Chapter 256: They Still Flatten Water Seven!

Akainu's eyes narrowed slightly.

The figure standing on the ice in the distance spoke with a tone as lazy as ever, his posture equally casual, as if nothing had changed.

But often, it is your opponent who knows you best.

If one were to rank everyone in the Marines by their understanding of Aokiji, Akainu would stand alongside Zephyr and Garp.

Even without a single word exchanged, Akainu perceived the differences between the person before him now and the one from the past.

The flame that had ceased burning after the Ohara Incident twenty years ago was reignited in this moment, burning even more fiercely than before!

"You..."

"Have you found your own path again?!"

"Ah~"

Aokiji raised a hand to scratch his head, his tone indifferent:

"I met someone extraordinary in Alabasta and saw new possibilities in him; I have little time left to waste, and the Marines cannot wait either."

"Shall we talk?!"

"Ho~"

The corner of Akainu's mouth curled up slightly, his eyes showing some surprise:

"To think such words would come from your mouth."

"Even I am quite curious about what kind of person you met and what changes you have made."

"But not right now."

"I have no need to fight you, but if your goal is to stop me, I will show no mercy even to a comrade."

"You should know me well."

Before Akainu could finish his harsh words, Aokiji casually tossed a bottle of wine from afar; he instinctively raised a hand to catch it, clearly seeing the familiar label on the bottle.

"Sherry, is it still the brand Teacher Zephyr liked?"

"You..."

Akainu lifted his head again to look at Aokiji in the distance.

He had sensed Aokiji's transformation, but he had not expected it to have reached this extent.

"Let's talk."

There was an indescribable sincerity in Aokiji's tone, to the point where it even carried a hint of pleading.

Akainu did not reply, merely rubbing the bottle with his fingertips.

Even though the cork sealed away all the aroma, the pungent, spicy scent floated up in his mind at that moment.

Everyone around was waiting for Akainu's decision.

At this moment, they all realized the purpose of Aokiji's journey: to stop the implementation of the Buster Call.

And given Akainu's character as displayed in the past, he would likely not compromise on such a matter.

Moreover, the discord between these two had long been an open secret within the Marines.

Time ticked by second by second.

The sea wind howled, blowing in the chill from the distant glaciers, making the crowd shiver with cold.

Finally, the expression on Akainu's face softened slightly, a faint smile barely forcing its way onto his stern features:

"Since you have something to say, I will listen."

As soon as the words landed,

everyone present couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If Akainu and Aokiji were to clash here, it was unclear whether the Buster Call could be executed smoothly, but the entire sea would inevitably be affected, even permanently altering the climate of a certain sea region.

This was the power befitting a Marine Admiral, and it was a scene no one wished to see.

Whoosh!

Akainu leaped into the air and landed steadily in front of Aokiji; he raised a hand to open the sherry cork, took a small sip, then set it down, fixing his gaze on Aokiji.

Information about Alabasta he had seen previously flashed rapidly through his mind, and a name was on the tip of his tongue:

"Knight Gao Wen?!"

"Not only Teacher Zephyr, but even that guy Borsalino has mentioned him to me many times."

"Saying he is some kind of special pirate."

"Now even you have been influenced by that guy?!"

"I must remind you of one thing here."

Akainu's gaze fell upon Aokiji, his tone gradually turning cold:

"Pirates are pirates; they are the root cause of chaos in this sea, and the chief culprits behind the over seven million civilian casualties every year!"

"Seven million..."

Aokiji murmured this number, then countered:

"Then how many have died due to the Buster Call? And how many families are broken and lives ruined each year because they cannot pay the Heavenly Gold?!"

"Senior Sakazuki..."

As he spoke,

Aokiji's gaze grew increasingly sharp; this was not merely a questioning of Akainu, but an venting of the anger suppressed in his heart ever since the Ohara Incident.

"Do you still have any impression of these numbers?!"

"I came here today only to fight for a chance for the ordinary people of Water Seven to survive."

Akainu fell silent for a moment, only his eyes returning to their former coldness:

"But once the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon Pluton leak out, or even if it is manufactured, how many more will lose their lives because of it?!"

"There has never been an option that achieves both goals in this world; when comparing two harms, one must choose the lesser. After forty-plus years, you still don't understand such a simple principle?!"

