"Kairos, what are you doing here?"
Vice Admiral Lacroix stood on the coast. As a giant, his body towered over ten meters tall, and his voice rumbled like rolling thunder.
His enormous eyes locked onto Kairos, his massive frame blocking the sunlight and casting a huge shadow across the shore.
At the same time, the surrounding Marines had already formed an encirclement.
A sharp series of clicks rang out as rifles were raised and bolts pulled back.
Every gun was aimed at Kairos.
They were ready to fire at any moment.
Kairos did not answer Lacroix.
Instead, his gaze swept calmly across the area.
At this moment, the coast was already packed with Marines.
There were veterans.
There were recruits.
And there were officers like Lacroix.
Farther away, even more Marines were rushing toward the shore. Every one of them wore an expression burning with anger.
Someone had dared to attack a Marine training camp.
That was an outright provocation.
The Marines would never forgive anyone bold enough to do such a thing.
Kairos' eyes flickered slightly.
He made his decision.
Then his gaze swept across the Marines once more.
"To be honest…"
His lips parted.
"I want to fight all of you."
The moment those words fell, every Marine's expression changed.
"Do you know what kind of place this is?"
A cold glint flashed in Lacroix's eyes.
A dangerous aura slowly rose from his enormous body.
"I didn't before."
Kairos remained calm.
"But now I do. This is Marine Recruit Training Camp Number One."
"And knowing that, you still want to fight?"
Lacroix narrowed his eyes, his voice turning heavy.
As he spoke, a brutal aura surged from his giant frame. Deep cracking sounds echoed from his body as muscles and bones shifted beneath his skin.
"Yes."
"Hmph!"
Lacroix let out a cold snort. It sounded like thunder exploding beside the sea.
"Take him down."
The giant vice admiral gave the order without hesitation.
At this point, the Marines had no intention of honoring any so-called duel.
A pirate had attacked their training camp.
Every Marine present was furious.
In their eyes, Kairos' actions were nothing less than contempt for the Marines themselves.
A humiliation directed at absolute justice.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The moment the order was given, more than a hundred rifles fired simultaneously.
Bullets poured forward like a storm, carrying scorching heat as they tore through the air toward Kairos.
In the blink of an eye, thick smoke rose across the shoreline.
At the same time, more than a hundred Marines charged forward with weapons in hand.
Several officers coated their fists and blades in Armament Haki as they attacked with fierce momentum.
Lacroix gripped his massive axe.
With a single swing, the air exploded as the giant weapon came crashing down toward Kairos.
Smoker exhaled white smoke and closed in from behind once more.
He refused to believe Kairos could avoid such a dense wave of attacks using that strange movement again.
In an instant, hundreds of attacks landed where Kairos had been standing.
Boom!
Golden bullets.
Lacroix's gigantic axe.
Bright Marine blades.
Blackened fists.
Smoker's white smoke.
Every attack plunged into the cloud of dust.
It sounded complicated, but everything had happened in less than three seconds.
The Marines rushing over stared solemnly at the smoke-covered shore.
Did they get him?
Some of the younger recruits could not help showing a trace of excitement.
But Lacroix did not look pleased.
His axe had connected.
Yet there had been no feeling of impact.
In other words—
he had not hit Kairos.
And at that moment—
a faint crackling sound emerged from within the smoke.
"Electricity?"
Lacroix noticed it instantly.
Jet-black Armament Haki immediately spread over his arms and giant axe.
His instincts screamed danger.
Without hesitation, he braced himself.
Then—
Rumble!
A thick yellow bolt of lightning erupted from the smoke.
It tore through dust and air with savage force, surging directly toward Lacroix.
Boom!
Lightning collided with the giant axe.
Creak… creak…
The axe trembled violently, producing an ear-piercing metallic scream.
Shock and disbelief appeared on Lacroix's face.
The muscles in both his arms bulged violently.
Blue veins rose like twisting snakes beneath his skin.
At this moment, the giant vice admiral was using his full strength.
Yet the axe in his hands could not move forward even half an inch.
The stalemate lasted only an instant.
Boom!!
In the next second, the lightning shattered through Lacroix's axe and slammed into his body.
His gigantic frame was blasted away like a cannonball, smashing through building after building.
A straight path was carved through the recruit dormitory area.
Lacroix was a giant.
Seeing a vice admiral over ten meters tall blasted through the air like a small mountain sent many recruits trembling so badly their legs nearly gave out.
A giant vice admiral had been sent flying in a single move.
And that was not all.
The Marine officers who had attacked Kairos up close, along with Smoker himself, spat blood and flew backward simultaneously.
"How is that possible?!"
The Marines farther away widened their eyes in disbelief.
They could not accept what they had just witnessed.
Hundreds of Marines had attacked together.
Yet Kairos had broken through them effortlessly.
Several officers had even been severely injured.
Crackle… crackle…
Electric arcs danced around Kairos' body, sharp and dazzling.
The smoke was torn apart.
Then a quiet murmur followed.
"Thunder Breathing…"
Kairos stood with his eyes gently closed.
Bright arcs of lightning flickered around him.
His stance lowered slightly.
He had already assumed the posture of drawing a sword.
As he breathed, hot white mist slowly escaped from his lips.
Zenitsu Agatsuma Card…
Activated.
Meanwhile—
Marine Recruit Training Camp Number One.
Inside the chief instructor's office.
Boom…
A faint tremor came from the distance, causing the teacup on Zephyr's desk to shake. Ripples spread across the surface of the tea.
"Hm?"
Though already old, Zephyr still possessed a broad, powerful frame filled with overwhelming presence.
His reflection trembled faintly on the surface of the tea.
He sensed something immediately.
Bang!
The office door was thrown open.
A young woman with soft sea-blue hair rushed inside. She wore black pointed heels and a blue cloak over her shoulders, her face tense with urgency.
"Teacher Zephyr, a pirate has invaded the training camp!"
Ain spoke the moment she saw him, getting straight to the point.
"Who? How many?"
Zephyr's eyes sharpened.
He finally understood the source of the tremor.
A pirate had actually dared to attack the recruit training camp?
Though shocked, his thoughts remained perfectly clear.
In an instant, countless possibilities about the intruder's identity and intentions flashed through his mind.
Ain took a deep breath.
Shock still lingered on her beautiful face.
"Only one person!"
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