"Admiral Kizaru, the War Pirates have appeared at Port No. 9. We need to head over and provide support immediately!"
"Well, I heard you. Let's get going."
Hearing Vice Admiral Momonga's report, Kizaru casually responded. With both hands tucked into his pockets, he slowly walked toward the door.
Before long, most of the Marines who had been lying in wait at the shipyard, led by Kizaru and Momonga, headed toward the port. Only a small number of Marines remained behind to guard the shipyard.
"Robin and the others have arrived…"
Watching Kizaru and the others leave, Kaito did not immediately emerge from the Door-Door Fruit's alternate space.
Because he was in a separate space, his Observation Haki could not sense the outside world while he remained within the Door-Door Fruit's space.
So, after waiting for a while, Kaito opened an air door and stepped out of the alternate space.
His Observation Haki immediately spread outward.
The moment Kaito emerged, he focused his senses in the direction Kizaru had gone.
Before long, he detected an astonishingly powerful presence in the distance.
Judging from the sheer intensity of that presence, only a top-tier powerhouse like Kizaru could possess it.
After confirming that Kizaru had genuinely moved far away—and had not seen through his plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain—Kaito finally relaxed.
Boom!!!
The next moment, Kaito withdrew his Observation Haki and unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.
Under his precise control, the overwhelming pressure erupted from his body like a violent storm and instantly swept across every Marine still stationed at the shipyard.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sounds of bodies collapsing to the ground rang out one after another.
Although several of the remaining Marines were officers, they were still unable to withstand the force of Kaito's Conqueror's Haki. One after another, they lost consciousness and collapsed.
Without wasting any time, Kaito immediately got to work.
After dealing with the Marines, he opened a hole in his palm and began absorbing the ships into the Munch-Munch Fruit's internal space one after another.
I'm lucky it's me. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even dream of taking away this many ships.
As he collected the ships, Kaito could not help but complain inwardly.
The Munch-Munch Fruit's internal space was not infinite. Its capacity depended on the user's physical strength.
Simply put, the larger the internal space being maintained, the greater the physical burden on the user.
Take Wapol, for example.
The internal space he could maintain was probably only large enough to store a single ship.
But Kaito was different.
Whenever he concentrated his Constitution talent, physical stamina had never been something he needed to worry about.
Even after storing all fifteen ships inside the Munch-Munch Fruit's internal space, Kaito did not feel the slightest strain.
After collecting every ship, Kaito even politely left the remaining balance for the order behind at the port.
"Now then, it's time for a proper fight."
Rolling his shoulders and stretching his limbs, Kaito looked in the direction Kizaru had left.
A grin appeared on his face.
In the next instant, his figure blurred into an afterimage as he shot into the distance at incredible speed.
"Report, Admiral Kuzan! The Marines stationed at the other ports are gathering and heading this way at full speed. Admiral Kizaru has also brought the Marines from the shipyard!"
Inside a building near the port, where the sea could be clearly seen from the windows, a Marine colonel hurried into the room and saluted Kuzan, who stood beside the window.
Hearing the report, Kuzan did not turn around.
Instead, he stared intently at the distant sea, his brow deeply furrowed.
Far out on the ocean, a fleet of more than twenty ships could be seen approaching the port.
The skull emblem with two golden swords crossed behind it, displayed prominently on the sails, made it clear that the fleet belonged to the War Pirates Kuzan had been waiting for.
No… Why can't I sense that guy's presence?
The moment the War Pirates had been discovered, Kuzan had rushed over. At the same time, he had immediately spread his Observation Haki and remained highly alert.
Although the War Pirates' fleet was still some distance from the port, Kuzan's powerful Observation Haki allowed him to clearly sense the presences of everyone aboard the ships.
There were indeed many powerful auras within the fleet.
However, those presences were only powerful by ordinary standards. None of them possessed the monstrous intensity that Kaito did.
In other words, Kuzan could not sense Kaito anywhere within the fleet.
Naturally, this made him wary.
As someone who had fought Kaito before, Kuzan understood that although he had held the advantage in their previous battle, Kaito's strength was not something to be underestimated.
In fact, Kuzan had specifically insisted that Kizaru join him for this ambush.
The purpose was simple.
To make sure Kaito would not escape again.
Is he hiding his presence… or…
Kuzan silently considered the possibilities.
It was not impossible to conceal one's aura.
A skilled assassin, for example, would naturally be adept at hiding their presence.
Therefore, Kaito's absence from Kuzan's Observation Haki was not necessarily unusual.
It was entirely possible that Kaito was somewhere within the fleet, deliberately concealing his aura.
But then, another possibility suddenly entered Kuzan's mind.
His expression changed slightly.
Without hesitation, he immediately extended his Observation Haki toward the shipyard.
His senses rapidly swept across the city.
Before his Observation Haki even reached the shipyard, an incredibly powerful presence entered his perception halfway there.
That presence belongs to Polusalino.
A faint glint flashed through Kuzan's eyes.
He immediately recognized that the monstrous presence did not belong to Kaito, but to Kizaru.
Kuzan ignored it and continued extending his Observation Haki toward the shipyard.
Soon, his senses reached the shipyard itself.
However, there was no particularly powerful presence there.
No… Was I overthinking things? But why would that guy hide his presence for no reason? It can't be that he isn't there at all, can it?
Instead of relaxing, Kuzan's frown deepened.
He had originally suspected that Kaito had infiltrated the shipyard alone in order to take away the ships he had ordered.
But after failing to sense Kaito's presence there, Kuzan began to wonder if he had been thinking too much.
After all, there were so many ships.
Even if Kaito had some way to take them, moving that many ships would not be easy.
And now that the War Pirates' main force had already arrived, there should have been no reason for Kaito to sneak into the city alone.
Unless…
Kuzan's eyes narrowed.
Unless their ambush had already been exposed.
-------------------------
For advanced chapters, visit patreon.com/Varnok