One Piece: Starting with Sign-in Naruto Character Cards

When even Bartolomeo showed no fear of death, as a former Warlord of the Sea who often came and went from Marineford, Crocodile naturally couldn't back down now either.

Seeing how nobody seemed to take Marineford seriously, Douglas Bullet could only pray that the Marine Hero wouldn't show up!

—

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, the four of them stepped out into the streets of Loguetown.

But as they reached the square they had visited the day before, something immediately felt off.

"You guys notice anything strange?"

Douglas Bullet was the first to speak.

"It's way too quiet. This square is usually the liveliest part of Loguetown. Even after all the commotion you caused yesterday, there's no way the entire street should be this empty!"

Bartolomeo glanced down the deserted road, visibly curious.

It was obvious—something had definitely happened in Loguetown.

"They're here."

Rikuya Kazama narrowed his eyes toward the far end of the street and spoke coldly.

The moment his words fell, the other three immediately got into battle stances.

Even Bartolomeo moved in front of the group, seemingly ready to activate his barrier at any moment to protect them.

The next moment, just as expected, a large group of people dressed in white appeared at the other end of the street.

From a distance, those white coats unmistakably marked them as Marines.

"Heh... this just got interesting. That guy came too,"

Crocodile smirked coldly as the figures grew closer.

Of the four, aside from Rikuya, Crocodile knew the inner workings of the Marines best.

Douglas Bullet had been locked up in prison for over twenty years and was no longer familiar with the outside world, while Bartolomeo was just a local thug trying to expand his underworld turf. Naturally, he didn't know much about Marine HQ either.

So when Crocodile hinted at someone's arrival, the other two were immediately curious.

"Who came?" Bartolomeo asked casually.

"Admiral of the Marines... Sakazuki, also known as Akainu."

Before Crocodile could respond, Rikuya stepped forward and spoke with an icy tone.

Hearing this, Bartolomeo gasped sharply.

He may have never fought an admiral before, but he sure as hell knew what they were capable of!

The Admirals were the absolute top combat force of the Marine Headquarters—nearly unmatched in power.

Now that he realized they might soon face off against one, Bartolomeo couldn't help but feel nervous. His hands instinctively formed his "Commons Fingers" gesture, ready to activate his defensive technique.

The Marines, led by Sakazuki, finally came to a halt in front of them.

Behind Sakazuki stood three Marine Vice Admirals.

That made it a four-on-four standoff.

Sakazuki, a cigar in his mouth, scanned over Rikuya before focusing his eyes on Crocodile.

"Crocodile... You're such trash. Granting you the title of Warlord back then was already a stretch. And now? You're nothing more than someone else's lapdog."

He exhaled a puff of smoke and began his verbal assault.

Hearing this, Crocodile almost coughed up blood on the spot.

This was the second time in twenty-four hours someone had ridiculed him like this.

But this wasn't Smoker—this was a Marine Admiral. Crocodile knew he wasn't on the same level, so all he could do now was bite back with words.

"Who I choose to ally with is none of your damn business. Since the World Government already stripped me of my title, I have nothing to do with you lot anymore!"

"Hah! What a joke. Teaming up with another loser—do you really think you can defy the World Government? Defy the Marines? Today, I'm going to wipe out your pathetic gang of misfits right here in Loguetown!"

Sakazuki growled in a chilling voice.

"Oi, little red mutt... didn't the World Government give you a message to pass along to me?"

Just as the verbal spat between Sakazuki and Crocodile escalated, Rikuya suddenly said something shocking.

The people behind him flinched at his words.

On the other side, even Sakazuki and the three Vice Admirals were momentarily stunned—but quickly composed themselves.

Though they tried to act as if nothing happened, Rikuya noticed the split-second reactions. He was too sharp to miss it.

In truth, ever since he defeated Crocodile, Rikuya had suspected that the World Government might consider recruiting him.

After all, not only had he subdued a former Warlord of the Sea, he was also traveling the seas with a notorious monster in tow.

If the World Government could get Rikuya to become a Warlord, it would be a massive win for them—securing three major pirates in one move.

A single position capturing three threats? That was practically a triple win.

"…The World Government did send us an official notice,"

Sakazuki finally spoke.

The moment he did, the expressions of the three Vice Admirals behind him changed drastically. They immediately turned to glare at him, since they had all agreed to keep that letter hidden!

"Oh? What did it say?"

"The World Government ordered the Marines to severely punish the two criminals who escaped from Impel Down... and to completely eliminate the disgraceful former Warlord."

Sakazuki pronounced every word slowly and clearly.

"Hah! Faking orders from the World Government? You three Vice Admirals aren't worried about the consequences when the higher-ups find out?"

Rikuya scoffed. He wasn't buying it—not for a second.

Because he knew exactly how those World Government bastards operated.

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