"Even the most brutal order is better than senseless chaos."

"If these are the only things you have come to tell me today, then you may leave."

Peng En's breath hitched:

"But why must we choose between two terrible outcomes?"

"Restart—"

"Kuzan!"

Akainu shouted sharply, cutting off Aokiji's next words:

"Once certain words leave your mouth, there is no turning back!"

"Tch—"

Aokiji curled his lip, yet the surging cold air around him suddenly intensified, and snowflakes began to drift through the atmosphere.

An invisible aura erupted from Aokiji's body like a gale, fluttering the cape behind Akainu, yet ultimately failing to shake the expression on the latter's face.

He faced the resolute will displayed by Aokiji, that determination to stake his life and betray the Navy to stop him, to prevent the Ohara incident from repeating.

Akainu made no move, allowing the cold wind to brush against his face:

"If you lose, I will take you back to the Navy, and they will flatten Water Seven; if you win, they will still flatten Water Seven."

"Moreover, facing the pirates currently stationed around Water Seven, those people have no path to survival either."

"Stop this, Kuzan!"

"This approach has no meaning whatsoever."

Peng En's breath hitched again; while cold currents surged around him, a flame seemed to burn within his eyes, making his gaze increasingly scorching.

He opened his mouth, yet not a single word came out.

Akainu continued:

"Furthermore, that Knight Gao Wen, who caused changes in you, in Borsalino, and even in Instructor Zephyr, altering your very wills, is he not also near Water Seven at this very moment?!"

What he failed to notice was that with his words, the light in Aokiji's eyes grew brighter:

"You say that fellow Gao Wen is also at Water Seven?!"

"Ah~"

A smirk of mockery curled the corner of Akainu's mouth:

"However, according to intelligence shared by the CP organization, that fellow was rather unlucky, tricked by someone, and has now become the target of everyone's attacks."

"And the true blueprint of the Ancient Weapon Pluton remains within Water Seven."

"A pirate appearing here at this time, could there be any other reason?!"

"Benevolence, righteousness, knights... in the end, he is merely a pirate bent on dominating the world, destroying order, and bringing turmoil and devastation?!"

"Therefore, Sakazuki, you fellow will never understand; there can be only one reason for that fellow Gao Wen to appear at Water Seven!"

Aokiji's gaze became firm once more, even more determined than at any time in the past.

That light emanating from his soul caused Akainu's pupils to contract:

"You..."

"He must have come to save people!"

Peng En curled the corner of his mouth:

"I have such an intuition, so my stopping you here has meaning; for every extra second, that fellow might be able to save one more person."

"Something like Ohara happening once is already enough!"

"Your trust in Knight Gao Wen has actually reached this level?!"

Akainu's voice suddenly rose several degrees.

He truly could not imagine that merely meeting a few times and having a few contacts would cause Zephyr and Kizaru to make such evaluations, let alone prompt Aokiji to make such a judgment.

In a sudden realization.

Akainu recalled that among his subordinates, there had once been a man born of knighthood.

Upright, benevolent, compassionate, brave, steadfast, sympathetic...

Nearly every virtuous quality could find verification in that person.

His name was T-Peng En, a man with an ugly appearance, resembling a skeleton, yet possessing a heart hotter than anyone else's.

He had once been Akainu's subordinate and one of the few existences Akainu could call a friend, yet ultimately, unable to endure Akainu's increasingly radical justice, he parted ways with Akainu.

As early as the outbreak of the Pluton incident, T-Bone had led troops in charges many times, attempting to enter Water Seven to rescue the local civilians, and by now had been out of contact for over half a month.

Thinking of this, Akainu's eyes became somewhat reddened.

He could understand the suffering of those soldiers on the ship whose spirits had collapsed, but this was his justice.

An absolute and thorough justice that permits no evil to exist!

"More words are useless; in the end, only the victor gets to speak!"

Akainu's voice turned cold and sharp; an invisible aura began to rise around him, and scalding magma surged upon his right arm, causing the originally cold air to become sweltering in this instant.

Yet even more sweltering were the hearts of the two men.

In the next instant.

Ice and magma met upon the great sea!

Boom!

