Shanks lifted his hand holding Gryphon and waved at Takumi, completely ignoring the magma dog that was rapidly closing in on him from behind.
As Shanks got closer to Takumi, Takumi noticed that Shanks' left arm was covered in blood, clearly indicating a severe injury.
No wonder this guy was greeting him with the hand holding his sword...
In Takumi's memory, Shanks was destined to lose an arm saving Luffy. But because Takumi had already dealt with the Sea King near Foosha Village, he had inadvertently changed Shanks' fate of losing an arm.
But seeing the current situation, could it be that Shanks was still fated to lose his arm?
Before Takumi could think further, the bottle of wine that he had given to Shanks earlier slid out from Shanks' chest pocket.
Seeing this, Shanks immediately sheathed Gryphon and reached out to catch the bottle.
Originally, he could have made it to Takumi before the magma dog caught up with him. But because of this move, his speed slowed down, allowing the magma dog to close in faster.
Takumi watched Shanks in disbelief.
What is this idiot doing...?
Risking his life for a bottle of wine?
Just as the magma dog was about to bite down on Shanks' neck, Takumi drew the Sandai Kitetsu without hesitation, executing a Divine Departure slash.
In the instant Shanks caught the bottle of wine and was about to be bitten by the magma dog, countless haki-infused sword slashes swept past him from both sides, shattering the magma dog and even slicing off a significant portion of Akainu's magma arm that was connected to it.
Although Shanks didn't see Takumi's strike, he felt an incredibly familiar sensation.
Was that... Divine Departure?
Shanks stared blankly at Takumi, who was calmly sheathing his Kitetsu.
Meanwhile, Akainu stepped back, his face contorted in pain.
His arm reverted to its normal form, but it was covered in numerous deep sword cuts, with some even cutting to the bone. His entire right arm quickly became drenched in blood, just like Shanks' left arm.
Who on earth is that kid?
Akainu glared at Takumi with a furious expression.
Takumi pressed down on his hat and said in a cold tone, "Let's go."
With that, he turned and walked toward a nearby alley.
Shanks quickly snapped out of his daze, stuffed the bottle back into his pocket, and hurried after Takumi.
Akainu was about to chase after them when his subordinates rushed over, each of them bearing injuries.
When they saw Akainu's bleeding right arm, they were stunned.
"Admiral, are you alright?"
"Did Red-Haired Shanks injure you? Where's the medic? Hurry, treat the Admiral!"
Akainu looked at them, his brows furrowing even more. "What happened to you all? Where's the Flame-Flame Fruit?"
"It was... stolen…"
"What?" Akainu's face darkened even more. "You useless fools, you couldn't even guard one item? Was it the Donquixote Family?"
"N-no, it was a masked man. His techniques were strange, and we couldn't figure out who he was…"
Akainu was livid.
The marines fell silent, afraid of making him angrier by saying anything more.
By then, Takumi and Shanks had already vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Akainu said through gritted teeth, "Give me the Transponder Snail!"
"Yes, sir." A marine quickly handed over the Transponder Snail used to contact headquarters, presenting it to Akainu with both hands.
Akainu snatched the snail and dialed.
The call connected quickly, and the first sound he heard was a crisp crunch.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was casually snacking on senbei with Garp and Aokiji, who had just returned from a mission.
When the Transponder Snail rang, Sengoku glanced at it, saw that the call was from Akainu, and answered, munching on his snack. "Oh, Sakazuki, how's it going in Alabasta? Did you secure the Flame-Flame Fruit?"
Akainu: "…"
Shrouded in a dark aura that threatened to explode at any moment, Akainu coldly replied, "I failed."
"Huh? You failed?" Sengoku was taken aback. "How could you fail? Did you not have enough money to win the auction, or was it stolen?"
"It was stolen," Akainu answered bluntly before Sengoku could ask more questions. "I encountered Red-Haired Shanks and members of the Donquixote Family in Alabasta."
"What? Both Red-Haired and the Donquixote Family were after the Flame-Flame Fruit too?" Sengoku was shocked. "I understand Doflamingo; his crew would stop at nothing to get a valuable Devil Fruit. But Shanks shouldn't be interested in Devil Fruits. Why would he be in Yuba? So who ended up with the Flame-Flame Fruit? Was it the Donquixote Family?"
"No, it was taken by a masked man."
"Huh? And you let it get stolen with you there…"
"I was chasing Shanks at the time and didn't focus on the Flame-Flame Fruit…"
Sengoku was speechless. "And Shanks? Did you catch him?"
"No…" The mere thought of this made Akainu even angrier.
Sengoku sighed. "You know how strong Shanks is. He's not an easy man to capture. If he got away, he got away. Since the mission failed, you should return quickly; there's still a lot of work to do at headquarters…"
Before Sengoku could finish, Akainu cut him off, his face grim as he continued, "I nearly killed Shanks, but he was saved by a kid. I need the headquarters to identify this kid immediately."
"A kid?" Sengoku was confused.
Akainu continued, "He carried two swords, one wooden and one the Kitetsu, and a gourd. He's about ten years old."
"Ten years old?" Sengoku was stunned. "Sakazuki, are you sure a ten-year-old could save Shanks from you?"
Hearing Sengoku mention a ten-year-old, Garp and Aokiji suddenly perked up.
Akainu's expression grew darker. "I'm sure. And his swordsmanship closely resembles Roger's Divine Departure."
Sengoku was even more shocked. "Divine Departure? A ten-year-old capable of using Divine Departure? Are you certain you didn't see it wrong?"
"Absolutely certain!" Akainu insisted. "There's no mistake. We must identify this kid before he fully matures. Otherwise, he will become a threat that could shake the world. That's all."
With that, Akainu ended the call.
Sengoku put down the Transponder Snail, looking troubled.
Noticing Garp and Aokiji's curious looks, Sengoku said, "Akainu just reported that a ten-year-old kid who can use Divine Departure saved Shanks right under his nose. This child could become a threat that shakes the world. This is a headache. How are we supposed to identify this child with so little information…"
"Is this kid you're talking about carrying a gourd and a wooden sword?" Garp asked with a grin.
Aokiji added, "During the incident at Loguetown, someone mentioned seeing him leave with an extra sword. So now he probably carries two swords."
"Oh, so that's it." Garp nodded in understanding.
Sengoku's eye twitched, a wry smile forming. "Who are you two talking about?"
Garp scratched his head, giving Sengoku a puzzled look. "Takumi, of course. Didn't you know?"
Sengoku's eye twitched even more. "No one told me about this person. How would I know?"
"Huh? What's going on?" Garp turned to Aokiji, asking, "I thought you told Sengoku, so I didn't mention it again."
Aokiji lazily replied, "Don't look at me. You were the first to meet him. I assumed you had already informed the headquarters…"
******
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