The reason why Sengoku Koby was only partly because of his naval background. Another reason was that Vic and his men never committed acts of burning, killing, or looting civilians.
Over the years, he had never received any intelligence on this matter. All he had received were reports of his exploits against evil pirate crews. Even when news of burning, killing, and looting came in, it was always discovered upon investigation that these were fabrications by World Government agents, intended to tarnish the reputation of Vic and his pirate crew. This was exactly the kind of thing the World Government did!
Therefore, although Vic is a pirate, he does the same things as when he was a Marine, which is the main reason why Sengoku is polite to Vic.
Akainu never looks at what you do, only at your status. This is also why Sengoku wanted to promote Aokiji to be the Fleet Admiral. At least Aokiji can distinguish between good and evil!
However, the Five Elders prefer someone like Akainu, as he is easier to use. If they want to get rid of someone, they can simply fabricate a charge and infiltrate them into the ranks of pirates, then give Akainu the orders. Anyone who dares to object will be verbally abused!
" Mr. Vic!..."
"Uncle Vic!..."
"Lord Vic! I will avenge you..."
Ace and Luffy, who were not far from Vic, saw the huge, bright holes in Vic's chest and roared in disbelief. Even Hancock was far away, rushed over quickly, ready to attack Akainu without hesitation!
The other pirates and marines watching were also stunned. The incredibly arrogant and powerful Thunder God had just been killed? It was unbelievable!
" Sakazuki! You're so confident you can take me down? Aren't you celebrating a little too soon!"
After Akainu pierced through Vic, he didn't even look back. In his mind, with such a large hole in his chest, it was impossible for him to survive.
Although he knew that Logia could transform into their own element to dodge attacks in advance, Vic hadn't been paying attention to him at the time. He didn't think Vic could withstand his sudden attack as Marine Admiral. However, the voice behind him sent chills down his spine, a chill that even scorching magma couldn't warm him up!
How could Akainu know that Vic was a dual Devil Fruit User? He also had a hidden ability related to speed, which allowed him to instantly increase the speed of his weapons, his body, and even his thoughts and reflexes by dozens of times.
What Akainu saw as a sudden sneak attack was just a normal run by Vic. With his Observation Haki allowed him to see into the Future Sight, Vic had dozens of ways to break his sneak attack!
Hearing the sound, Akainu turned around with some difficulty and saw that Vic, with a large hole in his chest, had turned around and was looking at him at some point.
Akainu's first glance was at Vic's chest. Although there was a large hole he had previously pierced, not a drop of blood flowed out. Lightning occasionally flashed on the walls of the hole. Akainu knew that Vic had dodged his sneak attack by transforming into his elemental form beforehand!
His gaze shifted upwards to Vic's eyes, Vic the barely concealed mockery within them pierced his heart.
Logically, when Akainu pierced Vic's chest, one should have been able to tell whether it was a solid object or not. However, Akainu's magma was too powerful, making it too easy for him to penetrate a person's body. There was hardly any resistance; it was as fast, accurate, and ruthless as ever.
Therefore, when facing the elemental ethereal body, he didn't even think about whether he was passing through a solid or ethereal body. In any case, it felt pretty much the same, and it was all a matter of a moment. The sneak attack made him complacent.
"Now it's my turn."
"Everyone, attack together! We can't let him leave Marine Headquarters alive!"
"Oh!..."
After Vic finished speaking, he walked step by step toward Akainu, lightning dancing inside the large hole in his chest, and the opening visibly shrinking.
Akainu knew he was helpless against Vic; he was no match for him in speed or Haki, and could only take a beating. Seeing Vic approaching, he immediately ordered the surrounding Marines to launch an attack on Vic.
Akainu is, after all, Marine Admiral, and there are only a handful of people on the scene who dare to disobey his orders. So a group of Marines rushed over with all sorts of weapons, and some Marines with ranged weapons stood still and started firing at Vic. In an instant, the scene became lively again.
"Phew... I thought Uncle Vic was dead. What a waste of worry!"
"Smack!"
"Can't you say something nice? Mr. Vic saved us!"
"Ouch! That hurts! Ace! How come you're just like Grandpa, able to hurt me like that? I'm made of rubber!"
"This is called Armament Haki. As long as I wrap my fist in Armament Haki, I can hurt you. We'll talk about that later!"
Vic's body was soon riddled with holes, all caused by bullets and shells. By the time the marines with swords rushed up to Vic, his body had been slashed open by swords.
Vic, however, seemed unfazed, continuing his walk towards Akainu step by step. But with so many Marines surrounding him, Vic grew somewhat annoyed and raised his hand, shouting, " Thunder Punishment!"
As soon as Vic finished speaking, dozens of Inazuma struck down from the thunderclouds in the sky. Those who were attacking Vic, including those who had just fired from a distance, were all hit by the lightning. The area around Vic instantly became quiet, and those who were struck by lightning fell asleep immediately without any lingering effects!
As the Marine fell, Vic also disappeared. By the time Akainu's expression changed drastically and he tried to dodge, it was too late. He couldn't even use Haki to defend himself, as the two were too close! Vic's Haki -infused fist struck Akainu's chest directly, Akainu flew away, spraying blood.
"Thank goodness! No one's dead. Vic knows what he's doing!"
Sengoku had already checked the breathing of several of the navy soldiers who had been struck by lightning, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he found that they were all still alive.
