Sakazuki, Akainu's Killing Intent

"Kizaru, how dare you make a move with this Empress here?"

After Norse took Hancock and successfully evaded Admiral Kizaru, Hancock instantly flew into a rage at Kizaru's actions. Anyone who dared lay a hand on the man she loved was an enemy who opposed her.

"Conqueror's Haki? What frightening potential!"

With the languid air of a lazy middle-aged man, Kizaru looked at Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and noticed that she had unleashed the power of Conqueror's Haki. He could not help but frown slightly.

She indeed seemed to be a dangerous individual with considerable potential. Perhaps the higher-ups' decision to use the double-edged sword of the Seven Warlords to keep her in check was not so absurd after all.

But in the next moment—

Kizaru noticed that there was another pirate ship nearby—an island ship.

When he had first looked from afar at sea, he had not noticed it at all. Since it had no sails and displayed no pirate insignia, he had thought it was part of the island.

Kizaru's pupils immediately widened. He seemed to unleash powerful Observation Haki, sensing the surrounding area intensely.

How could the Marines possibly not recognize that island ship?

At present, Marine Headquarters—even every Marine branch—had task boards filled with information on the Flying Pirate Crew. Wanted posters of Golden Lion Shiki alone were piled high like mountains.

So, what Marine did not know of the Flying Pirate ship that had vanished ten years ago?

Could it be that Golden Lion Shiki had begun to reappear in this era of the Worst Generation?

"This is starting to look interesting."

The three-meter-tall Kizaru, with the Marine coat of justice draped over his shoulders, calmly glanced at Hancock and Norse.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Kizaru's entire body transformed into a beam of light and shot straight toward a stretch of forest on the island.

He had detected someone within the island's forest—perhaps Golden Lion Shiki was inside.

"Hancock, be careful of Red Fist!"

Seeing how sharp and decisive Kizaru was, how could Norse allow him to kill Golden Lion Shiki? That was Norse's prey, and the Victory Fruit might still be waiting for him to decide what to do with it.

"Norse, you need to be careful too!"

Hancock nodded, blushing. Only now did she realize that when Kizaru had launched his light-speed kick, Norse had held her in his arms and flashed over here.

And now, Norse had even touched her forehead.

In the blink of an eye, Hancock hugged her flushed cheeks narcissistically, feeling her breathing and heartbeat become incomparably rapid.

"Big Sister, Norse has already left. You should put this robe around yourself first. So many lecherous men have come ashore."

Sonia and Gerd emerged from the cabin carrying a robe patterned with python scales for Hancock. They helped drape it over her and fasten it in place.

Boom!

Immediately afterward, sounds of battle rang out from the island's forest. From outside, countless towering trees could be seen vanishing and crashing down one after another. The battle was clearly fierce!

Elsewhere.

The Marine Headquarters elites who had come ashore numbered over five hundred between the two Marine warships.

The moment they landed, they swiftly formed up in a semicircle and began searching the surrounding area.

"Report! Admiral Akainu, we have discovered the Flying Pirate Crew's island ship over here," a Marine soldier carrying a sword suddenly reported.

Upon hearing this news, Akainu became even more energized.

He had not expected to have the fortune of encountering a great pirate from ten years ago here. He instantly decided to capture Golden Lion Shiki first, then suppress the pirate Norse, who had recently been in the limelight, while also keeping Hancock and the others under control to prevent them from ruining their plans.

"Secure the Flying Pirate ship first, then immediately seal off the island's coastline. Do not let a single evil pirate escape. The rest of you, keep an eye on them."

After Akainu issued his decisive order, countless Marines raised their rifles and aimed them at Hancock and her two sisters.

"Akainu, are you targeting this Empress?" Hancock asked coldly.

"Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, please rest assured. As long as you do not interfere in this matter, no one will dare make a move against you. Once we are done, we will leave promptly and will not affect your continued enjoyment of your outing," Akainu said with a righteous expression.

"Hmph! This Empress will never allow you, Akainu, to join in. Norse belongs to this Empress." Hancock stood where she was, her edge fully revealed, ready to resist at any moment.

In any case, she could not possibly let Akainu disappear from before her eyes and join forces with Admiral Kizaru against Norse!

She clearly remembered what Norse had said.

While one admiral could not do anything to Norse, it would be troublesome if two admirals attacked him at once.

So how could she allow such a thing to happen? Besides, she had the ability to hold Akainu back!

"If you dare obstruct me today, then even if you are one of the Seven Warlords, I, Akainu, will show no mercy. I will kill you first at any cost!"

Suddenly, Akainu's eyes narrowed, and his killing intent became incomparably intense.

This man had always possessed an uncompromising nature, and his methods against pirates were cruel beyond measure. Even if a Seven Warlord allied with the Marines failed to know their place, he could still show them no mercy whatsoever.

In short, he would not tolerate the slightest trace of evil. To complete his mission, he would pay any price—just as he could now, without hesitation, regard both the allies before him and the ordinary civilians on the island as targets to be exterminated.

In fact, Akainu's mad ideology and conduct had already surfaced in the Ohara incident over a decade ago.

When Akainu used the possibility that archaeologists might be hiding aboard as an excuse to order his subordinates to bombard an evacuation ship filled with Ohara residents, he had already revealed his belief in eradicating all evil.

That was why this man was insane and iron-blooded. The moment he said something, he dared carry it out immediately. And Hancock, a Seven Warlord allied with the Marines, was no exception.

As long as there was a chance to kill Hancock, he was willing to pay any price.

"Then try it."

A chill ran through Hancock's entire body. She would not fall for that. No one had ever dared to threaten her like this.

"Mero Mero Mellow!"

Hancock immediately untied the python-flower robe around her body, revealing her fair, flawless, breathtaking figure. Her swimsuit-clad allure made the hearts of every Marine soldier present race.

That was how this ability worked—it played on the other person's heartbeat.

As long as her beauty caused their heartbeat to change, they generally could not escape her ability's grasp.

Naturally, Hancock seized the chance to activate her Devil Fruit power: Mero Mero Mellow.

She formed a heart shape with her hands and fired heart-shaped beams at the surrounding Marines. Wherever the beams passed, not a single Marine escaped being petrified.

Especially those Marines with nosebleeds—did they think they could avoid being turned to stone on the spot and still escape Hancock's grasp?

"A rabble like you thinks you can stop this Empress? I'm afraid only an arrogant, self-important officer like you, Red Fist, could entertain such a foolish notion." Hancock stared coldly at Red Fist across from her. He had underestimated her strength far too much!

"You truly are a dangerous existence. It seems I, Akainu, have even more reason to kill you!"

Instead, Red Fist took a deep drag from his cigar, and his entire body relaxed considerably.

As the owner of the Logia-type Magma-Magma Fruit, he could transform parts of his body into scorching magma. A single punch could often trigger a fiery explosion, making its power immensely destructive.

At that moment, Akainu's arm transformed into blazing magma. Huge amounts of magma spilled onto the ground, instantly melting the surrounding sandy earth, boiling and bubbling as it continuously steamed and vaporized every soluble substance underground.

Before long, a terrifying domain of magma had formed.