Could it be that the higher-ups had ordered the elimination of the Legendary Four Brothers?
No, that couldn't be it!
Even though a notorious figure like Mitian was frighteningly strong, not a single member of the Legendary Four Brothers was a pushover. Against all of them, what could she possibly achieve on her own?
Yet, looking at her current demeanor, Mitian didn't seem the least bit flustered. Even X Drake found it bizarre. Where on earth did this level of confidence come from?
Although Drake knew of Mitian, they had no real relationship, having only crossed paths once in the past. This woman was undeniably the absolute last person anyone in the Marines wanted to provoke.
If you managed to offend an Admiral or cause dissatisfaction with the Fleet Admiral himself, they still cared about their public image and protocol; they wouldn't go out of their way to maliciously break you. At most, you would face standard military discipline.
But this dear lady was cut from a completely different cloth. If you crossed her, she would systematically make your life a living hell. People often said that a gentleman could wait ten years to exact revenge, but this lady never let a grudge see the next morning.
Within the Marines, absolutely no one could handle her; even the Admirals and the Fleet Admiral chose to turn a blind eye to her antics.
First and foremost, it was a matter of pure strength. Even if an Admiral engaged her in combat, they weren't guaranteed to gain any advantage.
Second, she was simply too breathtakingly beautiful—a presence fully capable of rivaling the legendary Pirate Empress. It was impossible to count how many Marines secretly harbored affections for her, though all of them possessed plenty of desire but absolutely zero courage to act. After all, the disparity between them was simply too immense; comparing an ordinary marine to her was like comparing a patch of mud to the high heavens.
Third was her absolute mystique. Mitian's background was shrouded in complete secrecy. She didn't seem to get along with any of the Marine Admirals, yet she could be seen conversing cheerfully with the Hero of the Marines, Vice Admiral Garp, during every single one of their encounters. Because of this, a persistent rumor circulated within the ranks that the powerful figure backing her from the shadows was none other than Garp himself.
That connection rendered her completely untouchable. Setting aside the fact that Vice Admiral Garp's name was revered by nearly every soul in the Navy, his raw military might was indisputable. During the Summit War two years ago, anyone who witnessed the conflict knew that Garp had single-handedly intercepted Whitebeard, the Strongest Man in the World, while the Emperor was at full operational capacity. That feat alone commanded the absolute awe of the world.
Inevitably, whispers spread through the barracks suggesting Vice Admiral Mitian might be Garp's illegitimate daughter or granddaughter. Of course, there was zero concrete evidence to substantiate the claim, merely the idle gossip of bored soldiers. But one absolute axiom remained universally acknowledged across the entire organization: Vice Admiral Mitian was not to be trifled with!
Better to provoke the Fleet Admiral than to cross Mitian. This phrase had firmly solidified itself as a common mantra among the Marines.
Having previously served as a Rear Admiral, X Drake was naturally well-aware of this hidden reality. That was the core reason behind his profound shock.
"Former Rear Admiral Drake, I suggest you learn to guard your tongue," Mitian's icy voice rang out. "Otherwise, I won't care what alternative identity you're hiding behind—you might find yourself unable to see the sun rise tomorrow."
X Drake: !!!
The crowd: "..."
Even Ace found himself entirely bewildered by the exchange. Right then, Mitian suddenly flashed a radiant, breathtaking smile at him, extending her jade-like hand to gently brush aside the tip of his fiery spear.
"I... came here to find my husband," Mitian murmured, a faint, delicate blush surfacing on her exquisite face, looking remarkably bashful.
The absolute bombshell left the entire clearing frozen in a state of paralyzed shock.
Among them, no one was more utterly dumbfounded than X Drake.
What?!Husband?!Since when did this demoness have a husband? Who is it? Why?!
Ace, who had been fully prepared to unleash his power to teach her a lesson, was completely shell-shocked.
She was here to find her husband? Didn't she explicitly state moments ago that she was here for Drake? Could it be...
The microsecond the piece fell into place, a highly peculiar expression crossed Ace's face. However, witnessing her sudden transformation into a demure, delicate young woman, he immediately believed her story eighty percent.
