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Marco quickly treated his injuries using the powerful regenerative abilities of his Devil Fruit and soon regained his mobility.
Seeing that Byakuya had no intention of attacking again, Marco walked over to Ace, his expression grave.
The blue flames in his hands landed on the red mark on Ace's chest.
Whether they could defeat Byakuya or not, they had to recover some of their strength quickly.
They needed to find a way to take control of their fate rather than relying on whether Byakuya would show mercy and spare them.
Ace's injuries weren't too severe, just a few broken ribs, which was much better than Marco's.
Ace opened his eyes and looked at the heavily injured Marco, offering a bitter smile.
He said weakly, "Big brother Marco, this time it's all my fault.
If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have come to Fish-Man Island, and you wouldn't have ended up in such danger."
Marco shook his head and said, "We're brothers. There's no need to talk like that. Besides, I came with you willingly."
"This has nothing to do with you." Hearing Marco's comforting words, Ace smiled faintly and turned to look at Byakuya, who stood deep in thought.
This Marine looked about the same age as him, but their strength differed like night and day.
Ace felt deeply ashamed, remembering how confident he had been when he had left and the arrogant words he had said to Jinbe.
Now, Marco had been dragged into this mess as well.
In Ace's heart, if something happened to Marco, not even dying a thousand times would be enough to atone.
Seeing that Byakuya had not continued his assault, Neptune mustered his courage and approached.
Looking at Jinbe, unconscious at Byakuya's feet, Neptune pleaded, "Vice Admiral Byakuya, I'm sure Jinbe attacking you must have been a misunderstanding."
He then explained Shirahoshi's prediction and how he had relayed the message to Jinbe.
"When they returned and saw you attacking and killing so many Fish-Men, they must have misunderstood and acted rashly."
"Could you give them a chance and pretend this never happened?"
Neptune was out of options. Jinbe had joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea to protect Fish-Man Island and worked hard for peace between humans and Fish-Men.
Neptune couldn't stand by and watch Jinbe die at Byakuya's hands. Marco and Ace were also high-ranking officers in the Whitebeard Pirates.
With Fish-Man Island still flying Whitebeard's flag, if these two were captured by Byakuya here, it could provoke Whitebeard's wrath.
If that happened, Fish-Man Island would be doomed. So, Neptune had no choice but to plead with Byakuya.
Byakuya, interrupted by Neptune's words, looked at him with some surprise.
"King Neptune, do you understand the consequences of what you're asking?" Byakuya said coldly.
"You want me to let go of two high-ranking officers of the Whitebeard Pirates and a Warlord of the Sea who actively attacked a Marine Vice Admiral?"
Hearing the coldness in Byakuya's words, Neptune felt a chill in his heart, and sweat began to form on his forehead.
He had no choice—this man was far too powerful. With a single strike, Byakuya had killed nearly 50,000 Fish-Men.
He had also quickly defeated Marco, Ace, and Jinbe. Either of these feats would be terrifying on their own, enough to prove his overwhelming strength.
But both had occurred within a span of fewer than five minutes. How could Neptune not be afraid?
In truth, Byakuya didn't want to kill Marco and Ace so easily. During the brief pause, he had formed an idea in his mind.
While it might not bring him the most power in the world, he was curious to see how the story would develop if he went through with his plan.
Seeing Neptune's troubled expression, Byakuya finally spoke, "Considering how well you've treated us these past few days, I'll give you this favour."
Byakuya pointed to Ace and Marco. "I'll act like I didn't see these two Whitebeard Pirates and let them go."
"I won't even hold Jinbe's attack against me. But there's a condition." Neptune knew better than to think Byakuya was acting out of kindness.
Marco and Ace, who had been listening intently, perked up their ears, curious to hear what Byakuya's condition would be.
"I'm about to head to the New World to become the base commander of Marine G-5."
"So, I want your promise that the Whitebeard Pirates will never attack the G-5 base in exchange for your lives."
Such a promise was something only the Whitebeard Pirates or the Red-Haired Pirates among the Four Emperors would keep.
The other two wouldn't take such a promise seriously. You could let them go today, and they'd come with their entire crew to attack you the next day.
Hearing Byakuya's condition, Marco and Ace were somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected this to be his demand.
For the Whitebeard Pirates, this was a very easy promise to keep.
The Marine G-5 base bordered the territories of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, far from Whitebeard's domain.
In the New World, they rarely crossed paths. Making such a promise wouldn't harm the Whitebeard Pirates at all.
It would hurt Marco and Ace's pride, as the story of making such a "humiliating" agreement with the Marines would spread.
But losing face was better than losing their lives. Without a second thought, Marco agreed to Byakuya's terms.
Byakuya nodded, "Very well, then. You two can leave."
Ace frowned, looking at Jinbe, unconscious at Byakuya's feet. "I want to take Jinbe with us."
The man before him was too dangerous, and Ace couldn't bear to leave Jinbe behind.
Byakuya chuckled, "Either you all stay, or you two leave now without him."
