Akainu! Little Glutton (Continued)

Unsurprisingly, Naito curled his lip.

That was why the Marines sucked.

Even a man like Fujitora could only push against the Birdcage in Dressrosa, and even a man like Garp could only play dumb.

"Fuffuffuffu!"

Doflamingo laughed wildly. "Brat, do you understand what a stupid thing you've done?"

"Idiot."

Naito sneered.

He really thought highly of himself.

Between a disobedient Shichibukai and an up-and-coming Marine with an impeccable background who was practically certain to become a future pillar of the Marines, did he really have no idea which one mattered more to the government?

"Then let's continue."

With a snap of Naito's fingers, an endless number of clones appeared in the sky once more.

Illusions were projections at their core.

And projection was Naito's ability, so the projections naturally carried his presence.

So all he had to do was increase the output used to project the illusions, and their presence would grow stronger as well.

That was how he created clone illusions that even Observation Haki had trouble detecting.

Of course, that was limited to clones. After all, no matter what the illusion was, its presence was the same.

Besides, when he projected an illusion by possessing someone else, its presence was mixed with that person's, so he didn't have to worry about being exposed because of it.

"..."

Doflamingo's smile vanished.

What was wrong with this bastard brat?!

Had he still not understood the situation? How could he be so reckless?

If they kept fighting, this brat would be a real problem!

At least until he came up with a way to deal with those inexplicable phantom clones, Doflamingo didn't think he could do anything to him.

But just then...

"What's going on here? I thought you were fighting that group of escapees."

A deep voice suddenly boomed down from the sky.

Naito turned in surprise.

Another powerful fighter? When had he arrived?

His Observation Haki had barely detected him.

A figure flew in from the nearby sky, then plummeted onto the warship's deck like a meteor.

A coat of justice billowed in the wind, and his red suit looked dark, as though it were seeping blood. Beneath his Marine cap was a resolute, rugged face.

"Admiral Akainu!"

The Marines on deck promptly snapped to attention.

The commander of G-5 Base also saluted respectfully. "Mr. Sakazuki!"

One of the World Government's greatest fighting forces, a Marine Headquarters Admiral: Akainu, Sakazuki!

"Senior Akainu."

Naito, too, landed lightly on the ship's railing, his expression gradually relaxing.

Now that this guy was here, they probably wouldn't be able to keep fighting.

Senior?

Akainu glanced at Naito.

Was this the kid Borsalino mentioned? Teacher Zephyr's last disciple.

"So, what's going on?"

Akainu's voice was deep. "If I remember correctly, you were all here to provide support at Punk Hazard."

"Senior Akainu, this guy is suspected of colluding with those escapees."

Without hesitation, Naito tattled on him. "He said the escapees left over two hours ago, but he didn't tell the government anything. He stayed inside the research facility until we arrived, and when we questioned him, he even provoked us arrogantly."

He spread his hands. "I had no choice but to try to make him talk."

Akainu's brow immediately furrowed.

He glanced at Doflamingo.

After seeing the sorry state Doflamingo was in, the Admiral turned back to Naito. "You did that?"

Naito nodded lazily. "He's only that strong, after all."

"Well done."

Akainu nodded in satisfaction.

He's even more outstanding than Borsalino said!

No wonder Teacher Zephyr thinks so highly of him!

Then...

Akainu turned his gaze back to Doflamingo. "Now, you should at least give us an explanation."

Sweat broke out on Doflamingo's forehead.

This monster wasn't nearly as easy to talk to as Zephyr.

"I request that the Five Elders listen in."

And so, a little later...

The officers of the Marine Guerrilla Unit, the commander of G-5 Base, and Akainu, who had likewise used Geppo to arrive ahead of the others—the leaders of the three fleets-gathered on the shore of Punk Hazard, ready to hear Doflamingo's story.

Doflamingo wore a dark expression as he held a Den Den Mushi. On the other end were the Five Elders.

"You may speak now, Doflamingo."

The voice that came from the other end was calm, but carried a trace of anger. "What on earth are you playing at?!"

"All right, all right, I'll tell the truth."

Doflamingo looked as though he had no choice. "It's not that I couldn't stop those guys. I was forced to retreat for the time being."

"Byrnndi World and the guy with a bounty of seven hundred million didn't even make a move. The woman from the Lunarian Tribe alone was already more than I could handle."

"She's a Mythical Zoan user who can turn into a red dragon similar to Kaido. My attacks didn't work on her at all. If I'd stayed any longer in that situation, I would've died there, so I had no choice but to retreat for the time being."

"I only came back after some time had passed. After all, the government wouldn't have let me off if I hadn't come back. Then I ran into Zephyr and the others."

That was what Doflamingo said. "As for why I didn't tell the government sooner, how could I bring myself to admit something so embarrassing?"

Damn, he's good at making things up.

And it all sounds so reasonable, too.

"Then why did you go inside the facility?"

Zephyr sneered.

"Obviously, to make sure they had left."

Doflamingo answered smoothly.

"Wait, what's this about a red dragon?"

Naito asked, feigning shock. "That woman didn't show any powers last time!"

"How the hell would I know?"

Doflamingo snorted. "Anyway, apart from the color, her powers were exactly the same as Kaido's."

"As for that-"

Caesar Clown, who was also listening in, spoke up at just the right moment. "Years ago, Vegapunk made a copy of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, using Kaido's Lineage Factor. But he said it was a failure, so he sealed it away..."

This is a great chance to make that bastard Vegapunk look bad!

"What?"

The Five Elders were immediately shocked. "That fruit? Could it actually have been a success? What is Vegapunk playing at?!"

Caesar immediately laughed to himself.

That's right, that's right!

Punish that bastard Vegapunk severely, just like that!

"I've said everything I had to say."

Doflamingo snorted. "Five Elders, I came here as you requested, and this Marine brat attacked me anyway. So tell me, how are you going to handle this?"

"Don't be stupid, Doflamingo."

The Five Elders paid his complaint no mind. "You brought this on yourself! You'd better not let us catch you up to anything."

Doflamingo curled his lip.

"Wait, Five Elders."

Zephyr realized something. "Are you saying that because you haven't caught Doflamingo up to anything, you're just going to let this go?"

"Or you could present evidence, Zephyr."

"..."

Zephyr clenched his fists.

The other Marines didn't look pleased either, and smoke was rising from Akainu's fists.

Even a fool could see that Doflamingo had stayed on Punk Hazard with ill intentions, but they really didn't have any evidence.

"If you have no evidence, then be quiet."

The Five Elders' voice was indifferent.

"Tch."

Doflamingo was actually somewhat annoyed too.

The Marines were dissatisfied, and so was he.

He hadn't gotten anything out of this trip, and he'd taken two beatings for nothing.

But when he saw Naito's drooping eyelids and expressionless face, Doflamingo felt a little better.

"Fuffuffuffu, brat, judging by your face, you're not happy about this."