"You--"
Zephyr raised his fist, which was enveloped in Armament Haki, so black it seemed to drip ink.
If that punch lands, Akainu will be severely injured, if not killed.
But he ultimately didn't smash it.
Marine Admiral kills Celestial Dragons in public.
If this news gets out, the relationship between the Navy and the World Government will be completely broken.
The trust of more than 100 Affiliated Nation will collapse instantly.
The order of the entire ocean will be plunged into unprecedented chaos.
Zephyr's hands were trembling.
It wasn't out of fear, it was out of anger.
His anger wasn't Akainu killed Celestial Dragons,
To be honest, Zephyr didn't have a good impression of the Celestial Dragons either.
He was furious at Akainu's stupidity, furious that this madman would do such a thing in full view of everyone, pushing the Navy into an abyss of no return.
Garp stood there, his fists clenched, his usually rugged and bold face now as gloomy as the sky before a storm.
He didn't rush up and grab Akainu like Zephyr did.
But his gaze was more terrifying than Zephyr's; there was no anger in his eyes, only cold disappointment.
Akainu is a junior he watched grow up.
From naval academy to junior officer, from major to Admiral, he watched this young man rise step by step to his current position.
He knew Akainu was extreme, knew Akainu hated pirates to the core, and knew that Akainu's methods were more ruthless than anyone else's.
But he always believed that Akainu's ruthlessness had its limits.
At least, they won't harm their own people.
Although the Celestial Dragons are not members of the Navy, they are protected by the Navy.
Killing the very thing you're protecting—what's the difference between that and being a pirate?
Aokiji stood at the very back, his hands already out of his pockets.
His expression remained languid, but the chill emanating from him was several times stronger than before, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the ground beneath his feet.
He watched Akainu's retreating figure with a complex expression.
He could never see through this colleague.
It's not that we can't see through his strength, it's that we can't see through his heart. Akainu's heart is as hot as his magma, forever burning, forever boiling.
But sometimes this kind of burning can burn your own people.
Today, the fire has reached the Celestial Dragons.
Roy stepped out from behind the Telekinesis: Barrier.
His expression was calm, so calm that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
But those who know him well know that this calmness is the most terrifying thing, because it means he is thinking, calculating, and plotting something.
He looked at Akainu, a smile playing on his lips.
That smile contained mockery, absurdity, and a hint of... admiration that even he himself was unwilling to admit.
Yes, I admire you.
Roy dared to touch the Celestial Dragons because he was a pirate, an enemy of the World Government, a Four Emperors- level powerhouse, and had the entire Hachinosu and the Telekinesis Fruit as his backing.
He offended the Celestial Dragons, and the World Government couldn't do anything about it; they could only swallow their pride and accept it.
But Akainu is Marine Admiral.
They are part of the system, part of the rules.
He broke the most fundamental taboo within the rules—that Celestial Dragons are inviolable.
What's needed isn't strength, it's madness.
Pure, reckless madness.
" Admiral Akainu," Roy spoke, a hint of mockery in his voice, "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
Akainu looked at him without saying a word.
I'm thinking--
Roy's smile deepened.
"You're wasting your talents in the navy."
"With your style of doing things, you're fit to be a pirate. The position of vice-captain of Hachinosu is waiting for you."
Akainu's eyes flashed with killing intent, and magma gushed from beneath his skin, transforming him once again into a lava giant.
He wanted to take action.
But Zephyr's hand was still gripping his collar, Garp's gaze was still fixed on him, and Aokiji's chilling aura was still emanating from him.
He can't move.
There's no need to do anything.
Because the nature of this confrontation completely changed the moment he killed the Celestial Dragons.
Garp turned around and looked at Roy, his eyes flashing.
What the navy was about to do could not be hidden from this man.
But the Celestial Dragons are dead, and that's an unchangeable fact.
The only thing we can do now is to minimize the impact of this incident.
The best way to minimize the impact is to pin the Celestial Dragons ' deaths on Roy.
Anyway, Roy has already robbed the Heavenly Tribute, smashed up auction houses, and kidnapped Celestial Dragons.
Killing three more Celestial Dragons wouldn't be a big deal.
The World Government will believe it.
The Five Elders will believe.
The entire ocean will believe it.
Because he is a pirate. Because he is the Heavenly Dao Emperor. Because he has always been an enemy of the World Government.
No one believed the Navy's explanation. Nor did anyone believe that Marine Admiral would dare to kill Celestial Dragons.
Therefore, there is no need for explanation.
All it takes is to frame someone.
This thought flashed through the minds of Garp, Zephyr, Aokiji almost simultaneously.
None of those who rise to the top ranks of the navy are fools.
The instant Akainu killed the Celestial Dragons, they both simultaneously thought of this method to minimize the impact.
Garp shifted his gaze from Roy to both sides of the street.
There are still three groups of pirates there who haven't left.
Blood Axe Bullet, carrying his Giant Axe, was quietly retreating.
His footsteps were so light they were almost inaudible, but the large beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed him.
The clash of Conqueror's Haki between Garp and Roy had stunned all of his crew, leaving him the only one still standing.
The Sea Snake Mona huddled behind a crumbling wall, covering her mouth with her hands and holding her breath.
Her crew had all collapsed, but she remained conscious, though the fear in her narrow eyes was more intense than ever before.
Iron Arms Gura suffered the most.
He was forced to kneel on one knee by the clash of two Conqueror's Haki, and he hasn't stood up yet.
The three notorious pirates, each with a bounty of over 100 million, were now like three rabbits being targeted by a ferocious beast.
Garp, Zephyr, and Aokiji also locked their gazes on them.
The three Admiral -level fighters simultaneously turned their attention to the three groups of pirates.
Blood Axe Bullet's pupils suddenly contracted.
He sensed it—the killing intent contained in those three gazes.
It wasn't Roy's condescending indifference, nor Garp's violent oppression.
It was murderous intent. Pure, undisguised murderous intent.
They wanted to kill him to silence him.
"Wait... wait!"
Bullet gripped his Giant Axe tightly, his voice trembling, "I didn't see anything! I swear! I didn't see anything!"
Garp did not answer.
His figure vanished from the spot.
The next second, an iron fist covered in Armament Haki appeared in Bullet's field of vision.
That was the last scene he ever witnessed in his life.
boom--!!!
One punch.
Blood Axe Bullet's Giant Axe was smashed in two, and a fist-shaped dent was left in his chest.
He was sent flying backward like a cannonball, smashing through the wall behind him, and then through a second wall.
Finally, it was embedded in a pile of ruins and fell silent.
Bullet, nicknamed " Blood Axe," with a bounty of 230 million Beli, couldn't even withstand a single punch from the naval hero.