"What!?"
Gin's expression suddenly changed slightly, and he instinctively pulled out the Tonfa Hammer he carried with him.
A large warship had appeared on the distant sea!
It was the Marines!
What was going on!?
Why were the Marines here!?
Gin looked toward Kulik and the others, only to find them wearing equally bewildered expressions.
Had they not notified them?
But if it was not them, why would the Marines appear here!?
And judging by their formation, these were clearly not ordinary Marines.
At that moment, Kulik and the others were dumbfounded as well.
Why had the Marines suddenly appeared out of nowhere!?
And by now, it was obviously too late for them to escape.
The other side had clearly discovered them and was approaching.
Gin said nothing. He merely put away his weapon and quietly disappeared into the crowd.
A moment later.
The large warship drew close to the shore.
Momoo seemed to sense something, and the part of its body hidden beneath the water began to tremble.
Reports immediately rang out from the warship.
"Pirates spotted ahead!!"
"Reporting to Marine Admiral Borsalino, the pirates ahead are the Shojo Pirate Crew and the Masira Pirate Crew!"
"Additionally, there is an unidentified pirate ship being pulled by a sea beast. The Marine system has no record of that pirate flag."
Hearing the reports, Kulik and the others' expressions changed drastically.
Marine Admiral Borsalino!?
Gin's expression also became extremely solemn.
The title of admiral was practically the nightmare of every pirate on these seas!!
So there was a Marine Admiral aboard that large warship!?
And soon after, as if confirming that fact.
A figure wearing a yellow-striped suit appeared at the front of the warship.
The figure wore a cape of justice and gave off an impossible-to-ignore aura.
Looking closer, he was a middle-aged man with orange sunglasses and a lecherous-looking face!!
Gin, Kulik, and the others' expressions tightened.
Just as expected!
It really was Borsalino!
Of course, the name Borsalino might still have sounded unfamiliar to some, but if he were called Kizaru instead, everything became crystal clear!
That was right, it was Kizaru!
This lecherous-looking middle-aged man who radiated such an overwhelming presence was one of the Three Marine Admirals, Kizaru!
He had appeared so calmly, yet he brought incomparable pressure upon Gin, Kulik, and the others.
"Oh, it seems you all know who I am."
"Then I won't bother introducing myself."
At that moment, Kizaru looked at Gin and the others with both hands in his pockets, speaking calmly. "I have a question for you. If you can answer it, I'll let you go."
"If you can't answer it, then I can only arrest you all directly."
Hearing this, Gin and the others became even more solemn.
Facing a Marine Admiral, they seemingly had no room to resist at all.
At that moment, Kizaru casually asked, "Have any of you seen Natsuya?"
"I've been chasing him for half a month. Intelligence said he came this way."
Gin and the others' expressions changed again.
They had not expected Kizaru to have come for Natsuya!?
Noticing their expressions, Kizaru's heart stirred.
It seemed this trip would not be in vain after all.
Immediately afterward, Kizaru noticed Momoo.
Momoo had little presence, but with such a massive sea beast floating there, it was naturally impossible not to notice it.
"Hmm, this is..."
Kizaru's expression shifted. He remembered that the intelligence provided by Smoker had mentioned that Natsuya's pirate ship was pulled by a sea beast.
And the traits of that sea beast in the report seemed to match the one before him perfectly.
"So this is Natsuya's pirate ship!"
Kizaru chuckled and looked at Gin and the others again.
"It seems you know where Natsuya is. Tell me quickly."
Hearing this, Gin and the others' hearts sank.
Just as they did not know what to do, a faint voice suddenly came from the air above the shore.
"Kizaru, are you looking for me?"
As soon as the voice fell, a miraculous sight appeared!
An Air Door suddenly emerged in midair. Then, a suited young man stepped out with an orange-haired little girl, and they lightly landed on the ground.
There was no doubt that it was Natsuya and Nami!
They had gone to the town on the island earlier to make preparations.
The preparations had taken even longer than Natsuya had expected.
Fortunately, Gin had secretly contacted Natsuya just now, so he brought Nami back in time.
"Natsuya!!"
Kulik and the others immediately rejoiced, as if they had found their backbone.
Gin's expression relaxed as well, and his tense body loosened.
The Marines, on the other hand, became as if facing a great enemy!
Those following Kizaru were all Marine elites.
Thus, they all knew that Natsuya had escaped from Garp and Hawkeye in succession, and that his strength was unfathomable!
Kizaru, however, remained calm throughout.
"So you're Natsuya? You don't look scary at all."
Natsuya immediately smiled. "So you're Kizaru? You really do look scary."
Kizaru froze.
Gin and the others were stunned.
Why did it feel like Natsuya was mocking Kizaru!?
Then their hearts filled with shock.
This was a Marine Admiral! Was it really appropriate for Natsuya to mock him like that!?
At the same time, Nami was on the verge of tears.
Gin had already told her Kizaru's identity.
This was another existence standing at the pinnacle of the seas!
So Natsuya was going to fight someone like this again!?
Please, no!
Although Nami had already witnessed Natsuya's battles against Garp and Hawkeye, she still could not help worrying.
Because if they faced someone like this and anything went wrong, they would be doomed beyond redemption!
Yet Natsuya showed no fear at all and stared straight at Kizaru.
"There's no need for any more nonsense. You came to kill me, right? Then come on!"
In Natsuya's eyes, Kizaru's appearance here was likely another backup plan from the Marine Government after Hawkeye's failure.
The Marine Government and the World Government truly thought highly of him.
After Garp and Hawkeye had both failed, they had now sent Marine Admiral Kizaru!
Thinking of this, Natsuya secretly laughed.
If this had been a few days ago, he might have been somewhat wary of Kizaru. But now? He was not afraid at all!
Natsuya was about to activate his ability when Kizaru suddenly said something that greatly surprised him.
"No, no, no. I came to find you to extend an invitation!"
"An invitation!?"
"That's right. We have decided to invite you to become one of the Shichibukai. What do you think?"
Natsuya was immediately stunned.
At the same time, Gin, Kulik, and the others were also dumbfounded.
The reason Kizaru had come to find Natsuya was actually to invite him to become one of the Shichibukai!?
Before you continue