As expected, the worries of the Three Legendary Sannin came true.
While escaping from the outer walls of Mariejois Castle, waves of powerful enemies appeared one after another, forcing them to go all out just to survive.
Colonels who had mastered the Navy's Rokushiki: Soru?
In the previous wave alone, four Colonels had appeared—led by two Vice Admirals, no less. Not only were they masters of physical combat, but they had also awakened Observation Haki, allowing them to anticipate nearly every move in battle. The Sannin quickly found themselves overwhelmed.
"When we get back, I have to beg the Toad Sage to train me in Senjutsu!"
Jiraiya, currently the weakest among the three, roared furiously in the heat of battle.
They were being completely dominated.
In the Naruto world, taijutsu might not reign supreme, but once physical prowess reaches a certain level, it can easily overpower most ninjutsu through sheer brute force.
Just like Might Guy after opening the Sixth, Seventh, or even Eighth Gate—or like these Marines here.
No matter how powerful your ninjutsu is, it's useless if you can't land a hit! And forming hand seals takes time.
If they hadn't discovered a weakness in these Marines during the fight, and if it weren't for the help of powerful Fish-Men like Fisher, the trio might have already collapsed from exhaustion just trying to defeat these high-ranking officers.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru noticed during battle that while these Marines excelled in close combat, they had little to no resistance against genjutsu or sealing techniques. In fact, it seemed they had never trained in those arts at all.
In Nawaki's words: they were like upgraded versions of Rock Lee—pure physical monsters, but lacking versatility.
By cleverly combining genjutsu and fūinjutsu, the Three Sannin managed to subdue a few Marine leaders.
That's right—subdue, not destroy.
After all, unless it's a Sharingan-based technique like Tsukuyomi or Kotoamatsukami, most genjutsu can still be broken through sheer willpower.
"We just need to get past this final wall, and we'll be out of Mariejois Castle," Orochimaru said hoarsely. Though his clothes were tattered and bloodied, his wounds were visibly healing at a rapid pace, and his stamina showed no signs of flagging.
That was the power of the vampiric bloodline—so long as he had a source of fresh blood, he could continue fighting indefinitely.
Tsunade was also stained with blood, her once-beautiful face now lined with determination and battle-worn elegance.
Her condition remained stable. Ever since she upgraded her Monster Strength to +5 max level, the chakra cost had halved while its destructive power had increased by 150%.
Combined with the massive chakra reserves from her Sage Body, Tsunade's endurance in battle far surpassed anyone's expectations.
But seeing her in such a battered state made Nawaki's heart ache.
As for Jiraiya… cough cough, Nawaki wasn't trying to mock him, but without Sage Mode, Jiraiya truly was the weakest among the three.
"Stay alert. There's a good chance a large number of Marines are waiting outside," Tsunade warned.
She paused, then lowered her voice so only the other two could hear.
"If things get too dangerous, we prioritize survival. We abandon the mission if we must. We can't die here."
Jiraiya and Orochimaru both nodded solemnly.
Then, with her chakra reserves still the highest, Tsunade punched through the final wall.
Boom!
Dust and rubble flew.
As the smoke cleared, Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise at what she saw.
The skies were blue, the grass vibrant and green. It looked almost like paradise. And contrary to expectation, there was no army of Marines waiting for them—just two people standing outside.
One was a tall, muscular middle-aged man in a white Marine coat trimmed with gold. What stood out was the odd dog-head hat on his head. He stood quietly on the grass, head slightly bowed.
Fisher's face turned pale the moment he saw the man, and he exclaimed in disbelief.
"Ka–Karp! That's Monkey D. Garp! Why is he here in Mariejois?! A man like him should be stationed at Navy Headquarters—why would he be here!?"
"Garp?" Tsunade asked reflexively. "What rank is he?"
"…Vice Admiral," Fisher answered.
The three Sannin breathed a slight sigh of relief. If it was just a Vice Admiral, there might still be a chance to win. At the very least, they could stall him long enough for the slaves to escape.
But Fisher's next words made their blood run cold.
"Although he's only a Vice Admiral, Garp could've become an Admiral long ago—but he kept refusing promotions. He's the one who repeatedly drove the Pirate King, Roger, into a corner. He's known as the Hero of the Marines, and among pirates, he's regarded as a literal demon!"
Then Fisher suddenly understood.
"I see now. Admirals are required to stay stationed at Navy HQ. But since Garp is only a Vice Admiral, he's free to act independently—that's how he ended up in Mariejois…"
Elsewhere…
On the grassy field, the Marine officer standing nearby panicked when he saw the castle wall crumble and all sorts of slaves rushing out.
He shouted to the man beside him.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Hmm?"
The officer gathered all his courage and yelled louder. "Vice Admiral Garp!!"
Only then did Garp stir. He lazily turned his head left and right.
"Hmm? What's up? Is it lunchtime already?"
"…Vice Admiral Garp, the intruders are escaping with the slaves. They're just over there," the officer explained helplessly.
Upon hearing that, Garp scratched under his dog-head hat, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"Ah, got it! Let's go beat 'em up quick, then head back to HQ for tea with Sengoku!"
Looking at this man—so utterly lacking in the aura of a powerhouse—the Three Sannin found it hard to believe this was the same "Vice Admiral Garp" that Fisher feared. He looked more like a carefree old uncle who loved laughing and being lazy.
But for only two people to guard this exit, and yet have such confidence—they clearly weren't ordinary.
Gritting her teeth, Tsunade stepped forward and flexed her pink-gloved fists.
"I'll hold this guy off. You and Jiraiya get the others out of Mariejois. Quickly."
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya called out, stepping up without hesitation. "I'm with you!"
"You two…"
Orochimaru frowned. In his view, the optimal strategy was for the slaves to scatter and escape, while they blended into the crowd. Sure, it might cost many lives, and even lead to mission failure—but it would ensure their survival.
But Tsunade and Jiraiya weren't the kind to sacrifice others to save themselves. They were heroes. That was their way.
"…Fine. I'll join you two. If we split our strength now, we'll just get wiped out faster."
"You three…"
Fisher looked at them in disbelief. After three years of suffering in slavery, he had long lost faith in humanity.
But now, for the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope.
Tsunade's gaze sharpened. She turned to Fisher and spoke with gravity.
"We'll hold off Garp here. You must get everyone out of Mariejois as fast as possible. Remember—don't stop for anything. The faster you run, the safer we'll be!"
She was betting everything on that mysterious Lord God.
Betting that the slaves could escape before they fell. Betting that once the mission was completed, the omnipotent Lord God who controlled time and space would teleport them back to the Naruto world.
She had lost countless times in gambling with money.
But when it came to gambling with her life—she had never lost.
~~~~~~~~
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