Cherry blossoms scattered like falling rain, drifting between the two figures.
Within just a few seconds, the stunned look faded from both Akainu's and Shanu's faces.
Their eyes narrowed at the same time.
…
North Island , Harbor
Dalmatian was chewing on a cigar, barking orders for the sailors to board the ships, when the Den-Den Mushi in his pocket began ringing.
"Buru–buru… buru–buru…"
"Hello?"
Hearing the command from the other end, Dalmatian's expression instantly changed.
"Yes! Understood, Sakazuki-san! We'll see it done!"
He hung up.
Another Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Bumaya, hurried over, excitement all over her face.
"What happened? What happened?!"
"That swordsman, Shanu, and the rest of his crew, they're on the South Island right now."
Dalmatian turned sharply, his eyes fierce.
"Sakazuki-san is already engaging that Shanu himself. He'll take him down soon enough. We won't need to intervene."
"Our mission is to capture every remaining member of the Curtainfall Pirates. Move fast, don't let a single one escape!"
"OHHHH!!!"
Bumaya raised both arms, cheering with unhinged delight. Her pretty face twisted with excitement as she licked her crimson lips.
"Fantastic! Long live Sakazuki-san! Finally, a real fight!"
She twirled around and ran toward the deck like an overexcited child who'd just been given candy.
"…"
Dalmatian watched her go and shook his head.
He didn't know her well, but he'd heard enough, a moody madwoman, worships Akainu like a hero, takes pleasure in torturing pirates, and has a bizarre Devil Fruit power.
If they weren't coincidentally assigned to the same mission, he'd normally keep far away.
But now was not the time for distractions.
He refocused, turned to the troops, and shouted:
"Everyone listen up! If you haven't boarded yet, stop! Leave one battleship here on standby! All other ships, depart immediately and change course! Surround the coastline around the South Island harbor! Any suspicious figures, encircle and capture!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
A thunderous response erupted from the Marines.
…
South Island , Sakura Forest
"Big bro?"
Nami stared at the Den-Den Mushi in confusion.
"Huh? Weird… it suddenly went silent."
"Move, Nami."
Shanu's deep voice spoke through the phone.
"Marine Admiral Akainu is on this island. He's standing right in front of me. His subordinates are already heading your way."
"There's no time, evacuate everyone immediately!"
Marine Admiral… Akainu?!
Nami froze.
Everyone else exchanged looks, faces paling.
"Oi, you guys hearing this too?"
Shanu's voice came again, firm, unquestionable.
"Tell Nami clearly, don't even THINK about coming to help. That would only get you all killed."
"I can only escape safely if YOU are all safe first. Got it?!"
CLACK.
The line went dead.
Silence.
"…Move!"
Smoker reacted first. He looked toward the distance, gritting his teeth.
"There are several battleships heading this way for sure. Go! This is not the time to hesitate!"
"But my brother is still...!"
Nami began panicking, but Zeff grabbed her arm hard.
"Don't be stupid, Nami!"
The old cook shouted for once.
"Didn't you hear your brother? A battle at that level is NOT something we can interfere with! If the captain says he can escape, then he CAN!"
"Our best help is to get out safely. Staying will only drag him down!"
"He's right!" Nojiko grabbed Nami's wrist firmly. "Nami, trust him. He never does anything he isn't sure about."
"But!"
Nami turned toward the stone bridge, unwilling,
THUD.
A sharp hand-chop hit the back of her neck.
Nami's eyes rolled back and she collapsed.
Kuina retracted her hand, expressionless as she lifted Nami onto her shoulder.
"Sorry. No time to explain things to children."
"Let's go!"
She took one final look toward the north, then sprinted toward the harbor.
The rest followed close behind.
…
Natural Stone Bridge
Akainu and Shanu lowered their Den-Den Mushi at the same time, their gazes locking again.
"So… while I notified my men, you used the moment to warn your crew?"
Akainu spoke calmly.
