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[RNZO] Ch 301: Akainu— The First to Agree
🕑 Added 2025-06-22 16:19:10 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Sengoku's face darkened the moment he heard it. "You? … You actually know that person's name? And even the truth about Uranus? How could that be possible?"
That information was top secret—so classified that even as a former Fleet Admiral, it was nearly out of his reach.
Granted, Garp knew a little because of his special status.
"Imu and Uranus?"
Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki clearly had no idea what this was all about. Their expressions shifted slightly. As expected, the World Government wasn't as simple as it seemed.
"There's nothing impossible about it."
Renzo smiled and shook his head. "To me, Imu and Uranus aren't anything special. With my power and abilities, digging up that kind of intel is a piece of cake."
"Alright! Enough small talk. What's your answer?"
"Or… do you guys still want to try your luck against me? Warning, I may kill one of you this time."
As he said this, his gaze swept over Sengoku, Kuzan, Borsalino, and Garp—before finally landing on Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Tsuru instantly tensed. Her eyes shifted, then she dramatically plopped down on the ground and began rubbing her shoulder, putting on an innocent face. "Oof, my shoulder's killing me! Surely you're not thinking of laying a hand on a poor old woman in her seventies, are you?"
"If you want to fight, go pick on those big guys and wrinkly old men!"
If she could still use her Devil Fruit, she might've struggled a bit. But now? Forget it.
Didn't even Garp's fist crack earlier?
Not to mention Sengoku and Kuzan—they didn't fare any better.
Her hand-to-hand skills weren't bad, but age had caught up to her. She couldn't even go toe-to-toe with a seasoned Vice Admiral anymore, let alone a monster like Renzo.
"Uhh…"
Seeing her like this, Sengoku and the others all had the same thought: Are you serious?
It was one thing to surrender. But did she really have to throw the rest of them under the bus like that?
They'd all experienced Renzo's terrifying strength firsthand, and none of them were eager to take another hit.
That speed and power—there was no way to fight back.
They didn't even have access to their Devil Fruit powers right now.
"Hahaha!"
Garp crossed his arms and laughed heartily. "See? That's why I've always said Tsuru's the smart one. Sengoku! Since we can't beat the kid and he clearly knows what's going on, what's the harm in hearing him out?"
"Garp! You—!"
Sengoku's expression turned even darker.
"What? Something wrong?"
Garp casually picked at his nose. "Come on, we've all had enough of the Celestial Dragons. And now we've got a chance to do something about it. Why not take it?"
"Or what? Has being the World Government's lapdog for so long rotted away your sense of justice?"
That last line hit hard—and it wasn't subtle.
Sengoku's face turned black with anger. He glared at Garp. "You're the damn lapdog! I just… I just can't afford to lose. I'm a Fleet Admiral! I'm responsible for every marine who still believes in true justice!"
Then he turned to Renzo, locking eyes with him. "Kid. Are you absolutely sure you can beat Imu and Uranus? If you fail, all of us will be dragged into the disaster that follows."
"Relax!"
Renzo waved his hand with a carefree grin. "You think I'd do something I wasn't confident about? I value my life too, y'know."
"And seriously, don't act like I'm dragging you into some noble suicide mission. I'm not asking any of you to join me."
"I just came to give you all a heads-up, that's all."
"Huh?" Sengoku and the others blinked, clearly confused.
If he didn't want them to help, then what was the point of everything he'd said earlier?
Renzo shrugged. "Like I said—just giving you a warning. And I'm hoping you'll do some prep work behind the scenes."
"Because once I take down the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, the seas are going to descend into chaos."
"You might even receive orders to support the Government and end up fighting me."
"That's why I came to talk first—so we're not caught on opposite sides without knowing."
"When this is over, I need you guys to keep things under control."
"I've already coordinated with the Revolutionary Army. They're handling the North and East Blue."
"As for you marines, your job will be to maintain order in the South and West Blue, and the first half of the Grand Line. Got a problem with that?"