"Don't wait until I change my mind. By then, you won't have to leave at all."
"You—!" Ace's fiery temper flared, but he couldn't abandon a brother.
Marco remained silent, his blue flames igniting again, signalling his decision.
"Well, you're pretty loyal, aren't you?" Byakuya cracked his knuckles as he spoke.
"Then let's see if your bones are as tough as your words."
Seeing that Marco and Ace were about to attack Byakuya again, Neptune stood between them in a panic and reopened his recently healed wounds.
He quickly blocked the three and said to Marco and Ace, "You two can leave with peace of mind."
"I swear I won't let Jinbe die at the hands of Vice Admiral Byakuya. Leave this to me."
Despite Neptune's assurance, Ace was still uneasy.
However, Marco understood that they would not escape this situation if they continued fighting and Byakuya changed his mind.
Also, it was clear from Byakuya's attitude that he treated Neptune with more respect.
Staying would only cause more trouble, so leaving seemed the best choice.
"Ace, trust King Neptune. If we stay, things will only get worse," Marco urged.
Though worried about his comrade, Ace wasn't ignorant of the situation. He understood Marco's reasoning. "Alright," Ace said reluctantly.
Before leaving, he turned to Byakuya seriously and said, "Today, I'm no match for you, but one day, I'll surpass you."
"When that day comes, I'll spare you, just like you spared me today. But the next time we meet, it'll be a fight to the death."
Is this the typical fiery speech of a Shonen protagonist? Byakuya scratched his ear, not taking Ace's words seriously. Surpass me?
You'd be lucky if you didn't get captured by Blackbeard and handed over to the World Government. Such naive thinking.
Besides, my strength will grow exponentially with the power I've just obtained from the World's Source.
How could someone training normally even compare to someone like me, who practically has cheat codes?
What a joke! But speaking of Blackbeard, Byakuya's eyes lit up as he came up with an idea. He sneered, "You think you can surpass me?"
"The only thing you'll surpass me in is how soon you'll die. Be careful not to die too early."
"You—!" Ace gritted his teeth in anger, faint flames flickering around him as he struggled to control his temper.
"Oh, and when you hurry back, send my regards to Blackbeard. In my eyes, he's the only one with the potential to surpass me.
"As for you, you don't even stand a chance. And let Blackbeard know I'm close to finding the Yami Yami no Mi, so he should stop wasting his time."
"It's truly pathetic for someone as strong as him to stay hidden as an ordinary crew member."
Byakuya's seemingly casual remarks caused both Marco and Ace to frown.
How does this Marine know about Blackbeard? And why would he say that Blackbeard is on par with him?
Blackbeard always seemed weaker than Ace. What's going on? And what's this talk of the Yami Yami no Mi?
Why would Blackbeard be hiding his strength? Although the two had many questions, they couldn't ask Byakuya directly.
They decided they'd confront Blackbeard once they returned.
As Byakuya watched Marco and Ace leave, puzzled expressions on their faces, he could barely hold back his laughter.
He had successfully stirred the pot and planted doubts about Blackbeard. Who knows?
His words may lead Whitebeard to uncover Blackbeard's ambitions.
Although Blackbeard was incredibly cunning, Byakuya's remarks would undoubtedly cause trouble for him.
This could even push the story in an unpredictable direction. The thought excited Byakuya.
After Marco and Ace were gone, Byakuya turned to Neptune and said, "When that guy wakes up, tell him the truth."
"If he still can't accept it and wants revenge, let him come find me. I'll be waiting."
Neptune quickly reassured him, "Vice Admiral Byakuya, Jinbe isn't that kind of person. I guarantee nothing like that will happen."
"Whether it does or doesn't doesn't matter to me. It won't take much effort to deal with him either way," Byakuya said bluntly.
"If he doesn't seek revenge, he understands who's in the right here. I've spared his life this time, so now he owes me one."
"Have him find a way to repay this favour."
"Of course, that won't be a problem," Neptune responded, visibly relieved.
In his mind, as long as Byakuya was willing to spare Jinbe, repaying the favour was a small price.
This outcome was likely the best Neptune could have hoped for. Hody Jones, the one scheming in the shadows against Fish-Man Island, was dead.
Vander Decken IX, who had terrorized Shirahoshi for years, was also gone.
Ace and Marco, high-ranking members of the Whitebeard Pirates, had been spared, and Jinbe was also shown mercy.
Fishman Island hadn't been destroyed. The only unfortunate part was the heavy toll on the Fish-Man population, with nearly 70% slain by a single strike from Byakuya.
From now on, the name "Byakuya" would likely be enough to frighten children into silence.
However, most of those who had perished were fiercely anti-human and opposed peaceful coexistence.
The survivors were neutral and understood what was truly in the Fish-Man race's best interest.
This would benefit the next generation, who wouldn't grow up hating humans.
Perhaps this was the turning point for Fish-Man Island to finally achieve peaceful coexistence with humans.
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