บท 52: 52. This Is The Age Of Young People, You Are Old!
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I AM BORED
so I am giving you the opportunity to recommend some good fanfics
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The island that was originally floating in mid-air has now landed on the surface of the sea.
Marines and pirates clashed fiercely in the forest.
The bodies of soldiers and pirates were scattered everywhere.
Blood splattered on the ground, turning it completely black.
Hum!
A Buddha as massive as a mountain suddenly appeared, with a dazzling light that briefly outshone the sun.
"Impact Wave!"
The Buddha roared angrily, swinging his palm and striking sideways.
"Captain, save me!"
The selected target's pupils shrank in fear, goosebumps covering his skin as he yelled in shock.
"Gravity Burst!"
Gage swung the giant axe in his hand, and the halo formed by the force of gravity collided with the Buddha's palm at an incredible speed.
Boom.
A huge impact occurred where they collided, but neither backed down, locked in a stalemate.
At that moment...
A figure flashed out from behind the Buddha, slashing at his back with a ring-headed broadsword.
Zizizi...
Sparks flew, and the harsh sound of metal scraping against metal echoed around.
"Your defense is impressive, Marine Admiral!"
The figure grinned, flashing a bloodthirsty smile at the Buddha who was turning to look at him.
"But try my 10,000-kilogram Slash!"
The Kilo-Kilo Fruit ability was activated, and the ring-head sword suddenly became extremely heavy.
The Buddha was forced to one knee under the weight.
"Sengoku, the Vice Admirals you brought aren't strong enough!"
Gage flew over quickly, his giant axe ready to strike, gathering terrifying power.
The target Sengoku had initially chosen was also right behind Gage.
Soon, the three of them surrounded the Buddha, their weapons crashing down on him with full force.
Boom.
A massive explosion resounded.
The Buddha's light dimmed for a moment.
The war between pirates and Marines is a brutal life-or-death struggle.
The concept of captains fighting captains and generals fighting generals only happens under two conditions:
One, the captain explicitly orders a face-off between equals.
Two, the mid-to-high-level subordinates of both sides have strong opponents of their own to face.
Otherwise, the side with fewer people risks being surrounded and overwhelmed.
"Damn it!"
Buddha Sengoku crossed his arms over his head, trying to keep himself from being crushed, and glanced into the distance.
He saw that one of the Vice Admirals who had come with him had already fallen, unmoving.
The other two were being held back by the one of the Three Swords.
Sengoku was helpless.
Although he hadn't expected the three Vice Admirals to defeat the three swords, he had hoped they could stall him long enough to buy time to quickly take down Gage.
But things had escalated to this point.
It was beyond his expectations.
The three Vice Admirals together couldn't take down the swordsman, and one had been killed.
Judging by the situation, it was only a matter of time before the other two were defeated.
Once the Third swordsman was free, Sengoku's burden would multiply.
"If I'd known, I would have called for more reinforcements!"
Sengoku sighed inwardly.
If it weren't for the fact that these three were the only Vice Admirals who didn't follow orders to stay on mission and instead volunteered, he wouldn't have brought them along.
But now, no matter how much Sengoku berated himself, it wouldn't change a thing.
He still had to figure out a way to lead the soldiers to retreat!
That's right, escape!
The Vice Admirals he brought along weren't strong enough, so why continue holding out at this point?
Sengoku wasn't one to be overly stubborn; since the situation was dire, there was no reason to stay.
If everyone were to die in battle here, how would he explain it if he were the only one to return?
He just wanted to achieve some success so he could hold his head high in front of Fleet Admiral Akira in the future.
It wasn't about risking his life to prove himself or fighting for the position of Fleet Admiral.
"Alright, with the three of you on my side, the pressure on the other soldiers will be much less."
"I'll risk my life to give them a chance to escape."
Sengoku gritted his teeth and roared in a deep voice.
The blood in his body surged like waves, and mist began to emanate from the Buddha's form.
The kneeled leg slowly straightened.
"Get up!"
Sengoku's face flushed red, and veins bulged all over his body, as if they might burst.
"Hey! Sengoku, you're staying here today."
"If we kill a Marine Admiral, the world will be shaken."
"Hahaha, when that happens, the reputation of our Heavy Ax Pirates might surpass Whitebeard's in one fell swoop."
Gage and the two swordsmen laughed loudly.
Though they were smiling, there was no hint of arrogance on their faces.
They activated their Devil Fruit abilities to the fullest, and under the combined force of their overwhelming killing intent, even the dark clouds in the sky were sliced in half.
Just as they were about to unleash their most powerful attacks...
Boom!
