Seven days later, Uchiha Tamaharu and the others arrived at Marine Headquarters.
There were Marine warships almost everywhere in the surrounding waters, packed tightly together.
It wasn't that the Marines were scared. Their enemy this time was the World's Strongest!
That title hadn't been bestowed on Edward Newgate by anyone else. It was a fact acknowledged across the entire sea.
No one hoped the fighting would break out. They only wanted the day of the execution to pass without a hitch, but everyone knew the chances of that were slim.
To face that man, the Marines had gathered all their elite fighters for this battle.
"Mr. Uchiha Tamaharu, if you need anything over the next few days, contact me through a Den Den Mushi at any time."
"Please don't wander around. Marine Headquarters is under lockdown, so we ask for your cooperation."
A Rear Admiral explained this in a very formal manner.
They hadn't been allowed to bring their ship along. Instead, they'd been settled in a luxurious courtyard, spacious enough for twenty people—more than enough room for Uchiha Tamaharu and his group.
It looked like a place meant for entertaining distinguished guests. Uchiha Tamaharu had just seen Dracule Mihawk, who was staying nearby. He sat in the courtyard beneath a parasol, sipping hot tea with one leg crossed over the other as he read the newspaper.
He looked every bit the nobleman.
Once he had finished explaining, the Rear Admiral left.
"Let's just complete our mission. Don't interfere in anyone else's business during the fighting."
"Stay out of those monsters' battles. We're here mainly to witness the strength of the very best."
Uchiha Tamaharu told the others.
He wanted to prevent anyone from suddenly feeling charitable and trying to rescue a Marine, only to end up fighting the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Yes!"
Almost everyone present had taken part in a war before. Even Itachi, the youngest, had seen battle.
"Izumi, you're the only one who hasn't taken part in a large-scale battle. If you're afraid, you can leave ahead of time. It's all right."
The only one who had never been to war was Izumi, who was the same age as Itachi.
"I won't be a coward, Clan Leader!"
"Please treat me like a ninja!"
Izumi met his gaze with determination.
She didn't want to let down Uchiha Tamaharu, who had trained her. Even more, she didn't want to fall behind Uchiha Itachi!
"Don't leave the courtyard. The Den Den Mushi are being monitored, so don't use them unless necessary. That's all."
Uchiha Tamaharu finished.
There were only two days left until the execution, and he had no intention of changing his plans.
Now all they could do was wait for the day to come.
They'd already prepared everything they needed along the way. Everyone except Rob Lucci and Kaku had at least three pairs of Seastone Handcuffs.
They also had three specially made Seastone Senbon. Once one was stabbed into a Devil Fruit user, it could weaken their combat ability.
Only the first centimeter of each senbon was Seastone; the rest was encased in metal, leaving only about five millimeters of Seastone exposed at the tip. They were meant for catching people off guard.
The main problem was that there wasn't any Seastone in larger pieces. They couldn't make Kunai, so senbon were their only option.
By dusk, the other Shichibukai had arrived one after another.
Most had come alone, leaving their subordinates aboard their ships, which were docked near Sabaody.
The following day at noon, the Shichibukai were summoned to a banquet. When it turned out that Blackbeard hadn't shown up, the Marines couldn't get in touch with him either, and there was nothing anyone could do.
After all, who knew if something had happened to Blackbeard?
"What a cowardly brat. You actually brought people along to a war like this? Aren't you a little too scared?"
"You could die at any moment in a war like this. But when that happens, I'll turn you into a zombie. Shishishi!"
When Gekko Moria saw Uchiha Tamaharu, he immediately taunted him.
He still felt furious that the brat had intimidated him last time. It was like losing an argument, then only thinking of the perfect comeback afterward.
The moment they met again, he launched straight into a taunt.
"You're noisy. Is that all a loser can do? Pathetic."
Uchiha Tamaharu replied calmly, picking at his ear.
His response only made Gekko Moria angrier!
"That's enough."
"Tomorrow's the big day. Settle whatever grudges you have after it's over."
"But for now, calm down. Don't cause trouble here!"
Sengoku spoke without the slightest courtesy.
He and Vice Admiral Tsuru were in charge this time. The three Admirals weren't involved in handling these matters, including carrying out the plans. Those duties fell to him and Tsuru.
The opponent they would face tomorrow was enough to make even a man of his age give it everything he had.
Making trouble for the Marines now was the same as disrespecting him!
"Hmph!"
"Brat, once this is over, don't you dare run!"
Gekko Moria was still furious, but he'd already decided to attack Uchiha Tamaharu as soon as the battle ended.
He'd be able to collect some good corpses during the fighting and give his own strength a boost.
So he didn't exactly hate the idea of this battle.
Uchiha Tamaharu said nothing. A spineless loser like him wasn't worth wasting time on.
The meeting for the Marine officers had already ended. The Shichibukai were the last to be briefed, and Sengoku certainly wouldn't let them know the full details. He was keeping a wary eye on the pirates.
The Den Den Mushi used for surveillance at Marine Headquarters were operating at full power. Every communication frequency in the area was being blocked, and even special encrypted Den Den Mushi couldn't evade the surveillance within range.
"..."
"That's all."
"Your job is to stop any pirates who rush toward your positions."
The meeting was brief, and they explained everything while eating.
Marine Headquarters' harbor was circular, with the berthing area shaped like a U.
The Shichibukai were responsible for the second line of defense at the bottom of the U. The Marines would man the first line. If the pirates broke through the Marines' defenses, the Shichibukai would step in to stop the Whitebeard Pirates.
Uchiha Tamaharu was assigned to the far left, perhaps because Sengoku didn't know much about his strength.
Sengoku knew that Bartholomew Kuma had lost to Uchiha Tamaharu, but according to Bartholomew Kuma's account, he had been defeated only after three people took turns sneaking attacks on him. So Sengoku didn't trust Uchiha Tamaharu's strength and left the central position to Bartholomew Kuma and Dracule Mihawk, while Hancock was assigned to the far right.
Blackbeard had been meant to take the central position, and Sengoku was very displeased that he hadn't shown up.
"When this is over, how about coming to Dressrosa for a talk?"
The meeting ended.
Doflamingo stopped Uchiha Tamaharu and spoke to him.
After their last meeting, he'd thought about it for a long time and decided that this new Shichibukai was dangerous.
But Uchiha Tamaharu didn't seem like a lapdog loyal to the World Government. He had his own ideas, which meant they could work together.
With that in mind, Doflamingo had stopped him.
"Sure. I was planning to talk to you after this is over, too."
Uchiha Tamaharu replied.
If things went well this time, the balance of power across the sea would be completely transformed. One Emperor's territory would be left open, and Uchiha Tamaharu would take Blackbeard out himself. That would leave the Whitebeard Pirates' territory up for grabs as well—a new source of spoils.
The Uchiha could easily claim a greater share of the spoils, but Uchiha Tamaharu didn't intend to send large numbers of his clan members out into the world.
So he needed capable men to do the work.
Thanks, everyone, for the recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.
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