Chapter 110: A Fierce Battle with a Marine Admiral
Cherry blossoms fluttered like rain, drifting between the two of them.
In just a few seconds, the stunned expressions on both Akainu's and Shane's faces faded, replaced by a mutual narrowing of the eyes.
…
North Island, the docks.
Dalmatian was chewing on a cigar, supervising the Marines as they boarded the ships. Suddenly, the Transponder Snail in his pocket began to ring, "Purupurupuru…"
"Hello?"
Hearing the orders from the other end, Dalmatian's expression changed drastically. "Yes! Mr. Sakazuki, we will complete the mission!"
Just as he hung up, the other Vice Admiral, Broumaya, rushed over, her face full of anticipation. "What is it? What's happening?"
"The Tachi Swordsman, Shane, and his crew are on the south island," Dalmatian said, his eyes fierce. "Mr. Sakazuki is already engaging Shane. He should be able to take him down soon, so we're not needed there."
"Our objective is to capture the rest of the Curtain Call Pirates. We have to be fast, and we can't let a single one escape!"
"OHHHHH!!!"
Broumaya suddenly threw her arms in the air, letting out an almost maniacal cheer. Her beautiful face was twisted with excitement, her tongue darting out to lick her crimson lips.
"Excellent! Long live Mr. Sakazuki! We finally get to fight!"
She spun around and, like a little girl who had just been given candy, eagerly ran toward the deck.
"..."
Dalmatian glanced at her retreating back and shook his head.
He didn't know this colleague very well, but he had heard that she was a moody, crazy woman who idolized Mr. Akainu and enjoyed torturing pirates. Her Devil Fruit ability was also quite bizarre.
If they hadn't been on this mission together, he would have avoided her.
But right now, the mission was what mattered.
He pushed aside his stray thoughts and turned, his voice sharp.
"All hands! Marines who have not yet boarded, cease boarding! One warship will remain here on standby! All other warships, depart immediately! Change course! Blockade the coastline near the south island port! If you see any suspicious figures, surround them immediately!"
"YES, VICE ADMIRAL!"
A thunderous response came from the surrounding Marines.
…
South Island, in a cherry blossom grove.
"Big Bro?"
Nami stared at the Transponder Snail in her hand, puzzled. "Huh, that's strange. Why did it suddenly go silent?"
"Go, Nami!"
Shane's low voice came through the snail. "Marine Admiral Akainu is on this island. He's confronting me now, and his subordinates are heading to the south island to hunt you down."
"There's no time to waste! Everyone, retreat immediately!"
Marine Admiral Akainu?!
Nami froze. The others' expressions also changed, and they exchanged glances.
"Hey, can everyone hear me?"
Shane's voice came again, firm and resolute. "Make it clear to Nami, and don't get any stupid ideas about coming to help! That will only get everyone killed!"
"I can only get away safely if you are all safe! Do you understand?!"
Click!
The call ended, leaving only a dead silence.
"Go!"
Smoker was the first to react. He looked in a certain direction and gritted his teeth. "There are several warships heading this way! Let's go, now is not the time to hesitate!"
"But my brother is still…" Nami cried out, but Zeff grabbed her arm.
"Don't be a fool, Nami!" the old cook snapped, his tone unusually harsh. "Didn't you hear what your brother said?! A battle on that level is not something we can help with! If the captain said that, then he's confident he can get away!"
"The best way we can help him is by getting to safety! If we stay here, we'll only be a burden!"
"That's right!" Nojiko also gripped her wrist, her voice firm. "Nami, trust our brother. He never does anything he's not sure about."
"But…" Nami looked back toward the stone bridge, still unwilling to leave.
THWACK!
A precise chop landed on the back of her neck. Nami's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
Kuina retracted her hand, her expression impassive as she picked her up. "Sorry, but in this situation, there's no time to reason with a child."
"Let's go, everyone!"
She slung Nami over her shoulder, took one last, long look to the north, and then was the first to sprint toward the south island docks.
The rest of the crew followed close behind.
…
By the natural stone bridge, Akainu and Shane both put away their Transponder Snails, their gazes locking once more.
"So you were notifying your subordinates while I was notifying mine?" Akainu said calmly. "Very noble of you, brat. But… to think you can hold me off on your own to cover their retreat? Isn't that a bit…"
"—too delusional!"
SWISH!
Before he could finish, Akainu exploded into action without warning.
In an instant, he had vanished from the opposite bank. The second half of his sentence came from directly above Shane's head.
His right hand had swelled into a giant fist of magma, which came crashing down with a roar!
