The Marine fleet consisted of ten warships, each of which had at least a Vice Admiral-level powerhouse on board. On one of the warships, besides Admiral Kizaru, there were Vice Admiral Momonga and the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea was included Dracule Hawk Eyes Mihawk, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, the Heavenly Yaksha Donquixote Doflamingo, Bartholomew Kuma the Tyrant; Gecko Moria, Crocodile, and Demon Spade.
Those seven individuals alone were all at least as powerful as Vice Admirals, with some like Mihawk and Demon Spade being even stronger.
The reason Admiral Kizaru and Vice Admiral Momonga were on this warship was to keep an eye on those seven unruly pirates, to prevent them from causing trouble during the voyage.
Although the Seven Warlords of the Sea were formidable in their own right, it was uncertain how effective they could be against Vongola Family. Demon Spade and Doflamingo were not a concern; they had a beef with Vongola Family, and the other two were strangers to Vongola so they would follow the World Government's orders.
However, Mihawk had a decent relationship with Vongola Family, so his participation was primarily to challenge Ugetsu Asari, the world's current strongest swordsman. In other words, his goal was to have another battle with Zoro. He would not intervene in other fights, and his involvement was solely for personal reasons.
Hancock was rescued from Marie Geoise by Giotto and Fisher Tiger, so in her eyes, Vongola Family...
To be more accurate, Giotto was her savior. If it weren't for that old hag constantly nagging her, along with the opportunity to see Giotto by joining this expedition, she would have ignored the Marines' summon.
So, it was safe to assume that she wouldn't take the battle too seriously. She might even attack the Marines like she did in Summit War of Marineford in the manga.
As for the last one, Bartholomew Kuma, a Revolutionary Army officer. His leader, Monkey D. Dragon admired Vongola Primo, so his participation in the battle was mostly for show.
"Admiral Kizaru, a warship suddenly appeared ahead of us, and we didn't detect its presence at all. Furthermore... that's Varia emblem!!"
Just at that moment, a Marine captain rushed over and reported to Kizaru.
Hearing this, Doflamingo couldn't help but smirk. "Heh heh! We haven't even reached Secon Island, and we've already run into them? The independent special assassination unit, Varia, is that the team led by Xanxus? I heard that within Vongola Family, Varia is second only to the Guardians in terms of combat power. It seems we'll have to deal with them first."
"Boom!"
Before Kizaru could say anything, a series of explosions erupted, and intense Flame of Wrath were shot towards them. Kizaru's face changed instantly, but he had no intention of making a move.
Come on, with so many Marine powerhouses here, why would he need to intervene?
Just as the Flame of Wrath approached, a figure leaped from another warship and shouted, "Bones of Steel!"
A powerful Color of Arms Haki-imbued punch burst out, colliding with all the incoming Flame of Wrath in mid-air and causing a violent explosion.
At the same time, Admiral Aokiji froze the sea to create a foothold. After all, many of the Marine officers couldn't fully utilize their abilities on the sea. Creating an icy surface wouldn't hinder their voyage anyway as Akainu could just melt the ice later.
After dispersing all the Flame of Wrath, Garp landed steadily on the icy surface. "Impressive firepower. If we were hit head-on, it would have been a big problem! Among Varia members, the only one capable of such an attack is that young man named Xanxus, right? To be honest, this is the first time I've faced anyone from Vongola Family!"
Although Vongola Family had been active for several years, Garp had never fought any of them before, except for that time when he encountered Vongola Primo in the East Blue. That encounter had been more of a playful exchange, not a real battle.
"Vice Admiral Garp, please don't underestimate them. Varia is an important part of Vongola Family, especially that guy named Xanxus; he's incredibly powerful." Aokiji landed beside Kizaru and offered a reminder.
In his eyes, Vice Admiral Kizaru was certainly stronger than Xanxus. After all, he held the title of a Marine hero.
"Let's eliminate Varia first and then continue our voyage to Secon Island. Taking them out one by one is easier for us," Sengoku said as he stood at the bow of the ship with a serious expression.
Aokiji freezing the sea surface was his command. Initially, they had planned to attack Secon Island directly, but in his opinion, it was a better choice to eliminate Varia first.
"Admiral Sengoku, I believe we should just continue our advance and left some of our men here to deal with Varia."
Akainu believed that Varia wasn't worth the entire fleet's involvement. Varia's main combatant consisted of Xanxus, Squalo, Fran, Belphegor, Lussuria, and Levi. Among them, the last three were at most equivalent to a Vice Admiral in terms of combat power. The first few posed some threat, but it wasn't worth it to keep their entire fleet here.
"Sakazuki, don't underestimate them. This mission must succeed, and taking out Varia first weakens Vongola Family as well. Besides, if we all fight, dealing with them won't waste much time. You're an Admiral now; you can't be as impatient as you used to. Understand?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru said softly. As a veteran, there was nothing weird about her offering a few words of advice for Sakazuki.
Although Sakazuki was somewhat dissatisfied, he didn't show it.