Chapter 289: Are They All Dead?!
On the Marine flagship.
"The Curtain Call's top officers are all here. What a terrifying lineup," Kizaru sighed. "The fleet is surrounded. Landing is impossible. Hey, Sakazuki, what's the plan now? Retreat?"
"Do you really think that's an option?" Sakazuki's face was as dark as a thundercloud. "The World Nobles are still on the island. If we retreat, how will we explain this to Headquarters? We'll be court-martialed!"
Besides, a true Marine never yields to a pirate! If he had run every time he faced a stronger pirate force, he, Sakazuki, would never have climbed to the rank of Admiral!
"Send out my orders!" Akainu bit through the cigar in his mouth, his eyes boiling with killing intent. "Abandon the flanks! All ships, concentrate your fire and blast a path for me!"
"Also, all officers of Captain rank and above who can use Moonwalk are to prepare for aerial combat! Follow me and land on the island at top speed! Rescue the World Nobles at all costs!"
"As for you, Borsalino," Akainu looked at Kizaru, took a deep breath, and said, word by word, "Stop holding back! Give me your all! Your absolute all! Hold back their fleet! Don't let a single one of their top officers get past you!"
"Even if it costs you your life, you will hold them here! This is not an order from a commander. This is a request from an old friend! Do you understand me?!"
"…"
Kizaru was about to slip back into his usual lazy demeanor, but at those words, his face twitched, and he sighed. A request from an old friend? It's been a long time since I've heard those words…
When he looked up again, he nodded, his expression more serious than ever. "Yeah, I got it."
"But, Sakazuki," Kizaru's gaze pierced through the fiery sea to the shore, where the situation was still unknown. "Don't act like you've thrown all the hard work on me. The biggest obstacle is still that man. He's waiting on the island right now. Sakazuki, are you really sure you can rescue those people from him?"
Akainu was silent for a second, then said, "The outcome is for later. First, we carry out our orders. No matter what, this is my duty as a Marine!"
With that, he leaped into the air, his legs transforming into magma, and rocketed towards the shore! Twenty to thirty Marine officers, all proficient in Moonwalk, followed him.
"Duty…" Kizaru watched his back and sighed. Before turning back to the battle, he murmured in a voice only the sea wind could hear, "It's fine to be stubborn, but don't you dare get yourself killed, old friend."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The roar of explosions was incessant. The Curtain Call's cannon fire grew more intense, volley after volley, with no sign of stopping. The most eye-catching of them all was undoubtedly the Fifth Division Captain, Noah. The white-haired young man, dressed like a jungle native, opened his mouth and spat out a stream of Haki-coated pea bullets. Rat-tat-tat-tat, it was like a Gatling gun, the rate of fire incredibly fast. By himself, he had created a terrifying wall of fire that had the Marine's left flank on the verge of collapse!
"Hey, your Devil Fruit is weird," the First Division Captain, Shiryu, said, his eyelid twitching as he watched. "But that firepower is terrifying. It's almost half a fleet's worth!"
"Hahaha, of course!" Noah laughed heartily, continuing to spit bullets. "This is a new move I developed with Lord Shane's personal guidance! 'Pea Barrage'! It's not very effective against strong opponents, but against these Marine small fry, it's devastating… huh?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something bright. In the next instant, SWISH!, a blinding golden light filled his vision. Kizaru's figure had appeared before him in a flash, his hands forming the Ama no Murakumo sword.
"Hmm? A rookie I don't recognize?" Kizaru glanced at him. "Hey, showing off like this right from the start is not a good idea. You'll be targeted."
Before he could finish, his light sword came slashing down! Shiryu snorted and instantly drew his blade!
CLANG!!!
The clash of blades sent sparks flying! Shiryu grunted and was knocked back several steps, but he had managed to block Kizaru's attack.
"Hey, Kizaru," Shiryu said, biting down on his cigar as he looked up with a savage grin. "Attacking my comrade in front of me… are you looking down on me, the First Division Captain?"