He slowly cut his gaze toward his brother. "Drake... is she your..."
At this stage, Drake's eyelids were drooping heavily, his mind completely unable to process the words Ace was uttering. All his buzzed brain registered was that Ace appeared to be speaking right in front of him.
"Hahaha... Ace! Come on, let's keep drinking! We aren't stopping until we're under the table tonight!" He mistakenly assumed his brother was simply celebrating their historic reunion.
Drake cherished this profound fraternal bond from the bottom of his soul, and he was fully committed to matching his eldest brother drink for drink.
"Kenshin! Quick, fill it back up! Don't keep me waiting, I need to toast Ace!" Drake waved his empty cup with a burst of drunken bravado.
Witnessing the display, Ace couldn't help but slap a hand over his forehead. Drake had been plagued by this exact condition since their childhood days; the moment alcohol entered his system, his cognitive functions completely dissolved. In his memory, Drake was someone who would instantly blackout the moment his lips touched booze, and upon waking, his mind would cleanly wipe every single event that had transpired during his intoxication, as though he had never had a drop.
They had never viewed it as a significant issue back then, given that they rarely drank as kids. But looking at him now, this flaw was proving to be a catastrophic liability.
"Ahem, Drake, we can handle the drinking later. This lady here..." Ace pointed toward Mitian standing nearby.
Drake lazily traced the direction of his finger, his blurred vision locking onto an extraordinarily beautiful woman who was staring at him with a gentle, soft smile. But her slender silhouette quickly began to fracture into double vision, shifting through a series of afterimages that his buzzed brain could not decipher.
Am I drunk?
For the very first time in his life, a faint shred of cognitive doubt surfaced in Drake's mind. He instinctively looked back toward Ace, verifying that his brother still possessed a single, solid outline.
He immediately dismissed the theory of his intoxication. However, the exact moment he swung his gaze back, the fiery red silhouette had already bridged the intervening distance to stand directly before his face.
"Drake, it's been a very long time, hasn't it? ~"
Her remarkably soft, melodic tone sent a profound ripple through the hearts of everyone watching.
Mitian, who had been positioned dozens of meters away just a breath ago, was now standing right against Drake's chest. Behind her, Ace merely scratched his head in sheer awkwardness, entirely torn between intervening or stepping back. Judging by the intimate atmosphere, Drake appeared to share an incredibly deep history with this woman. It was best to stand down and observe.
"Huh?" Drake blinked in absolute confusion at the impossibly gorgeous woman looming over him. His body swayed like a bobbing buoy, losing its balance as he began to fall sideways.
Mitian moved with lightning reflexes, reaching out to catch him and steady his frame against her.
Seeing the tender interaction, Ace completely abandoned his remaining tactical suspicion. If he had harbored a lingering sliver of doubt before, he now placed fundamental trust in Mitian's intentions. In her eyes, he had clearly deciphered a flash of genuine, protective concern.
Yet, in a blind spot completely hidden from Ace's line of sight, a stroke of pure, calculated mischief flashed within Mitian's beautiful eyes, the corners of her crimson lips curling into a deeply amused smirk.
"Husband, didn't you explicitly promise me that you would never... touch a drop of alcohol again?!" Mitian murmured softly.
Mid-sentence, a brutal intensity suddenly flared in her eyes. Gathering a massive concentration of fiery red energy into her palm, she drove her fist forward, violently blasting Drake straight out of the clearing.
KABOOM!
"Per our sacred agreement, I won't be holding back, okay?"
A pair of magnificent, radiant wings composed of fiery red feathers suddenly erupted from Mitian's back. Giving chase with terrifying, explosive speed, she rocketed straight toward the airborne Drake.
"Cough... cough... wheeze..."
Sailing through the air, Drake felt as though his absolute gallbladder was about to be driven out of his body, his eyes bulging from the sheer impact. At this point, he desperately wanted to curse aloud. This woman appeared completely gentle, elegant, and refined, yet her sudden, unprovoked assault was catastrophically ruthless!
Who on earth did I offend tonight?!
And just now... did she seriously call him her husband?
"Damn it! Who the hell is your husband?!"
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