Chapter 297: The Heavy Price Akainu Paid!
An Elder?! How did he end up in this direction?!
Judge recognized the monstrous bird's identity instantly. His body froze, and a cold sweat broke out on his brow. Even worse… the icy killing intent in its cold gaze was unmistakable.
"Wait!" Judge quickly raised his hands. "My lord! I can explain! Please…"
Before he could finish his plea, the giant bird, Saint Mars, sneered and swiped its claws. "Explain? You can explain in hell!"
SLASH!
A terrifying blast of wind, sharp as a blade, swept across the deck. Judge desperately tried to dodge but couldn't escape its range. With a scream, his body was instantly torn to pieces, and blood and guts rained down on the deck.
"Father!!!" Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji's faces changed drastically. It wasn't that they were sad or angry about Judge's death, nor were they afraid. Having been modified by the Lineage Factor, they had lost many normal human emotions. They just realized that if their opponent was this ruthless, killing the king of an affiliated nation without a second thought, then they were surely next.
Bastard! We have to fight for our lives!
"All together! Let's show this old fossil the power of Germa science!" the three brothers roared in unison. Jets of air shot from their feet, and they charged.
VWOOM! VWOOM! VWOOM!
Red, blue, and green lights erupted. Ichiji's Sparking Valkyrie, Niji's Henry Blazer, and Yonji's Winch Guillotine were unleashed simultaneously in a triangular assault.
"Germa Fulger!"
"Insignificant!" Mars's eyes were filled with cold contempt. He couldn't handle Shane, couldn't handle the Curtain Call, but these small fry? Science? The most powerful science in the world has always served the World Government. The toys these Germa kids are playing with are on a completely different level!
He flapped his wings, and a wave of purple-black cold flame erupted outwards. The three brothers' raid suits were instantly incinerated. He flapped them again! Their flesh was consumed, leaving only three skeletons that clattered to the deck.
All that was left were the clone soldiers. Mars spread his wings, and countless purple-black feathers shot out like arrows!
THWIP THWIP THWIP!
All the clone soldiers were pinned to the deck. And just in case, Mars spewed a mouthful of black and purple cold flame, setting the entire fleet ablaze.
"Much better," Mars nodded in satisfaction. He was about to check for any survivors when his expression changed. He looked up at the sky. A brilliant golden bolt of lightning tore across the sky, and the figure of an eight-winged angel flickered within it.
"Dammit! How did she follow me here!" Mars's heart pounded with terror. He didn't know what this angel was, but he had personally experienced how troublesome her holy arrows were. Even Nusjuro was no match for her; he stood even less of a chance. Run! He didn't think twice. He turned to flee.
But it was too late.
WHOOSH!
A lightning arrow shot through the air, accurately striking his right wing! The holy attribute's counter effect was once again astonishingly effective.
SCREECH!
The monstrous bird let out a piercing shriek. Its entire wing sizzled and smoked, and its massive body fell from the sky like a broken kite.
"No! No!!!" Mars struggled frantically, trying to stabilize himself, but Angewomon gave him no chance. Her gaze was cold as she fired a second arrow! This one pierced the bird's chest!
"It's over," Angewomon said, lowering her bow. She hovered in the air, her eight wings spread, and watched as the giant bird fell into the sea. The wound from the holy arrow was expanding, and the purple-black flame-cloud around the bird was churning violently, but it couldn't stop the purifying effect on the wound. A few moments later, Mars could no longer maintain his awakened form and reverted to his human form, unconscious. A white-bearded old man, charred black and with a hole in his chest, floated motionlessly on the water.
"Mission complete," Angewomon smiled and descended lightly. She picked up the unconscious Mars with one hand, glanced at the fleet, from which she could feel no signs of life, and shook her head, flying back. She could feel a strong evil aura from that fleet. They were no good, from top to bottom. They were obviously World Government reinforcements. She didn't know why one of the Five Elders had turned on them. Failure to provide support?
