At that, Akira immediately turned to look.
Sakazuki stood blocking the doorway like a guardian statue, molten magma bubbling and pouring from his body as he elementalized. The oppressive presence unique to an Admiral of Marine Headquarters made the officers of every rank inside the prison feel as if they couldn't breathe. Some of the weaker officers even trembled uncontrollably under Sakazuki's powerful aura.
"You brought me here, thinking you could trap me in this prison?"
His icy gaze swept over the officers present. Sakazuki suddenly took a step forward and said gravely, "It was a good idea, but it looks like this place may become your burial ground!"
Before his words had even faded, Sakazuki acted without hesitation. His magma-coated arm rose high. "Inugami Guren!"
In an instant, his magma-coated arm transformed into a gigantic dog's head wreathed in blazing flames. It shot forward at incredible speed, carrying a terrifying surge of energy, and appeared in front of Akira in a flash.
Facing the huge dog's head as it came roaring toward him, Akira neither dodged nor retreated. His right hand quickly gripped the hilt of the long sword at his waist, then drew it in a flash.
Buzz—
The instant the sword left its sheath, the air in front of Akira began to vibrate at a low frequency. Then, in the blink of an eye, visible flames coiled around the blade, and an immense, invisible pressure burst from within him, once more making the air vibrate at a low frequency.
Boom—
With a deafening crash, the huge dog's head slammed into the sword.
As the two collided, a terrifying shock wave swept out, knocking all the surrounding officers to the ground. Even Momonga, Bastille, and Strawberry—the three powerful Vice Admirals—were sent stumbling backward, unable to stop themselves.
"Rumble—"
At last, the ground could no longer withstand the two raging forces colliding. A deafening boom rang out, and the ground beneath Akira cracked into a dense web of fissures that spread all around in the blink of an eye, trapping everyone present within what looked like a gigantic spiderweb.
Before anyone could react, the prison shuddered violently and collapsed. The terrifying energies that had intertwined after their collision burst through the prison's roof and shot into the night sky.
Sakazuki had never imagined Akira could take his attack head-on, much less cause the entire prison to collapse. He stared in shock at Akira, who stood with his sword in one hand and his presence climbing to its peak. His clothes snapped in the gale stirred up by the shock wave, and he looked every bit a Conqueror.
Sakazuki stood stunned for several seconds before finally collecting himself. Then he cried out, "Conqueror's Haki!"
As he spoke, Sakazuki stared fixedly at the long sword in Akira's hand.
Unlike an ordinary sword, Akira's blade was now wrapped in a layer of flame-shaped clouds that contained terrifying energy. As an Admiral of Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki was familiar with such clouds, but he found them difficult to accept.
Akira hadn't just awakened Conqueror's Haki—he had also coated his sword with it. And Sakazuki, his direct superior, had known nothing about it!
More importantly, powerful Conqueror's Haki users were as plentiful as fish crossing a river in the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. But those capable of Conqueror's Coating were few and far between. Those who had mastered it were either Emperors of the Sea who ruled over parts of the New World or figures who had already become legends.
Most importantly of all, Akira had not only mastered Conqueror's Coating—he had kept it hidden from every one of them!
With strength like that and such deep cunning, it was no wonder Akira had been so confident about this rebellion.
The officers who had been knocked to the ground were just as shocked, as were Momonga, Bastille, and Strawberry.
Ever since Akira had become a Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters, they had grown closer to him after he helped them for various reasons. They had gone on missions together many times. Though each of them had their own subordinates and warships, they stayed in contact, and whenever they had free time, they would meet somewhere for a few drinks or head to the training grounds to spar and exchange pointers.
They knew Akira had trained his Armament Haki and Observation Haki to heights they could hardly reach. He also had swordsmanship on par with Gion's, and his mastery of the Navy Six Styles was nothing short of flawless.
They had thought that was all there was to Akira. They had never expected he had awakened Conqueror's Haki long ago.
"You asked whether I had what it took to become Marshal?"
Having unleashed his Conqueror's Haki and stopped Inugami Guren with Conqueror's Coating, Akira stepped forward. His gaze burned as he stared at Sakazuki, blocking the prison's entrance. "Sakazuki, you've underestimated me! I told you that becoming Navy Marshal was only part of my plan!"
With that, Akira immediately strode forward and raised his sword.
"Lord Akira!"
Seeing Akira and Sakazuki about to fight again, Momonga recovered from the sudden shock of learning that Akira possessed Conqueror's Haki and hurriedly called out, "May I speak with Admiral Sakazuki for a moment?"
"Hmm?" Akira turned his head to look at Momonga. As if he already knew what Momonga was going to say, he replied gravely, "Momonga, now isn't the time for this!"
"No, now is exactly the time!"
Momonga stubbornly stepped forward and stood in front of Akira. Then he looked up to face Sakazuki and shouted, "Admiral Sakazuki, you received a share of some of the funds Lord Akira moved over the years!"
"Momonga, stop talking nonsense!" Sakazuki slowly walked forward and said gravely, "Look outside! See how much chaos has engulfed Marineford because of your rebellion! As an Admiral, I have to stop things from getting worse."
Momonga acted as if he hadn't heard and continued, raising his voice. "Admiral Sakazuki, your mother is still alive!"
Before Sakazuki could respond, Momonga pulled a document from his coat and waved it. "Three years ago, when Lord Akira was still a Rear Admiral, he fought a pirate ship during a mission. After killing all the pirates aboard, he discovered a number of civilians they had imprisoned. Lord Akira sent most of them back to their hometowns, but one old woman was raving mad and had completely lost her memory, so he could only bring her back to Marine Headquarters."
At that, Sakazuki's pupils contracted slightly.
But his expression quickly darkened, and he snapped, "Momonga, my mother was killed by pirates when I was young! I buried her with my own hands! There's no way that old woman could be my mother!"
Momonga offered no explanation. He tossed the document in front of Sakazuki. "This is the result of the investigation Lord Akira ordered us to conduct."
Before you continue