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Chapter 56: VS Aokiji, Akainu, Kizaru
The location was the Central Plaza of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise. Standing before us was the absolute zenith of the Marines' military might: Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru.
I fully expected an Admiral to show up after the massive ruckus we caused, but I never imagined the original Three Admirals would arrive together as a package deal. This was the absolute worst-case scenario I had envisioned. Oh, my god.
"I-It's Admiral Akainu…"
"Fleet Admiral Aokiji is here too!"
"And Kizaru…!"
"H-How are we supposed to escape from monsters like them!?"
"It's over… we're doomed…!"
"We're going straight back to being slaves!"
"Uwaaaaaah…!!"
The slaves broke into an understandable panic, their despair spreading like a contagious disease. The absolute worst thing that could happen right now was the slaves falling into chaos and scrambling over each other. Just like a fire drill, if they didn't stay calm, we couldn't save them.
"...Densuke."
⌁ "Ji?" ⌁
"Tell all the slaves via telepathy. Tell them we will absolutely save them. Tell them whatever they do, do not panic…"
⌁ "Ji! Understood." ⌁
It might only offer a slight peace of mind… but I hoped it would at least calm them down a little. Glancing back at the slaves, I saw almost all of them staring intently at me, their mouths pressed into firm, resolute lines. It seemed the telepathy had reached them safely and they had managed to regain their composure.
"...Perona, Moria… you two keep focusing on evacuating the slaves…!"
"L-Line, what about you!?"
"We'll… keep these guys occupied for a bit!"
Leaving the guidance of the slaves to Perona and Moria, Esune, Densuke, and I stepped forward. Our opponents were a Marine Fleet Admiral and two Marine Admirals. Actually defeating them was next to impossible. But if it was just buying enough time for the slaves to escape, we could manage… I think.
"Arara, so it really came down to this, huh…"
"This time, I will burn you to cinders. Not even your bones will remain."
"How terrifying~… the youth these days."
We locked eyes. A blistering, suffocating tension filled the air. If possible, I would have loved to just keep glaring at each other like this forever without actually fighting, but—
"Hmm, first things first… I suppose we need to stop them~."
"!!"
Kizaru made the first move. Leaping swiftly into the air, he pointed his finger not at us… but directly at Perona and Moria. This was bad. He was aiming for the absolute worst possible spot. We couldn't let him attack Perona or the slaves.
"Densuke!!"
⌁ "Nin! Leave it to me, Master!!" ⌁
At my signal, Densuke shot forward at breakneck speed, placing herself directly in front of Kizaru.
⌁ "Kizaru! Densuke is your opponent!" ⌁
"Hmm~? My, my… using a little girl like this as a human shield… The Invisible Phantom Thief really has fallen far. If you don't want to get hurt, you'd best step aside, little lady."
⌁ "Jiii! Densuke won't move! I'm going to protect the slaves!" ⌁
"...Did you really think that would make me hesitate? I'm sorry, but the moment you invaded Mary Geoise, you all became full-fledged criminals. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I'll just have to shoot right through you~…"
Though momentarily taken aback by the 14-or-15-year-old-looking girl in an angel cosplay flying into his line of fire, Kizaru ruthlessly gathered light energy at his fingertip.
"Don't worry, you won't feel any pain~…"
Pew! He fired a concentrated laser. And then—
⌁ "A-n-g-e-l C-o-m-b-a-t! Pika Pika Absorption~!!" ⌁
"Huh…?"
—The devastating laser Kizaru fired was sucked seamlessly into Densuke's body with a Vwoop! sound.
"!!?!??"
The sheer unpredictability of the event left Kizaru sporting a gloriously stupid, dumbfounded expression. Fuhehehe! Did you really think I assigned Densuke to you without a plan?
"My laser was erased… Invisible Phantom Thief… Is this your doing? My, my… what kind of sneaky trick did you use this time~?"
"Like hell I'd tell you! Stupid! Idiot! Monkey-faced kindergarten principal~!"
"...Tch."
I pulled down my eyelid and stuck my tongue out at Kizaru. If that pissed him off, it meant things were going exactly according to plan. The worst outcome right now was him ignoring us and attacking the slaves. So, I taunted him relentlessly to keep his attention squarely on me. Slap, slap! I shook my fluffy tail at him.
"...Yasakani no Magatama."
The taunt worked brilliantly. Kizaru unleashed a massive barrage of light projectiles directly at me. However—
⌁ "Jiii! I won't let you aim at Master! Pika Pika Absorption~!!" ⌁
Kizaru's devastating light attack was once again completely absorbed into Densuke's body.
"...What is the meaning of this~?"