BOOM!!!
The giant magma fist tore through the air. The intense heat instantly vaporized the cherry blossoms fluttering in the wind, turning them into a rain of fire.
So fast!
Shane's pupils constricted, his back tensing. He dodged to the side, the magma just grazing his cheek and blasting a huge crater where he had been standing.
"Old geezer," he said, steadying himself and looking at Akainu, who had landed on the opposite side. He grinned. "You started this conversation. You could have at least finished it before you attacked. A surprise attack like that is unbecoming of a Marine Admiral."
"Unbecoming? That word isn't in my dictionary. Do the Marines need to follow rules when capturing pirates?" Akainu's face was impassive. This time, he raised his left arm as well, both arms churning with magma. "You're fast, I'll give you that. But… how many times can you dodge?"
"Meteor Volcano!"
In an instant, Akainu's fists became a barrage of magma cannonballs, raining down like a meteor shower.
The ground beneath Shane's feet cracked and split. He shot forward, the agility of his Paper Art: Martial Body on full display!
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!
The magma cannonballs slammed into the ground, each one creating a wave of fire dozens of meters high. The surrounding cherry blossom groves were instantly twisted and melted by the terrifying heat, turning the ground to scorched earth.
Shane's figure moved like a phantom through the rain of magma, the sound of explosions constantly echoing by his ears.
Akainu's assault grew more and more ferocious, a relentless, tsunami-like wave of magma. But still, Shane managed to evade every single one of the magma cannonballs!
His mastery of Shave and Moonwalk was on full display.
Hmm? He actually dodged them all?
Akainu raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
In terms of pure proficiency with the Six Powers, this black-haired brat was almost on the same level as him and Aokiji, and even slightly better than Kizaru.
But—
Akainu shook his head slightly.
This is where it ends!
"There."
A red light flashed in his eyes. His Observation Haki precisely predicted Shane's landing spot. He flickered, and his right fist shot out with all its might!
"Dark Hound!"
The attack was as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.
Shane had no way to dodge. He crossed his arms in front of him, pushing his Iron Body and Armament Haki to their absolute limits!
BOOM!!!
He only held for a few seconds before his Haki began to crumble. The terrifying force of the blow sent him flying hundreds of meters, like a cannonball, crashing through several rock walls before he finally came to a stop.
"Cough…"
Shane clutched his numb wrists and slowly stood up from the rubble.
The clothes on his arms had been completely burned away by the magma. The exposed skin was scorched, but the damage was only superficial, and it was already healing at a visible rate.
"..." Akainu's eyes narrowed.
That "Dark Hound" was one of his signature close-range moves. It was powerful enough to instantly blow the head off some of the most famous pirates in the New World.
But his opponent had blocked it with his bare arms and had only suffered minor injuries.
He was just an ordinary person, with no Devil Fruit ability or special bloodline, yet his physical toughness was comparable to some of the thick-skinned members of the Beast Pirates.
It was unbelievable…
How did he do it?!
"Hey," Shane's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Is that all you've got?"
Akainu looked up, his face impassive.
The black-haired young man across from him casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, cracked his neck, and then grinned at him.
"Then my counterattack is about to begin!"
BOOM!
The moment he finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet exploded. He shot forward, a black streak of lightning, and was instantly in front of Akainu!
He brought his fists together, the Armament Haki on them rippling. A terrifying, invisible shockwave erupted from his fists, spreading out in all directions!
"Six Powers Secret Art: Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!!!"
——————
South Island, the southernmost tip.
"Hurry! Faster!" Smoker urged in a low voice. The group moved quickly through the cover of the cherry blossom grove toward the coast.
Zeff and Smoker were in the lead, followed by Kuina, who was carrying the unconscious Nami, and Nojiko close behind.
Gin ran alongside them, with the little mochi-like creature on his head, constantly scanning the surroundings for a surprise attack from the Marines.
They crossed the entire south island without incident.
However, when they broke through the last cherry blossom grove and saw the coast just ahead, the sight that greeted them made them all stop in their tracks, their faces grim—
Dammit, we're too late!
The port was completely blockaded!
Three Marine warships were arranged in an arc, their cannons aimed at the shore. Over two thousand fully armed Marines were already there, waiting for them.
And in the center of the docks, two tall figures in white "Justice" coats were staring coldly at them.
"So you've finally arrived…"
Vice Admiral Dalmatian said calmly, a cigar between his teeth.
He and his troops had only just arrived themselves.
Thank goodness he had made the decisive order for the Marines who hadn't boarded to stay behind and depart immediately. Otherwise, this group might have actually escaped.
