"A perfect chance—go!" Rosen shouted as thunder and lightning poured from the stormy sky. He turned to Daz Bones, who nodded and rushed to the helm. Seeing this, Akainu moved to intercept.
But Rosen and Hathaway stopped him again. Robin quickly ordered everyone to retreat—the aftershocks from these fights alone were enough to kill them.
Boom!
Rosen unleashed an all-out Instant Erosion Explosion, slamming his fist into Akainu's magma punch. The unstable sand detonated on contact, blasting Akainu off the Dawn.
But the cost was high—Rosen's right arm was temporarily useless. Causing an explosion inside his own arm using unstable sand was powerful but self-destructive. He did it just to drive Akainu back.
"Regroup and chase the Dawn Pirates immediately," Vice Admiral Babrus ordered grimly as he climbed aboard a warship. Watching the slow escape and Akainu's pursuit, he knew they had to act fast.
In this storm, with constant lightning and heavy waves, Akainu might lose them. Moonwalks in the air became unstable in such conditions, and midair movement was increasingly risky.
Ahead, Marines were positioned to intercept the Dawn. Though MR. 5 and the others couldn't fight Akainu, it wouldn't be hard to return cannon fire, find an opening, and make an emergency escape.
The lightning had stirred huge waves, and the storm had disrupted fleet formations. Few Marine ships could still maintain the encirclement, especially since many had scattered to avoid the earlier Thunderstorm blast.
Breaking through the outer ring wouldn't be difficult.
They hadn't been fully surrounded yet. The only major threats were Garp's warship to the right, Akainu's pursuit, and Babrus's regrouping forces.
"Fire! Sink them!" Babrus grabbed a Den Den Mushi and ordered nearby ships to begin firing again.
Drenched and wounded, he ignored his own condition. The Dawn Pirates had already lost their airborne ship—if this last one went down, they'd be trapped.
"Vice Admiral! The ship from Lambeau Island was overturned by a massive wave and needs rescue! Also, a whirlpool is forming in the southeast! All reinforcements, avoid that area! Repeat, avoid the southeast sea zone!" Just as Babrus gave his orders, bad news rolled in.
"Koming base reports three ships disabled by lightning—can't continue the chase!"
"Sea King! Watch out!" The scent of blood in the water had drawn the ocean's apex predators.
"Strong winds! Small ships, furl sails and wait!" another officer ordered. Smaller ships were in danger of having their sails torn apart.
"Damn it, ignore all that! All heavy warships—form up, surround them, and start indiscriminate bombardment when in range!" Babrus's face darkened. These setbacks were normal for such conditions—but he couldn't accept them.
They couldn't let the enemy escape. If this mission failed, the losses would be too great.
"My Ark... damn it!" Enel was covered in blood, barely able to stand. His mental state was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, he transformed into his Thunder God form, though his injuries were still visible.
"Thunderstorm!" he roared in fury. At this point, he didn't even need to form storm clouds—the raging tempest provided all the lightning he needed.
Crackle... The clouds surged with wild electricity.
Everyone felt another wave of dread. Enel might not be the strongest one-on-one, but the Goro Goro no Mi was an overwhelmingly powerful Devil Fruit—especially in weather like this.
"The Lightning Man? Hasn't been one in decades... Now he's siding with Crocodile?" Garp said solemnly.
The last Lightning Man appeared many decades ago—a notorious pirate who rose to fame even before Whitebeard. Garp, just a rookie back then, could never forget the terror of that ability.
"Another lightning sphere!"
"Damn pirate!" Akainu was furious. This guy kept getting in the way. He should've killed him earlier when he had the chance.
"Leave the lightning sphere to me," Garp said. His ship approached. In midair, Akainu clashed with Rosen and Hathaway, then used the chance to land back on deck.
"Thanks. Crocodile's threat level is too high—we can't let them escape," Akainu said. Between the Crimson Queen, the Lightning Man, and Crocodile himself, these three couldn't be allowed to regroup. If they failed now, it might be impossible next time.
Akainu resumed his assault, charging the Dawn again. The distance wasn't far, and the Dawn had already broken the outer line—if he didn't chase, they might really get away.
"Aren't we helping Admiral Sakazuki?" Garp's adjutant asked.
"He should be fine. If that thing falls, the Marines will suffer heavy casualties," Garp replied, glancing toward the barrage on the Dawn, his expression serious.
Beside him, a subordinate wheeled out racks of tightly packed shells. They weren't massive iron balls—but Garp grabbed one, coated it in Haki, and launched:
"Fist Bone: Meteor Shower!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Hundreds of Haki-infused shells flew into the thunderclouds like meteors. Their terrifying speed and destructive Haki shredded the lightning sphere like a hive, blasting holes clean through it. After more than 500 shots, it finally exploded.
"Damn you, Blue Sea scum!" Enel watched in horror. Grief and fury surged through him, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted. The emotional and physical toll overwhelmed him.
What was with the Blue Sea? Even random old men were this powerful!
"Boss! We broke through!" the crew shouted as the Dawn shot past several shaky Marine ships.
Some cannon shots hit, but the Dawn was big and could take the damage.
"Look out!" Rosen shouted suddenly. Akainu was charging in the wrong direction—he wasn't aiming for Rosen or Hathaway. Then who?
Rosen was already running on fumes, barely holding on. Hathaway wasn't in much better shape. Even Akainu had taken heavy damage, but theirs was worse—they might only last a few more rounds.
They needed to escape Akainu and the pursuing Marines as soon as possible—but just then, Akainu changed tactics?
(End of Chapter)