Fuhehehe, he's confused, he's confused. If I were to reveal the trick behind how Densuke neutralized Kizaru's lasers… it was all thanks to the power of the Dials. By equipping the Flash Dial—a shell capable of absorbing and releasing light—Densuke gained the ability to absorb absolutely any light-based attack, be it lasers or beams.
(A Flash Dial specifically to counter Kizaru! Finding that was incredibly lucky! Fuhehehe~)
I told you defeating them was impossible, but buying time for the slaves to escape was doable, right? This was exactly what I meant. Densuke could pull it off. As I watched the exchange between Kizaru and Densuke from below…
"...I don't know why, but it seems Borsalino's attacks won't work on that little girl… In that case, I will simply shoot her down."
Akainu pulled back a massive fist of bubbling magma, aiming directly at the fluttering Densuke.
"Eh!?"
No, no, no! That was bad! I hadn't exactly found a "Magma Dial," so there was no way Densuke could absorb Akainu's attack. If even one hit landed, she'd be dead.
"Guh…!"
I tried to dash forward to intercept Akainu's strike, but at that exact moment—
"Rabbit-Rabbit Combat: Extinction Deception!!"
"!!!"
Esune moved faster than I did. DOOOOOM!!! She violently kicked Akainu's magma fist right back at him.
"!? Oi, oi, oi, oi… Rabbit girl, you know that's magma, right!?"
Aokiji actually looked genuinely shocked seeing Esune casually kick away a fist made of molten rock with a single leg.
"Love is far stronger than magma!"
"No, no… if that was true, the laws of physics would completely fall apart…"
"I don't care about physics!"
Without missing a beat, Esune launched a relentless, high-speed barrage of kicks into Akainu.
"Feel the pain you caused my Big Brother two years ago!! Suffer!!"
"You brat!! Billion-Hunter Rabbit!!!"
Esune's kicks and Akainu's fists clashed over and over again. It was a blistering, violent rush that looked like they were screaming ORA ORA ORA ORA!! MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!! Her opponent was literal magma. Normally, the moment she touched him, it would be an instant loss… but Esune was perfectly fine. Why? Because she wasn't actually touching him!
"!! Don't tell me… she's repelling it with Armament Haki…!"
Fuhehe, bingo, Aokiji. You hit the nail on the head. Ray-san had taught us about it. In Wano, Haki is apparently called "Ryuo," which means "flowing." If you perfectly control the Haki flowing through your body, you can strike and defend without ever making physical contact. That was exactly what Esune was doing right now.
Esune couldn't use Conqueror's Haki, and honestly, her Observation Haki was a bit spotty, but if you narrowed it down strictly to "Armament Haki"… she was an absolute prodigy.
"Rabbit-Rabbit Combat: Revenge Deception!!!"
"Guoooh!!?"
DOOOOMMM!!
The violent clash between magma fists and rabbit kicks lasted for over 30 seconds… and incredibly, the rabbit kicks—Esune—actually managed to push him back.
"Whoa!? Seriously…!"
Even Aokiji was shocked. Honestly, I was a bit shocked too. Sure, Akainu had lost an arm during the war two years ago, putting him at a disadvantage in a rapid-fire brawl… but to completely overpower the absolute zenith of the Marines through sheer brute force… Esune was seriously amazing!!
"Haa, haa…! H-How was that! I've gotten much stronger too! Leave stalling Akainu to me, Big Brother!"
Esune flashed me a brilliant grin. She really had gotten so strong… It was incredibly reassuring. But… it looked like she had just poured her absolute everything into that exchange. Her breathing was already ragged. Fighting Akainu one-on-one was definitely going to be tough…
"Esune, maybe I should fight him with you…?"
"If you do that, Aokiji will be free to do whatever he wants, Big Brother. It's fine…! Even if it costs me my life, I will stall Akainu…!"
No, I'd really prefer you didn't trade your life for it…
"Don't you dare die!? You are completely irreplaceable to me!"
"Funya!?♡♡♡ I-Irreplaceable…? Me? To Big Brother? E-Ehehehe♡"
She covered her face with both hands, her rabbit ears shooting straight up. Esune then quickly spun around, turning her back to me.
"W-What's wrong, Esune?"
"...Umm, Big Brother… about that… c-could I get a reward…?"
"Huh?"
"I-If I manage to make it back alive… w-would you give me a reward? I-If I had something like that to look forward to, I know I could absolutely fight my hardest and survive…!"
A reward? I wasn't entirely sure what she wanted, but she was fighting Akainu for us. Of course she deserved a reward.
"Got it! I'll do whatever you want me to do, as long as it's in my power!"
"Wha!? A-A-A-A-Anything!!???♡♡♡♡♡"
"Yeah! So let's save all the slaves and make it out of here alive together, Esune!"
