[202] : [BONUS] - Akainu's Tears! A Frenzied Navy! The Battle Escalates!
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"Hah..."
A frightening freezing aura emanated from Rowen's entire body.
More than half of his body transformed into ice that radiated an astonishingly cold presence. Centered on Rowen, everything in the vicinity was instantly coated in a layer of frost by this horrifying freezing aura.
This Devil Fruit ability, Marine HQ... the Whitebeard Pirates... the Seven Warlords... no one in the entire world was unfamiliar with it.
It was the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit, wielded by Admiral Aokiji.
But now, this power was in the hands of Sky Sovereign Rowen.
And the figure of Aokiji, after being engulfed in that destructive, brilliant blue-purple light had vanished without a trace.
Combined with Fleet Admiral Sengoku's earlier agonized roar...
The meaning was self-evident.
MARINE HQ ADMIRAL AOKIJI HAD BEEN KILLED IN ACTION!
And the man who killed a Marine Admiral was Sky Sovereign Rowen...
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"KUZAN!!!" Sengoku's eyes blazed blood-red.
DEAD!!
Aokiji was dead.
The man he had such high hopes for, whom he had groomed as the next Fleet Admiral of Marine HQ was dead.
Killed—at the hands of Sky Sovereign Rowen!
Sengoku's eyes filled with unbearable pain.
It was the same anguish he felt when Rosinante, Doflamingo's brother and his secret operative whom he regarded as an adopted son, had died.
If the war hadn't still been raging, Sengoku certainly would have lost control of his tears.
It was all his fault... He failed to recognize Sky Sovereign Rowen's true target. From the very beginning, Rowen's true target was Aokiji!
Whether killing Doflamingo, or using the Magnet-Magnet Fruit to throw Marineford into chaos—it was all a setup for this single, decisive blow... A blow to ensure Aokiji's death.
AND DAMN IT... His Buddha Wisdom had once again been defeated in a battle of wits and schemes by this Ultimate Human.
But Sengoku could only grit his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, forcing himself to regain composure.
The war wasn't over... He was the Supreme Commander of this war. If he fell, the Navy's losses would be even more catastrophic—
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"Kuzan..." Garp stared blankly at Rowen, now manifesting the Ice-Ice Fruit ability, and at the empty space where Aokiji had been.
Tears streamed down the iron-willed man's face.
This man, who had not cried in countless years—had shed tears twice today.
Once, for his family, Ace...
And once, for his student, Aokiji...
Aokiji, from the time he couldn't even use Haki, had followed behind him, learning his 'Iron Fist'.
Initially, Garp hadn't intended to take Aokiji as a student, but Aokiji's perseverance moved him—imitating Garp's self-destructive training methods to temper his own fists—
—Gradually, Garp truly came to see Aokiji as his student, teaching him the true essence of his 'Iron Fist'.
He was Garp's true successor.
Before becoming an Admiral, Aokiji had always been on Garp's ship, following him on campaigns across the seas. From a common Marine, Garp had nurtured him step by step into an Admiral.
His successor... killed before his very eyes... even a man like Garp was now plunged into extreme grief.
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"DO YOU SEE IT, GARP??" Sengoku's teeth were about to shatter from gritting them so hard.
"DO YOU SEE WHAT KIND OF MAN WE ARE FACING??" Sengoku roared, his eyes twitching as he looked at Rowen.
"THIS IS WAR, YOU BASTARD! IF YOU REMAIN SO CONFLICTED, IT WON'T JUST BE KUZAN! EVERY SINGLE MARINE HERE COULD BE BURIED AT THIS MAN'S HANDS! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE, GARP??" Sengoku bellowed.
"!!!" Garp clenched his jaw tightly, his bowed head streaked with tears.
"Kuzan..." Below the execution platform, Tsuru's eyes also filled with tears.
Tsuru, Sengoku, and Garp had been teammates in their youth.
Aokiji, as Garp's student and Sengoku's favored successor, was also very close to her. To see him fall on the battlefield before her—even this Great Staff Officer, whose Wash-Wash Fruit allowed her to cleanse her mind of distracting thoughts and maintain absolute calm—was plunged into grief.
