Vice Admiral Momonga Investigates Personally

"It can't be wrong, Vice Admiral!" Rolf hurriedly straightened up, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "I checked the coordinates of every missing-person report three times. They're all within this sea area with a radius of one hundred nautical miles. There can't be even the slightest error!"

Momonga said nothing more and raised his telescope again.

He had sailed the seas for decades, from the Grand Line to the New World. He had seen countless vicious pirates and secret organizations, yet never before had he faced an opponent whose shadow he could not even grasp.

That eerie sense of something being everywhere kept every nerve in his body taut.

Just then, a shrill cry from the lookout shattered the silence on the bridge. "Reporting, Vice Admiral! Three o'clock off the port side! Unknown personnel spotted on the sea! Five nautical miles away! They're moving at high speed!"

Momonga's pupils suddenly contracted. He sharply turned his telescope toward the port side.

On the gray-blue sea, fifteen figures clad in identical black combat uniforms stood steadily atop the rolling waves, moving as swiftly as hawks skimming the ocean.

The waves beneath their feet were supported by invisible chakra, and not a drop of seawater touched their shoes. Their formation was staggered yet orderly, their advance and retreat displaying iron discipline. The Red-and-White Fan clan crests on their backs stood out starkly beneath the gloomy sky.

At their head, Uchiha Taoho's Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spun. His scarlet eyes swept across the vast sea, taking in every movement within several nautical miles.

He was an Elite Jonin specifically tasked with patrolling the outer perimeter of the clan. The fifteen men under his command were all genuine Jonin, the first line of defense around Origin Island.

Almost the instant the lookout spotted them, Taoho abruptly halted and raised a hand to stop the clan members behind him.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan tightened sharply, clearly locking onto the two main warships flying Marine flags five nautical miles away, as well as the powerful aura on the bridge, like a lurking beast.

Marine Headquarters elites!

And the leader was far stronger than any pirate they had encountered before, even stronger than most of the clan's Elite Jonin!

"Everyone, stay alert!" Taoho kept his voice low as his hand settled on the katana at his waist. The fourteen clan members behind him instantly spread into formation, their scarlet Sharingan opening in unison as chakra raced through their meridians, ready to form hand seals at any moment.

"They're main warships from Marine Headquarters, and their leader is extremely powerful. Per Young Master Natsu's previous orders, do not engage rashly. Retreat at once and report back to camp!"

On the bridge, Momonga's grip on the telescope suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning pale. The calm on his face was completely replaced by shock.

He could clearly see the strange scarlet patterns spinning in those people's eyes, and he could feel the almost tangible killing intent radiating from them.

What made his heart pound even harder was that all fifteen possessed deep, steady auras. Even the weakest among them was no inferior to an elite colonel from Marine Headquarters. More than half of them possessed killing intent and strength refined enough to contend with headquarters rear admirals!

Fifteen elites, each at least colonel-level?!

Momonga's mind buzzed.

He knew all too well what that meant.

There were only a few hundred colonels in all of Marine Headquarters, while those who could reach rear admiral rank were even fewer.

Yet in this uninhabited, desolate sea, an unknown mysterious force had sent out fifteen combatants of this level on a single patrol?

How could the Four Blues hide such a terrifying force?!

"Battle stations! Train all cannons on the targets!" Momonga abruptly lowered his telescope and issued his order in a stern voice filled with unquestionable authority.

"Signalmen, send them a message. Tell them to stop immediately and submit to a Marine inspection! If they make any suspicious move, open fire at once!"

The moment the order was given, the entire flagship sprang into action.

Piercing alarms rang across the sea. Dozens of cannons along both sides of the ship turned in unison, their pitch-black muzzles fixed tightly on the fifteen figures on the water. The signalmen waved their flags, repeating the order to halt for inspection again and again.

But the Uchiha group on the sea had no intention of stopping.

Taoho glanced at the warships turning their cannons toward them. There was not the slightest fear in his eyes as he coldly ordered, "Split into two teams and cover each other in turns. Full-speed retreat! Don't get tangled up with them!"

The instant his words fell, the fifteen figures accelerated at once, becoming fifteen black afterimages as they raced toward Origin Island.

"Fire! Warning shots!" Momonga watched as they not only refused to stop but accelerated their retreat, and his face immediately darkened as he barked the order.

Deafening thunder erupted in an instant. Several shells streaked forward wrapped in flames, shrieking through the air as they crashed into the sea ahead of Taoho's group. Enormous columns of water shot skyward, blocking their path.

But at the instant the shells landed, Taoho rapidly formed hand seals with both hands and shouted coldly, "Water Release: Water Shock Wave!"

As his words fell, a surging wave suddenly rose from the sea before him. It not only scattered the water columns blasted up by the shells, but transformed into several water dragons that rushed toward the incoming cannonballs.

Muffled explosions rang out one after another within the waves, but every fragment and Shockwave was completely blocked by the thick wall of water. Not even the slightest bit reached the fleeing group.

That single move made Momonga's pupils shrink sharply.

There was no aura of a Devil Fruit user, and they had not used Geppo. Yet they could manipulate seawater through some unknown method to block naval artillery fire? Just who were these people?

In the few seconds he was stunned, Uchiha Taoho and his group used the water curtain as cover to accelerate once more. Their figures grew smaller and smaller before quickly vanishing into the mist over the endless sea. Even their chakra auras were completely concealed, no longer detectable in the slightest.

"Stop the pursuit!" Momonga raised a hand to stop the major who was about to order the ships forward. His expression was so grim it seemed ready to drip with water.

He knew very well that since the other side dared to move freely through these waters, they must have made thorough preparations.

Rashly leading the fleet into this unknown sea would only mean falling into their trap.

Besides, if a single patrol deployed fifteen elites at colonel level, how many combatants of that level were hidden in their stronghold? And what kind of terrifying existence was concealed there?

"Vice Admiral, what do we do now?" the major beside him asked with a bow.

Momonga closed his eyes, suppressing the storm raging in his heart. When he opened them again, only bone-deep calm remained in his gaze. "The fleet will remain on standby. Sound the highest-level alert. All cannons are to be ready to fire at any time. Send an encrypted telegram to headquarters immediately and report everything here in full."