Two incredibly powerful bursts of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the distant sky.
Black lightning crackled in the air.
Gage and the swordsmen paused in their tracks.
"Who!?"
Everyone looked up.
A warship was speeding toward them like an arrow shot from a bowstring.
Before they could react, a figure suddenly appeared next to the three, delivering a powerful punch to one of the swordsmen, sending him flying.
"Garp?"
"Garp!"
Sengoku and Gage were shocked at the same time.
The difference was that Sengoku was astonished and overjoyed.
Meanwhile, Gage's expression turned serious: "How did the Marines arrive so quickly? It's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible."
The warship finally hovered above the island, and Akira, with his hands in his pockets, appeared at the bow, looking down at Gage indifferently.
Behind him stood Sakazuki, Kuzan, and the replicated Shiki.
"For example, today you'll be defeated by Marine Admiral Sengoku," Akira declared.
"Fleet Admiral! So you copied Shiki's ability."
Gage finally understood why the Marines had arrived so fast.
With the Float-Float Fruit fully activated, as long as there wasn't a severe storm, their speed was several times faster than ordinary warships.
And Akira's transformation ability with the Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Raccoon was no secret in the world.
Gage quickly pieced it all together.
"Akira!"
Sengoku, now greatly relieved of the pressure, looked at Akira with complicated eyes, as if he were a divine savior.
He hadn't expected that, aside from his good friend Garp coming to his aid, Akira—who wasn't known for his physical strength—would risk his life to join the fight personally.
The second half of the Grand Line was incredibly dangerous.
Fighting Gage here, if any other notorious pirates happened to pass by, those unpredictable types would likely jump in.
At that point, with many top fighters engaged, Akira, whose strength was only on par with the upper echelon of Vice Admirals, would likely be left behind.
Sengoku couldn't believe that Akainu, as smart as he was, hadn't considered this.
But even so, he had come.
It's impossible to say that Sengoku didn't feel conflicted or that his emotions weren't stirred.
"Admiral Sengoku, Gage is all yours. We're counting on you to bring him down," Akira said softly, with a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth, as he looked at Sengoku.
Sengoku took a deep breath, suppressing the swirl of emotions in his heart, and gave a sharp nod.
Hum!
The Buddha's light intensified, and the powerful air pressure locked onto Gage completely.
"Gage, let's finish this."
"Dammit, this is insane."
Gage, intent on escaping, was about to use his gravity powers to flee when Sengoku closed in on him.
Boom.
The figures of the two combatants moved farther and farther away as their battle raged on.
"Lower the warship," Akira commanded, raising his hand and signaling to Shiki behind him.
Shiki nodded, and the Float-Float Fruit was activated.
On the island, Marines and pirates who had been locked in combat paused, turning their attention to the descending warship with varied expressions.
Surprise and hope sparked in the eyes of the Marines, who couldn't help but cheer.
"Reinforcements from headquarters are here, hold on, everyone!"
"Fleet Admiral Akira and Vice Admiral Garp are here to support us!"
"Yeah! We can win now! The end is near for you stinking pirates!"
"Die, you scum!"
In the heat of battle, the arrival of reinforcements greatly boosted the morale of the Marines.
Those who had been struggling now fought like fierce tigers, aggressively pursuing the pirates.
The pirates, on the other hand, were filled with worry and fear.
With Garp here, could their captain really stand a chance?
After all, Garp was a legendary figure who had cornered the Pirate King himself multiple times.
Many quick-thinking pirates were already fighting while retreating.
"Gravity Field!"
"Everyone, retreat!" Gage's roar echoed from the distance.
At the same time, a powerful surge of energy swept across the entire island.
"It's so heavy, I can't breathe!"
As the warship touched down, the Marines suddenly dropped to their knees, clutching their chests and gasping for breath.
Across the island, the air felt as dense and heavy as deep-sea water.
"The Press-Press Fruit is truly a formidable ability," Akira remarked, raising his hand and sensing the pressure around him. Despite his monstrous physical strength, he could still feel the weight, as if carrying a mountain on his back.
And this was far from where Sengoku was fighting Gage, yet the pressure was still intense.
It was hard to imagine the kind of strain Sengoku must be under.
"Gage's core crew is escaping. I'm going to stop them," Kuzan said as he stepped forward, his body already covered in cold air.
After Akira nodded, Kuzan vanished instantly.
"Shiki, go take out the remaining pirates."
"Yes, sir," Shiki replied with a grin, flying toward the areas dense with pirates.
"Sakazuki, you..."