Angewomon tilted her head and thought for a moment. Hmm… according to the master, this is what you'd call 'dog eat dog', right? Probably not worth feeling sorry for. But she should still report it.
As Angewomon was carrying the unconscious Mars back, on the main battlefield, the entire valley was in ruins. The fierce battle between Akainu and Shane was still raging, but with the Five Elders having either retreated or been defeated… the tide had turned!
"Sakazuki!" Kizaru, covered in blood, landed nearby, his face pale. "We have to retreat… if we keep fighting, we'll all die here!" He was completely spent! Since becoming an Admiral, he had never fought such a brutal battle!
"Retreat?" Akainu's breathing was heavy, his eyes bloodshot. He knew that defeat was inevitable. But… whether as a soldier or as one of the world's top powerhouses, he just couldn't accept it! He couldn't!
"You go first!" Akainu growled. "I'll cover our retreat!"
"Bullshit, Sakazuki!" Kizaru, for the first time in a long time, cursed. "Cover what retreat?! If I wasn't worried about you, you stubborn dog, I'd have been long gone! If I really wanted to run, you think they could stop me?" The world's fastest speed, granted by the Glint-Glint Fruit, was no joke!
Seeing Kizaru's sudden display of genuine emotion, Akainu was momentarily stunned. He took a deep breath. "I understand."
"But, you go first. I'll cover our retreat," Akainu said, turning away. "Don't worry, I'll leave right after you. And I'm absolutely confident I can get away!"
Absolutely confident? Kizaru frowned, not quite understanding, but Akainu's words were firm, and he didn't seem to be joking. I'll trust him!
"About time!" He let out a sigh of relief and managed a weak smile. His body dissolved into countless golden light particles. "Then I'll be on my way. Don't you go back on your word, you old dog!"
WHOOSH!
Kizaru's figure instantly shot past Fujitora and disappeared into the horizon. Akainu watched his old friend leave, then slowly turned to face Shane.
"Brat," he sneered, his left arm already transforming into magma. "I admit you've won! But it won't be so easy to keep me here!"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, Akainu slammed his magma arm into the ground!
"Magma Prison: Great Eruption!"
RUMBLE!
The entire island trembled violently! From Akainu's position, countless magma fireballs shot into the sky, engulfing the entire battlefield in a sea of fire! This was his final, all-out attack! Both to vent his frustration and to buy himself time to escape!
"Watch out!"
"Fall back!" Kuina, Kuma, and the others, who had been closing in, quickly retreated, but they remained on alert, ready to intercept Akainu if he tried to escape in their direction. They couldn't stop Kizaru, but they could at least slow Akainu down!
Shane, however, stood his ground, his eyes narrowed as he watched Akainu's figure being consumed by the magma, his presence growing faint. What is he planning? He wasn't known for his speed. If he tried to escape through the air, with his mastery of the Flight Technique, he could easily catch him. Could it be…
He glanced at the molten ground and his eyes turned cold! In an instant, he had figured out Akainu's escape route. Downwards! This old dog was planning to use the molten battlefield to escape into the island's continental shelf and then into the asthenosphere! The asthenosphere, the primary source of magma. For Akainu, it was like a drop of water returning to the sea, the perfect escape route! If it weren't for his knowledge from his past life, he would have never realized it.
"Not so easy!" A cold glint in his eyes, Shane clenched his right fist, and black-and-red Haki coiled around it as he slammed it downwards! "Pierce through!"
BOOM!!!
Shane's fist smashed into the magma, and a terrifying shockwave shot downwards, punching a vertical tunnel through the earth! With his Observation Haki at full power, Shane quickly locked onto Akainu, who was rapidly fleeing into the depths of the molten earth.
"Found you!" he grinned and, without hesitation, leaped into the tunnel, his black hair whipping in the searing heat.
