Chapter 18: Akainu's Defeat and Kaido's Arrival

Lava rolled in waves, as if Akainu's fruit had awakened; the surrounding earth melted into magma and scorched earth, and a volcano spewed forth lava.

On the other side, the Straw Hat kid had white clouds wrapped around his back, the smile on his face undiminished.

Garp clenched his fist; Sengoku reached out and stopped him, and observing the battlefield, he noticed a few strange points.

At the same time he shouted: "Sakazuki! Be careful!"

Sengoku had not yet finished speaking.

The earth became soft like a liquid, and the ice shattered.

The fallen giant Luffy, with a speed that body size should not have allowed, flipped up into a handstand and flew to a position above Akainu—Sakazuki.

The injuries inflicted by the other two Admirals were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Gomu·Giant's Fist."

"Rengoku!"

Red spray leapt up.

That strike carried all of Luffy's rage from these past few years, the power of Gear Fifth unleashed without reservation.

Then.

Rumble rumble—

Akainu was punched by Luffy's fist and sank into the ground.

Two seconds later, Luffy returned to his normal size, and along the way scooped up Mr. 3, who was busy running, and dropped him on the other side.

The smoke cleared.

Amidst the rising and falling sounds of swallowing saliva, Akainu lay in the crater, mouth gaping wide, a few teeth knocked out—although blood was flowing, he was still alive.

"Medic!" Sengoku's voice jolted the surrounding crowd awake.

"Mr. Sakazuki!"

"Admiral Akainu has been defeated!"

Impel Down prisoners who bore grudges against Akainu and wanted to go in for the kill were intercepted in time by the reacting Marines.

Kizaru flickered to the edge of the crater and kicked through a few prisoners who had crept over at the first opportunity.

"How terrifying." Kizaru, his forehead beaded with cold sweat: "Should I be grateful he didn't use that move on me first."

"Stop it, Sakazuki." Aokiji froze a group of charging pirates: "That should be his fruit awakening, but the abilities after his fruit awakened are truly inconceivable—this kind of recovery is too strong."

Akainu wanted to say something; his anger toward the pirates and his own sense of justice drove him to stand up—he could feel that he could still fight.

"If we don't kill the Straw Hat kid today, he'll be an endless trouble later!" Sakazuki wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth.

"If the two of us hadn't been holding him back, your odds one-on-one wouldn't be great."

"Although we also want to keep the Straw Hat kid here, it's not realistic—the Kaido imitator is no weakling, and right now he's hiding in the shadows, and there's still Whitebeard over there."

Sengoku shifted back into human form, his eyes filled with fury.

"Garp, your grandson—you stop him. The Marines' dignity cannot be lost."

"No problem, leave it to me~." Garp's face was cheerful, unsure whether he was happy Ace had been rescued, or that he could finally teach his grandson a proper lesson with full force: "We can't just let them leave that easily."

And you still know that.

Aokiji shook his head.

"Can't just leave that easily" still means they can leave.

Inspired by Straw Hat Luffy's feat, the pirates erupted with unprecedented morale.

The Marines, meanwhile, suffered defeat after defeat, their morale flagging.

"An Admiral lost."

"Although there are still two Admirals, there's still Whitebear over there, and another guy who can fight on par with an Admiral."

After the Marine elites reluctantly accepted the reality, one by one their faces fell into dejection.

"Everyone retreat! Ace has been rescued!" Whitebeard swung his Murakumogiri and announced loudly: "Crowd onto whatever ships can still sail."

At the same time he looked at Luffy.

"Nicely done, kid! Come to my ship for a drink later."

"Luffy..." Ace secretly resolved to train hard—he had already been left behind by his little brother by far, far too much.

As the pirates excitedly retreated and the Marines' fighting spirit wilted—

A figure dropped right into the center between the two sides.

"What is it this time...?"

"Whatever it is, I'm already numb to it."

The pirates in the tavern no longer felt like talking.

After all, the situation now was almost entirely one-sided; the only problem the Whitebeard Pirates had was what to do about not enough seats on the ships.

Akainu's move of destroying the ships was truly brilliant.

Now the Whitebeard Pirates' retreat was also restricted.

And they still had to guard against the few remaining ships being destroyed.

Unless Garp appeared to stop the Straw Hat kid—but the Straw Hat kid was his grandson, would he really act?

Oh, he did act—wouldn't he go easy this time?

Sengoku also entered the fight, so there's still something worth watching.

The remaining two Admirals also joined the battle.

"It's Kaido again."

"That shapeshifter is here again."

"Speaking of which, what exactly is his ability—shapeshifting and light and stuff?"

The Kaido who climbed out of the crater didn't stir up any more waves.

He just assumed that Devil Fruit user had joined the battlefield to help Straw Hat retreat.

"Where?" Kaido swept his gaze around.

"Where is that bastard?!!!"

Not finding Su Lin, Kaido turned his eyes to Luffy.

"That guy's one of yours, isn't he!"

A terrifying Haki coiled around his spiked club as Kaido shifted into his fish-dragon form.

"Ah la la la." Aokiji raised an eyebrow: "Mr. Sengoku, this time it looks like the real Kaido."

"Hold on, let's observe a bit."

Garp, who had been pursuing Luffy, also stopped.

"Su Lin, you— waaagh!"

Luffy, thinking Su Lin had arrived, even jumped right in front of him to say hello.

"He got sent flying?!"

"He's coughing blood, that Straw Hat..."

"Aren't they on the same side?"

Luffy: "Su Lin! Why did you hit me!"

Su Lin: "That was Kaido..."

Luffy: "Nani!??"

Luffy was sent flying to the right by that blow, shattering plenty of ice along the way until he slammed into a wall a thousand meters away.

"Hey, Whitebeard." After that strike, Kaido irritably looked toward Whitebeard: "Where's that little brat putting on a clown act impersonating me?"

"Kaido." A faint smile tugged at Whitebeard's lips: "The real deal's come too, has he."

"Forget it, can't find that guy no matter what." After sweeping his gaze around once more, Kaido said: "Then I'll have a fight with you, or with Sengoku and Garp."

"That'll cheer me up a bit."

Kaido was quite frustrated. He'd ditched his crew and rushed here early just to drag out that little brat with the impersonation power, beat him up, then toss him into a mine to dig ore. If the kid performed well, he'd let him join the Beasts Pirates.

Whether it was because the impersonation power was just too strong, Kaido simply couldn't find that guy at all.

Still, getting to brawl with Whitebeard wasn't bad either.

He'd thought there'd be no chance to fight Whitebeard at all — after all, the Marines weren't pushovers, and he'd figured Whitebeard had no chance of winning.

But unexpectedly, he'd already been held up by Red-Hair this long.

Whitebeard didn't even have any new wounds on him.

Have the Marines gone vegetarian or something?

And then look at Sengoku and Garp, and Akainu lying on the ground.

Kaido felt his sides were about to split from laughing.

They couldn't even beat Whitebeard in that state, and they let the guy they were about to execute get rescued.

Might as well go dig ore.

As for Straw Hat, in the broadcast that guy looked like he was going blow for blow with the Marines.

Didn't expect one swing and he'd flip — that fraud. Though it's also possible the Marines are just too weak.