Wuli looked at the fallen Marines and sighed. Then he turned toward the battlefield ahead, resolve hardening in his eyes, and leaped onward.
This side of the island was nothing like the peaceful, quiet side he had come from. Here, battle raged.
Once he was past the squad of Marines guarding the way, the rest of his journey went smoothly.
Wuli had a plan. When he arrived, he would find Z and persuade him to withdraw from the battlefield before Kizaru and the Vice Admirals got there.
The odds of that working were almost zero. But if he never tried, there would be no chance of turning things around.
In the distance, Wuli could make out the familiar figures of Neo Navy officers. Then he stopped short. His face stiffened, and cold sweat broke out on his skin.
He wanted to turn around and enter the battlefield from somewhere else. There were far too many obstacles in his path here. He had walked straight into a lion's den!
A port lay not far off to one side, with several Marine warships docked there. Marines streamed in from the port, joining the others and forming neat ranks.
What rotten luck. Isn't this the Marines' battlefield command post?!
At their head stood a Marine with a standard-issue coat draped over his shoulders like a cape.
Beneath it, he wore a teal jacket open at the collar, pale yellow corded decorations across his chest, and matching trousers.
His long, straight beard and unusually elongated head were unmistakable, as was the tall bearskin-style Marine cap he wore.
If Wuli remembered correctly, wasn't that Marine Vice Admiral Strawberry?!
So a Vice Admiral was already here!
What puzzled Wuli was that Strawberry's eyes were closed. He showed no sign of commanding the battle or joining it.