"Kuzan... is dead?" Gion also stared blankly.
"ADMIRAL AOKIJI!" Momonga and the other 'Dove' faction Vice Admirals cried out, tears streaming down their faces on the battlefield.
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Sabaody Archipelago.
"AN ADMIRAL—AN ADMIRAL IS DEAD!!!!"
Amidst the stunned silence, horrified screams erupted, echoing throughout the island chain.
A Marine Admiral, one of the World Government's Strongest Combatants had been killed in action—
—Killed by Sky Sovereign Rowen.
OH MY GOD!
How many years had it been since an active-duty Marine HQ Admiral had been killed in battle??
Though the World Economic News Agency had reported Aokiji and Akainu's defeats at Rowen's hands, the details of those battles were later thoroughly analyzed.
And Marine HQ and the World Government had denounced Rowen for his 'Despicable' tactics, never admitting the Admirals were truly defeated.
Though in the eyes of true top-tier powerhouses, a loss was a loss, no excuses—for the numerous citizens and common Marines across the seas, they needed a reason to reassure themselves...
After this war began, Akainu's ferocious performance inspired countless citizens and reporters. He had even severely wounded the man hailed as the World's Strongest—and Kizaru had also displayed incredibly terrifying power, sending the legendary pirate Dark King Rayleigh, flying with a single kick...
Confidence in the Marine Admirals had returned to the hearts of many citizens, reporters, and Marines...
BUT NOW—
NO MORE EXCUSES... NO MORE FLUKES!
SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN COULD KILL AN ADMIRAL!
This was something even Whitebeard, even Roger, had never achieved.
Fear, shock, horror... countless negative emotions flooded the entirety of Sabaody Archipelago. Reporters frantically scribbled their articles, transmitting the situation here to the world.
The death of a Marine HQ Admiral was super-major news!
The might of the World's Strongest Devil Fruit User, through this live broadcast, was displayed directly before the entire world.
Letting the world know, just how powerful this man truly was!
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"Kuzan..." Kizaru murmured, his expression grim, the sunglasses seemingly unable to hide the emotional turmoil he had been trying to conceal.
CRACKLE! BOOM!
The wreckage was blasted apart by countless violent crimson-black lightning arcs.
Rayleigh, enveloped in Haōshoku Coating, emerged from the rubble.
"What a horrifying attack," Rayleigh commented, his face also filled with utter amazement.
"Hah..." Kizaru exhaled slowly, the eyes behind his sunglasses utterly cold.
WHOOSH!
He instantly appeared before Rayleigh, the Ama no Murakumo sword in his hand striking with lethal intent.
Seeing Aokiji die... the usually lazy Admiral began to fight for his life.
Rayleigh, for a moment, also broke out in a sweat, continuously parrying...
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"Kuzan..." Akainu's expression changed drastically at this moment.
Though seemingly ruthless and iron-blooded, Akainu did possess special feelings for his colleagues.
In the original story's battle for Fleet Admiral, Akainu, having beaten Aokiji into utter helplessness, still couldn't bring himself to deliver the final killing blow to his former colleague...
And Kizaru, sent to Egghead to kill his close friend Vegapunk and his beloved junior Sentomaru, in a moment of extreme emotional anguish, had even yelled tearfully at Akainu over a Transponder Snail, "If you have time to doubt me, come see for yourself, you bastard!"
The usually iron-blooded Akainu, facing such a rebuke, only replied, "My apologies, brother."
Cold and ruthless... was only for achieving the Navy's Justice.
But as a user of the Magma-Magma Fruit, Akainu's heart had never been truly cold.
"You can cry too? Magma brat," Whitebeard commented, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his eyes narrowing as he saw a few teardrops appear at the corner of Akainu's eyes.
"Whitebeard... This will be your grave. There's no place more fitting,"
Akainu replied, looking up, the teardrops at the corner of his eyes long since vaporized by his Magma-Magma Fruit's power, his eyes now cold and violent as he looked at Whitebeard.