It had been a long time since he had faced a worthy opponent. He hoped these pirates wouldn't disappoint him.
And beside Dalmatian, Vice Admiral Broumaya licked her lips with a grin. "So there are only a few of them? Hey, Dalmatian, how about you let me have the two male pirates? I just love to hear men scream…"
As she spoke, her entire right arm transformed into a thick, metal syringe, the needle glinting coldly.
She was a user of the Paramecia-type Syringe-Syringe Fruit.
Over the years, countless enemies had screamed and begged for death under her needle.
And now, it seemed she had a few more excellent test subjects.
…
"Tsk, trouble!"
Smoker frowned and looked at Kuina. "We'll cover you. You carry Nami and get to the ship. Once you've got her settled and the ship started, we'll fight our way out."
"Don't be a fool," Kuina said, shooting him a look as if he were an idiot. "The port is completely surrounded. Do you really think you can just sail away without defeating these guys? And Nami is a fighter too at a time like this. We can't waste her!"
As she spoke, she gave Nami a rough shake.
The chop to the neck hadn't been that hard, and Nami had only been lightly unconscious. After a few shakes, she slowly came to.
Hmm?
Nami looked around, confused. Before she could react, Kuina patted her on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "Just like before, you take care of the small-fry, Nami!"
"Oh, okay…"
Nami was still a little dazed, but she subconsciously nodded.
"And two Rear Admirals… their top fighters are much more impressive than Onigumo's, but their mid-tier forces seem to be weaker. But maybe they left some of them behind on the north island."
Kuina scanned the encirclement below and continued to assign tasks in an orderly fashion. "Gin, you take these guys. You'll have to go all out this time, got it?!"
"AWOOO—!"
Gin threw his head back and let out a roar without hesitation.
The little mochi-like creature also wanted to join the fight, but Kuina casually stuffed it into her belt pouch and zipped it up.
"As for the two Vice Admirals…"
Kuina looked at Smoker. "Smokey, do you know them? Which one is stronger?"
"...What's with this sudden deputy-captain attitude?" Smoker asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Is this really the time for that?!"
"I don't know the woman. She must have been promoted to Vice Admiral recently," Smoker said, shaking his head. "But the Dalmatian is strong, and he's a veteran. He's about on par with Onigumo."
"Understood."
Kuina pushed the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji with her thumb, slowly drawing the blade.
"In that case, I'll take the Dalmatian. Nojiko, you'll support me and keep him busy. As for the female Vice Admiral, Smokey and Uncle Zeff will handle her!"
"No problem," Zeff grinned. The Rear Admiral he had fought in Loguetown had been too weak and had quickly been overwhelmed by his kicks. It hadn't been satisfying at all.
This time, he could see just how much stronger a newly promoted Vice Admiral would be.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Nojiko also put on her Mithril Gloves, slamming her fists together, a look of fighting spirit in her eyes.
Since there was no escape, they had to fight their way out…
Then they would just have to fight with all their might!
After over a month of hard training, everyone had now mastered Armament Haki, and their strength had increased significantly since Loguetown.
And now was the perfect time to test their progress!!!
"In any case, don't get bogged down in the fight. Our primary objective is to break through," Kuina said, taking a deep breath and giving her final command. "We have to break through as quickly as possible and get away from this island. Only then can the captain get away without any worries. Does everyone understand?!"
"Understood!" the crew responded in unison.
"Let's go!"
With a sharp cry, Kuina was the first to charge forward. The gunners, who had long been ready, opened fire at a wave of Dalmatian's hand!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dozens of heavy cannons fired at once. Amidst the flashing orange light, a barrage of black cannonballs rained down, and the entire coast was instantly shrouded in smoke.
"Kōgan!"
The Wado Ichimonji traced a brilliant white arc, and a massive slash of sword energy shot out, intercepting all the cannonballs and slicing them in two.
"Nice one!" Smoker shouted, his body dissolving into smoke and shooting through the Marine ranks like a white python, heading for the female Vice Admiral. "Now it's my turn!"
"Stop him!" a Marine Captain roared, drawing his sword, but in the next second—
"Shave!"
Smoker's figure flashed in front of him, and his Armament Haki-coated jitte came crashing down!
CRACK!
The blade shattered, and the Captain coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying, knocking over a whole row of soldiers and passing out instantly.
"Even though we're both Headquarters Captains, it seems our strength is on a completely different level," Smoker said, glancing at him. He took a drag from his cigar and blew a puff of smoke.
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you