"Pretty loyal, brat. But stalling an Admiral alone… isn't that a bit...."
"....ridiculously overconfident?"
SWOOSH!
Before the sentence even finished, Akainu attacked without warning.
He vanished in an instant and the second half of his sentence came from directly above Shanu.
His right arm had already expanded into a massive magma fist, roaring downward.
BOOOOM!!!
The magma fist tore the air apart. The heat vaporized the drifting cherry blossoms instantly, turning them into a rain of fire.
Such terrifying speed!
Shanu's pupils shrank, his body tensing as he dashed aside.
The magma skimmed past his cheek, exploding the ground behind him into a massive crater.
"You old bastard."
Shanu steadied himself, grinning at Akainu across the gap.
"You start a sentence, at least finish it before attacking. Sneak attacks aren't very Admiral-like, you know."
"Admiral-like? That word does not exist in my dictionary."
Akainu raised his other arm, both limbs boiling with molten lava.
"Avoiding the first strike was impressive… but how many more can you dodge?"
"Meteor Volcano!!"
In an instant, both fists became a storm of magma meteors, blasting downward like a falling starfield.
The ground beneath Shanu cracked apart.
He sprang forward with explosive force, his Paper Art footwork and trained reflexes fully unleashed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each magma impact sent towering fire pillars into the air. The sakura forest twisted, melted, and became scorched earth.
Shanu weaved through the inferno like a phantom, explosions flashing past his ears.
Akainu's barrage grew fiercer, relentless like a tsunami of molten death.
Yet Shanu dodged everything.
His mastery of Soru and Geppo at this moment, reached perfection.
…Huh?
He dodged all of that?
Akainu's brow twitched in surprise.
In terms of pure Rokushiki mastery, this black-haired brat was almost on the same level as him and Kuzan, maybe even surpassing Kizaru.
But, Akainu shook his head slightly. This was the limit.
"There."
A flash of red gleam shone in his eyes, Observation Haki locking onto Shanu's next landing spot.
He flickered forward.
"Hellhound!!"
The punch struck faster than lightning.
Shanu couldn't dodge, he crossed his arms, activating Tekkai and Armament Haki to the maximum.
THUD!!!
In just a few seconds, his Haki faltered, the impact sent him flying hundreds of meters, smashing through several rock walls before he finally stopped.
"Kh…"
Shanu pushed himself up from the rubble.
His sleeves were gone, skin scorched black, but the burns were shallow, already closing rapidly.
"…"
Akainu narrowed his eyes.
That Hellhound punch, simple, but one of his strongest close-combat techniques.
It could blow a New World pirate's head clean off.
Yet this boy blocked it with his arms, taking only surface burns.
A normal human, with no Devil Fruit, no special race, yet with durability rivaling those monsters from Kaido's crew…
Impossible.
How does he have a body like this?!
"Oi."
Shanu's voice snapped him from his thoughts.
"That all you've got?"
Akainu looked up.
The black-haired boy wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, cracked his neck with sharp pops, and grinned.
"Then I guess it's time for my counterattack."
BOOM!
He launched forward like black lightning, an explosive burst of force shaking the ground behind him.
His fists collided with Akainu's, ripples of Armament Haki blasting outward, shockwaves tearing through the air.
"Rokushiki Secret Art, Amber Ripple Drive!!!"
…
South Island , Southern Tip
"Hurry, move faster!"
Smoker kept his voice low as they pushed through the sakura forest.
Zeff and Smoker led in front. Kuina carried the unconscious Nami. Nojiko followed close.
Gin ran on the flank, with Mochi perched on his head, scouting for threats.
They crossed the island smooth and safely, but as they exited the final line of trees, their expressions hardened.
Damn. Too late!
The harbor was completely sealed.
Three Marine battleships formed a curved blockade, cannons locked onto the coast. Over two thousand armed Marines stood ready.
And in the center, two tall figures in white Justice cloaks watched coldly.
