"This is impossible!"
At Marine Headquarters, Zephyr was shouting in fury. He'd been part of that mission.
But Zephyr had fared the worst among them—while Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru had all faced Kuke directly, with Akainu taking a severe injury, Zephyr had barely stepped onto the scene before he was struck down. Half his body was gone, and he had spent over two months unconscious, surviving only through becoming a cyborg, leaving him neither fully human nor ghost. Zephyr had become a mockery.
At least Kuke was supposed to be dead. It gave Zephyr some measure of solace.
But now, Kuke was alive.
It was no longer just a mockery; Zephyr now felt like a complete fool.
Nearby, Ain and other cadets watched their instructor with a mix of terror and concern.
…
As everyone processed the shock, struggling to believe what they were seeing, one fact became undeniable:
Kuke was alive.
And with that, pitying, derisive glances turned toward the Navy.
Many sneered inwardly at the Navy's blunder. Such a monumental error would surely go down as one of the greatest embarrassments in history.
Pirates across the world erupted in celebration.
Seeing the Navy stumble so spectacularly was enough to make a pirate's life feel complete.
The dust finally settled.
cough, cough…
Sengoku was kneeling, coughing up blood as the ground before him grew stained with bloody froth from his injured organs. Wiping his mouth, he managed to stand.
As he looked at Kuke, his hardened face twisted with rage. "Why? Why are you still alive? How are you still alive?"
Sengoku couldn't believe Akainu and the others would lie in their reports. It was inconceivable that the three Admirals, along with Zephyr, would have lied to him about Kuke's survival. There had to be a mistake somewhere.
Kuke countered calmly, "I never once said I was dead. So why would you assume I was?"
Sengoku paused, baffled. It was a contradiction, yet strangely made sense.
Gritting his teeth, Sengoku's mind raced as he surveyed his surroundings, evaluating the situation.
He noticed Kuke was dragging someone limp by his side.
His pupils contracted.
Was that Chaton?
"Oh, do you want him?" Kuke noticed Sengoku's glance and casually tossed the unconscious Chaton high into the air, flinging him toward Sengoku.
Sengoku's eyes lit up.
Chaton was one of the Navy's rising stars, especially valuable after Gion's defection left him as the only standout of his generation. He'd already become a pivotal figure for the Navy.
He could feel that Chaton was still breathing, still alive.
But a moment later, Sengoku's fleeting hope shattered.
Right before his eyes, Chaton was struck by a flying slash, splitting him in two. Blood splattered onto Sengoku, who stood motionless in shock.
He was dead.
"You—!" Rage welled up in Sengoku, and he spat out blood, his hand trembling as he pointed at Kuke.
He wanted to curse him, but he restrained himself, knowing it would only make him appear even more pitiful. Begging his enemy for mercy was already the ultimate humiliation.
Chaton was dead.
His death shocked everyone present, even the Seven Warlords, who flinched as they looked on, startled. This was one of the Navy's elite, killed right before the Fleet Admiral's eyes.
Even the typically bold Doflamingo shrank back slightly, unnerved by the fearsome atmosphere.
Sengoku forced himself not to look at Chaton's body. His gaze scanned the area again, noticing the bloodied body of Chief of Staff Tsuru lying nearby.
"Tsuru?"
No movement.
Was she dead? Or unconscious?
Sengoku didn't have the luxury to find out. His heart grew cold as he realized he was now almost entirely on his own.
He looked around.
Surrounding him were twenty naval warships, thousands of marines, and around ten vice admirals.
But none of them provided any comfort.
For here, even vice admirals were helpless. Vice Admiral Yamakaji had perished instantly in the previous explosion, his remains obliterated.
They were simply too weak.
Even Sengoku himself, though still alive, was gravely injured.
This was the worst injury he'd ever suffered.
"Reinforcements from Marine Headquarters will take about two hours, and assistance from Mary Geoise will need at least four hours. That means I need to hold out for at least two hours."
Two hours.
Normally, two hours was just an average midday nap, enough time to finish some paperwork.
Even a skirmish with Whitebeard would only warm up in two hours.
But now, those two hours felt like an eternity.
Wounded and exhausted, Sengoku wasn't confident he could last.
"I absolutely cannot die here." Only one thought remained in his mind.
He had to survive.
A Fleet Admiral dying publicly at the hands of pirates would forever stain the Navy's name.
From the day the Navy was established, no such disgrace had ever occurred.
Sengoku dreaded to imagine the repercussions for the Navy and the World Government if he fell here.
Chaos reigned in both Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters.
"Deploy reinforcements immediately! Move quickly! Send Commander Kong himself if needed; Sengoku's life must be secured. He cannot die at the hands of a pirate!"
The frenzied voices of the Gorosei echoed through Mary Geoise, enraged beyond measure at Marine Headquarters.
If they could, they'd punish every high-ranking officer, furious that Kuke, whom they claimed was dead, was alive.
They cursed them as worthless.
But no matter what, Sengoku couldn't die at Kuke's hands.
At Marine Headquarters, countless marines scrambled to find Aokiji and Garp, who were supposed to be enjoying a quiet day on the beach.
It took the marines more than ten minutes to locate them.
A wave of frustration swept over them as they found the two basking in the sun, oblivious to the situation. If not for their ranks, some might have slapped sense into them.
"Admiral Kuzan, Vice Admiral Garp, it's terrible! Kuke is attacking Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
They hadn't even reached the beach yet when their panicked shouts reached Aokiji and Garp.
"Huh?"
Aokiji and Garp glanced at each other in disbelief.
Who was this fool spreading nonsense? Since when did the Navy accept lunatics?
Neither of them paid it any mind and lay back down to continue their nap.
The idea of Kuke killing Sengoku seemed more ridiculous than a combined assault on Mary Geoise by the Yonko.
Was today April Fool's Day?
"Wake up! It's true! Kuke is alive! He's leading the Sun and Moon Pirates in an attack on Sabaody Archipelago and has cornered Admiral Sengoku!"
A mass of marines surrounded Aokiji and Garp, shouting too loud for them to ignore.
Annoyed, they lifted their eye masks, looking at the frantic marines, sensing they weren't joking.
Garp swallowed nervously, asking carefully, "Are you sure?"
"You're not pranking us?"
"Positive."
Aokiji and Garp exchanged glances.
And felt utterly dumbfounded.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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Power stone for extra chapter