The Marines React

When they entered the auction hall, it was still fairly empty. The auction would not officially begin for another half hour.

Hades went straight to the front row, folded his arms, and closed his eyes to rest as he waited.

Titan stood behind Hades without a word, radiating an aura that warned everyone to keep their distance.

The thick stench of blood still clung to him, and the hammer on his shoulder made him all the more intimidating.

As time passed, more guests entered the auction hall.

Glances fell on them from all around, some furtive, others direct. Some held wariness, some fear, and some curiosity.

Every major figure on the island would gather at this auction, from famous pirates to leaders of the Underground Forces.

There were bounty hunters and lone wanderers, too.

The people Titan had killed were not particularly strong, but the sheer destructive power he had shown was undeniable.

Most of the guests had heard the reports before arriving. One hammer blow had destroyed two streets. Only a handful of people on the island could manage that.

They could not even think of a second person.

After a display like that, no one dared provoke him lightly. Picking a fight for no reason was foolish.

A pirate who had thought Charlotte Linlin was pretty and easy to bully had been slapped to death. Every bone in his body had been crushed.

After all, Charlotte Linlin really had been beautiful when she was young!

She should still have been in her teens now!

After Charlotte Linlin was invited to join the Rocks Pirates and became an officer, stories like that began to spread.

There were even several versions of stories about Shiki and Edward Newgate.

Meanwhile, word of what had happened on the island began reaching other powers.

At this critical time, the World Government and the Marines had stationed large numbers of intelligence agents throughout the New World.

To maintain their advantage in intelligence, they paid attention to anything that stood out.

From the transmission and receipt of the intelligence to its analysis and organization, the entire process took just twenty minutes.

A complete report was delivered to Fleet Admiral Black.

"Two years out of sight, and he finally shows himself!"

Black studied the printed photograph.

It had been taken covertly from a distance, but it clearly showed Hades's face.

Looking at those somewhat familiar features and that unmistakable bearing, Black knew who this mysterious noble was without reading the analysis below.

The Grim Reaper Jaeger's own son.

"Hades!"

Black murmured the name, familiar yet strange.

The Marines and the World Government had lost too many people in the Kronos Kingdom to come away empty-handed. At the very least, they had learned the name of Jaeger's child.

Jaeger's bounty poster lay beside the report, showing the staggering bounty of 1.2 billion Beli placed on his head ten years ago.

If Jaeger had survived that battle, his bounty would have risen by several hundred million more.

The only man on the seas whose bounty exceeded his was Rocks D. Zebek.

The sole ruler of the seas today had a bounty of 1.8 billion Beli, and that figure, too, had remained unchanged for ten years.

Hades looked strikingly like Jaeger, and the same domineering will seemed to radiate from within him.

Black read the report carefully anyway, learning how the incident had unfolded.

He set it down, his expression grave.

It was all so similar. Jaeger, too, had once had a monster at his side.

In Black's eyes, Hades's face in the photograph seemed to overlap with Jaeger's.

"What was bound to come has come."

Looking at those indifferent eyes in the photograph and reading of the horrific slaughter Titan had caused, Black felt a surge of killing intent he could barely suppress.

Hades, Jaeger's son, was unquestionably a grave threat.

They had to kill him as soon as possible, before he grew any stronger.

He would be one of the Marines' most important enemies.

"Now that you've come out, don't think you can run!"

The Marines and the World Government had hunted down Hades's father, while Jaeger had killed so many people they knew. The hatred between the two sides could not be resolved.

Before, Hades had been in hiding, and the Marines had no way to find him.

Now that he had exposed himself, they would not let the opportunity pass.

"Bring me the troop deployment map."

A rough map of the New World was pinned to a board, showing the Marines' current deployments and the islands of the New World.

Black needed it to decide how much force to send against the two who had yet to fully mature.

But his expression soon changed, turning grim.

Near Kent Island, only the G-36 Marine Fortress, garrisoned by Vice Admiral Vic, could reach it quickly.

Even at full speed, the other Marine Fortresses would take half a day to reach Kent Island.

"So this was planned all along."

Black thought he could see what Hades was after. He knew perfectly well what Vice Admiral Vic had done in the past.

It was as though Hades had caused this incident to bait the Marines into sending Vice Admiral Vic.

His goal was to deal with Vic.

Kent Island's location was convenient, too. Few Marine forces could reach it quickly.

The island was already in the central New World. The farther in one went, the more active the Rocks Pirates became.

Marine Headquarters had no forces stationed there. The Rocks Pirates would not permit a Marine presence.

Fleet Admiral Black thought it over carefully. Something was wrong, and Vice Admiral Vic might well be no match for Hades and Titan.

He reached that conclusion by considering what the enemy intended. Whatever happened, Black would take his opponents seriously.

He held out no hope that they might slip up. At his age, he had no time for notions that young men were arrogant or ignorant of the sea's dangers.

This was Jaeger's son. Like "those" Celestial Dragons, Hades had received the finest education since childhood and would never act without confidence in his plan.

Black now had a rough idea of what Hades intended.

But he did not want to pass up the bait offered to him. This might be the Marines' only chance to eliminate the threat.

Whether Hades stayed in the Kronos Kingdom or joined the Rocks Pirates, it would be hard for the Marines to strike at him again.

Possibilities raced through Black's mind.

"Send the intelligence to G-36 Fortress. Have Vic lead his troops to surround Kent Island. No one leaves."

"Have the X36-2 and X36-4 branches depart as well to support Vice Admiral Vic."

Fleet Admiral Black had made his decision, but he was not finished.

"Order G-35 Fortress and G-37 Fortress to set out immediately and make for Kent Island at full speed."

"Recall Davis. Have him block the route from Kent Island to Hachinosu and head for Kent Island along it."

Black issued the orders one after another. He did not want Vic to clash with Hades directly; the encirclement would keep anyone from escaping the island.

If Vic could hold them there until the other two Vice Admirals arrived, the situation would be all but settled.

Three Marine Vice Admirals would be enough to sweep Kent Island clean.

They could use this chance to wipe out that island of crime as well.

It was a cautious decision based on Black's own judgment.

If they could hold out for half a day, how could a force of three Marine Vice Admirals and one Marine Admiral possibly fail?

The Marines mobilized at once. Forces from all three Marine Fortresses set off at full speed toward Kent Island from different directions.

Each fortress sent a small fleet, committing at least half its troops.

"He's just a kid. I'll finish him myself."

A towering man with savage scars crisscrossing his face stood at the bow. The black word "Justice," scrawled across the white cape on his back, billowed in the sea breeze.

This was the man Hades was determined to kill: Vice Admiral Vic, the Marine who had wounded his mother.

Vic was a ruthless, formidable member of the Hawk Faction who would use any means to achieve his goals.

His name was feared throughout the New World. Even among Marine Vice Admirals, he ranked among the strongest.