At the last moment, Akainu had covered his entire body with Armament Haki, narrowly surviving.
But although he was not dead, his current condition was not far from it.
He lay on the ground, breathing faintly, crimson blood streaming all over his body. His right arm was gone, blasted away by the Yasaka no Magatama.
Without timely treatment, he would still die of excessive blood loss given enough time.
Boom!
Just then, an explosive sound suddenly rang out in the sky.
Immediately afterward, a figure burst through the clouds at tremendous speed and plummeted to the ground, landing beside Akainu. The resulting shock wave sent Akainu flying a short distance, and then both lay motionless.
Ulquiorra appeared beside Ye Yang. He glanced at the unconscious Akainu and Kizaru lying on the ground, raised the Moonlight Sword in his hand, and turned a questioning gaze toward Ye Yang.
"Forget it. Spare their lives. They still have their uses, and it's not time to kill them yet." Ye Yang shook his head slightly, then continued, "Come back."
Killing Akainu and Kizaru now would bring him no benefit at all. He might as well keep them alive so they could continue contributing negative points.
Besides, what he planned to do next still required the two of them.
"Mm." Ulquiorra nodded, closed his eyes, and shuddered.
Then he opened them again, his eyes returning to their emotionless state.
The half of Ye Yang's consciousness within him had already returned to Ye Yang's body.
Watching Ulquiorra regain his own awareness, Ye Yang smiled faintly and asked, "Ulquiorra, how do you feel?"
He wanted to find out whether controlling a character's body would leave either party with any aftereffects or negative consequences.
"It's quite remarkable." Ulquiorra clenched his fists, looked up at Ye Yang, and said, "Lord Ye Yang, was that the power of this world? It feels quite remarkable."
"Do you mean this?" Ye Yang looked at him, extended his right hand, and covered it with a layer of Armament Haki.
"Yes." Ulquiorra nodded, his eyes fixed on Ye Yang's arm.
"Could you feel anything while I was controlling your body?"
"Yes. My consciousness was only temporarily sealed inside my mind, but I could clearly feel the changes in my body."
Ye Yang frowned slightly. "Did that cause any discomfort?"
Ulquiorra shook his head and said softly, "No. On the contrary, it allowed me to remember some of this world's powers. Although I can't use them yet, with the sensations my body remembers, I'll be able to learn them in just a few attempts."
As he spoke, Ulquiorra held out both hands and stared at them, seemingly trying to use Armament Haki but unable to produce it successfully.
Hearing this, Ye Yang shook his head with a chuckle. "It seems possessing your bodies with my consciousness not only has no negative effects, but also helps you learn this world's power system more quickly to a certain extent."
This unexpected feature was something he had not anticipated either.
He had not expected that, after he took control of Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra's consciousness could still feel the changes in his body despite being sealed inside his mind, allowing him to remember the sensation of Ye Yang using Armament Haki and learn it quickly that way.
With Ulquiorra's talent, it presumably would not take him long to learn Armament Haki.
Then, when he faced Logia users again, Ye Yang would no longer need to possess him.
Buru buru... buru buru... buru buru...
Just then, the distinctive ringing of a Den Den Mushi suddenly sounded, drawing Ye Yang's attention.
Ye Yang's gaze shifted before finally settling on the unconscious Akainu nearby. The Den Den Mushi's ringing was coming from him.
Ulquiorra walked over, searched Akainu's body, and took out a small Den Den Mushi. He returned to Ye Yang and respectfully handed it to him.
"Here, Lord Ye Yang."
"Mm." Ye Yang nodded and took the miniature Den Den Mushi. Once he answered, its appearance and expression immediately changed.
It wore a seagull military cap and reading glasses, with a beard tied into a braid. A slightly dissatisfied voice came through. "Sakazuki, have you caught that criminal? Why haven't you reported back after so long?"
Seeing the change in the Den Den Mushi's appearance, Ye Yang immediately guessed who was on the other end, and the corner of his mouth lifted. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Akainu can't come to the phone right now, so I'm answering for him."
On the other end, Sengoku fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then said gravely, "I presume you're the criminal who attacked the Celestial Dragons?"
Ye Yang smiled faintly and praised him. "As expected of Sengoku, the man known as the Resourceful General. You guessed my identity immediately."
Sengoku took a deep breath and said slowly, "Can you tell me how Sakazuki and Borsalino are doing right now?"
"Them? Their lives aren't in danger for the moment, but that might change if too much time passes."
"Let's get straight to the point. What is your objective?"
Sengoku fell silent again on the other end of the Den Den Mushi before speaking calmly.
He knew very well that the two Admirals must have been defeated by the other side, and it was clearly unlikely that the single person Vice Admiral Lorn had reported could have accomplished that alone.
Thus, he was certain that the other side must have set an ambush, using the attack on the Celestial Dragons as a pretext to lure in the two Admirals and defeat them.
Going to such lengths must have served some purpose, so he went straight to the point.
"Since you prefer speaking plainly, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I won't waste words either." Ye Yang smiled faintly and continued, "Ten Devil Fruits and one billion Beli, and I'll release the two Admirals. What do you say?"
Before you continue