Before the figure of the Dark King Rayleigh even arrived, a wave of ferocious Haōshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) surged ahead.
The figures watching the battle nearby were instantly overwhelmed by the force of it, rolling their eyes back and dropping to the ground with thuds.
Naruto's expression changed slightly. This was the first time he had ever encountered Haōshoku Haki.
"So this is Haōshoku... how terrifying…"
"Rayleigh…" All three Marine Admirals' expressions turned grim as they stared at the rapidly approaching figure.
Swish!
With the sound of wind slicing the air, the Dark King Rayleigh appeared, wielding a blade and firmly blocking Akainu's magma strike.
The middle-aged man was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily with his chest heaving. Clearly, he was exhausted.
Having blocked the magma, he paid no attention to Akainu and instead fixed his intense gaze on the freckled boy in Aokiji's hand.
"So alike… far too alike…"
Looking at the freckled youth before him, it was as if he was seeing a young Roger.
"Your name is Ace, right? Was your mother Portgas D. Rouge!?" Rayleigh's voice was solemn.
Though he didn't know whether Roger had any children, he knew who Roger's wife was.
Ace stared at Rayleigh with a complicated expression. Even now, he didn't know whether this man in front of him was his father or not.
"My mother was Portgas D. Rouge. So tell me—are you or Roger my father?"
Hearing this, Rayleigh's eyes widened. He couldn't even comprehend the implications of that question.
"Your mother is Portgas D. Rouge. Who else could your father be if not Roger!?"
"Aokiji, kill that brat!" Akainu roared, "I don't know who he is, but it's better to kill him now!"
Rayleigh's eyes suddenly widened with a fierce glint. He bellowed:
"Aokiji! If you dare kill that kid, it means you're declaring war on the Roger Pirates!"
Aokiji: "…"
The atmosphere grew tenser. At that moment, Kizaru quietly backed away and picked up a Den Den Mushi.
"Moshi moshi, we've got a huge problem here!"
Marine Headquarters.
Listening to Kizaru's report, Sengoku's eyes widened further with each word. In disbelief, he shouted:
"You're telling me… you didn't capture Uzumaki Naruto, but instead caught the Pirate King's son—and now Rayleigh has shown up too!?"
"Huh!?" From a nearby couch, Garp nearly choked on the senbei he was munching. He spit it out with a pfft, but didn't even care as he leapt up.
"ACE!?"
Sengoku blinked, then slowly turned to glare at his longtime comrade.
"Garp!!!"
Having known him for years, Sengoku instantly sensed something was off.
"Garp, that kid Ace… he wouldn't happen to be related to you, would he? He came from the East Blue too, right?"
Sengoku's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. The more he thought about it, the more this all seemed connected to Garp.
Garp awkwardly coughed and rushed over. "Borsalino, what's the situation over there!?"
"We'll deal with you later!" Sengoku growled, shooting Garp a death glare before turning back to the Den Den Mushi, his face dark.
"Explain to me how a mission to capture Uzumaki Naruto has turned into this disaster?"
"And how the hell did the three Marine Admirals fail to capture him!?"
Kizaru coughed in embarrassment. "Uzumaki Naruto's not weak. He had me running around in a pretty sorry state…"
Trying to change the subject, he quickly asked, "So what now, Fleet Admiral? Should we bring the Pirate King's son back with us?"
"…That's going to be a problem," Sengoku groaned, rubbing his temples. "If we take him in, the Roger Pirates won't stay silent. Especially with Rayleigh there—their vice-captain…"
The more Sengoku thought, the worse he felt. He recalled the terrifying monsters who once made up the Roger Pirates.
Since Roger's execution, they had all vanished from the seas, hiding their identities.
But hiding wasn't dying.
If word got out that Roger's son had been captured by the Marines, who knows how many of those monsters would return—and perhaps even declare war on the Marine Headquarters.
Was it worth the risk…?
Sengoku's mind wavered, then finally decided.
"…Bring back the Pirate King's son."
"Wait, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, there's another problem…" Kizaru's voice cut in hesitantly.
"It seems Uzumaki Naruto has gone berserk again. Just like when he destroyed the Buster Call. His entire body has transformed into a blood-red fox…"
"…"
"ROOOOAR!!!"
A violent roar echoed from the burning trees of Sabaody Archipelago.
The once golden-haired boy was now surrounded by surging, blood-red chakra. Three tails swayed violently behind him.
A fourth was beginning to form, almost completely transforming him into a monstrous, inhuman figure.
"Kyūbi, don't forget our agreement!"
Naruto spoke within his consciousness.
The Kyūbi let out a low growl and voluntarily suppressed its chakra, allowing Naruto to regain control.
In an instant, Naruto's mind cleared.
The rationality that had just been drowned by the Kyūbi's fury was back in full force.
This sudden transformation quickly drew the attention of the Marines. The three Admirals turned toward him, their expressions serious.
"…It's that terrifying form again…"
Akainu's eyes gleamed coldly, abandoning concern for Ace altogether.
Aokiji took a deep breath. "It really is just like last time. Just looking at him fills me with unease…"
Kizaru sighed helplessly. "Honestly, none of those legendary ninja are as troublesome as this brat Uzumaki Naruto."
Rayleigh glanced at the chaos but quickly turned back to focus on Ace.
"Aokiji, that's the son of our captain. Put him down right now—unless you want to make an enemy of the Roger Pirates."
Just as Aokiji was about to speak, Akainu interrupted him coldly:
"Aokiji, you guard the Pirate King's son. Don't let Rayleigh snatch him away."
As he spoke, magma surged from his body as he rushed toward the berserk Naruto.
Rayleigh's eyes flashed sharply. Without hesitation, he gripped his sword and charged at Aokiji.
"This is a real mess…" Aokiji groaned, but still raised his hand to fight.
"Ice Age!"
Kizaru glanced between the two battlefields, clearly unsure of which to support.
Then he noticed something odd.
On top of the burning trees, the blood-red figure—now in a five-tailed form—suddenly took off running.
It was heading toward the sea.
Seeing Naruto charging toward the ocean at high speed, Kizaru actually felt a faint sense of relief.
"Dealing with two at once really is troublesome. But if we all focus on the Pirate King's son, we should be able to handle it…"
Just as he was about to help Aokiji fight Rayleigh, a realization hit him.
He abruptly turned toward the sea.
There, the crimson beast was sprinting with all four limbs, heading straight for the Red Line.
Kizaru's face froze.
"No… something's wrong…"
"That guy Uzumaki Naruto… is he trying to break through the Red Line!?"
(End of Chapter)
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