My Name Is Wuli, Currently a Marine Colonel

Clang!

It seemed as though a sound had rung out.

Dark clouds began to pile up in the sky, blocking out the sunlight. Shadows fell across the sea, and as time trickled by, the patches of shadow steadily expanded.

They blanketed the ship on the sea and Luffy's group's faces, leaving only a few faint rays of light reaching the water's surface.

Over a hundred gazes aboard the Marine warship fell upon Wuli, mixed with surprise, curiosity, and killing intent as they awaited an answer.

Farther away, the people aboard the Thousand Sunny were waiting as well.

Nami looked up at the sky, then at the Eternal Pose on her wrist, her expression growing somewhat anxious.

Though he was usually carefree and disliked thinking too much about things, he had no choice but to care about this matter. A Marine who knew him so well was truly terrifying to think about.

As Luffy considered these things, his expression turned grave as he stared fixedly at Wuli.

Some questions could only be answered by him.

Whether it was Shu, who was also a colonel, or the ordinary Marines, they could not help but be surprised by Wuli's words. Still, they only half believed him. It was not until they saw the reactions and questioning of "Pirate Hunter" Zoro and "Straw Hat" Luffy that they began to believe that this information might actually be true.

Wuli lightly patted his forehead. Seeing how tense Luffy and Zoro were, he felt somewhat regretful. As expected, he should not have said so much.

After thinking seriously for a moment, Wuli said, "I might understand you even better than you understand yourself."

It was a little exaggerated, but not by much.

Luffy's pupils contracted slightly. The answer was vague and arrogant. Though he did not really believe Wuli, it still sent a shock through his heart.

A person he had met for the first time spoke as if, I know you well. I know everything about you. It was absurd, yet some of the things he had said were not wrong.

"Who exactly are you?" Luffy asked again.

"My name is Wuli. I am currently a Marine colonel," Wuli answered.

Luffy frowned even more deeply. That was not the answer he wanted.

Wuli? Colonel? He had already learned those things when this man blocked his punch and saved that Marine.

Who exactly are you? He was asking about Wuli's relationship with him, not his name or rank.

"Since he doesn't want to talk, we can only force him to speak with violence," Zoro said, his voice brimming with killing intent.

As soon as Zoro finished speaking, he looked toward Luffy, only to find him deep in thought, with no intention of stopping him.

Shu tensed up, releasing his aura without restraint as he watched Zoro warily, ready at any moment to intercept Zoro's attack on Wuli.

Luffy was still deep in thought. The air was heavy, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Suddenly, Zoro moved. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from where he stood, leaving only a swirl of air behind.

The Marines' vision blurred, and Shu shot out as well, instantly blocking Zoro's path.

Zoro frowned and said in a low voice, "I don't have time to slowly fight you right now. Move aside, or don't blame me if my blades show no mercy."

Before his words had even faded, Zoro raised two swords and pointed them at Shu. This matter was too important to allow anything else to distract him.

Shu glanced at Wuli behind him from the corner of his eye. Thinking of their earlier conversation, he looked at Zoro with firm resolve and said, "I already made an agreement with someone that you would be my opponent. Naturally, I cannot step aside."

Zoro clenched the sword hilt between his teeth, and a powerful, savage aura erupted from him, like a bloodthirsty beast about to begin a slaughter.