Akainu's pupils suddenly contracted, and the moment his eyes swept over the figure in the black robe, his expression changed drastically, and he shouted urgently.
" Kizaru, run! Find Tsuru and have her find the backup plan Sengoku left behind. This time, the Five Elders are well-prepared!"
The sudden turn of events, though seemingly complicated, took only a minute or two in total.
Originally, Akainu, who had become the new Fleet Admiral, was confident that he could handle the CP0's challenge from the Marine Headquarters.
However, at that moment, Akainu instantly regretted it.
He realized that he had underestimated the Five Elders ' abilities.
Now I understand why Zero said earlier that it was just changing the watchdog.
"Heh, Akainu, it's too late for you to realize this now. Kizaru is just like you, a fish on a chopping board." Zero sneered.
"Originally, I was planning to save some trouble and take you in as a dog, but now it seems there's no use keeping your Marine Headquarters around, so let's give you a thorough cleaning."
Akainu's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly looked at Kizaru. The first thing he saw was Kizaru, who also had an incredulous expression on his face.
Behind him stood another mysterious figure, draped in a black robe.
It seems that Zero had already made the worst-case scenario plan from the very beginning, when he brought these two people with him.
Not only did he lose all his Devil Fruit abilities, but Kizaru was also outmaneuvered.
" Akainu, die! Let him take your place and control this Marine Headquarters."
Zero sneered.
"Let's get started!"
" Great Eruption!"
A familiar sound boomed from beneath the black robe, and molten lava surged out from within it.
The black robe that had been covering the mysterious man was instantly burned away, revealing an unexpected figure.
Akainu!
A person who looks exactly like Akainu.
Aside from his face and the chilling indifference between his brows, he gave off the same feeling as the original Akainu.
No!
It should be said that this suddenly appearing Akainu is more like the ruthless Akainu of the past than the current Akainu.
In particular, the Devil Fruit ability that had disappeared from Akainu's body has instead appeared in this imposter's body.
This undoubtedly turned the real Akainu into a mere imposter.
Feeling the molten lava rushing towards him, Akainu's expression changed drastically. Faced with the loss of his Devil Fruit power in an instant, Akainu knew clearly that he couldn't hold out for long with his relatively weak Armament Haki.
If the delay goes on for too long, he will likely face certain death.
" Akainu, what's wrong? Without your Devil Fruit powers, your strength has been greatly reduced, hasn't it?"
Zero chuckled sarcastically.
" Zephyr warned you long ago that while Devil Fruit abilities are indeed powerful and a shortcut to becoming strong, they are not without their merits."
"However, if one day the Devil Fruit powers become ineffective, only Taijutsu will remain as a means of reliance."
"You only have yourself to blame for not listening to the advice of your elders."
" Sakazuki, kill him!"
"Yes!"
The imposter spoke coldly, his right hand churning with molten lava. Instantly, the lava surged and condensed, tightening as if an invisible hand had suddenly clenched its fist.
With an immense, unleashed force, it seemed poised to crush Akainu to pieces.
Akainu, struggling to survive inside the molten lava, had an extremely gloomy face. With his expression twisted, he the Roar angrily.
"You damned Bai Yu, I was determined never to use your things, not even until I died. This time, I, Akainu, owe you!"
"If I were to die at the hands of an imposter, I'd gladly owe you a favor!"
"Open the Sixth Gate the Eight Gates Released, the Gate of View!"
Boom!
The scorching airflow exploded inside Akainu's body.
The surrounding molten lava was instantly torn apart by this surge of power.
As the molten lava surged and overturned, it poured down like a torrential rain.
Standing amidst these ruins, Zero's expression froze for a moment.
Even Kizaru is no exception.
The Akainu's muscles bulged out like a rock, and his body was covered with hideous, centipede-like veins.
He never expected that Akainu, who usually scoffed at Taijutsu and disdained the Eight Gates Released that Bai Yu had taught him, had secretly practiced up to the Sixth Gate.
Zero was still in shock as he stared at Akainu, who seemed to have transformed into a god of war.
Akainu stomped down with tremendous force, shattering the floor beneath his feet.
His fists rained down like a shower of flowers, striking wildly and relentlessly.
" Morning Peacock!"
Rumble!
One punch, a hundred punches follow!
Amidst a flurry of punches, Akainu was clearly fighting like a madman.
The deafening sonic booms were incessant.
By the time the counterfeiters and the zeros realized what was happening...
A barrage of fiery fist shadows rained down on the two of them.
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, it resounded beyond the nine heavens and the clouds.
The two figures were sent flying like cannonballs.
It crashed heavily onto the plaza below.
However, before they could react, Akainu, having landed a successful attack, had already pounced on them like a ghost.
He knew perfectly well that his Devil Fruit powers had been taken away by CP0 through some unknown means.
The only way to turn the tide is to rely on the profound Taijutsu that he refused to use until his death.
Using his Observation Haki, he locked onto two figures embedded in the plaza.
Akainu roared, and the Armament Haki and transformed into arcs of Ryuo into his fists.
" Ryuo Haki - Iron Peacock!"
Boom!
Once again, a barrage of fist strikes rained down on the plaza like a torrential downpour.
The dense barrage of punches caused not only the entire Justice Plaza, but also half of Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, to shake violently, giving the feeling of an earthquake as if a giant were being overturned.
All the naval soldiers and even the naval commanders stationed around the Marine Headquarters had already been alarmed by this scene.
When they rushed over and saw what was happening before them, they were all dumbfounded.
Even those hawkish members, and the naval admirals who thought they knew Akainu very well, were completely dumbfounded.
They have always known that Akainu and Kizaru are proponents of developing Devil Fruit abilities.
It was precisely because the two of them highly valued Devil Fruit and believed that Taijutsu were useless that they incurred Zephyr's displeasure.
However, to their utter surprise, Akainu, who had always underestimated physical combat skills, was the one they had been looking down upon.
Vice Admiral practiced his Taijutsu and developed combo moves.
If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, who could believe that the Akainu standing before you, seemingly possessed by Iron Fist Garp, was the same Akainu from the past?
Whether it's Armament Haki or the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates Released, the Gate of View.
This smooth and effortless feeling is almost too natural, almost overwhelmingly so.