104 Lingering Grudges (3)

The back hills of Marineford remained as familiar as ever.

A solitary figure had been standing there since the previous night. As dawn broke, the first rays of golden light pierced the horizon, illuminating the entire sky.

Desolate, even haggard, Zephyr had stood alone for a long time. He could still vaguely recall how excited Xuanye had been when he first asked to become his apprentice. He remembered the scene of their first training session here, when he taught the boy the Six Powers; he remembered how resilient and hardworking he had been.

But why? Why did he have to die?

"Golden Lion..." Looking toward the break of dawn, Zephyr’s calm face contorted, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

It was because of Golden Lion that his home had been destroyed. Back at the house, his wife was washing her face with tears, his son had lost his vitality, and even the monkey had withered away. All of this was at the hands of Golden Lion.

"I will kill you!" Gritting his teeth, Zephyr crushed the ground beneath his feet, causing it to collapse, before he vanished from the spot.

However, Zephyr was unaware that, at that very moment, a violent riot was erupting at the Naval Academy.

"Squeak... I’ll kill you!" A golden figure—the monkey, appearing with three heads and six arms, blood dripping from its lips—was desperately charging toward a pool of magma.

"Brother Monkey... don't worry about us, run!" Behind it, two hundred marines were battered and bruised; some were already on the verge of death and would surely perish without medical attention.

"You beast. 'Great Eruption'." Terrifying magma erupted, turning the entire ground a dark, scorched red.

"Boom!" With fists blackened by Armament Haki and fur bristling, the monkey bared its teeth, wishing it could devour Akainu alive.

"Swish..." The air flashed as the monkey vanished, sweeping out a kick.

"Beast, to think you’ve stolen the techniques of the Navy, and you even possess Haki—you must die!" With a grim and sinister expression, Akainu, who had long despised these people, decided he would destroy them all today. As for the consequences, he no longer cared.

Those who were already dead had no utility; only the living were worth valuing.

"Bang..." Amidst the swirling smoke, the monkey utilized its three-headed, six-armed form to strike at Akainu from all sides, as if it were three separate fighters.

"Hmph... compared to your master, that dead bird, you are far inferior! A beast is always just a beast." With a look of disdain and eyes full of murder, Akainu unleashed a surge of magma that flooded the area like a tidal wave.

"Magma: Heaven and Earth Collapse."

A massive, dark red fist, coated in the obsidian hue of Haki, struck the monkey’s fist like a giant hammer.

"Get out of here!" A cataclysmic shockwave erupted from Akainu’s hand. In an instant, the monkey vomited blood and was sent flying backward.

"You beast. Even that dead bird would be injured by this move, let alone a creature like you."

Watching the blood-stained monkey collapse to the ground, Akainu looked on with contempt, magma rolling off his body.

"All of you, go keep that dead bird company! 'Great Eruption'." Magma sprayed everywhere as a massive molten fist tore through the air, surging toward the monkey and the two hundred marines behind it.

"Squeak... damn it, it's all my fault. If only I had listened to Xuanye and practiced properly, I wouldn't be this powerless today!" Filled with resentment, the monkey showed a human-like expression of regret.

Truth be told, ever since it started following Xuanye, the monkey had rarely trained. Whenever it had free time, it was lazy and gluttonous. Living at Zephyr’s house had been even worse—it had been pampered with fine food and wine, becoming as sluggish as a tortoise.

At the eleventh hour, a cold, chilling figure appeared beside the monkey. Looking up, he gazed emotionlessly at the massive magma fist rushing toward them.

"Ice Age."

A chill filled the air as white mist rose toward the sky. In an instant, the temperature plummeted. The incoming magma froze at a speed visible to the naked eye, until it was nothing more than a lifelike ice sculpture.

"Aokiji, are you trying to stop me?" Akainu’s face darkened as he stared with burning rage at Aokiji, who stood before the monkey and the others.

"Akainu, you’ve gone too far. Night once said that if anything happened to him, I would take full responsibility for his subordinates. So, from now on, they are under my command." With a pale face, Aokiji stared directly at Akainu.

"Move aside! This trash of the Navy must die!" Akainu roared, stepping forward as magma cascaded from his body.

"I said, from now on, they are my subordinates. I will not have you, Akainu, disciplining my people." Aokiji’s expression turned icy; he narrowed his eyes and lowered his arms, sending a bone-chilling frost across the ground.

"Are you going to move or not?" Akainu asked, his face grim.

"Akainu, don't think that just because Xuanye is gone, there is no one left to keep you in check. It seems my usual laziness has made you think I’m a man without a temper. Fine, today, let me see exactly what you’re capable of."

Aokiji took a step forward, a frigid mist swirling around him. It was clear he was determined to protect these people—not for any complex reason, but simply because they were his friend's subordinates.

"Pacas, take the monkey and the others and leave. Go find Admiral Zephyr."

"Thank you, Vice Admiral Aokiji." Behind him, Pacas, his chest scorched black, helped the monkey up. Along with the two hundred marines, they leaned on one another, stumbling away into the distance.

"Where do you think you're going!" Akainu’s face twisted in fury, and his figure vanished from the ground.

"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak."

The temperature plummeted as cold air billowed. Aokiji intercepted Akainu, his right hand forming an icy bird with wings spread wide, freezing everything in its path.

"Aokiji, get out of the way!" Magma sprayed everywhere as Akainu’s right fist expanded, a torrent of molten rock erupting from it.

"Akainu, you had better start thinking about how you are going to face Admiral Zephyr’s wrath!" Aokiji said with disdain, feeling a deep sense of disgust for Akainu.

He wasn't wrong. Zephyr would undoubtedly be furious. Whether it was Xuanye or the monkey, they held a place in Zephyr’s home equal to his own children; both Zephyr and his wife treated the monkey as their own.

If Zephyr discovered the monkey had been gravely wounded by Akainu—and that Xuanye’s men had been harmed yet again—one could only imagine the fury Akainu would face.

"Hmph..." Akainu snorted, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes. He knew well that if he didn't finish these people off completely, Zephyr would surely kill him. Only by ensuring they were dead could he hope that Fleet Admiral Sengoku would spare him out of concern for the future of the Navy.

Living people were always more useful than the dead. Besides, given time, Akainu believed he could become the next Zephyr, or even a hero like Garp.

In his position, he played the political game. From Sengoku’s perspective, having another supreme combatant like Admiral Zephyr only boosted the Navy’s prestige and allowed for more effective suppression of pirates.

Therefore, if Pacas and the others were truly dead, Akainu would likely receive only a severe reprimand. His life would not only be spared, but Sengoku and the others would do everything in their power to protect him.

Who could say Akainu lacked a brain?

From the moment he struck, Akainu had already calculated the outcome. Most importantly, these two hundred marines would have been at least at the rank of Major in any other base; if he was going to kill them, he had to leave no survivors.

But all of this hinged on their deaths, and now, Aokiji was blocking his path. That was why Akainu was so anxious, and even hesitant.

"Great Eruption Volcano."

"Ice Line."

"Boom..." Heat rose to the sky while cold air plummeted; the entire scene became a clash of ice and fire, and the ground beneath them collapsed instantly.

They were evenly matched. Although Akainu had won by a hair in their recent duels, it was impossible for either of them to emerge victorious without fighting for a day and a night. The result was already set.

Akainu roared, but he could only watch helplessly as Pacas and the others escaped. Finally, after one last heavy collision with Aokiji, he chose to withdraw. There was no point in continuing this.

"Hmph..." Giving Aokiji a dark look, Akainu turned and vanished into the horizon.