[104] : Myskina Olga
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Arthur burst from the sea.
The slow-acting poison was gone, his strength restored. He was back at his peak.
His recent power boost fueled his battle lust. Facing Garp, the man who had defeated him twice, ignited a desire for revenge, a need to settle the score.
But before the confrontation could begin, the anglerfish, injured by Akainu's magma, surfaced, its massive jaws swallowing the three warships—and Garp, Tsuru, and Akainu along with them.
As the colossal beast closed its mouth, preparing to dive, Arthur, a blur of motion, slipped through its teeth and into its belly.
——
The anglerfish descended into the dark depths, the faint light from above swallowed by the inky blackness. Only the Golden glow of its lure illuminated its massive maw.
It swam towards some unknown destination…
"Bwahahahaha!" Garp's boisterous laughter echoed within the anglerfish's stomach. Even swallowed by a giant sea monster, he remained unfazed—a testament to his indomitable spirit.
Tsuru, her arms crossed, was equally calm. Decades of experience had taught her to face any situation with stoic composure.
Akainu, at twenty-eight, lacked their experience. His Devil Fruit weakness exacerbated his unease, a flicker of anxiety crossing his usually stoic face.
The anglerfish's stomach was a nightmarish landscape—a sea of corrosive acid, dotted with floating islands formed from half-digested debris, bubbles of gas rising from the churning surface, bones and rocks littering the landscape.
The edges of the islands sizzled and dissolved in the acid. Even the remnants of the warships were slowly being digested, the Marines on board pale with terror.
"Stay here. Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Sakazuki, and I will scout ahead," Tsuru instructed the Marines.
"Yes, ma'am!" They responded in unison, maintaining their discipline despite their fear.
"I saw that brat, Arthur, earlier. Wonder if he followed us in. If he did…we'll catch him again! Bwahahaha!" Garp, picking his nose, led Tsuru and Akainu off the wrecked warship and onto one of the floating islands, heading towards the center.
——
Meanwhile, hidden behind a pile of rubble not far from the Marines…
"Hee hee hee! More fools seeking my treasure? This Gold is mine! Hee hee hee! I'm the greediest of them all!" A small, Golden-haired girl with pigtails and a sinister smile muttered to herself, a small, green lizard perched on her shoulder.
Her words, spoken without a hint of stealth, couldn't be missed by Garp and the others. Akainu, using Soru, vanished, reappearing behind the pile of rubble and grabbing the girl by the scruff of her neck.
"Who are you?"
"Hey! Let me go! You greedy Gold-grubbers!" She struggled in his grasp, her small limbs flailing uselessly, inadvertently revealing the very secret she was trying to hide.
"'Pure Gold'?" Tsuru's eyes narrowed. "Does such a thing truly exist?"
"Oops! My bad!" The girl clamped her hand over her mouth, as if shocked by her own slip-up.
Her identity was a surprise—Myskina Olga, the daughter of Myskina Acier, the alchemist who created the Pure Gold, and, thanks to its effects, nearly two hundred years old—though appearing to be no older than ten.
"Hmph! Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you, you idiots! That treasure is all mine! Hee hee hee!"
——
Arthur, having followed the Marines through the anglerfish's esophagus, entered its stomach. He could have arrived sooner, but he needed to recover his stamina. Only at his peak could he hope to face Garp's iron fists.
Zzzzzzt!
The lightning around him faded as he deactivated his Isolation Field. Maintaining it underwater, while also needing to surface for air, had taken a toll on him. Witnessing Garp and the others being swallowed, he knew the coming journey would be dangerous. He had to conserve his energy.
His Observation Haki spread out, probing every corner of the anglerfish's stomach, searching for the Marines.
"Found them." A cold smile touched his lips as he transformed into lightning and flew towards their location.
——
Akainu, his face grim, his voice tight with barely suppressed excitement, held Olga by the scruff of her neck. "Where is it, little girl? Where's the Pure Gold?"
"Don't be afraid, dear. We won't hurt you," Tsuru said gently, trying to reassure the girl.
"Hmph! I'm not telling you where the Pure Gold—Oops!" Olga quickly covered her mouth again, another slip-up.
"Hee hee hee! Just let me go, and I'll take you to it!" Her fear morphed back into a cunning grin.
Akainu set her down, his voice cold. "Don't try anything foolish. Our patience is limited."
Olga stuck her tongue out. "I hate creepy old men like you! If you let me go, I'll have Elizabeth take me—Oops!"
Garp chuckled, picking his nose. "Bwahahaha! What an interesting little girl. We're all ears, you know."
——
Arthur almost fell out of the sky, laughing. The girl's inability to keep a secret was almost comical. Every thought seemed to spill from her lips.
Whoosh!
A flash of blue lightning streaked across the sky, approaching the wrecked Marine ships.
Garp, Tsuru, and Akainu looked up.
"That brat, Arthur! He followed us in!" Garp cracked his knuckles, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Vice Admiral Garp…What a coincidence. Twice in one day." Arthur landed, smiling casually, as if greeting an old friend.
His battle lust surged.
Their first encounter, Arthur had given it his all, but couldn't even scratch Garp. The second time, on Sabaody, he had managed to injure him slightly during the ambush.
This time, with his [Perfected Isolation Field]—as long as Garp couldn't break through it—he wouldn't be able to land a single blow.
"You're not getting away this time, you little punk!" Garp adjusted his Justice coat.
"Once we catch you, we'll chain you up with Seastone, a fitting punishment for embarrassing Impel Down!" Akainu's body began to smolder, black smoke rising as molten lava dripped from his limbs.
The air crackled with tension, the confrontation inevitable.
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