The violent force directly tore apart the glacier beneath their feet; the shockwave parted the seawater and raised massive waves, so much so that the Navy's steel-torrent-like fleet was pushed, drifting uncontrollably in all directions.

A crowd of Navy officers, awestruck by the scene before them, one after another ordered their warships to retreat several kilometers away, only then barely reducing the impact.

When they turned to look back at the center of the battlefield, the fight there had already fully erupted.

The clash between the Navy's supreme combat power froze the entire sea or erupted with volcanic projectiles like a natural disaster.

This was a battle wagering the beliefs of the two.

But at this moment, the hearts of the Marines present were indescribably complex; they no longer knew who they hoped would win.

Water Seven.

The original site of the Galley-La Company shipyard.

Inside the cabin of a ship not yet completed, Roubo Luqi gradually came to; before he could even open his eyes, he felt pain everywhere on his body.

Recalling that battle with Katakuri, he still felt a chill of fear to this day.

Observation Haki capable of foreseeing the future like Gao Wen, the awakened Paramecia-type Mochi Mochi Fruit that freely manipulated the environment, and flawless body techniques.

That could no longer be called a battle; it could only be described as one-sided torture.

In a single exchange, he had been heavily injured; this could only mean their combat power was not on the same level.

"Still alive?!"

Roubo Luqi murmured, then slowly opened his eyes, but his breath suddenly stopped in the next instant.

He opened his mouth, then finally spoke with difficulty:

"Captain..."

"Is playing the hero fun?!"

Gao Wen sat before Roubo Luqi, his gaze toward the latter unusually cold:

"Normally, any captain would not keep you on the ship for such a violation of ship rules."

"I..."

Roubo Luqi lowered his head, but his eyes turned red at that moment.

To him, what Gao Wen said did not matter; what mattered was that Gao Wen had appeared here.

Even stayed here all along.

"Your dividends and wages for the next three years are confiscated. If it happens again..."

Gao Wen grinned, raised his hand, and patted Roubo Luqi's shoulder:

"I'll break your legs."

The words landed.

Gao Wen slowly stood up and walked out of the room; immediately, the sobs of a man gradually erupted inside, growing from small to loud, drawing the attention of countless people.

A few minutes later.

The crying in the room gradually subsided, and the crowd who had learned the news arrived at this moment.

Chopper, tiny as he was, threw himself directly into Roubo Luqi's arms, tears streaming down his face.

"Waaah~"

"Roubo Luqi, it's so great you're still alive~ I almost thought you were dead~"

"It's okay."

Roubo Luqi reached out to pat Chopper's hat, then imitating his old self, rubbed it hard several times.

Feeling the familiar touch, his heart calmed down at this moment.

"What a lucky guy~"

"But, you made me look so foolish last time; now it's time to pay back the debt."

Xiang Keluo stood at the door holding Thousand Land, his eyebrows drooping, a smile lingering on his lips.

Under the latter's surprised gaze, Xiang Keluo slowly raised his long rifle and pulled the trigger without hesitation...

Bang!

A paint bomb exploded on Roubo Luqi's face; colorful powder stuck to his face, looking quite ridiculous, causing the crowd to burst into laughter.

Only Chopper, looking at the powder on Roubo Luqi's face, revealed a thoughtful expression:

"This is special paint!"

Roubo Luqi's heart skipped a beat:

"What's special about it?!"

"It won't wash off."

"What did you say?"

"It won't wash off..."

Roubo Luqi's mouth twitched, but he could only shake his head with a bitter smile.

Compared to when he directly attacked and knocked Xiang Keluo unconscious back then, this was nothing... or so he thought!

He looked up and saw Kaku and Bruno, who had also gathered around.

While feeling moved, he also foresaw his social death; instantly, his entire face wrinkled up like a bitter melon.

Outside the room.

Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo stood side by side, thinking about their next move.

Roubo Luqi's matter was basically settled, and his former comrades Kaku and Bruno had also been rescued.

Now, the only thing before Gao Wen was the problem of how to escape.

With the Red Dragon's flying ability, even if he fled in front of the outer pirates, Gao Wen would not be stopped.

Thus, retreat was not the problem; the difficult part was how to preserve the Seven Warlords of the Sea title while retreating.

Now, whether it is the newly rising Martial Arts Tournament or future operations, this layer of skin is needed for support.

(End of this chapter)