"OOHHHHHHH!!!" Roaring furiously, Akainu began to fight for his life.
Whitebeard, already severely wounded and his physical functions deteriorating rapidly, struggled to parry.
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"AVENGE ADMIRAL AOKIJI! KILL THESE PIRATES!" The Marines roared, their eyes bloodshot.
"Hmph, An Admiral is dead! Your Navy's defeat is certain!" The pirates, facing the Marines' crazed counterattack, also roared back, their morale soaring.
In grief and pain, the Navy launched a frenzied counterattack.
But their side had achieved a major victory!
Sky Sovereign Rowen had killed a Marine HQ Admiral.
Their morale was at an all-time high.
The battlefield's intensity escalated once more.
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"That Aokiji... was really killed..." Mihawk murmured, his sharp hawk-like eyes also filled with profound shock.
As the World's Greatest Swordsman, Mihawk's swordsmanship was sublime. Unlike Zoro's purely powerful style, Mihawk's was a perfect blend of hardness and softness—
Hardness could cleave mountains, unstoppable.
Softness, like in the East Blue, could deflect bullets without breaking them, changing their trajectory like flowing water.
Both his offense and defense stood at the pinnacle of this world.
But, facing that attack... Mihawk knew, even he couldn't take it head-on! Even with his skill at deflecting force, there was no space or time.
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"An Admiral... was killed?" Hancock murmured, biting her lip.
The Celestial Dragons' wanton arrogance was propped up by the protection of Marine Admirals.
Harm a Celestial Dragon, and an Admiral would descend. Under this terrifying deterrent, almost no one dared harm them.
But this man—in the Holy Land Mariejois, used Conqueror's Haki to knock out countless Celestial Dragons, creating the world-shaking Mariejois incident, showing the world that even Celestial Dragons were vulnerable before Conqueror's Haki.
And now—he had killed one of the Celestial Dragons' most important protectors, a Marine HQ Admiral, before the eyes of the entire world!
At this moment, Hancock's heart wasn't just pounding violently; her beautiful face was also flushed with an unnatural blush.
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"Boa Hancock! Immediately engage the pirates! Take out Sky Sovereign Rowen's Supernova crews!" a Marine HQ Vice Admiral roared.
With the current battle situation, the Warlords had to intervene.
"Hm??" A vein throbbed on Hancock's beautiful forehead.
"Slave Arrow——!!!" Hancock formed a massive pink heart shape, then pulled it back like a bowstring.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Countless pink arrows shot out—petrifying both pirates and Marines they struck.
"ARE YOU INSANE?? BOA HANCOCK! YOU'RE HITTING FRIEND AND FOE ALIKE!" the Vice Admiral roared; one of his arms had been hit by an arrow.
"Hmph! Whatever I do will be forgiven. BECAUSE... I AM BEAUTIFUL," Hancock declared, striking her signature looking-down-on-everyone pose.
But her eyes held a hint of confusion. 'What's wrong with me?? Just hearing Sky Sovereign Rowen's name makes my emotions so volatile.'
VMM! WHOOSH!
A paw-shaped shockwave, compressed to its absolute limit, was launched by Kuma.
BOOM!
The compressed air instantly expanded, creating a terrifying explosion.
"Warlord, Tyrant! Bartholomew Kuma!" Many pirates stared in horror at the attacking Kuma.
"Father!" Bonney yelled, biting her lip. She had transformed into her 24-year-old form. Bonney was confident that no matter what age she became, her father would recognize her.
But he didn't. Her father's consciousness truly had been completely erased. His Paw-Paw Fruit ability was still there, meaning, as Rowen said, he was in a living-dead state.
Tears streamed down Bonney's face. She looked at the attacking Marines, her teeth clenched in hatred.
Bonney activated her Age-Age Fruit ability, clashing with the Marines!
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"ACE! I'M COMING!" Luffy, his Haki recovered, continued his charge towards the execution platform!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
A terrifying slash, like a bolt of white lightning, shot out.
Mihawk stood, holding his black blade, Yoru, his expression cold.
The World's Strongest Slash!
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