Akira began to instruct him to resolve the battle quickly, but before he could finish, Sakazuki interrupted.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, my priority is ensuring your safety. Kuzan and your clone are enough to deal with the pirates.
"Under Admiral Sengoku's pressure, Gage doesn't have the energy to distinguish between friend and foe, and his gravity field is suppressing his crew as well."
"The core members of the Heavy Ax Pirates are too focused on escaping to massacre the soldiers."
"We only need to wait for Admiral Sengoku to secure the victory. The remaining minor pirates don't require my attention."
Akira looked at Sakazuki's serious expression and knew there was no arguing with him, so he dropped the subject.
For now, he had to accept his current limitations.
While his monstrous physique might dominate in the first half of the Grand Line, in the New World, he was just another strong contender.
Although he had 7,300 experience points stored, he couldn't afford to use them just yet.
With his hands in his pockets, he stepped forward, heading toward the area where the fighting was most intense.
Sakazuki followed closely behind him, like a vigilant bodyguard.
Clang, clang, clang.
The sound of swords clashing filled the air as sword energy flew in all directions.
A flying slash was heading straight for Akira.
Before it could get within three meters, it was obliterated by Sakazuki.
"Sakazuki, if you hadn't come, the two of us would've been overwhelmed."
"Come on, we're holding him off with everything we've got."
Two urgent voices called out.
"It's Vice Admirals Archibald and Arlo," Sakazuki said in a deep voice as his arm turned into magma, launching a powerful attack forward.
"Dark Hound!"
Sakazuki's magma arm extended rapidly, dissolving a large area of the forest at an incredible speed before crashing into the body of a pirate.
Zizizi.
The pirate responded swiftly, immediately deploying Armament Haki. The magma attack only produced a scorching sound but failed to inflict any real injury.
"Akainu... I didn't expect you to be the one to show up!" the pirate, Sara Quickblade, sneered.
"Sara Quickblade, from the moment we arrived to support, the Heavy Ax Pirates' end was sealed," Akira responded calmly.
"Arrogant!"
"Arrogant? You'll see soon enough."
Sakazuki activated his Observation Haki, confirming that there were no other pirates around except Sara Quickblade. He nodded at Akira and rushed forward, engaging Sara in combat.
The two clashed immediately.
"Finally... a chance to catch our breath," sighed the two severely injured Vice Admirals, leaning against a tree to rest. They knew that without today's reinforcements, they would have perished in battle. If Sakazuki had arrived even a moment later, Sara Quickblade would have broken through their defenses and escaped the island.
Tread, tread.
Akira's footsteps echoed as he approached the two Vice Admirals.
They exchanged glances but remained silent, not offering any greeting.
Akira didn't mind.
These two were veteran Vice Admirals, both aged between 65-70. They had served as Vice Admirals even before Sengoku. In the entire headquarters, they only truly respected orders from Kong and Sengoku, and they weren't particularly inclined to engage with others, especially not with Akira, who was only 29 years old.
Some time ago, when Zephyr mobilized all the generals to follow his orders, these Vice Admirals had remained aloof. Even now, they were likely waiting for Akira to greet them first, given that he was just an acting Fleet Admiral.
"Gore Vice Admiral... dead," Akira noted as he turned over the fallen Vice Admiral on the ground. The man was lifeless. Shaking his head, Akira sighed and stood up.
Archibald and Arlo's expressions grew somber.
"People should know their limits," Akira said quietly, his gaze fixed on the two old Vice Admirals. His red eyes and blunt words made them momentarily speechless.
"Akira boy, what do you mean by that?" one of them snapped, their beards trembling in anger. "Don't think that just because you've achieved some insignificant success, you have the right to preach to us. You're still a thousand years too young for that!"
Their hands shook as they pointed fingers at him, clearly agitated.
But Akira wasn't about to back down.
He calmly took out a cigar from his pocket, lit it, and took a slow puff, looking at the two of them with a level gaze.
"I know this isn't the best time to bring this up," he began, "After all, you've all fought for justice today, but…"
"If I don't say this now, no one will say it tomorrow. And I doubt the two of you will learn anything from this experience."
"It's not about being afraid of dying—I'm sure you're not—but if you're not afraid of death, don't drag others down with you."
"You didn't know your own limits, and because of that, Sengoku misjudged the situation."
Akira pointed to Sengoku in the distance, who was still locked in a fierce battle with Gage, clearly struggling.
"What would have happened to Sengoku today if no reinforcements had arrived? What about the thousands of soldiers who trusted you?"
"I'll tell you!"
"They'd be dead!!!"
"Not at the hands of Gage, but because of you three stubborn old fools who refuse to acknowledge your own weaknesses."
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