Battle

Koby had barely stepped into the cafeteria when he saw a group of people staring straight at him, leaving him stunned.

Helmeppo, behind him, crashed headfirst into him. Koby staggered forward a few steps, scratched his head, and smiled stiffly. "Hello, everyone!"

"Koby, why did you suddenly stop? You made me run into you." Helmeppo rubbed his head in dissatisfaction, then noticed the people in the cafeteria glaring at them menacingly. He suddenly felt uneasy. "What... is going on?"

"Tch, I thought it was someone important." Grant curled his lip. He recognized Koby. Though he had also been hoping someone would come hold him accountable—preferably dismiss him from service—so he could continue following Admiral Kuzan.

If he voluntarily left the Marines, Admiral Kuzan would not accept him as a follower. Even though he had never truly asked, he understood that much, because he had stayed by Admiral Kuzan's side for a long time.

He had yet to repay Admiral Kuzan's kindness.

"Grant?! Why are you here?" Koby asked in surprise.

He and Grant were well acquainted. Koby greatly admired this Marine who was close to his own age, but Grant had always been out hunting pirates. He had no idea when Grant had returned to Marine Headquarters.

"What, got a problem with that? Am I not allowed to come back?" Grant said.

"No, that's not what I meant." Koby hurriedly waved his hands, then finally noticed the wrecked cafeteria. His mouth fell open as he stammered, "What happened here?"

"A duel, obviously. Wasn't that clear enough?" Grant said casually with a shrug. Then his gaze fell on Wuli again, and he crooked a finger at him in an openly provocative gesture.

Koby looked at Wuli. Wuli gave him a wry smile and nodded in greeting, paying little mind to Grant's provocation.

Still, Wuli felt rather bitter inside. Who would have thought that he would run into a battle maniac just by coming for a meal? The man only thought about fighting and refused to listen to reason. But seeing that Hina had not stopped it, Wuli could only leave it alone for now.

"Two-Sword Style~" Zepa's voice suddenly rang out. Everyone looked over to see fierce sword energy radiating from both blades in his hands. Feeling the power within, they held their breath. In the tense atmosphere, even the air around them suddenly seemed to grow heavy.

Suddenly, a tall figure appeared behind Zepa and wrapped him in a bear hug just as he was preparing to attack.

"Ah! Burnham, what are you doing? That hurts, let go of me!" Zepa was trapped in the bronzed, muscular arms of Burnham, a member of the Longarm Tribe. Burnham's arm strength was astonishing; Zepa felt as if every bone in his body was about to come apart, and he could barely hold onto his swords.

"Haha, well done, Burnham! Don't let him steal my opponent." Grant laughed gleefully at the struggling Zepa.

"And you, Grant, stop causing trouble," Burnham shouted.

Grant ignored him and grinned at Wuli. "You're mine. If this gets me dismissed, even better!"

The device on Grant's left hand hummed and released white smoke. A powerful force gathered in his fist, and the expressions of the onlookers changed.

"Take this!" Grant burst forward and threw a ferocious punch at Wuli. The air rang with explosive booms.

Wuli narrowed his eyes and dodged Grant's attack just as the fist was about to strike him.

Seeing Wuli evade his attack, the smile on Grant's face did not fade in the slightest. His body abruptly halted, his left foot serving as a pivot as his right leg whipped viciously toward Wuli's head.

Wuli felt the wind at the back of his head. Without looking back, he tilted his head slightly and narrowly avoided Grant's strike.

The two figures flickered continuously before everyone's eyes, their dazzling exchange leaving the onlookers unable to take their eyes off them.

After dodging Grant's attack once more, Wuli had not even had time to relax before an even stronger punch came hurtling toward his face. This time, it was difficult to evade.

The katana in Wuli's hand shone with a dazzling light. A slash of sword energy tore through the air and collided head-on with Grant's attack. The two forces crashed together with an earth-shaking roar, devastating the entire cafeteria beyond recognition. A terrifying shockwave erupted, forcing the spectators back several steps as they stared wide-eyed at the two men in shock.

Even Zepa forgot to struggle for a moment, and surprise appeared in Burnham's eyes as well.

Hina smoked her cigarette and sighed inwardly. Admiral Kuzan, you really left me with a huge problem.

Before Kuzan left the Marines, he had specifically asked her to look after his subordinates. Since she had agreed, she naturally had to do her best to fulfill that promise.

It seemed that Kuzan's departure had left Grant and the others feeling as though they had lost something to rely on, and they had begun to develop resistance toward the Marines.

Moreover, Marine Headquarters had summoned them back this time, clearly because it did not want them to continue carrying out their previous mission.

Hina watched the battle between those three young Marines and Wuli. That was why she had not stopped them; it would let them vent the dissatisfaction in their hearts. At the same time, she knew they would not be defeated by them so easily.