Sengoku and the others paused, taking it all in.
So that's what this is really about…
After a brief silence, Sengoku frowned. "Let's leave aside whether you'll succeed or not. Say you do win—what then? What about the New World?"
"If they find out you wiped out the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, they're not going to sit back. They'll cause chaos while the world's still reeling. That's the real threat."
"Think about it—how many true powerhouses are even left in the Four Blues or the first half of the Grand Line?"
Renzo grinned. "Yeah… that part? Don't worry about it."
"As for the Five Emperor—Uchiha Madara? He's just one of my clones."
"And behind the scenes, I've already reached an agreement with Whitebeard and Shanks. Once I make my move, they'll step in to pin down Kaido and Big Mom."
"In fact, they'll help me take both of them out. That should keep the New World under control, at least for the time being."
"So yeah—don't worry about the rest. I've already thought it all through."
Did they really think he'd been sitting around for years doing nothing?
"Wait, what? Madara's just… your clone?!"
Kuzan and the others were stunned. That was insane.
Madara was arguably the strongest of the Five Emperors. Even Whitebeard had lost to him.
And yet Renzo was saying he wasn't even real?
Suddenly, they felt like they'd been looking at the world through a straw this whole time.
"So when you fought Whitebeard and Shanks those two times… you were already making deals with them behind the scenes, weren't you?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at Renzo, eyes sharp.
Those battles were years ago.
If that was true, then his plan had been in motion for a long, long time.
"That's right."
Renzo nodded without hesitation. "Back then, I realized the two of them were more like adventurers than pirates. The kind of people you could win over. So I planted the seeds early on—and now, it's time to reap."
Tsuru and the others couldn't help but marvel.
So he'd been planning to take down the Celestial Dragons and the World Government all along…
"No more stalling," Renzo said, urging them along. "Give me an answer. You've already been away from Marineford too long—if you drag this out, something might go wrong back there."
The longer they hesitate, the more unpredictable things become.
"Cough… I'm in."
A rough voice broke the silence.
To everyone's surprise, Akainu—who'd quietly pulled his head out of the dirt at some point—stood up, fists clenched, and made the first move.
Even though he was clearly still pissed from being knocked out earlier, and his glare toward Renzo was far from friendly, his answer was firm.
After all, Renzo wasn't asking them to fight. Just to help keep the seas stable while he did the dirty work. Akainu could get behind that.
Did people seriously think he was happy playing lapdog to the Celestial Dragons and the World Government?
The truth was, his hatred for them ran just as deep—maybe even deeper—than Garp's.
Years of swallowing his pride and bottling up that fury… yeah, he had plenty of reasons to say yes.
"Oh?" Renzo raised a brow, a bit surprised. "Didn't expect that from you. I thought you'd be the first to object."
"Hmph." Akainu scoffed and looked away. "Why would I? It's not like we Marines are losing anything in this deal. I've had it with the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders. If you can really bring them down… I'll be celebrating."
"Haha!"
Garp burst out laughing. "Exactly! Those scumbags are long overdue for a beatdown! The Five Elders, too! If I'd had the power back then, I'd have smashed their heads in myself—if only I could've taken them on all at once. And don't get me started on that bastard Imu…"
At that, Kuzan finally nodded as well. "If it's just like you said… then I'm on board."
"Same here," Borsalino chimed in lazily, like a man who just wanted to go lie down somewhere.
'No way I'm fighting that guy again. That hurt like hell.'
'And no Devil Fruits either? That's just plain cruel.'
"Hmm..."
"If all we're doing is quietly keeping the peace in the first half of the Grand Line and the two Seas, then I've got no objections," Sengoku added after some thought, giving a serious nod.
"As for this old woman," Tsuru smiled, "I've got no problem with any of it. Sounds like a good thing to me. But, young man… are you really sure about this?"
Her tone carried a trace of concern.
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.
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