The Marine fleet assembled, and Fleet Admiral Akainu took to the field.
"I won't let him get away. One already escaped before; I can't allow a second to slip through," Akainu stood on the docks. His words made it clear to the Marine officers behind him that he was dead serious, his killing intent palpable.
His goal was explicit: kill Issho.
The massive fleet set sail, quickly reaching the Red Port. Upon arrival, prepared bubble lifts were already waiting.
Akainu led the way onto a bubble lift. The moment he stepped on, he sensed something and looked back. The others didn't understand why.
But in Akainu's mind, an image formed: countless cannonballs incoming, the lift exploding mid-air.
He would be fine, but the soldiers with him would not.
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki!"
Akainu stepped out. His body temperature rapidly rose, causing the air to grow restless and distort under the intense heat.
The Marine soldiers, seeing this, hurriedly backed away. The heat was too intense; they dared not stay near Akainu.
The soldiers were confused, but Vice Admiral Onigumo understood.
"Everyone, fall back and disperse!" Onigumo commanded the soldiers.
From the direction Akainu was looking, a gust of wind carrying dozens of cannonballs whistled toward them.
Akainu snorted, raising his hand toward the incoming projectiles.
Magma erupted from his arm like a volcanic explosion, defying the fierce wind and striking the cannonballs.
The cannonballs collided with the magma, causing massive explosions. The wind's chill cooled the magma, turning it into chunks of basalt that scattered from the sky.
Basalt rained down like droplets. The soldiers looked up at the explosions and understood.
It was an enemy attack!
The enemy had arrived.
The soldiers instinctively looked out to sea. In their view, the enemy could only come from the water. This was the Red Port; the nearest place was Marine Headquarters. Only ships from the sea could attack here.
But they scanned 180 degrees and found no sign of pirate ships.
Only Akainu kept looking up at the sky. From the attack, he already knew who the enemy was.
A sound came from the air. A small dot in the distance grew larger. Finally, a Marine noticed.
"The... the sky!!!" a soldier shouted, pointing upward.
His cry drew everyone's attention. Following his finger, the other Marines saw an unbelievable sight.
A ship carved with a blue dragon, so lifelike it seemed to snarl and claw.
A ship flying in the sky, seemingly without any propulsion, just an ordinary ship. Many veteran Marines recalled a pirate from over twenty years ago.
"Impossible! Golden Lion is dead, killed by Blackbeard. The Float-Float Fruit fell into Blackbeard's hands, and Blackbeard was killed by Roy. It can't be Golden Lion. Did someone else eat the Float-Float Fruit?" a Rear Admiral exclaimed.
"Overthinking it. That's the Revolutionary Army's ship!!" Onigumo pushed him aside and stepped forward, ready for battle. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝
Seeing Onigumo's serious expression, the other Marines processed his words.
The Revolutionary Army's ship?
A loud crash as the ship landed on the sea, sending waves rippling and seawater spraying. The Marines felt immense pressure.
Footsteps echoed. A man with black hair came into view, his face marked with cross-shaped scars. He stepped onto the bow, looking down at Akainu directly ahead.
His green cloak flapped in the wind. Their eyes met, each seeing the other from years past.
Twenty-five years ago, they were comrades, fighting side by side. Now, they stood opposed, representing different factions.
"Leader of the Revolutionary Army!"
"It's my first time seeing him."
"He looks just like his wanted poster."
"Vice Admiral Garp's son, the father of the Yonko Straw Hat Luffy... What kind of family is this?"
"Dragon! The most wanted man in the flesh!!"
The Marines all knew of this man, the World Government's greatest enemy, targeted by the Marines for over twenty years.
Yet, after two decades, his ideology had spread worldwide, igniting flames of war in countless nations.
Now, with the world in chaos, it wasn't Joy Boy who had ignited the flames, but this man named Dragon.
Like a vicious dragon, he breathed fire across the globe. His flames, carried by the wind, spread worldwide, harder to extinguish than California wildfires.
The noble lords suffered greatly, their nations destroyed, families lost, hating this inferno, hating Dragon, this revolutionary dragon.
This was the man most Marines were seeing for the first time. They knew of this enemy but had only heard of him, never seen him in person.
Two years ago, it was revealed he was the son of Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp, causing significant shock within the Marines. Some even demanded Garp apologize.
Father: Marine Hero. Son: Pirate Emperor.
And now, the man in between, Dragon, finally stopped hiding. He appeared openly before the Marines, facing their opponents directly for the first time.
"Long time no see, Sakazuki," Dragon spoke.
"After hiding for over twenty years, you finally dare to show yourself. Like a rat in the dark, only emerging from the sewers at night to scavenge in trash cans," Akainu said angrily.
"Say what you will. We wouldn't act until the time was right. Acting now means only one thing: the time has come. The world must change. The era of Celestial Dragon rule must be ended completely," Dragon said.
"You think it ends just because you say so? Who do you think you are? If it weren't for Mary Geoise's combat force being absent, would you dare show yourself?" Akainu sneered, taking a puff of his cigars with contempt.
Some Revolutionary Army commanders behind Dragon showed anger, but Dragon raised a hand to stop them.
"True enough. We attack here precisely because they're absent. This is the final stop. By cutting off the Red Port's supply line to the Marines, the Celestial Dragons living on the Red Line will lose their food supply and be forced to descend. Then, flames will engulf the world, letting them see how the world they once destroyed will devour them!!"
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu