Secon Island.

Stomp, stomp, stomp...

Squads of Marines marched through the town in perfect formation, drawing the curious stares of countless civilians.

"We need forces monitoring the coast!"

"Send men to garrison the peak! Keep a reserve in the town!"

"We’re too spread out! We don’t have enough men as it is!"

"We can only try to buy time! Damn it! It was too sudden, we barely brought any cannons!"

Seven or eight Marine officers sat on ammo crates by the roadside, agonizing over a map. Due to the urgency, Headquarters had scrambled any nearby Marines to garrison the island.

Unfortunately, only a thousand sailors had been gathered, bringing the total to fifteen hundred with the local garrison. While more reinforcements would arrive eventually, time was the one thing they lacked.

Furthermore, they lacked heavy weaponry like machine guns, rocket launchers, and artillery. The highest-ranking officers were only three Captains. To block the main force of the Neo Marines with this pittance was like an ant trying to stop a carriage.

At a street corner, a tall, thin man wearing a hood watched the passing Marines. His face was obscured, but he seemed lost in thought. "The Navy is here... but with only these numbers, I’m afraid..." He looked up, revealing a familiar face.

If any Marine had seen him, they would have screamed in shock.

"Well, I still have some free time. Might as well hit the hot springs. In a few hours, I might not get the chance," Kuzan muttered, turning away and vanishing into the streets.

Time ticked by. The garrison grew slightly, but the lack of heavy equipment remained. They couldn’t wait any longer.

The Neo Marines had arrived.

Four black dots appeared on the horizon; four warships bearing the Neo Marine insignia, cutting through the waves as they closed in on Secon Island.

"What’s that?"

"Ships! Warships!"

"Look at the flag! It’s the Neo Marines!"

"Only four? Where is the rest of the fleet?"

"Quick! Notify all units!"

Coastal lookouts immediately raised the alarm. The news reached every unit on the island and Marine Headquarters simultaneously.

On the Neo Marine flagship...

"We must end this battle quickly. We used the main fleet as a feint to trick the Navy, but now that we’ve reached Secon Island, they’ll know immediately."

"The fleet will arrive in half a day, but we cannot be pinned down here!" Zephyr stood at the bow, his coat fluttering in the wind, his expression stoic.

"Speed is the key. Z-sensei, I understand!" Ain said, her face serious and focused.

"Binz, you’re in charge of our rear. Eliminate or repel any Marines trying to cut off our retreat!" Zephyr ordered.

"Leave it to me, Z-sensei!" Binz chirped.

"Then, begin the landing!" Zephyr commanded.

Moments later, the ships reached the shore. Landing craft were lowered, and a swarm of Neo Marine soldiers stormed the beach. Zephyr had spent nearly his entire life in the Navy; he understood them perfectly, allowing him to stay one step ahead.

Though the assault on Firs Island had cost them, their main force remained. To avoid detection, Zephyr had brought only four ships and two thousand elites for a lightning strike to destroy Secon Island before reinforcements arrived.

"Kill!"

"Drive them back!"

"Charge!"

"Stop those bastards!"

A skirmish broke out on Secon Island. Due to the lack of numbers and top-tier combatants, the Marine defense was pulverized by Zephyr’s elites. They broke through several lines of defense and marched straight up the Hot Spring Mountain.

The Marines were forced to retreat into the town, unable to mount further attacks. However, because the battle was on the far side of the mountain, the civilians in town were still largely unaware of the fighting.

Because of the interference from Admiral Kizaru at Firs Island, the Neo Marines didn’t have much Dyna Stone. They needed time to calculate exactly how much was required to destabilize the magma beneath Secon Island without wasting the supply needed for the final Piriodo Island.

Meanwhile, Marine reinforcements were actually quite timely. Several more warships arrived, bringing a significant force led by a Rear Admiral.

This Rear Admiral didn’t act rashly. He split his forces, one half fortified the town, while the other moved to encircle Hot Spring Mountain.

The Neo Marines on the peak were busy placing the Dyna Stones. Below, the Navy formed a perimeter but didn’t attack the mountain or the ships on the coast. It was an eerie, quiet stalemate, so quiet that some Marines in town even found time to grab a drink at a bar.

Inside a hot spring bathhouse: Kuzan, having waited intentionally, finally met the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Aokiji!!!" Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stared in shock at the man before them. Only Brook sat calmly in his spot, looking on with confusion.

"Yo. Long time no see," Kuzan greeted them naturally.

As the sun began to set, the sky turned a brilliant crimson. On the dunes on the other side of Secon Island, a brutal pursuit was underway.

The Neo Marines had finished placing the Dyna Stones. With the timers set, they began a full-scale breakout. Led by the former Admiral, they tore through the Marine perimeter like a hot knife through butter.

But the Navy wasn’t about to let them walk away. Led by the Rear Admiral, they finally caught up to the Neo Marines at the sand dunes.

"Go protect the ships. I’ll handle them," Zephyr said, waving Ain and the others toward the beach to prevent the Marines from destroying their escape route.

"Yes, Z-sensei!" Ain replied. She knew that against her teacher, especially a teacher who had regained his health, these Marines were no threat. Even if their numbers were ten times greater, it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out.

"Kill!" A thousand Marines surged toward Zephyr.

"I will crush... every last pirate!" Zephyr raised the massive Battle Smasher on his right arm. His aura erupted like a volcano, a single man’s presence overwhelming the spirits of a thousand soldiers. He stepped forward, charging alone into the sea of Marines.

BOOM—! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The heavy Smasher swung, creating a gale that sent groups of Marines flying. They fought like they were unafraid of death, but it was like infants challenging a giant. They couldn’t move him an inch.

High above, hidden in the clouds, a massive ship with a black wolf figurehead watched.

"It’s started. Looks like they’ve placed the ’Dyna Stones’ already," Aeridar remarked, observing the battlefield through a telescope.

"The Navy is swarming ’Black Arm’ Zephyr, but they don’t have the numbers to make it stick," Arlan noted from the side, peering through his own glass.

"Captain, should we go down and finish off the old man? The Neo Marine main fleet isn’t here; there’s less than two thousand of them," Dimitri asked.

"Wait a moment. Since they’ve placed the stones, they must have installed timers," Galan said solemnly. "We have a bit of time. We need to deal with the Dyna Stones first. Only then can we kill Zephyr without Secon Island blowing up in our faces."

Aeridar nodded. "Mina just messaged me. Kuzan is on the island. If he steps in, he can freeze those timers in an instant."