Far off in the sky, Doflamingo, who had already flown away, hovered in midair.
He was in a call with Kaido, the Beast King from the New World.
After hearing what had transpired, Kaido cursed under his breath, irritated.
"What a shame. Such a good Devil Fruit, wasted," Kaido muttered, clearly upset over the lost opportunity.
"There's still hope. Gion was cornered by Akainu. She's most likely dead by now, and once she dies, the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit will reappear," Doflamingo tried to calm the furious Kaido.
On the other end of the line, Doflamingo heard the loud gulps of Kaido downing alcohol.
"Joker, the moment that Devil Fruit reappears, you'd better find it immediately. Or else… you've seriously disappointed me this time."
The infamous Doflamingo, feared across the seas, fell silent in the face of Kaido's rage.
After Kaido hung up, Doflamingo sighed in frustration, then continued to drink.
Kaido, still brooding, stared at the bounty posters laid out in front of him.
His eyes lingered on Kuke's poster for a moment, and a mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Trying to play the big game without the strength to back it up? You're asking for death."
His gaze then drifted to Gion's bounty poster.
"If she manages to escape, that'd be ideal. Then I'd have a chance to recruit her into my crew."
On Sabaody Archipelago, due to its proximity to the Grand Line, they were the first to receive news from across the sea.
Major newspapers had begun to report on Kuke's appearance and his attempt to steal the Devil Fruit, along with the revelation that Admiral Akainu had arrived on the scene.
Shakky, who had been reading the news, froze in disbelief.
"Why? Kuke clearly knew it was a Navy trap. Why did he still go?"
Rayleigh, sitting nearby, frowned deeply. "Kuke's in trouble now."
The might of Admiral Akainu was well-known.
And given how far away they were, there was no way they could offer help.
"He has to escape," Shakky murmured, worried for her captain.
Rayleigh shook his head.
Escaping from Akainu was no easy feat. In fact, it was nearly impossible.
Across the seas, those who received the news all believed Kuke was as good as dead.
That sentiment spread quickly.
But just hours later, a shocking reversal was published in the latest edition of the newspapers.
"He actually got away?" Kaido, who had been drinking heavily, suddenly bolted upright, eyes wide with astonishment.
Excited, he stood up. "Good! That's great!"
He didn't care much about Kuke's life.
What really interested him was the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit.
"Lucky bastard, managing to escape from that mad dog Akainu," Kaido said, and immediately called for his subordinates.
"Spread the word! Let Gion know the Beasts Pirates will always welcome her. Rather than following a weakling like Kuke, she'd be better off joining my crew," Kaido commanded.
Queen, one of Kaido's top officers, blinked in surprise. "Governor Kaido, do you think she'll come? The papers are saying Kuke defeated Akainu, and he's at the height of his fame right now. If we put this message out, it might provoke the Sun and Moon Pirates."
Kaido scoffed. "That kid defeated Akainu? What a joke! You really think I'd lose to a brat like that?"
Kaido wasn't afraid of provoking anyone.
"If she doesn't come, we'll just capture her once they enter the New World and force her to join us."
Kaido chuckled, clearly in a good mood.
As rumors of Kuke's death spread across the seas, his followers had already started holding memorials in his honor.
But the sudden turn of events had them cheering.
"He's alive?"
Those mourning Kuke hurriedly doused their bonfires and put away the funeral offerings.
"Hahaha, the Navy and the World Government have completely humiliated themselves! They lost both the Devil Fruit and their target!"
"The Navy's practically handing over Mythical Zoan fruits to Kuke. What generosity!"
"I'd love to see Akainu's face right about now."
"Honestly, in the last few decades, has the Navy and the World Government ever embarrassed themselves as much as they have in these last two months?"
The pirates, in particular, couldn't stop laughing at the government's repeated blunders.
Back at Mariejois, Akainu and Tokikake trudged into the Holy Land with their heads hung low.
The Five Elders and Sengoku had already heard the full story.
But seeing the two returning in such a miserable state ignited an uncontrollable rage in the Elders.
"Failures!" one of the Five Elders roared. "This was supposed to be guaranteed success! Where are they? Where is the Devil Fruit? How dare you even show your faces here?"
Tokikake's head was buried so low it was almost touching the ground.
Akainu's face alternated between shades of red and pale white.
Taking a deep breath, Akainu stepped forward and said, "I accept full responsibility. I'm willing to accept any punishment, even demotion."
"There's no need to suggest it. You've already been demoted to Rear Admiral."
If not for the fact that the Navy and the World Government needed Akainu's strength, the Five Elders would have thrown him into Impel Down without a second thought.
"Rear Admiral?"
Akainu's lips twitched.
He couldn't even form words.
After spending decades rising to the rank of Admiral, it was all undone in a matter of months.
Sengoku remained silent, not daring to speak up on Akainu's behalf. He himself had been reprimanded by the Five Elders countless times in recent weeks.
The Navy had become the laughingstock of the seas.
"Why aren't any of you speaking? Now what? The World Government has become a joke! And Kuke—how are we supposed to catch him?" the Five Elders shouted in frustration.
Sengoku, his back straight, answered, "It will be much harder now. Gion has gained the powers of a Mythical Zoan, and Kuke has grown even stronger. He also has that mysterious defense ability. The Sun and Moon Pirates are rapidly gaining momentum. Taking them down won't be easy, and it won't happen quickly."
Even as the Five Elders' expressions darkened further, Sengoku knew he had to tell the truth.
Their best chance was already gone. The difficulty of capturing Kuke had now doubled.
"If we allow them to keep growing, they'll become more dangerous than any pirate crew on the seas," one of the Elders muttered, rubbing his temples at the thought of Kuke's potential.
Kuke, combined with Gion, would be an unstoppable force. Each of them was destined to become a future Emperor of the Sea. Two Emperors on one ship—it was a nightmare scenario.
Sengoku remained silent.
There was nothing more to say.
"Let's wait and see if Kuke reveals any weaknesses," Sengoku suggested, advising caution. "Without a solid plan, it's better not to act. We can't afford another failure."
But the Five Elders were too impatient for that.
"We have a solution."
Sengoku shuddered internally. Not again. Their track record was already bad enough, but their arrogance never seemed to wane.
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P.S.: This story was never completed, and I want to finish it. If you'd like to help me financially so I have the time to translate it as fast as possible, you can join me on my Patreon at Patreon. com / Emik01 and you can read up to chapter 45.
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