Above ground, "Lord Shane!" Kuina was about to follow, but Fujitora stopped her.
"Don't be rash," Fujitora shook his head. "It's all magma down there. Your body can't withstand the temperature. Don't worry, trust the captain. He'll be fine."
They could only wait, their eyes fixed on the slowly closing magma hole. A few moments later, Angewomon returned, carrying the unconscious Mars, to find this scene.
"Huh?" she asked, confused. "Where's the master?"
"He went underground to chase Akainu," Jack said with a bloody grin, tossing the barely-conscious Saturn to the ground. "You're back just in time. I can't kill this old geezer no matter what I do. It's up to you, Mochi…" I really can't say it! Jack's eye twitched. Even though Mochi has always changed forms when she evolved, at least she was always a cute, fluffy little thing. But this time, she went from a cat to a legendary archangel? The leap is just too big! That holy, noble aura… just looking at her makes me feel unworthy. I just can't connect her with the name 'Mochi'!
"The fate of these two old men should be decided by the master," Angewomon said, shaking her head, not noticing Jack's expression. She tossed the white-bearded Elder next to Saturn. CLINK! She created holy chains to bind the two Elders together, ensuring they couldn't escape even if they woke up. "We'll wait for the master to return."
"As it should be. Thank you for your hard work," Kuma said with a pleased smile. The Five Elders' immortality was on a completely different level from the Holy Knights'. Even his Paw-Paw Fruit couldn't easily deal with it. He had thought he would have to work with the captain to figure it out, but now, with Angewomon's holy power, they had a direct counter. It saved them a lot of trouble.
The group continued to wait. The Curtain Call's fleet had now landed, and under command, they began to clean up the battlefield.
After some time, BOOM!, a loud roar came from underground, and the ground beneath their feet trembled violently. Kuina's eyes turned cold, and she quickly drew her sword, but then a black figure shot out from the molten earth hundreds of meters away.
"My lord!" Kuina cried out in delight.
Shane leaped from the magma and landed steadily in front of them. His shirt had been burned to ash, revealing a muscular upper body. There were a few burns on his skin, but they were already healing at a visible rate, wisps of white steam rising from them. Just as Fujitora had said, with his incredibly durable body, not even the earth's crust could do him any real harm.
However, Shane's expression was not good. His brow was furrowed.
"Boss?" Jack, who had been about to greet him cheerfully, stopped. He exchanged a look with the others and then asked cautiously, "Did that old dog get away?" Defeating one of the world's top powerhouses was hard enough, let alone killing one. So they all thought it was normal that Akainu had escaped. But their boss had such high standards for himself… it seemed he was still bothered by it.
"Yeah," Shane clicked his tongue and sighed. "He managed to get into the mantle. It's all magma down there. I couldn't tell where he was. I couldn't catch him."
"But, it wasn't a total loss," he grinned, not letting it get him down. He opened his right hand and tossed something to the ground. Everyone looked down and saw half of a bloody, fleshy face, with a wide, angry eye in the middle of it.
"That's the old dog's!" Jack exclaimed. The piece of face was charred and twisted, but Akainu's iconic, stern features were still recognizable. The boss tore off half his face, including his left eye?! And with the arm he lost earlier…
"That's a heavy price to pay," Kuma remarked. "Including that Admiral-level Greenbull, the captain has now crippled three of the Marines' top fighting forces."
That's right. So brutal! Jack couldn't help but shiver. And that wasn't all. A Yonko had also died at the boss's hands. In the future, no, starting from today… would there be any name in this world more feared than the boss's?!
Speaking of which… in the future, if the Curtain Call and the Marines were to have a final showdown, and the three Admirals were to stand there, all imposing and powerful, but the men below would see that they were all missing limbs, and one was even a cyclops… and the one responsible for all of it was the enemy commander! Tsk, the Marines' morale would probably take a huge hit, Jack thought with schadenfreude.
☆☆☆
-> 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