"So you came after all…"
Dalmatian exhaled smoke, speaking casually.
He had arrived only moments ago.
Good thing he ordered the leftover Marines to depart immediately, otherwise these pirates might've slipped away.
He hadn't fought real opponents in a long time. Hopefully these ones wouldn't disappoint him.
Beside him, Vice Admiral Bumaya licked her lips with a giggle.
"So it's just this little bunch? Hey, Dalmatian, can you leave the two men to me? I love hearing men scream…"
At some point, her entire right arm had morphed into a gigantic metal syringe, the tip gleaming.
A Paramecia: Syringe-Syringe Fruit user.
Many enemies had screamed themselves hoarse under that needle.
And now, she had fresh test subjects.
…
"Tch. Troublesome."
Smoker frowned, looking at Kuina.
"We'll stay behind and cover you. You carry Nami, board the ship, start her up, and we'll fall back while fighting."
"Idiot."
Kuina shot him a look like he'd said something moronic.
"With a blockade this tight, you think you can just 'get the ship out' without beating them? And Nami is also a fighter, why waste her?"
As she spoke, she shook Nami roughly.
She had barely tapped her earlier, so Nami woke up after a few shakes.
"Huh…? Where are..?"
Before she could finish, Kuina slapped her shoulder.
"Just like before. The fodder troops are all yours, Nami!"
"Oh, okay…"
Nami nodded instinctively, still confused.
"As for the two Vice Admirals, their elite force is stronger than Vice Admiral Onigumo's escort squad… but their mid-tier fighters are weaker. Maybe they left some forces back at North Island."
Kuina scanned the formation, calmly assigning roles.
"Gin, I'll leave these grunts to you. Go all out this time. Got it?"
"Awooo!!"
Gin howled immediately.
Mochi tried to join in but Kuina grabbed him and stuffed him into her waist pouch, zipping it shut.
"As for those two Headquarters Vice Admirals.."
Kuina glanced at Smoker.
"Smoke-guy, you know them? Which one's stronger?"
"…What's with this sudden deputy-captain energy?" Smoker muttered.
"Not the time to talk crap!"
"The woman, no idea. Probably a recently promoted HQ Vice Admiral."
"But that spotted dog is strong. Old veteran. About equal to Vice Admiral Onigumo."
"Got it."
Kuina thumbed her sword guard and drew Wado Ichimonji.
"Then the spotted dog is mine. Nojiko, support me."
"As for the woman, Smoke-guy and Zeff, she's yours!"
"No problem."
Zeff grinned.
The Rear Admiral at Loguetown had been too weak. This time he could test how strong a fresh HQ Vice Admiral really was.
"Leave it to me!" Nojiko tightened her mithril gloves, fists clashing with a metallic thud.
If retreat was impossible, they'd carve their own path out.
Everyone had trained hard these last weeks. All had awakened Armament Haki. Their strength was far beyond when they'd faced Vice Admiral Onigumo.
Now was the time to prove it.
"Don't get reckless. Our main goal is to break through."
Kuina took a deep breath.
"We have to escape the island quickly. Only then can the Captain fight without holding back. Clear?!"
"Clear!"
Everyone responded in unison.
"GO!"
Kuina dashed forward.
Dalmatian gave a signal,
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dozens of cannons fired. Black cannonballs rained down like a storm.
"Kuwa-yan!!"
Wado Ichimonji flashed, releasing a massive sword wave, slicing every cannonball clean in half.
"Nice one!"
Smoker shouted as he burst into smoke, rushing the female Vice Admiral.
"Now it's my turn!"
"Stop him!" a Marine Colonel roared, but..
"Soru!"
Smoker appeared in front of him instantly.
His jitte, coated in Armament Haki, slammed down.
CRACK!
The sword shattered. The colonel spat blood and crashed into a line of soldiers, immediately knocked out.
"Even though we're both Headquarters Colonels.."
Smoker exhaled smoke.
"Our strength isn't even close."