"Tch, the Marines are here again," Enel was the first to spot them.
But since he'd never seen Akainu before, he had no idea who was coming.
Kaku, on the other hand, had seen Akainu's face in the newspaper a few times, even if never in person.
"That… that's Admiral Sakazuki?" Kaku took out a small telescope and looked towards the approaching marine ships, immediately recognizing the Admiral leading them.
Hearing this, Enel couldn't help but hesitate, "An Admiral? Another one?"
"Akainu is not someone to take lightly," Kaku put down the telescope and looked at Takumi. "Captain, are we fighting or retreating?"
Before Takumi could respond, Judge shouted, "No! You can't just leave us like this! If you run away, the Marines will definitely turn their attention towards the Germa Kingdom! We helped you modify your ship; even if we didn't do it perfectly, we put in a lot of hard work! You promised to help us deal with any Marine trouble, so you can't just abandon us now!"
"Our captain did say that during the modification period, we'd handle any Marines who came," Kaku smirked slightly. "But now that the ship's modified, that time has passed. Our captain has no obligation to help you anymore. Isn't Germa's technological prowess supposed to be formidable? We definitely believe you can find a way out of this on your own."
Judge: "!"
Enel couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Yahahaha, Long-nose, you're ruthless!"
Kaku shrugged, "I'm just telling it as it is."
"Set sail," Takumi decided, unwilling to waste any more energy. Although Akainu's appearance was most likely aimed at him, Takumi had no interest in wasting time fighting Akainu.
With the order given, Enel quickly controlled the ship, ready to leave.
However, Akainu, seeing their intentions, didn't hesitate. He turned his right arm into molten lava and extended it swiftly, launching a "Hellhound" attack straight at Takumi's ship.
Takumi glanced at Akainu's direction nonchalantly, noticing the massive, steaming red fist coming his way. Without hesitation, he drew Lake Toya and unleashed a "Divine Departure," sending countless Haki-infused sword slashes back towards Akainu.
As the Haki-infused sword energy clashed with Akainu's lava arm, a piercing crackling sound echoed. Akainu's lava arm was instantly sliced into countless pieces, fragments dropping into the sea below within seconds.
"This guy…" Akainu stared at his intact right arm, narrowly avoiding injury. This time, unlike in Alabasta, he was prepared, so Takumi had only destroyed his elementalized extension.
After a moment of silence, Akainu turned to see Takumi's ship already far in the distance, and his expression darkened. "Damn it! After them!"
"Yes, Admiral Akainu!"
The Marines pushed their ships to the fastest possible speed to chase after Takumi's vessel. However, no matter how fast the Marine ships were, they couldn't catch up. The distance grew wider, and Akainu's frustration mounted. As they passed by the Germa fleet, he ordered, "Arrest everyone from Germa and take them back to headquarters!"
---
**Aboard Takumi's Ship**
Enel and Kaku were practically in hysterics.
"These Marines are so pathetic," Enel laughed. "Are Admirals really this weak nowadays? Can't even handle one of Takumi's sword slashes."
"It's not that Admirals are weak," Kaku chimed in, "It's that our captain is just too strong."
Takumi: "..."
These two seemed to be getting more and more in sync—even though he hadn't actually hurt Akainu, their flattery was off the charts.
"But, really, this ship is incredible," Enel couldn't help but praise again. "I only need to use a third of the power I used to control the old ship, and the normal speed is at least three times faster. There's no way those clunky Marine ships can catch us now, hahaha."
Kaku added, "Speed aside, this ship's durability is also impressive. Standard cannons wouldn't even make a dent. Now, when we spar on deck, we won't have to worry about breaking the ship. Plus, each cabin has been renovated, doubling the original space. I even outfitted everyone's rooms with customized, modern furniture. There's also a new training room and recreation area, and the kitchen's been expanded. Most importantly, we added some new defensive and offensive weapons. We probably won't need them, but it's good to have them just in case."
"Not bad," Enel grinned, turning to Takumi with a bit of excitement. "Where to next, Captain? This is our second time in the North Blue, but we didn't explore much last time. Should we tour the North Blue, then head to the East, South, and West Blues?"
Takumi smirked slightly, pointing in a direction. "We're heading to Sabaody."
"Huh?" Enel and Kaku both exclaimed.
"Captain, wait," Kaku asked, a bit puzzled, "We just came from the Grand Line to the North Blue a month ago, and we've spent this month just waiting on Germa's ship. We haven't even explored the North Blue, and now we're heading back to the Grand Line already?"
Takumi nodded indifferently.
"What are you doing? Going in circles?" Enel complained. "What's the point of coming to the North Blue then? Just to modify the ship?"
"That's right! That's definitely it!" Kaku suddenly had an epiphany. "The captain must have known Germa's location all along. Our purpose in the North Blue was just to get them to modify the ship. But even if it's modified, why Sabaody? We already went there. Did something happen to Rayleigh or Shakky? But if something did, how would you know, Captain? I remember you don't carry a Den Den Mushi. The only one we have for contacting Red-Haired Shanks is with me—"
"Something's fishy," Enel said, narrowing his eyes at Takumi. "Takumi, are you—"
Before he could finish, Takumi stepped forward and punched Enel, sending him flying.
With a loud "bang," Enel hit the ship's reinforced metal wall.
The wall remained unscathed, while Enel slid down, landing awkwardly on the deck.
"We're going to buy coating materials," Takumi said, "Next stop: Fish-Man Island."
*******End of Germa Kingdom Arc******
____________________________
I am posting on Patreon now! If you want access to more advanced chapters, up to chapter 350+, you can visit my Patreon at patreon.com/Emik01, where you can also find my other fanfiction.
___________________________