiner standing beside Uta.
"So it's you. Long time no see. Got yourself another new cane, huh?"
Reiner calmly teased the man leading the Marines.
Fujitora stepped forward and lowered himself slightly, holding his sword-cane diagonally before him.
"As an admiral, the World Government is not so stingy as to deny me a weapon tailored for my use."
"More importantly, why are you in a place like this?"
Fujitora opened his eyes slightly and stared at Reiner. Though only clouded white remained in them, they seemed capable of seeing through everything.
Not only did the soldiers behind him remain still, but Fujitora himself did not act rashly either.
Standing opposite them was an Emperor of the Sea who commanded countless powerful undead and possessed the power to destroy an entire nation.
Leaving aside the fact that he had already lost to Reiner once, the Marines could not make a move lightly against someone bearing the title of Emperor of the Sea.
But—
At this very moment, countless people around the world who had watched Uta sing through the broadcast had fallen asleep.
Faced with a world-scale disaster like this, he had principles he had to uphold.
Fujitora gripped the hilt in reverse, with no intention of yielding in the slightest.
"Though my orders from above forbid us from going to war with the Straw Hat Crew, I