Five Devil Fruit?
" Roy, you think Devil Fruit are as easy as cabbages?"
"How many are there in the entire naval treasury?"
That's the Navy's business.
Roy shrugged.
"Whether the lives of three Celestial Dragons are worth five Devil Fruit is up to you to decide."
Garp's smile vanished.
He stared at Roy, his eyes filled with suppressed rage.
He didn't care about those five Devil Fruit —although it did hurt his wallet.
He cares about Roy's attitude.
This kid has never taken the navy seriously from beginning to end.
Robbing the Heavenly Tribute, smashing auction houses, kidnapping Celestial Dragons, extorting money from the Navy—every single one of these actions is a slap in the face to the Navy and the World Government.
" Roy, kid," Garp's voice deepened, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Their eyes met again.
The fierce, Conqueror's Haki could no longer be suppressed.
Dark red arcs of electricity exploded from both of them simultaneously, colliding in mid-air!
The clouds in the sky were torn apart, the rubble on both sides of the street was shaken into the air, and the glass windows shattered one after another, with fragments falling like raindrops.
The two bursts of Conqueror's Haki clashed, creating a visible vortex that spun wildly between them, whipping up rubble from the ground like a giant mixer.
Those onlookers who hadn't gone far—the crew members of Blood Axe Bullet, Iron Arms Gura, and Sea Snake Mona —instantly rolled their eyes back and collapsed to the ground with thuds.
Even the three captains with bounties exceeding 100 million were forced to kneel on one knee by the overwhelming force of this Conqueror's Haki, their faces pale and covered in cold sweat.
"This is... the Conqueror's Haki of Emperor level..."
Iron Arms Gura's voice trembled.
He braced himself with his hands on the ground, his steel-like arms pressing two deep palm prints into the earth, but he didn't even have the strength to stand up.
He finally understood.
What a ridiculous idea it was for him to challenge Roy.
A monster of that caliber could be crushed with a single finger.
The clash of Conqueror's Haki continues.
Neither Roy nor Garp showed any intention of withdrawing their power, and the two remained locked in a standoff, letting their Conqueror's Haki clash wildly.
Akainu's expression grew increasingly grim.
He wasn't overwhelmed by Conqueror's Haki —with his strength, even a clash of Conqueror's Haki of that level wouldn't be enough to defeat him.
He was enduring it.
He endured Roy's arrogance, endured Garp's restraint, and endured not being able to rush up and burn this damned pirate to ashes.
Aokiji stood at the very back, hands in his pockets, appearing the calmest on the surface.
But his brows were already furrowed, and the chill emanating from him was even stronger than before.
He knew that if things continued like this, the situation would completely spiral out of control.
Zephyr took a deep breath, stepped forward, and stood between Garp and Roy.
That's enough.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.
The clash of Conqueror's Haki paused slightly.
Zephyr turned around and looked at Roy.
Those eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, obscured his expression, but a hint of suppressed anger lingered on his resolute face.
" Roy, I need to report your conditions to Marine Headquarters."
Roy looked at him without saying a word.
"The safety of the Celestial Dragons is something the Navy cares about more than you do."
Zephyr's voice was very low.
"But five Devil Fruit are not something I can decide. Give me time to contact Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Roy paused for a moment, then withdrew his Conqueror's Haki.
The dark red arc of electricity receded like a tide, the clouds in the sky slowly closed, and the suspended pebbles fell to the ground with a crackling sound.
"How long?" Roy asked.
Ten minutes.
"Good."
Roy crossed his arms again.
"Ten minutes. If it takes more than a minute, I'll take off one of the Celestial Dragons' arms."
Arms removed, then legs removed, legs removed--"
He glanced at the seven or eight-year-old Celestial Dragons.
"Start small."
Shalria let out a piercing scream, her whole body trembling like a leaf.
Saint Charlos fainted immediately, his obese body slumped on the ground like a puddle of mud.
Akainu's patience had finally reached its limit.
"Enough!!!"
He roared, and his right arm transformed into scalding lava, more intense than ever before.
The magma changed color from bright orange to incandescent white, and the high temperature ignited the surrounding air, forming clusters of visible flames.
" Great Eruption!!!"
The giant magma fist didn't strike Roy; instead, it slammed directly into the three Celestial Dragons!
With this punch, he'll burn both the Celestial Dragons and Roy to ashes!
Roy's pupils contracted slightly.
He hadn't expected it.
He really didn't expect that.
That Akainu actually dared to attack Celestial Dragons.
His Telekinesis instantly contracted, condensing into an invisible barrier in front of him.
Roy did not go to protect the Celestial Dragons.
Akainu's attack came too suddenly; his Telekinesis couldn't cover himself and the three prisoners simultaneously.
Faced with the choice between self-preservation and protecting the hostages, he chose self-preservation.
boom--!!!
The giant magma fist slammed into the three Celestial Dragons.
Saint Charlos, Shalria, and the seven or eight-year-old child—the three of them were engulfed by the terrifying heat the moment they came into contact with the lava.
There were no screams.
There wasn't even time to scream.
Flesh and blood instantly vaporized in the blazing white magma, and bones burned like dry tinder under the high temperature, leaving not even ashes.
One strike.
The three Celestial Dragons were reduced to ashes.
The entire room fell silent.
Garp's fist froze in mid-air.
Zephyr's pupils suddenly contracted behind his sunglasses.
Aokiji stopped yawning, his mouth opened slightly, and for the first time, shock appeared in his usually lazy eyes.
Roy stood behind the Telekinesis: Barrier, looking at the still churning lava before him, and remained silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
That smile was utterly absurd.
" Akainu."
His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.
You're more like a pirate than I am.
Akainu's right arm slowly regenerated from its magma form back into flesh and blood.
The crimson light faded, and the skin reappeared, but the hand still retained a scorching heat, and the air around the fist distorted into a transparent heat wave.
He stared expressionlessly at the still-churning pool of lava before him—the last trace of the three Celestial Dragons' existence.
Saint Charlos Shalria. Their son.
Descendants of the Creator, Celestial Dragons, beings on this vast ocean who must never be touched.
It turned into a pool of lava.
" Sakazuki!!!"
Zephyr's roar exploded through the deathly silent street.
The former Marine Admiral's face was ashen, veins bulged on his forehead, and Armament Haki surged wildly in his right arm, making it shine black.
He grabbed Akainu by the collar and yanked the junior, who was a head taller than him, in front of him.
Do you even know what you've done?!
Akainu looked down at him, his eyes showing no remorse whatsoever.
"Know."
His voice was eerily calm, "Kill the Celestial Dragons."