Sengoku didn't think Vic's lightning was weak. They were all just mortals, and no one could withstand it without Haki and Devil Fruit abilities. Vic's Thunder Punishment was too fast; those Marines didn't even have time to react before being hit. It was only because Vic showed mercy that they survived.
"Let's go! Stop looking and get out of here as soon as possible."
"Oh!"
After punching Akainu away, Vic returned to Ace and Luffy's side. Given Vic's words, most Marines wouldn't dare attack the two of them, so the two had been watching the show peacefully from the sidelines. Now, at Vic's call, the three of them ran together towards the warship by the sea.
Ivankov and Jinbe, who had been protecting Luffy, also retreated after Vic made his move, showing that they had confidence in Vic's strength.
"On my command! Hunt down those fleeing pirates!"
Although Akainu took a solid hit from Vic's punch, he neither died nor fainted. After struggling for a while, he finally stood up. Seeing the pirates who were successfully escaping without any marines chasing them, he was immediately enraged and gave orders to the marines with a ferocious expression.
In fact, Sengoku felt that the strategic goal had been achieved, and there was no need to exterminate those pirates. Pushing the pirates too far would also cause great losses to the Navy, which was something Sengoku did not want to see. Letting those pirates return to the New World would naturally attract pirates who wanted to seize territory and become Four Emperors. Letting the pirates kill each other was the right thing to do!
Therefore, with Sengoku's tacit approval, many marines had already stopped their attacks and begun to rest. Now, upon hearing Admiral Akainu's order, they had no choice but to pick up their weapons again and continue hunting down the pirates under Whitebeard's command.
Although Whitebeard was on his last breath, it didn't mean he would just stand there and wait to die. Seeing a large number of Marines rushing towards his retreating sons, he once again activated the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and punched into the void.
This time, however, the power was exceptionally strong. A powerful earthquake struck from beneath the Marine Headquarters, tearing the entire plaza in two by the massive tremor, completely separating the pursuing Marines from the retreating pirates.
Not only that, the entire Marine Headquarters is riddled with huge cracks, and many people have fallen into the cracks and disappeared without a trace. Even the headquarters building is in ruins and on the verge of collapse. After this incident, the Marine Headquarters will be uninhabitable and unusable without reconstruction.
"His stomach was burned through, yet he still has such strength!"
"It's still a long way off!"
"Next! I'll be your opponent, bring it on!"
Sengoku hadn't expected Akainu's order to have such terrible consequences. Whitebeard, despite his severe injuries, was still able to use his powers, and with just that one move, Marine Headquarters was practically destroyed. Sengoku cursed Akainu in his heart, thinking, "What a fool! Why didn't that punch from Vic kill you?"
Whitebeard was indeed getting old, and looking at the destruction he had caused, he was clearly not very satisfied. However, he was relieved to be able to stop the Navy from continuing to chase his sons. At least the rift was so wide that ordinary Navy soldiers could not jump over it. In addition, with him guarding the area, more of his sons should be able to evacuate from here!
With no target left to pursue and hearing Whitebeard's provocative words, many marines launched an attack on the heavily wounded old man. However, even though Whitebeard was dying, his might remained, and these ordinary marines still couldn't get close to Whitebeard; they were sent flying before they could even charge over.
However, there were plenty of navy personnel who fought relentlessly, determined to wear down Whitebeard to death. Whitebeard, as he shed the last rays of his life, looked so tragic and heroic!
"Hehehe! Thief hahaha!"
There seems to be something there.
"Who's that? It's as tall as the headquarters building!"
"Many times bigger than Oars!"
"Furthermore, who is the person standing on the Execution Platform?"
"So you finally noticed!..."
Whitebeard's life was nearing its end, a consensus shared by everyone, including Blackbeard. Blackbeard, who had been by Whitebeard's side for decades, knew better than anyone how strong Whitebeard was. He could only dare to show himself when Whitebeard was severely injured and on his last legs!
Blackbeard had actually arrived at Marine Headquarters long ago, but he had been hiding in the rear. Only after seeing both sides severely wounded Whitebeard on the verge of death did he finally reveal himself with his subordinates.
The Navy's exclamation just now was because they had spotted the Colossal Battleship Sanjuan Wolf hiding behind the headquarters building; the others had simply walked through the passageway to the Execution Platform.
"How did you all get here?"
Sengoku was also surprised and frightened when he saw Blackbeard's crew. They had been fighting to the death with the Whitebeard Pirates, and suddenly another force appeared behind them. This was really frightening!
How did Blackbeard and his crew get to Marine Headquarters? After the Straw Hat Boy Marine Headquarters, he ordered the closure of the Marine Headquarters of Gate of Justice. So how did the Blackbeard Pirates come to be?
Actually, the Five Elders Five Elders the Blackbeard Pirates to be allowed in. They felt that the battles at Marine Headquarters weren't intense or chaotic enough to showcase the strength of the powerful. Knowing that Blackbeard wanted to get involved at Marine Headquarters, they were naturally happy to oblige.
So he manipulated things and remotely opened the Gate of Justice. However, Blackbeard was much more cunning than expected. After entering the Marine Headquarters, he did not participate in the battle in the First Rank, but waited for an opportunity to strike.
The Five Elders had no idea that Blackbeard's goal was to steal Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit power. They thought that letting the pirates in would lead to a major battle, but the pirates only appeared at the very end of the fight. The Five Elders miscalculated once again!