"Shiryu of the Rain from Impel Down?" Kizaru raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I heard you betrayed Magellan and joined the Curtain Call Adventurers. So it was true… Tsk, going against the Marines won't end well for you~"
"As expected of a Marine Admiral. Your composure is impressive," Shiryu said with a low laugh, exhaling a puff of smoke. "You still have time to threaten me? You should be more worried about what the old men at the top will do to you after all three hundred of these Celestial Dragons are dead!"
With that, he unleashed his full strength, pushing Kizaru back half a step. At the same time, Noah seized the opportunity and used his ability again. "Pea Storm!!!"
Countless Haki-coated peas rained down on Kizaru!
"What a pain." Kizaru frowned. He casually parried Shiryu's sword and his body dissolved into golden light particles. The dense barrage of Haki-coated peas passed through him without doing any damage.
"Hey, Logias are so cheap!" Noah couldn't help but complain.
"It's not that Logias are cheap, it's that he's cheap! A normal Logia user can't completely elementize to dodge like that," Shiryu said, his hand numb from the impact. He knew he was in for a tough fight. "But the man in front of you is different. He's too fast! Stay focused! If you lose concentration for even a second, your head will be gone!"
"Got it!" Noah's heart skipped a beat.
"What are you two mumbling about? It doesn't matter. I made a promise to that guy. I don't have time to play with you two," Kizaru said, shaking his head, his expression growing cold. "This ends now."
Just as a brilliant light began to radiate from Kizaru's body, and he was about to finish off the two division captains, a massive black shadow loomed over them.
"Mr. Issho!" Noah cried out in delight. Hmm? Issho? Kizaru was momentarily stunned and instinctively looked up.
"Gravity Blade: Raging Tiger!"
A deep, powerful voice echoed across the battlefield. Fujitora descended from the sky, his cane-sword swinging down in a wave of black and purple gravity!
VWOOM!
What a terrifying energy wave! Kizaru was alarmed and didn't dare to be careless. He quickly raised his light sword to block, but he was still sent flying by the force of the blow, crashing through the ship's railing and skipping across the water for dozens of meters.
Hmm? He was unharmed and quickly stabilized himself, but when he looked up at Fujitora again, his expression had turned even uglier. Hey, hey, are you kidding me? To have this level of power with just a casual swing… there's no mistake! This inconspicuous blind swordsman, with a bounty of only 2-something billion, is actually infinitely close to my and Akainu's level of strength! You could even say we're in the same league!
Back in Sabaody, he had dismissed the blind swordsman's strength, thinking he had only been able to hold back the reinforcements because Master Z was old and his will had weakened… but now he saw that he had underestimated him. If he had been the one leading the support fleet that day, the outcome would have been the same!
"I was wrong about you, Master Z…" Kizaru's gaze shifted to the distance. It seemed the Curtain Call thought that sending Issho to deal with him was enough. Kuina, Kuma, and Jack… the other three top officers were already leading their fleets to attack the Marine ships behind him, as if they intended to wipe them out before the top-tier battle was decided.
Could they do it? Of course. It would be easy. After all, this was just a mission in the North Blue. Two Admirals should have been more than enough. So the fleet he and Akainu had brought with them was severely lacking in mid-to-high-tier strength. There were only a few veteran Vice Admirals who could put up a fight. The gap in strength was just too big… Against these monsters, they wouldn't last long!
"So," Kizaru scratched his hair, a troubled look on his face. "I guess I have to use that move." As he muttered to himself, he crossed his hands in front of his chest, then spread his palms outwards!
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel: Multiple Light Clones!"
VWOOM! VWOOM!
A blinding golden light exploded. Countless light particles separated from his body and coalesced in the air, forming over a dozen light clones, each identical to the original. Appearance, build, aura… they were all the same. Each one even held a light sword!
"I may be lazy, but a promise to an old friend…" All the Kizaru clones spoke at once, their voices overlapping like thunder, echoing across the sea. "…is something I will not take lightly!"
