Great War! Akainu's Arrival!

"Where are the things I asked you to buy?" Swain asked, looking at the drunken Norton.

"What things? Booze? I already drank it on the way!"

He flashed a victory sign.

Swain's face turned black upon hearing that.

"Then what about your helmet? Was the booze money not enough, so you went and pawned it?"

"Could I possibly be that stupid?"

Swain did not even want to hear his next sentence.

He gave him a direct knuckle-rap to the head, knocking him dizzy and disoriented.

"Ow, ow, ow, everything is spinning."

Roland, standing on one side of Swain, covered her mouth and chuckled quietly as she watched the two of them scuffle, looking utterly adorable.

"You're still lecturing me! Take a look at what you've done."

Norton poked out his lower lip and glanced at Roland, actually starting to lecture Swain in return!

"Me?" He pointed a finger at himself.

"What did you bring a woman back for? Isn't this just dead weight?"

Swain delivered another punch to his head, even harder this time, coating his hand directly in Armament Haki.

A large bump immediately swelled up on Norton's head, steam rising from it in visible layers.

"If I didn't have Roland come over, will you be washing my clothes for me from now on?"

Swain himself was rather lazy, and his unwashed clothes had already piled up like a small mountain.

Besides, the room was so sloppy it was practically breeding flies, and he always waited until he had accumulated enough volume to flush his room out all at once using his ability.

Of course, Norton was not much cleaner than he was.

If things went on like this, before anyone else could beat them to death, they would catch some disease and kick the bucket first!

Swain knew very well that medical science in this world was not very developed, and wasn't even the renowned Pirate King Roger brought down by illness?

"Is that so? I'm sorry, Miss Roland."

He stood at attention and said, "Please help me wash my clothes in the future, too!"

"Arigato!"

"Get lost already, why on earth would she help you wash anything."

Swain kicked upward, sending Norton flying onto the rented mount in front of him.

Feeling the soft cushion, Norton immediately began to snore loudly.

Swain felt a bit helpless.

Wasn't this a textbook definition of a teammate dragged down by stupidity? Tell him to go east and he goes west, tell him to buy supplies and he drinks booze!

Fortunately, though, there was Jordi, a reliable and honest man, which set his mind at ease quite a bit.

This was also why Jiang Jordi went to coat the Neptune—not only because he was a shipwright, but more importantly because this brat Norton was far too unreliable.

He was all right at fighting, but the moment a bounty was mentioned, he ran faster than anyone else!

It was as if human heads could be exchanged for booze money, and he was afraid Swain would steal his kills.

Now a new crewmate, Roland, had been added. Being a girl, she would naturally be much more attentive than these burly men of his.

He also felt even more hopeful about his future voyages.

Swain called Jordi to ask when the coating could be completed.

"At the fastest, three days!"

He received such a reply.

Then he first had Roland go find Jordi to act as his helper.

After all.

The next three days were not going to be easy to get through!

Today's tranquility was merely the calm before the storm.

When the time came, formidable Marine enemies would inevitably arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago.

Who could it be...

Swain could not help but look forward to it with anticipation.

Ever since his last battle with Aokiji, his Armament Haki and Observation Haki had improved immensely. This made him all the more certain that combat was the fastest way to elevate one's strength.

Just like Luffy—had he not fought desperately against Katakuri, would he have raised his Observation Haki to the level of foreseeing the future? Had he not fought to the death against Kaido, would he have learned Conqueror's Haki Infusion?

Clearly, battle was the shortcut to rapidly increasing strength, which was also why Swain wanted to enter the New World so quickly.

Because he was still not strong enough!

If he wanted to become one of the Four Emperors, he could not rely solely on his current strength; he needed even greater power, strong enough to defeat one of the Four Emperors.

Ultimately, to take their place!

Swain's premonition was soon put to the test.

The next morning.

Akainu arrived!

Twenty warships appeared in neat formation at the Sabaody Archipelago.

"Capture every single pirate on this island for me!"

"Show no mercy to anyone who dares to resist!"

Akainu instructed the seven Vice Admirals before him, his tone stern and cold.

These seven Vice Admirals were the reinforcements Sengoku had given him.

Swish-swish-swish! Numerous soldiers disembarked from the ships one after another, searching for pirates in every direction with neat military bearing.

"Where is Swain?" Akainu asked the Den Den Mushi in his hand.

Bloop-bloop.

The voice inside answered, "His last appearance was on Grove 6!"

"Hurry up and find him!"

Akainu impatiently hung up the phone.

A pair of eyes in the shadows observed Akainu's every move.

Disguised, Swain hid inside a residential house.

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat!

Just then, a soldier hurried over to report something in a low voice to Akainu.

Akainu's expression changed.

Then he turned and walked off in another direction.

Just as Swain was wondering what kind of news Akainu could have received.

Suddenly, he seemed to guess something?

"That direction?" Swain narrowed his eyes and thought to himself.

"Not good! That direction is where Jordi is doing the coating!"

Swain secretly thought it bad.

After all, many people were present when he killed the Celestial Dragon back then, so it was inevitable that someone would recognize the Neptune.

When the Marines had not yet arrived, intimidated by Swain's might, naturally no one would report it.

Now that a Marine Admiral had come, the situation instantly flipped!

And out of consideration for Roland and Jordi's safety, he had also sent Norton over yesterday.

After all, Swain still acknowledged Norton's strength!

If Akainu went over... the situation he had worked so hard to build up would probably be ruined in an instant!

Therefore.

He had to stop Akainu right here!

"Blessing of the Sea God!"

Swain opened with his ultimate trump card right away!

Rings composed of seawater began spinning around his four limbs, supported internally by Haki.

When Akainu and Kuzan competed for the position of Fleet Admiral, they dueled on the burned island; although they fought for ten days and ten nights and it looked evenly matched.

However, defeat was defeat.

It was enough to prove that Akainu was a notch stronger than Kuzan.

Moreover, Kuzan's personality dictated that he was not a cold-blooded person, something Swain had clearly sensed when he fought him.

He struck without any intention of killing the opponent, only aiming to capture them alive!

Whereas Akainu would never hold back for you; the justice he upheld was absolute! Without holding anything back!

If he didn't kill the enemy, he would not stop!

Furthermore, the size of Swain's bounty also demonstrated his strength, so naturally the two sides would not waste time probing each other like strangers!

"Mirror Sea Moon!"

Suddenly, a moon reflected from the surface of the sea appeared, five moons arranged in a disk.

Zzzzt-zzzzzt! Five shattering sounds rang out.

Immediately following that was a terrifying, massive shockwave, and the ground over which the shockwave passed was peeled up layer by layer!

How keen was the Observation Haki of an Admiral; he naturally sensed the danger behind him!

His gaze turned sharp!

"Houndglove Lotus!"

He watched as his arms rapidly thickened and enlarged, then covered them in Magma.

Then, a giant hound composed of Magma gradually took shape, charging straight toward Swain at the same time.

Places the giant hound passed seemed unable to even bear the air, venting wisps of white steam.

Surrounding soldiers and passersby, upon sensing the commotion on this side, fled in all directions, while those who ran slowly were directly ground into ashes and bloody pulp by Magma's searing heat and the immense shockwave!

A great battle thus officially commenced!