Eve of the Summit War

Seven days later, the Uchiha group arrived at Marine Headquarters.

The surrounding area was packed with naval warships, dense and crowded everywhere one looked.

It wasn't that the Navy was cowardly, but that this time, the enemy was the strongest in the world!

This title wasn't something bestowed upon Edward Newgate by others, but a fact recognized by the entire ocean.

No one hoped for a fight; everyone just wished for the day of the execution to pass smoothly, though they knew the chances were slim.

To face that man, all the elite combat power of the Navy had been gathered specifically for this battle.

"Mr. Uchiha Tamaharu, if you need anything during these days, please contact me via Den Den Mushi at any time."

"I ask that everyone refrain from wandering around. Marine Headquarters is under martial law, so please cooperate."

A Marine Rear Admiral stated this quite formally.

Their ship was not permitted to be brought over, and the group was settled into a very luxurious courtyard, large enough to house twenty people, which was more than enough for the Uchiha group.

It appeared to be used for hosting distinguished guests; Uchiha Tamaharu had just seen Mihawk staying not far away, sitting in the courtyard under a parasol, drinking hot tea with his legs crossed while reading a newspaper.

He looked every bit the aristocrat.

After finishing his explanation, the Marine Rear Admiral departed.

"Just complete our mission, and do not interfere in the affairs of others during the battle."

"Do not get involved in the fights of those monsters; this time, we are mainly here to witness the strength of the pinnacle."

Uchiha Tamaharu said to the group.

He was avoiding a situation where someone might suddenly feel kind-hearted, try to save a marine, and end up clashing with the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Understood!"

Everyone present had participated in wars, and even Itachi, the youngest, had been on the battlefield.

"Izumi, you are the only one who hasn't participated in large-scale combat. If you are afraid, you may leave first; that is perfectly fine."

The only one who had never participated in a war was Izumi, who was the same age as Itachi.

"I will not be cowardly, Clan Head!"

"Please treat me as a ninja!"

Izumi said with a firm gaze.

She did not want to let down the training Uchiha Tamaharu had given her, nor did she want to fall behind Uchiha Itachi!

"Do not leave the courtyard. The Den Den Mushi will be monitored, so do not use them unless necessary. That is all."

Uchiha Tamaharu said in conclusion.

With only two days left until the execution, he was not planning to change his objectives.

Next, it was just a matter of waiting for that day to arrive.

The necessary preparations had already been made along the way; except for Rob Lucci and Kaku, everyone else had at least three sets of Seastone handcuffs.

There were also three specially crafted Seastone Senbon; as long as they pierced into a devil fruit user's body, they could affect the opponent's combat power.

Only the front centimeter of these Senbon was Seastone, with the rest wrapped in metal, and only about five millimeters at the tip was actual Seastone, intended for underhanded tactics.

The main issue was that there wasn't any large Seastone available, so he couldn't make Kunai and had to settle for Senbon.

By evening, the other Shichibukai had arrived one after another.

However, they basically all came alone, not bringing their subordinates, who were left on their ships docked at Sabaody.

At noon the next day, a banquet was held for the gathered Shichibukai, and it was discovered that Blackbeard had not come. The Navy couldn't reach him either, and there was nothing anyone could do.

After all, who knew if something had happened to Blackbeard.

"Gutless brat, bringing people to a war like this—isn't that a bit too cowardly?"

"This kind of war will kill you if you're not careful, but when the time comes, I'll help you out by turning you into a zombie, hehehe!"

Gekko Moria saw Uchiha Tamaharu and directly began to provoke him.

He felt extremely annoyed about being intimidated by this brat last time, a feeling like having an argument where you couldn't think of the right comeback until after it was over.

Seeing him again, he immediately started mocking him.

"So noisy. Is this the attack of a loser? Too weak."

Uchiha Tamaharu replied with a calm face while picking his ear.

This response only further ignited Gekko Moria's fury!

"Enough."

"Tomorrow is the big event. Whatever grudges you have, settle them as you please after it's over."

"But for now, calm down and don't cause trouble here!"

Sengoku said quite bluntly.

He and Tsuru were in charge this time; the three Admirals were not concerned with these matters, and everything from planning to execution was handled by him and Tsuru.

The opponent he had to face tomorrow was someone who forced him, at his age, to go all out.

Causing trouble for the Marines at a time like this was simply not giving him any face!

"Hmph!"

"Brat, don't you dare run away once this incident is over!"

Although Gekko Moria was very displeased, he had already decided that he would take action against him as soon as this event concluded!

This battle was the perfect opportunity for him to collect some high-quality corpses to boost his own strength.

Therefore, he wasn't entirely opposed to this situation.

Uchiha Tamaharu said nothing; such a spineless piece of trash wasn't worth wasting his time on.

The meeting for the Marine officers had already concluded, and the Shichibukai were the last to be briefed. Sengoku certainly wouldn't let them know the specific details, as he was keeping his guard up against these pirates.

The Marine Headquarters' surveillance Den Den Mushi were operating at full power. Any communication frequency within this area would be intercepted; even special, encrypted Den Den Mushi could not escape monitoring within this range.

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"That is all."

"You are only responsible for intercepting the pirates that charge toward your respective positions."

The meeting was very brief, and it was conducted while they were eating.

The Marine Headquarters port was circular, with the docking area shaped like a U.

The Shichibukai were responsible for the second line of defense at the bottom of the U-shape, while the first line remained manned by Marine personnel. If the pirates broke through that layer of Marine defense, they would then step in to intercept the members of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Uchiha Tamaharu was assigned to the far left position, perhaps because Sengoku didn't fully understand Uchiha Tamaharu's strength.

Although he knew Bartholomew Kuma had lost to Uchiha Tamaharu, according to Bartholomew Kuma's account, he had been ambushed by three people in turns, which led to his defeat against this newly appointed Shichibukai.

Therefore, Sengoku did not trust Uchiha Tamaharu's strength, leaving the central positions to Bartholomew Kuma and Mihawk, while Hancock was assigned to the far right.

Blackbeard, who was originally planned to be placed in the center, hadn't shown up, which made him extremely annoyed.

"How about we have a talk in Dressrosa after this is over?"

The meeting ended.

Doflamingo intercepted Uchiha Tamaharu and said to him.

After the last meeting, he had thought about it for a long time and still felt that this new Shichibukai was very dangerous.

However, the other party didn't seem like a lackey loyal to the World Government, but rather someone with his own agenda, so cooperation wasn't entirely out of the question.

With that mindset, he blocked Uchiha Tamaharu's path.

"Hmm, as it happens, I also wanted to talk to you after this incident ends."

Uchiha Tamaharu replied.

If things went smoothly this time, the situation on the seas would be completely altered. With the territory of one of the Four Emperors opening up, and with Blackbeard being taken care of by his own hand, the vacant territory of the Whitebeard Pirates would represent new interests.

The Uchiha could certainly extract more benefits from this, but Uchiha Tamaharu didn't intend to have his clansmen appear in large numbers.

Therefore, he needed suitable hired muscle.

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