Chapter 18: Akainu Retreats, Kaido Arrives

Lava rolled violently, as if Sakatsuki’s Devil Fruit had awakened; the surrounding earth turned into molten rock and scorched soil, and a volcano erupted with magma.

On the other side, the Straw Hat kid had white clouds wrapped around his back and still wore a smile on his face.

Garp clenched his fist, but Sengoku reached out to stop him—he had noticed something strange in the battlefield.

He shouted at the same time: “Sakatsuki! Watch out!”

Sengoku’s words were not yet finished.

The ground softened like liquid, and ice shattered.

The fallen giant Luffy, moving at a speed impossible for his size, flipped upright and shot upward toward Sakatsuki.

The injuries inflicted by the other two admirals were healing at a visibly rapid rate.

“Gum-Gum: Giant Fist.”

“Red Lotus!”

Red spray splashed upward.

This strike contained all of Luffy’s accumulated rage over the past years, unleashing his Gear Fifth power without restraint.

Then.

Boom boom boom

Sakatsuki was driven deep into the ground by Luffy’s punch.

Two seconds later, Luffy returned to his normal size and casually picked up Mr.3, who was fleeing, and landed on the opposite side.

The smoke cleared.

Amidst the sound of swallowing saliva rising and falling, Sakatsuki lay in the crater, mouth gaping wide, several teeth missing, bleeding but still alive.

“Medics!” Sengoku’s voice jolted the crowd awake.

“Mr. Sakatsuki!”

“Admiral Sakatsuki has been defeated!”

Inmates from Impel Down who sought to finish off Sakatsuki were promptly restrained by Marines.

Kizaru flashed to the edge of the crater and kicked through several inmates who had rushed forward.

“That’s terrifying,” Kizaru muttered, sweat beading on his forehead: “I should be grateful he didn’t use this on me first.”

“Stop, Sakatsuki,” Aokiji froze a group of invading pirates: “His Devil Fruit has awakened, but the ability after awakening is utterly unbelievable—this recovery power is too strong.”

Sakatsuki wanted to say something; his fury toward the pirates and his own sense of justice drove him to rise—he could feel he still had strength to fight.

“If we don’t kill the Straw Hat kid today, he’ll be a nightmare forever!” Sakatsuki wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

“Without the two of us holding him back, you wouldn’t stand a chance in a one-on-one.”

“Though we’d dearly like to keep the Straw Hat kid, it’s unrealistic—Kaido’s imitator is no weakling, and now he’s hiding in the shadows, and over there is Whitebeard.”

Sengoku reverted to his human form, his eyes filled with rage.

“Garp, your grandson—you stop him. The Marines’ honor cannot be lost.”

“No problem, leave it to this old man~,” Garp grinned, unsure whether he was pleased that Ace had been rescued or that he could finally give his grandson a full beating: “They can’t just walk away so easily.”

You finally realize that.

Aokiji shook his head.

“Can’t walk away easily” still meant they could walk away.

Emboldened by Luffy’s achievements, the pirates surged with unprecedented morale.

The Marines, meanwhile, fell back in succession, their spirits crushed.

“The admiral has lost.”

“Even with two admirals left, there’s still Whitebeard and another guy who can fight an admiral.”

After struggling to accept the reality, the Marine elites each grew pale and despondent.

“All units retreat! Ace has been rescued!” Whitebeard roared, swinging Sōketsu: “Board any ships still usable!”

He turned to look at Luffy.

“Not bad, kid! Come drink with me on my ship later.”

“Luffy...” Ace silently resolved to train harder—he had been left far, far behind by his younger brother.

As the pirates retreated in excitement and the Marines’ fighting spirit withered.

A figure landed in the center between the two sides.

“What now...?”

“Whatever, I’m numb to it all.”

The pirates in the tavern had stopped talking.

After all, the situation was almost entirely one-sided—the only problem for Whitebeard’s crew now was that they didn’t have enough ships.

Sakatsuki’s tactic of destroying ships was truly brilliant.

Now Whitebeard’s retreat was also restricted.

They also had to guard against the remaining ships being destroyed.

Unless Garp shows up to stop the Straw Hat kid—but the Straw Hat kid is his grandson; will he even fight?

Oh, he’s fighting now—will he hold back this time?

If Sengoku joins in, it’ll be worth watching.

The remaining two admirals also entered the battle.

“It’s Kaido again.”

“That shapeshifter’s back.”

“Come to think of it, what’s his ability exactly? Shapeshifting and light and all that?”

Kaido, rising from the crater, caused no further commotion.

He simply assumed the shapeshifter had joined the battlefield to help the Straw Hat kid escape.

“Where is he?” Kaido scanned the surroundings.

“Where the hell is that bastard?!!!”

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

“That guy’s with you, isn’t he?!”

His spiked club wrapped in astonishing Haki, Kaido transformed into his Fish-Fish Model: Dragon form.

“Ah, really?” Aokiji raised an eyebrow: “Sengoku, this time it’s truly the real Kaido.”

“Wait, hold on—observe first.”

Garp, who had been chasing Luffy, also stopped.

“Su Lin, you bastard—wahp!”

Luffy thought Su Lin had arrived and leapt forward to greet him.

“Knocked flying?!”

“He spat blood—that Straw Hat...”

“Aren’t they allies?”

Luffy: “Su Lin! Why did you hit me?!”

Su Lin: “That’s Kaido...”

Luffy: “Nani?!”

Luffy was blasted sideways, smashing through multiple glaciers until he crashed into a wall a kilometer away.

“Hey, Whitebeard,” Kaido, after the strike, glared at Whitebeard: “Where’s that brat who imitated me and put on this ridiculous show?”

“Kaido,” Whitebeard smiled faintly: “So the real one has come.”

“Forget it—I can’t find that guy anyway.” Kaido scanned the area again: “Then let’s fight you—or Sengoku or Garp.”

“That’ll make me happier.”

Kaido was furious—he had abandoned his crew and rushed here specifically to find and beat up that imitation brat, then throw him into the mines to dig ore; if he performed well, he’d let the brat join the Beasts Pirates.

For some reason, the imitation ability was too strong—he simply couldn’t find the guy.

But fighting Whitebeard wasn’t bad either.

He’d thought he’d never get a chance to fight Whitebeard—after all, the Marines weren’t amateurs, and he’d assumed Whitebeard had no chance of winning.

Yet here he was, having wasted so much time with Red-Haired Shanks.

Whitebeard had almost no new wounds.

Have the Marines become so weak now?

Look at Sengoku and Garp—and that fallen Sakatsuki.

Kaido felt his stomach aching from laughing.

Even a weakened Whitebeard couldn’t be beaten, and they rescued the condemned man.

Might as well go dig mines.

As for the Straw Hat kid—he’d looked like he was holding his own against the Marines in the livestream.

Turned out one punch knocked him out—what a fraud. Maybe it’s not that the Marines are weak after all.