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Chapter 268: Dungeon Powers, Undercurrents Beneath the StandoffBlue Phoenix flames ignited around Marco, and his usually sleepy eyes were now filled with cold killing intent!
Even the ever-calm Katakuri's gaze instantly became dangerous!
"Oi, oi, Marines."
The Red Hair Pirates' Vice-Captain, Benn Beckman, slowly exhaled a smoke ring. His eyes were calm, but his words dropped the air temperature by several degrees.
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."
"Some words will get people killed."
Terrifying pressure rolled from the direction of the three great pirate crews like a tsunami, crushing toward the Marines!
Weaker Marine soldiers, under this pressure mixed with the killing intent of countless powerhouses, instantly turned pale. Their legs went soft, and they nearly knelt on the ground!
The terrifying pressure, a blend of the wills of three Emperors' elites, crashed down on the Marine formation like three invisible mountains!
The air solidified completely in this moment!
Killing intent!
Boundless killing intent turned into tangible swords, threatening to tear these reckless Marines and their blinding "Justice" coats into shreds!
Some weaker pirates, just standing on the edge of this pressure, turned pale and trembled, nearly suffocating!
However!
The Marine officers at the center of the storm, especially leaders like Doberman and Onigumo, kept their backs straight!
There was no fear on their faces! Instead, they wore... sneers of contempt!
"Hmph, is this all you've got?"
The smile on Doberman's scarred face grew more ferocious. In his eyes, a flicker of gloomy, profound black light—filled with an ominous, cursed sensation—flashed and vanished!
That wasn't Haki!
It was a purer, more evil energy!
"A pack of wild dogs that only know how to bark."
Onigumo was even more direct. His six arms spread slightly, and his fingers gripping the sword hilts tapped in a strange rhythm. His breathing became long and powerful, as if every inhalation accumulated power enough to sever mountains!
This scene made the enraged pirates freeze in unison.
Something was wrong!
Something was very wrong!
Marco retracted the blue flames, his brows knitting tightly. Diamond Jozu stopped his charge, a flash of suspicion in his eyes. Even Katakuri, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped them open. A gravity never seen before flashed in his crimson pupils!
Impossible!
Facing the combined pressure of the core forces of three Emperor crews, even a Marine Admiral wouldn't be this nonchalant!
These Vice Admirals... there was something wrong with them!
"Oi, oi, you're kidding, right?"
Yasopp lowered his rifle, the smile vanishing from his face. "These guys... they seem a bit different from our intel."
Lucky Roux stopped eating his chicken leg, dangerous light flickering in his small eyes. "They... got stronger."
Everyone in the Red Hair Pirates sensed the strange incongruity.
"Captain."
At that moment, Benn Beckman exhaled another smoke ring. His voice remained calm, but his eyes became incredibly sharp. He glanced at the Marine Vice Admirals whose auras were drastically different, then cast his gaze toward the unassuming tavern in the center of the plaza.
"It seems these Marines gained quite a harvest from the Dungeon."
One sentence, like lightning, cleared the fog in everyone's minds!
The Dungeon!
That was it!
Only that place could allow a group of Marine Vice Admirals to undergo such a transformative change in such a short time! Only the power from that place could give them the confidence to face the elites of three Emperors simultaneously!
"Stop!"
"Stand down!"
"Come back!"
Almost simultaneously, Whitebeard, Shanks, and Katakuri—the three supreme leaders—spoke up to stop their subordinates who were about to go berserk!
Although Marco, Thatch, and the others were burning with rage, they obeyed Pops' orders absolutely and retreated unwillingly. The Red Hair executives shrugged and returned to their lazy demeanor. Katakuri's cold gaze also calmed the Big Mom Pirates.
"Gurararara..."
Whitebeard looked at the Marines with their strange auras and let out his trademark laugh.
"It seems the World Government and the Marines are learning to be flexible."
"Not bad, not bad."
His words sounded like praise, but the contempt in his eyes didn't diminish in the slightest.
Shanks put on his bright smile again, scratching his head as he looked at Gion. "Gion-chan, such a big lineup from the Marines, are you here to welcome us?"
The corner of Gion's mouth twitched again. She glared fiercely at Doberman and Onigumo, who had initiated the provocation, cursing these two battle maniacs in her heart.
They weren't defending the dignity of the Marines at all; they just wanted an excuse to test the new powers they got from the Dungeon! If a fight really broke out, regardless of winning or losing, they would violate the "No Fighting" rule set by Mr. Blake! In the end, the entire Marine organization would suffer!
Gion took a deep breath, suppressing her displeasure. She took a step forward and spoke loudly:
"By the order of the Five Elders of the World Government and Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"We are ordered to establish the highest specification Marine Branch, G-0, right here!"
"And to supervise all dangerous elements entering Foosha Village, maintaining order and stability in this place!"
Her words were high-sounding and watertight.
But the pirates in the plaza sneered in unison.
Supervise?
You guys?
If this weren't Mr. Blake's territory, you Marines wouldn't even be qualified to step foot on this island!
Everyone present knew clearly that what truly kept these Emperors of the Sea well-behaved wasn't Marine "Justice," but the "Rules" set by the man in that small tavern. The arrival of the Marines was just adding another chair to an already crowded table.
A storm capable of shaking the world temporarily subsided under the restraint of the leaders.
The tension slowly dissipated. The pirates restrained their killing intent, and the Marines held their formation. The two sides were distinct, falling into a strange confrontation and peace. This made countless forces observing in the dark breathe a sigh of relief.
But some were genuinely... disappointed.
At the edge of the plaza, mixed among the countless wealthy merchants and nobles who had come on a pilgrimage, was a tall man in a pink feather coat and flamingo sunglasses. The corners of his mouth curled into a regretful arc.
"Fufufufu..."
Donquixote Doflamingo. The Shichibukai, "Heavenly Yaksha."
He looked at the pirates and Marines who had died down and let out a low laugh that only those next to him could hear.
"Truly... a pity."
"Ne-ne, Doffy, it really is a pity!" Beside him, a sticky, snot-dribbling short fat man—Trebol—chimed in with his nauseating voice. "I thought I'd get to see the Emperors and Marine Headquarters fight!"
"Ne-ne, if they fought and destroyed this place, wouldn't we have a chance?!"
The smile on Doflamingo's face didn't change, but his eyes behind the sunglasses glanced coldly at Trebol.
"Shut up, Trebol."
"Your brain, which is comparable to snot, better not leak out in a place like this."
"Ne?!" Trebol's smile froze.
"Fufufufu..." Doflamingo's gaze returned to the center of the plaza. His eyes, like a precision hunter, swept over Whitebeard, Shanks, Katakuri, and Vice Admiral Gion.
Fight?
How naive.
Doflamingo sneered in his heart.
The confrontation just now looked like it was about to explode, but it was actually just a childish probe. Would true big shots be stupid enough to flip the table over a verbal dispute in a place like this?
Didn't you see? Those Marine Vice Admirals were calm, their eyes full of confidence. Clearly, they had obtained power from that "Dungeon" that allowed them to challenge the Emperors of the old era!
And Whitebeard and Red Hair weren't fools either. Starting a war without knowing the opponent's trump cards was the stupidest move possible.
This era... had changed.
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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