章 65: vs Blackbeard vs Akainu (I)
I've never been great at using armament haki. This bothered me a lot when I was in Little Garden. For a swordsman, armament haki is one of the most important skills. Look at Mihawk. His armament haki is so strong that he turned a supreme-grade blade into a black blade. That was a sign of the pinnacle of swordsmanship; turning your sword into a permanent black blade. Only two swords are permanent black blades according to the anime. That just shows how important armament haki truly was for a swordsman. So for a swordsman like me who wanted to reach the very top, that was truly troubling.
But my conqueror's haki has always been different. It's always been strong. Too stronger for a person without any proper training to have. I was a natural at using conqueror's haki. It only took me a week to figure out how to infuse my sword with conqueror's haki. I still don't know the theory or how I actually used it. It just came naturally to me. It was my calling. In some ways, I've been using Advanced conqueror's haki far longer than armament haki. And, it's not exactly true when I say that I can't properly control Advanced Conqueror's Haki. The problem is, even at the lowest level, it destroys everything around me. My haki is just too intense, too destructive. I created Black Lotus style to restrict myself. I have reached a level of mastery of haki that if I don't restrict myself, then my allies will get hurt.
I also know that conqueror's haki can make people bend to your will. Shanks did it to Green Bull in Wano. But I've never tried something like that before—not on this scale.
As I looked out over the battlefield, thousands of marines were kneeling before me. My heart swelled with pride. Pride in my power. Every marine who obeyed my command soon collapsed, unconscious. Those who resisted my haki stood frozen, their eyes filled with fear. Their faces told me everything. They weren't just shocked—they were terrified. If Luffy's haki was like a small wave, mine was like a freaking tsunami, ready to swallow the world whole.
"Such fearsome haki," Kizaru said, his usual lazy tone replaced with something new—admiration. "Even some vice admirals are knocked out."
Sengoku, still in his Buddha form, took in the scene. Over two-thirds of the navy's forces were out cold. Worse, they were kneeling. It was as if they were bowing to me, a pirate. This was more than an embarrassment. It was a disgrace. Without his men, the navy's artilleries—their weapons were effectively useless.
Sengoku's eyes burned with rage as they met mine. "Akainu," he growled, his voice cold and sharp. "Make sure he dies today. If he escapes, he'll be a nightmare for us in the future. He humiliated us. We can't let him live."
"I wasn't planning to leave him alive," Akainu replied, his voice filled with venom.
I didn't say anything, I was too shocked by my own powers. Instead, I gripped my sword as conqueror's haki surged through me, the blade glowing faintly red. I stood in the midst of kneeling marines. But they didn't matter. They were too weak to interfere in this fight of this level. My real concern was ahead of me.
I locked eyes with Blackbeard. He stood about a hundred meters away, grinning. I took a single step forward, and in an instant, my sword was inches from his face. Blackbeard was ready. A wall of darkness rose between us, but my blade cut through it like paper. He crossed his arms, coating them in haki, to block my strike.
But his haki wasn't strong enough. My blade struck, sending him flying a hundred meters back. Blood poured from his arms, and a fresh scar marked his skin. Darkness poured from his body, devouring everything it touched. It was visibly becoming stronger. His powers were as troublesome as ever. The longer I fought him, the stronger he would get. Consumption of the user's pain and subsequent growth. A truly terrifying ability. If he was already this strong with only his own fruit, I don't even want to imagine how strong he'll be with something like Gura Gura no Mi.
I sensed movement and leaped back just in time to avoid an enormous fist of magma slamming into the ground. Akainu's attack left a smoldering crater. I twisted mid-air, bringing my sword down on him. Akainu sensed the danger of my attack and raised his arm, coated in haki, to block my strike. My blade hit, forcing him back a few steps. A thin cut appeared on his arm. His defense was far stronger than Blackbeard's,
Suddenly, Blackbeard reappeared behind Akainu. He had used his darkness to speed his movements; making it seem like teleportation. Akainu's surprise lasted only a second before his entire body erupted with magma. He appeared as if he was a live volcano, destroying everything in it's path. Blackbeard retreated quickly, but not before landing a haki-infused punch on Akainu's jaw.
I didn't waste the chance. I dashed toward Blackbeard, ready to strike. Akainu, now surrounded by a pool of molten lava, was temporarily out of reach. I didn't want to risk getting too close to him.
Blackbeard tried to disappear into his darkness again, but my haki erased his darkness before he could use that trick again. His darkness wasn't invincible—not against me. As I closed the distance, Blackbeard covered himself entirely in a solid layer of darkness. It was his strongest defense.
My blade crashed into him, and the shockwave from the impact shook the ground. This time, he only slid back a few steps, unharmed. Then Akainu's magma fist slammed into him, burning away the darkness and leaving a blackened, smoking wound on his right hand. It was the same hand Ace had injured before.
Blackbeard looked worse now. His arms were scarred and bleeding, and his right hand was almost unrecognizable. But the more damage he took, the stronger he seemed. That was the nature of his powers—an endless cycle of consumption and growth.
Akainu, meanwhile, was bleeding from the mouth. Whitebeard's earlier punch had done some damage, but Akainu was as tough as they come. His face showed no signs of slowing down.
Compared to them, I was in better shape. I was practically unharmed, but I knew my limits. I wasn't built to take many hits. My fighting style relied on speed and precision. I was holding up fine, but using Advanced Conqueror's Haki constantly was draining.
Behind us, Whitebeard and Sengoku were fighting with all they had. Shockwaves and quakes tore through the battlefield. Ace was keeping Aokiji busy, and Marco was holding off Kizaru. I also saw that Garp was clashing with the prisoners Blackbeard helped escape.
Akainu, Blackbeard, and I stood still for a moment, measuring each other. Each of us had different goals. I wanted to kill Blackbeard. Blackbeard wanted to kill me. Akainu wanted to kill us both. In a way, we all wanted to kill one another.
This fight was about to get chaotic.
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Unknown to all of them, the whole thing was being broadcasted by the transponder snail Buggy stole. Zephyr should've remembered this, but in the midst of chaos, this matter totally slipped from his mind. The whole world bore witness the rise of a new powerhouse. A powerhouse that made thousands of marines kneel.
On the top most level of Marie Geoise the five elders looked at the scene unfolding in Marineford. They too realized that no matter what, this man needed to die. He has humiliated the World Government. And, those who dare to mess with World Government deserves only death. A call was made to the director of CP-0 and they received their new orders.
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