UTBW: Ch. 33

At the docks of Marineford, a group of newly promoted Marine officers stood tall in their crisp, spotless uniforms, backs straight as they watched the approaching warship.

Gion gazed intently into the distance, curiosity and inquisitiveness clearly showing in her eyes. The others were more or less the same.

If all the information about Junichi turned out to be true, then in ten years, the Marines would surely have another monstrous Admiral with absurd strength!

"Tch…" But Tokikake looked extremely displeased, completely out of place among the others.

Gion's curious gaze, in particular, made him even more frustrated. Unable to hold back, he muttered sarcastically, "Let's not get too excited just yet. There's no direct evidence in the report the Fleet Admiral gave us, who knows if it's true or not? Maybe Vice Admiral Reizo just made a mistake? Or maybe this guy has some kind of special Devil Fruit?"

At those words, the area fell into silence. No one responded to him.

Gion frowned slightly.

But Tokikake, misinterpreting the silence as agreement, continued, "Just wait and see! When he shows up, I'll definitely expose his little act. I'll make him show his true self!"

Hearing that, a Rear Admiral turned to him with a stern look and warned, "Don't mess around. This is a mission directly assigned by the Fleet Admiral."

"Relax, relax. I'm just gonna quietly test him a bit. Let him feel the 'warm welcome' from us," Tokikake waved dismissively, unconcerned. The others frowned even deeper at his attitude. They exchanged looks and silently resolved that if he caused any trouble, they'd stop him immediately.

"He's here!" Tokikake, oblivious to the others' expressions, looked excitedly at the docking warship.

---

At the same time, onboard the warship, Junichi leapt from the deck, landing on the dock more than twenty meters away.

As soon as he landed, his Observation Haki instantly sensed a faint, concealed hostility coming from someone in the crowd.

"Hm?" He slowly raised his head, expressionless, as a powerful aura radiated from him.

Is someone really trying to pull the "initiation bullying" thing on me?

Shing!

A sharp, unstoppable pressure burst forth from Junichi, like an invisible sword aura slicing through the air.

"Welcome—" Gion had just opened her mouth to greet him when her expression suddenly froze. She felt an incredibly sharp pressure sweep over her, making her entire body stiffen and her breath stop.

In her eyes, the young man in front of her had become a razor-sharp sword. Just standing there, it felt like he could cut the entire dock—and everyone on it—in half.

"..."

The others felt the same.

What terrifying presence! It felt like, at any moment, their heads might be sliced off!

In that instant, no one doubted anymore.

He was definitely a powerful Swordsman!

"Welcome to the Marines," Gion took a deep breath, suppressing her fear and forcing a stiff smile as she spoke. But Junichi ignored her, his eyes searching for the source of the hostility, locking onto one person.

A young man who looked greasy and sleazy, like a shady uncle. Under Junichi's gaze, Tokikake's face turned pale, cold sweat pouring down, goosebumps rising all over his body.

Chaton… Tokikake?

Junichi stared at the young man, thinking to himself, No, he's not a candidate for Admiral yet. He doesn't have the "Chaton" title.

Still, I've basically figured out where that hostility came from. Jealousy, because Gion is the one officially welcoming me? How… boring.

Junichi gave him one indifferent glance. In that split second as their eyes met, an invisible blade of spiritual pressure shot from his gaze, piercing directly into Tokikake's eyes.

"Ahhh!!" Tokikake screamed in agony, immediately dropping to his knees, clutching his eyes.

"Tokikake?!"

"What happened!?"

"You're bleeding?!"

Everyone around was shocked and rushed to check on him.

Drip!

From between Tokikake's trembling fingers, blood slowly seeped out, dripping onto the ground.

"My eyes…" He trembled from the pain, his entire body shaking like a sieve. And it wasn't just his eyes. It felt like a sharp dagger had been stabbed straight into his brain. The indescribable pain was so intense he couldn't stop himself from howling.

Hsss…

The others drew sharp breaths in horror, turning fearful eyes toward Junichi. They instantly realized, this was his doing.

Shing!

Gion immediately drew her sword, and aimed it at Junichi, shouting, "What did you do?! This is Marineford! Do you have any idea what the consequences are for attacking someone here?!"

Junichi looked at her.

Gion quickly looked away, afraid to meet his eyes, terrified of ending up like Tokikake. After all, it was just a glance that brought Tokikake to his knees.

"It was just a small response to his hostility," Junichi said lightly. "Don't worry, the aftereffects are minimal."

"You—" Gion was at a loss for words.

Minimal? And there are aftereffects?

"What else was I supposed to do?" Junichi looked at them calmly.
"Or are you saying he's so used to acting spoiled, bullying newcomers has become normal and goes unpunished? Well, too bad. This time, I'm the one doing the bullying. I believe as long as I don't make any fundamental mistakes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku won't punish me."

The entire area fell silent at those words.

Even Tokikake stopped screaming, though cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Because Junichi was right. As long as the "aftereffects" truly were minimal, Sengoku wouldn't punish him.

"..."

Gion also fell into silence, her grip on Konpira loosening without realizing it. Though she didn't want to admit it, the boy was right.

Still, the fact that he had injured one of them upon arrival left a bitter emotional sting. Everyone's expressions turned complicated. They all blamed Tokikake. What should've been a simple welcoming turned into this awkward disaster...

Many cursed him silently.

Just then, as the group stood frozen in tension, Gion's Den Den Mushi rang.

Pururu! Pururu!

She quickly took it out and picked up the receiver.

The Den Den Mushi's face transformed into Sengoku.

"It's the Fleet Admiral!" The others felt as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

"Take Tokikake to the medical bay. Gion, bring Junichi to my office," Sengoku's cold voice came through the Den Den Mushi.

"Yes!" Gion quickly replied.

"That's all." Click—Sengoku ended the call.

---

In the office, Sengoku stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out toward the docks.

His Observation Haki was powerful enough to cover the entirety of Marineford, allowing him to sense everything that had happened.

"Tokikake, you were too impulsive…" He sighed and shook his head. "Of course, I didn't expect the boy's response to be so extreme either... He must've grown up in the midst of bloodshed."

"Now this is troublesome. People like him… they're used to eliminating threats the moment they appear."

Turning around, he went to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a transfer document.

With a sigh, he picked up a pen and filled in Tokikake's name.

"Tokikake… I'll have to reassign you early to a branch office."