Multiple Light Clones! This was his, a Marine Admiral's, strongest trump card! Each clone was only slightly weaker than the original, their strength all near the pinnacle of the seas! Among the three Admirals, if Akainu had the strongest destructive power and Aokiji had the most terrifying crowd control, then he, Borsalino, in addition to being the fastest… was the only one who could become an army of one!!!
The Curtain Call's four top officers were terrifying. But if he bet everything, if he went all out! He would see if he could hold all four of them back by himself!
Meanwhile.
Akainu's landing party finally broke through the cannon fire and set foot on the shore. But the first thing they saw was a beach littered with the dismembered bodies of Celestial Dragons, the sand stained a dark red with their blood.
"Th-this…" Many of the younger officers turned pale. How many World Nobles have died?!
"Mr. Sakazuki!" a Rear Admiral said, his voice trembling with fear as he scanned the area. "W-we're too late! The Celestial Dragons… they might already be…"
Are they all dead?
Akainu's face was as dark as it could be. He said nothing, his fists clenched so tightly that magma dripped from between his fingers, sizzling on the sand.
Just then, a piercing scream came from the northern forest, followed by a gunshot. The screaming stopped.
"Wait, there are still survivors!" Akainu's head snapped up. His Observation Haki spread out, and his eyes flashed. "Quick! All of you, follow me! To the northern forest!" Without another thought, he transformed into a jet of magma, leaving a scorched trail in the sand. The Marine officers behind him, forcing down their nausea, used Moonwalk to follow.
The further north they went, the thicker the smell of blood became. When they passed through the last patch of jungle and came to a valley, they all stopped in their tracks, their faces paling at the sight below.
The last few dozen Celestial Dragons, looking utterly pathetic, were running for their lives in the valley, like frightened livestock. And hunting them were the younger officers of the Curtain Call Adventurers.
"Get away! Don't come near me!"
"Damn commoners! The Marines! Where are the Marines! Come and protect me! Waaah…" a beautiful female Celestial Dragon with exquisite makeup fell to the ground, sobbing hysterically. "I'm only nineteen! My beautiful life has just begun! How can it end like this?! How could you do this to me!"
"Why couldn't we?" a sneering voice came from the side. "You're the one who was just boasting about how you killed an entire village, men, women, and children, last time. Did you ever stop to think, why did you get to end their lives?"
The female Celestial Dragon's sobs stopped. She looked up in terror. In the next instant, a flash of a blade, and her head flew high into the air, only to be stomped under a boot, half of her face pressed into the dirt.
"Not a single one of them is innocent. They're all scum," Zoro spat on the ground. He suddenly sensed something and looked up at the hillside.
"Well, well, you finally decided to show up," Zoro grinned. "You're a little late, aren't you? There aren't many left. Did you come to collect the bodies?"
"The… the Marines?" The remaining Celestial Dragons finally noticed Akainu and the others. They scrambled towards them, as if grasping at a final lifeline. "Thank goodness! You're finally here!"
"Quick! Get us out of here! These people are crazy! Crazy! They're completely insane!"
But they had only crawled a few steps when a calm voice came from behind. "What are you talking about, Mosshead? What do you mean, 'there are still a few left'?" HISS! A flaming black leg shot out, and in an instant, the crawling Celestial Dragons were turned into charred corpses.
"There are none left, you see?" Sanji said, walking out of the woods, a cigarette in his mouth. He casually stomped on the neck of the last breathing Celestial Dragon, then stood shoulder to shoulder with Zoro and blew a puff of smoke at the stunned Marines above. "And I don't think you're late at all. In fact, you're right on time. We can't have this trash polluting the forest, can we? You can do us a favor and haul it all back to the World Government."
"It's not that much work," Zoro said with a smirk. "It's all non-recyclable trash anyway. You can just dump it all in one pile."
BOOM!
Akainu took a step forward. The volcanic fury that had been building within him finally erupted!
"You animals… ANIMALS!!! Not a single one of you will leave here alive today!"
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