An Admiral Appears

Behind the refugee ship, four speedboats formed an encirclement and raced after it at breakneck speed.

Farther out at sea, a massive warship was cutting through the waves, also accelerating toward them.

"This is really bad!"

Van lowered his binoculars, his expression grim.

An old man stood on the warship, built like an iron tower, with short dark-purple hair standing on end. One look was enough to tell he was not someone to be trifled with.

He was no nobody. He was "Black Arm" Zephyr, an admiral who had trained countless Marines and produced more than half of the Navy's officers.

Besides him, there were two "acquaintances" on the four speedboats: Smoker, a Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit user, and Hina, a Paramecia-type Cage-Cage Fruit user.

There was no need to think about the remaining dozen or so people. They had to be elite members of the new generation of Marines from the same class as them.

"There's no way we can fight them. Even escaping won't be easy..."

Van looked at Monet and Sugar, hesitating for a moment.

He naturally did not want to abandon the sisters, but no reward, however generous, mattered more than his freedom and his life.

If the Marines caught him, nothing good would be waiting for him.

"Lord Van, are these Marines very difficult to deal with?" Monet asked uneasily.

After what had happened earlier, many people aboard the ship had lost their favorable impression of the Marines. Hearing her question, they began whispering among themselves.

"I've seen that purple-haired old man in the newspapers before. I think he's a Marine admiral."

"We're obviously victims, not criminals. Why won't the Marines leave us alone?"

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying Lord Van dragged us into this? Don't forget who saved you."

"That's right! Lord Van must be a good man. The ones in the wrong are these Marines!"

"What do we do now? I don't want to die..."

The four speedboats easily surrounded the refugee ship. They did not attack directly, but their intention to force it to stop was obvious.

"Stop the ship! These Marines are different from the previous ones. They won't hurt you."

Van knew perfectly well that Smoker and the others were wary of the "hostages" aboard the ship, which was why they had not acted immediately.

Once Zephyr arrived and the risk of harm coming to the hostages dropped to its lowest point, they would no longer need to hold back.

"What about you?" Monet asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry. I may not be able to keep the promise I made to you last night." Van smiled reassuringly. "Live well. If we get the chance someday, perhaps we'll meet again."

"If these Marines aren't bad people, can't we beg them to spare you?" Sugar asked innocently. "You saved so many people. Maybe they'll let you go."

"There's no need. The Marines won't let me leave."

Van shook his head, walked over to the fish tank, and asked in a low voice, "Can I trust you?"

The mermaid was clever. After only a brief pause, she gave her answer in a firm, decisive voice.

"You saved me from my misery, my lord. I am willing to do anything for you. Even if I lose my life, I will have no regrets!"

Neither of them had deliberately lowered their voices, so Smoker and the others on the speedboats heard everything clearly.

"This guy wants to escape. We can't wait any longer."

As soon as the words fell, a figure leaped high from the speedboat on the left and transformed into a wolfman in midair.

He was a Zoan-type user. Clearly aware that Van was difficult to deal with, he had revealed his strongest form before even landing.

Cage Bars!

With a sharp cry, two rows of iron bars suddenly shot out from the right, rapidly enclosing the ship's side.

Not only that, the bars continued extending upward, seemingly intending to seal the refugee ship completely.

"Hina! That's cheating!"

Someone voiced his displeasure, and the rest immediately sprang into action, leaping onto the refugee ship before the bars closed.

Naturally, there was one person who did not go along with the group: Smoker, the strongest and most shameless one among them.

He turned his lower body into smoke, flew above the refugee ship first, then slowly descended after the bars closed.

He did not enter. Instead, he remained outside, puffing out smoke as he looked down at everyone from above.

Monet and the others were dumbfounded, frightened silly by the string of movements and the bizarre sight before them.

"Go hide in the cabin first. You'll be safe soon."

Hearing Van's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurried toward the cabin.

After hesitating for a moment, Monet finally gritted her teeth, picked up Sugar, and followed them inside.

They could not help, so they could only try not to cause trouble.

"Hina is very curious. Why aren't you using these people to threaten us?"

The current Hina was not yet the mature, sexy older-sister type. She was just a pink-haired young woman with a crisp voice.

The moment she spoke, the others restrained their urge to attack, even though they no longer needed to worry about the hostages.

"If it were another situation, I'd be interested in fighting you hand-to-hand."

"But you were the ones who threw honor aside first. I don't have time to chat with you."

Van saw through Hina's attempt to stall for time at a glance. Before he even finished speaking, the Operation Room had already expanded.

"Move!"

Sensing danger, the wolfman attacked first. His figure flashed, vanishing from where he stood.

The others no longer held back either, each using their own methods to charge at Van. Only Smoker continued watching from the sidelines.

Shambles!

The power of space erupted abruptly. Everyone charging at Van, including Hina, was sliced in half at the waist.

Immediately afterward, the fish tank shattered, and the mermaid somehow broke through the bars' blockade, appearing outside the ship's rail.

Seeing this, Zephyr aboard the distant warship could no longer sit still. He stepped through the air and flew toward the refugee ship.

As an admiral who had stepped back from the front lines, he knew well the World Government's darkness and had not originally intended to intervene personally.

Whether they succeeded or failed did not matter.

The opportunity had been given. Whether they could seize it depended entirely on their own strength.

But as their teacher, he could not simply stand by and watch his students suffer casualties. If Van dared kill them, he would not mind stretching his muscles a little.

"Hina will never let you succeed!"

Despite being cut into two pieces, Hina stubbornly controlled the bars, trying to trap the mermaid and cut off Van's hope of escape.

Seeing how hard she was trying, and with Zephyr rapidly approaching, Smoker finally moved as well.

White Spray!

His feet turned into constantly erupting smoke, and his body shot through the air at high speed with explosive recoil.

"My lord!"

Watching the "tentacle monster" and the "smoke monster" close in at the same time, terror immediately appeared on the mermaid's beautiful face.

"She isn't a criminal. Are you, with those thick brows and big eyes, going to betray your principles too?"

Van hooked a finger, and Hina's lower body instantly switched places with the mermaid.

"How am I supposed to fight this?"

Smoker frowned deeply. He could only slam on the brakes and disperse the smoke fist he had extended.

Hina, with only her upper body remaining, was quite decisive. She immediately withdrew the original bars and created another row of new ones at the same time.

But Van gave her no chance. With another curl of his finger, the mermaid vanished again, leaving only an empty wooden barrel behind.

Bang!

The bars pierced through the wooden barrel, but it did not shatter. Instead, it was skewered in place.

"We'll leave it at this for now. If I run into you alone next time, you won't be so lucky."

Van swept his hand, and every Marine who had been cut in half vanished at once, Hina included.

When they reappeared, their bodies scattered like celestial maidens strewing flowers as they fell toward the sea.

Several of them were Devil Fruit users. If the currents swept them away, they would essentially be doomed.

Smoker could not save them, and the Marines on the warship would not make it in time. Only Zephyr could rescue them personally.