357 You have to believe me

Smoker clenched the cigar between his teeth, his expression cold and sharp.

“You don’t have to believe me,” he said, “but you should believe in the two of them, shouldn’t you?

“They’ve told us before — no matter what happens, we must trust them!”

His tone grew heavier as he continued, “Besides, with our strength, if we rush in recklessly, not only will we fail to help, we might even drag them down. Do you want to see that happen? Do nothing, and in the end throw your own life away for nothing?”

Smoker’s words carried weight. After hearing them, Hina and the other Marine Headquarters elites hesitated, their expressions shifting. Slowly, they began to realize Smoker was right.

“Fine,” Hina said at last, after a pause. “We’ll do as you say. I’m willing to believe you.”

But what Smoker and the others didn’t realize was that their every move had been noticed from the very beginning.

At that moment, in a quiet forest nearby, two figures stood watching.

“Sister Artoria, should we step in?” Illya asked nervously, clutching the ruby wand in her hands.

“Of course we’ll step in,” Artoria replied calmly. “But not now.”

Her voice was steady as she explained, “You know very well our captain doesn’t want anyone interfering in his battles. Especially now — he’s thrilled to face Garp and Zephyr, two worthy opponents at once.

“If we interfere, we’ll only spoil his fun. Worse, he may see us as holding him back.”

Illya’s eyes widened in realization. So that was why Artoria had refused to help Kronos from the start.

“Then…” Illya glanced in the direction of Smoker and the others, her lips parting as if to ask something.

“They’re just a few mice,” Artoria said lightly. “Let them scurry around. It doesn’t matter.”

From the very beginning, Artoria had sensed Smoker and his group. But she hadn’t taken them seriously. With her current strength, she could take Smoker’s head in a single stroke if she wished. To her, they weren’t even worth considering.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield—

The longer Zephyr and Garp fought, the more their hearts sank.

Their opponent’s strength… was far beyond anything they had imagined.

If the battle dragged on, they knew the truth: they might not be his match at all. Sooner or later, they would be crushed.

“You two…”

“You’re not my opponents.”

“Not now. Not ever.”

Kronos bared his teeth in a predatory grin, his aura exploding outward. Conqueror’s Haki radiated from his body, shaking the world itself as it silently declared his dominance.

Zephyr — who had always hated pirates and carried the pride of a Marine to his core — felt his blood boil. Kronos’ posture, his expression, everything about him screamed contempt. It was as if Marines weren’t even human in his eyes.

“You’ve pissed me off!”

“Utterly pissed me off!”

Zephyr stepped forward, his massive frame swelling with power as muscles hardened, every fiber of his body surging with trained strength.

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