Soon they were all reunited and dry thanks to Merlin. After explaining what they'd overheard, Peter gave Domino a bland stare, "Maybe I should just always stick with you since you seem to find all the useful information."
He ignored her smirk and thought aloud, "I definitely don't remember anyone named Admiral Cain. I know all the current marine admirals and even the future ones, but I can't recall hearing the name Cain at all. My best guess is the same as yours, Domino, just a pirate with delusions of grandeur. Though, he or one of his men is at least a decent swordsman given the way the buildings got sliced apart."
They all agreed with that. They knew slicing through steel and causing wind blades that could slice through mountains some something that was legitimately possible. The fact that whoever attacked them could do such a thing put them fairly high up in swordsmanship. Peter was really regretting not bringing Alex along. If Alex could witness the pirate using such a skill it would vastly improve his ability to teach swordsmanship.
Peter thought for a bit before letting out a sigh, "We should head back to the ship and make better preparations for a return. I want to learn about this Stormheart Obelisk, but I should have had us prepare more first."
The girls all gave him knowing smiles but didn't argue. A minute later and they were stepping outside. Domino, Merlin, and Valaria were doing much better than Peter and Artoria thanks to their stolen jackets. They started making their way back to the longboat.
Suddenly the wind and rain stopped.
They all froze and looked around. The area around them was encapsulated by a large dome that prevented the rain and wind from affecting them. They all took defensive stances when they heard dark chuckles coming from a multitude of men. As they watched, over a dozen men walked out from behind various buildings to stand across from them.
Two of the men stood out above the others not just for their looks, but for their ages as they were ancient looking. Despite their age, they still put out a fearsome aura that wouldn't let anyone underestimate them.
One was thin and tall, at least seven feet, wearing a sword on his hip along with bladed fins on his forearms and calves giving him an almost fishman like look while still clearly being human. He wore his white hair short and stared with sharp black eyes. He sported a sick smile and licked his lips while eyeing the women up and down.
The second man stood out the most because he wore what could only be a Marine Admiral's jacket, only the back sported a massive X through all of the writing. He looked even older than the man at his side, his hair thin and white, liver spots covering his visible skin, and a slight shake to his legs as he stood there slightly hunched over. Even so, his eyes were sharp and there was no doubting the strength he had.
Just laying eyes on them gave Peter a significant amount of information. For starters, both men were ancient by normal standards. The fishman wannabe was one hundred and seventeen years old, suffered badly from arthritis, and malnourished from not being able to properly digest food anymore. He had one or two years of life left at most before the undernourishment would cause organ failure.
The man in the marine admiral coat, on the other hand, only had days left to live. He was a shocking one hundred and thirty two years old. Wounds for long past battles had taken their toll on his body and years of abusing it would now lead to heart failure in a short time. Even so, the man was strong and dangerous, an actual threat to them.
Then there was the dome around them which could have only been caused by a Devil Fruit. He couldn't tell who had it with just a look, but it was definitely either the Admiral or the swordsman.
The two groups stared at each other, the henchman still chuckling and clearly believing they were about to have quite a bit of fun. They were at least somewhat disciplined though and made no move to attack without orders.
The admiral was the first to speak, his voice was deep and steady, "I am Admiral Zeharos "Vortex" Cain. You have trespassed on my island and have clearly come for the Stormheart Obelisk. It. is. MINE!" He slammed his cane into the ground with enough force that everyone could feel it, "Surrender now and the boy will die quickly. Fight, and he will die slowly while your suffering will be made significantly worse than it need be."