Strawberry seemed to notice the Marines obeying the temporary commander in the black suit. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
The black-suited commander caught sight of Strawberry's still-closed eyes out of the corner of his own, and the corners of his mouth curved upward.
"Hmph. He won't carry out the World Government's orders just because that man used to be his teacher. What softhearted nonsense! An unstable man blinded by hatred should have been eliminated long ago."
"And the Navy's senior officers have been far too lenient with Z. That's why we're in this mess. If you won't act, Strawberry, I'll wear down their forces first. Once Admiral Kizaru arrives, we'll be able to wipe them out with ease!"
As for the intruder struggling against the Marines' assault, the commander was confident they would capture him soon, even though many Marines had already been knocked down.
"This isn't looking good!"
Wuli had just knocked down one Marine when several more rushed him from behind. Thanks to his combat experience, he easily dodged and brought them down.
But the attacks kept coming from every direction inside the encirclement, leaving Wuli with a pounding headache and no chance to catch his breath.
At that moment, Wuli wished he had Conqueror's Haki. He could have knocked out a whole swath of them at once.
Unfortunately, he didn't have it. Strictly speaking, he didn't have either of the other two types of Haki, either.
"Floating Feather Divine Wind Style, First Form—Swift!"
His sword flashed, sending the charging Marines flying once more. He tried to retreat along the route he had come by, only to find it sealed off.
The ring of more than a thousand elite Marines had Wuli trapped tight.
"Floating Feather Divine Wind Style, Second Form—Blowing Snow!"
The Marines suddenly saw snowflakes drifting