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Chapter 142: The Regressed Marine
[The Fourth World War]
[The Battle for Privileges officially begins]
[Participants from both sides have confirmed. Transmitting to the battlefield.]
[Countdown]
[10]
[9]
[8]
[7]
[6]
As the countdown began, everyone in both worlds became inexplicably nervous. Even the Five Kages, who had carefully discussed the selection, couldn't help but worry.
The countdown ended. White light fell from the sky.
The picture on the light curtain changed. This time, it didn't split into small squares like before; there were too many participants. Instead, there was a single, main view of the chosen arena: the Ancient Forest.
To the viewers in both worlds, the giant trees blocked out the sun, light only filtering through gaps in the leaves.
As the white light descended, the first to appear was a Vice Admiral from Naval Headquarters. There was no one else around him.
"Random teleportation?" Whitebeard muttered.
If it was truly random, luck would play a huge role. Landing directly in an enemy camp would be disastrous.
The light curtain seemed to respond to Whitebeard's question, switching to a planar map view. Flashing red and blue dots appeared, symbolizing the Ninja World and Pirate World factions respectively.
It wasn't pure random teleportation; both sides had fixed zones where their forces were scattered.
The picture switched to the Ninja World side. As soon as a Yamanaka clan member landed, he immediately performed a jutsu. It seemed the camera focused on him because of the chakra usage. He looked toward Inoichi, who had remained stationary to anchor the formation.
People in the One Piece World had no idea what was happening, but the people of the Ninja World smiled.
"Fighting in such a place gives us an absolute advantage," Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi noted.
"With random teleportation, our people can quickly determine each other's positions and sense the enemy," added Mizukage Terumi Mei.
"Just as we expected," Fourth Raikage Ay grunted. "Sending the Yamanaka clan really has a miraculous effect."
The view shifted again to the Pirate World. A Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral appeared on screen.
Yuichi knew this guy. He was at the bottom rung of the Vice Admirals. Normally, someone like him wouldn't be sent out, but the Marines ran on politics as much as power. This guy was a staunch loyalist. Sending him was a political move by the World Government to ensure obedience, even if it meant sacrificing quality.
And this guy did something no one expected.
"Hello!! Mr. Kizaru!! Mr. Akainu... Where are you guys?"
He was actually shouting at the top of his lungs in the middle of a hostile forest.
At this moment, even ordinary civilians stared wide-eyed, unable to believe such a stupid person existed. Was he an idiot? Yelling for an Admiral? Even if an Admiral heard him, did he think they would respond and expose their own position?
"Is that Vice Admiral Morro? I'm Gothel, I'm over here..."
Someone actually responded.
Watching via a surveillance Den Den Mushi in his office, Commander-in-Chief Kong's face darkened with cold killing intent.
How did this idiot... become a Marine Vice Admiral!?
Just as he was mentally complaining, the screen switched.
On the trunk of a giant tree, a figure moved rapidly. In such dense jungle, moving that fast was difficult. The figure was blurred, but in the next second, he dropped down like a falling shell.
Swish!
In mid-air, he pulled a kunai from his pouch. A flash of cold light! Blood spattered.
Boom!
With a crisp collision sound, the shouting Vice Admiral was stabbed in the chest by the sudden attacker. He flew backward and was instantly nailed to a tree.
"Damn... who dares to sneak attack..." the Vice Admiral yelled angrily.
Thud, thud, thud!
The sound of hidden weapons striking wood echoed. A row of shuriken hit his vitals with surgical precision—throat, heart, hands, and legs.
The Vice Admiral was killed instantly. The figure nailed to the tree ceased to breathe, and white light rose from the corpse, disappearing into the sky.
One dead as soon as the battle started. The Pirate World found it hard to accept.
"Is that a Marine Vice Admiral?"
"Why does he seem so weak?"
"Even Rear Admiral Smoker performed better than this!"
Rear Admiral Smoker had slaughtered opponents in the Sunagakure battle, yet a dignified Vice Admiral was one-shotted here.
The screen shifted to the front of the shadow. The killer's face was revealed.
Kakashi stopped on a branch, suppressing his breath, a smile visible beneath his mask. He was the one who had done it.
Seeing Kakashi, Yuichi felt nothing. For Konoha's Copy Ninja, instantly killing a guy who didn't even use Haki after being attacked was hardly surprising.
"This guy seems very good at sneak attacks. I remember he appeared in the First World War!" a pirate commented.
"I remember too. He seems to be able to go 50-50 against anyone!"
If Yuichi heard this, he would have laughed. While Kakashi going 50-50 was a meme, instant killing a Vice Admiral wasn't standard—unless the Vice Admiral was trash.
But if the first death could be excused as incompetence, the second couldn't.
While the Marines were clumsily looking for their companions, Shikaku Nara, an A-class combatant, landed not far from another Vice Admiral. Even though he hadn't reunited with the main group, guided by Inoichi's telepathy, he decided to engage alone.
The Shadow Possession Jutsu subdued the opponent instantly. With the cooperation of pre-set traps, Shikaku killed him effortlessly.
Shikaku looked confused. "Is it my imagination? I feel like the opponents this time are several levels weaker."
He was muttering to himself, but the light curtain broadcast his words to both worlds. The Ninja World cheered, but the Pirate World fell silent.
The Marines were still the Marines, but the personnel sent this time were incomprehensible. Yuichi was gone, the powerful veterans were gone. Instead, they sent loyalist nobodies who were getting slaughtered.
What was the World Government doing? Did they intend to lose the war on purpose?
.....
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