"Y… yes…♡ Ehe♡ Ehehehehehe♡ I'm so pumped up now~~~♡♡♡♡"
I had no idea what was going on in her head, but it seemed she had completely powered up from the excitement.
"Guh…! You impudent little brat…! Don't get cocky just because you landed one solid hit…!"
And just like that, the matchups were set: Akainu vs. Esune, and Kizaru vs. Densuke. Watching this unfold, Aokiji lazily scratched the back of his head.
"Haaa… If the Marine Admirals get stalled in one-on-one fights, it doesn't really reflect well on me as the Fleet Admiral, does it… Guess I'd better take the 'head' quickly…"
His gaze snapped toward me, sharp and piercing, as a freezing aura began to violently billow around him. Whoa, what chilling, suffocating bloodlust… Just as I thought, he was my opponent.
"Line. Personally, I never disliked you… but I am the Fleet Admiral now. I'm going to capture you, your crew, and all these slaves… Don't hold it against me. This is the path you chose."
"I don't remember choosing a path like this!"
"..."
Aokiji thrust his right arm forward, wrapped in a dense, freezing aura.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!!"
There it was! Aokiji's signature ultimate move! The Mahyado version of Kaiser Phoenix! Two and a half years ago, when I first met Aokiji… all I could do was desperately dodge his attacks and run for my life… But I was different now. I had learned Haki, trained it, and become strong!
"Armament… Hardening!!"
My tail dyed pitch black. It became rock hard. Fully erect.
"Tontatta Combat: Iron Tail!!"
"!!"
SHATTER! I smashed his Kaiser Phoenix to pieces.
"How's that!? My tail can shatter solid iron now! Fu~hehehe!"
"...I wondered what sneaky trick you'd use to block that… I didn't expect you to just erase it with pure physical force. I see… just like the rabbit girl, you've leveled up considerably…"
"Exactly! Sorry Aokiji, but I'm a hundred times stronger than I was two years ago! Fuhehehehehe!"
"...Seems I'm going to have to take this seriously…"
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Aokiji vs. Line. The battle between the top fighters of both camps began. While continuing to evacuate the slaves, Gecko Moria kept a close eye on their battle.
"Acceleration! Acceleration~! Tail Hurricane!!"
"Ice Block: Partisan! Ice Ball!!"
BOOM!! BOOM!! DODOM!! DODODODODOM!!
Explosions and shockwaves echoed like rapid-fire fireworks. Seeing this, Moria audibly gulped.
(Was he really this strong…? The Invisible Phantom Thief… Line…)
Line and Aokiji clashed, moving at speeds the eye couldn't follow. Perhaps in his youth, back when he had clashed with Kaido, he might have been able to keep up with a battle of that caliber… but now, weakened in both mind and body from years of relying on others, there was absolutely no way he could follow those movements.
"Ice Glove!!"
"Iron Tail!!"
DOOOOOM!!! CRACKLE CRACKLE…!!
As Aokiji and Line clashed at full power, black lightning arced through the air, generating a shockwave several kilometers wide.
"Kyaaaaaa!!"
"Uwaaaaahh!!"
"Gyaaaa!!"
"Hiiiiiiiii~~!"
"!! Black Wall!!"
The only thing Moria could do right now was use his powers to erect a massive wall of shadows, shielding the slaves from the explosive shockwaves.
"T-Thank you so much…"
"Save your thanks! Just get on those giant banana boats and get the hell out of here! Every second you dawdle puts more strain on Line and the others! Don't be a burden to our saviors! Hurry!!"
"""Y-Yes!!"""
Roaring at the top of his lungs, Moria guided the slaves. If they didn't finish evacuating the slaves quickly, Line and the others' battle would never end.
"...Over half of them are gone… Just a little more! Hurry up, Perona!"
"Yes! Moria-sama!"
Perona had spawned numerous spectral Hollows to efficiently guide the slaves into lines.
"Everyone from here to here! Get on this banana! Hurry!"
"You, over there! That banana is full! You can't fit!"
"Don't panic! Anyone who panics gets a Negative Hollow!"
"This banana still has room!"
There was no way the two of them could have managed this sheer number of people alone, so Perona's ability to create clones was a lifesaver. It was tedious work, but the number of slaves was steadily decreasing. Just a little bit more! If Marine reinforcements didn't arrive soon… they might actually manage to evacuate every single one of them.
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"Rahahahaha! Finally finished exterminating those flower monsters! If the Celestial Dragons hadn't been screaming and panicking so much, I could have cleaned it up faster."
"...For this to be our first assignment after becoming Admirals… we both have it rough."
"Rahaha! Don't be so gloomy. The real show is probably just starting! Come on, let's hurry over to Sakazuki-san and the others! The 'mastermind' is definitely over there!"
"The mastermind… behind this incident, you say…"
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