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Chapter 176: Same Level as the Four Emperors
🕑 Added 2025-09-07 12:02:04 +0000 UTCChapter 176: Same Level as the Four Emperors
G-1 Branch.
This was the highest-numbered G-branch, and also the strongest and most well-equipped branch in the New World.
The G-5 and G-14 branches only had two Headquarters Vice Admirals each, and they had to leave one behind to guard the base, so they could only send one Vice Admiral to lead the fleet.
And G-1?
They had a full five Vice Admirals!
This time, they had sent out three large standard warships and five medium-sized ones, led by three Vice Admirals, to blockade the northern sea.
And in the lead was the current commander of the G-1 branch, a veteran Headquarters Vice Admiral, Momonga.
At this moment.
"The vice-captain of the Curtain Call Pirates, 'Gale Swordswoman' Kuina?"
Momonga stood at the bow of the flagship, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his stern gaze sweeping over the high-ponytail young woman who was striding through the air. He frowned. "Although you're a great pirate with a bounty of over 700 million Berries, to think that you can stop the entire G-1 branch fleet on your own, isn't that a little too arrogant!"
"Arrogant or not, you'll know after you take one of my slashes, won't you?"
Kuina said, her face impassive. She pushed the hilt of her sword with her thumb, and the Wado Ichimonji was suddenly drawn, a cold light flashing.
"Hmph! Don't look down on us, pirate!"
Before Momonga could respond, a burly, mustachioed Vice Admiral behind him roared, also drawing his sword, and he leaped from the deck, charging toward Kuina like a cannonball. "Let me test your strength first!"
"Don't be rash!"
Momonga quickly shouted, but it was too late.
SWISH—!
A flash of a sword, as white as snow. The mustachioed Vice Admiral had not even reached his full height when a slash of sword energy, wrapped in a raging wind, cut across his chest!
SLASH!
Blood sprayed. The Vice Admiral, although he had coated himself in Armament Haki in time, his flesh was still torn open. He grunted and fell back onto the deck, knocking over several Marine soldiers.
"Vice Admiral Stainless!" the surrounding Marine soldiers cried out, rushing to help him up.
Hearing that name, Kuina's expression changed slightly.
"What did they call you?"
she said, her eyes cold, her blade pointing at the Vice Admiral on the deck. "Stainless?"
"What, do you know me?"
Stainless clutched his chest and stood up, looking at Kuina's face suspiciously. He sneered. "But I don't remember ever meeting you before."
"..."
Kuina narrowed her eyes, silent for a few seconds, and then she shook her head, her expression impassive. "It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that you will die here today."
Hmm?
She suddenly frowned and, as if she had sensed something, she didn't even look and suddenly slashed behind her to the right.
VWOOM!
The sword energy whistled, and the last G-1 Vice Admiral, who had been launching a surprise attack from another warship, his face changed drastically. He crossed his fists and barely managed to block the blow, but he was still sent crashing onto the deck, coughing up a large mouthful of blood.
This one's appearance was even more unique than Stainless'.
His right arm was a modified steam-powered mechanical arm, his head was bald, and his face was ugly, with six chins, the fat layered on top of each other.
He was clearly not young, and he seemed to be a veteran Vice Admiral, but at this moment, he looked up, his face full of shock.
"Whoa, so strong…"
he said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth and staring at Kuina in the air. "This girl's swordsmanship… is much stronger than the intel said!"
"This is not the time to be surprised! Red King!"
Momonga, who was at the front, finally drew his sword, his blade coated in a thick, pure black Haki. He said in a low voice, "And you, Stainless! You have no chance on your own! You two have to work with me! Do you understand?!"
The other two Vice Admirals, attacking alone, had both been taken down with a single slash.
What terrifying strength!
But thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. After all, in the recent Sabaody incident, she had single-handedly held off the Admiral candidate, Gion, for over an hour.
"Understood!"
The other two Vice Admirals responded in unison, and the three of them used Moonwalk to ascend into the air, surrounding Kuina in a triangular formation, with Momonga as the main attacker, and Red King and Stainless providing support.
Three against one?
Kuina's expression was unchanged. She tightened her grip on the Wado Ichimonji.
At this moment, all around her, the sound of white "Justice" coats flapping in the wind brought back a memory.
Back on Thor Island, when she had faced the Headquarters Vice Admiral, Dalmatian, she had struggled. She had needed Nojiko to provide a distraction just to keep from being at a disadvantage.
And now, times had changed.
These veteran Headquarters Vice Admirals, seeing that they were no match for her, had to team up and gang up on her.
She couldn't help but let out a small smile.
This is just what I was hoping for!
SWISH!
The high-ponytail young woman's figure suddenly vanished. When she reappeared, she was in front of Momonga.
Sweeping Blade!
Under the stunned gazes of the three Headquarters Vice Admirals, Kuina's sword traced a perfect, circular arc, and in an instant, it had slashed at all three of them!
…
Meanwhile, to the southwest.
The fleet that was responsible for the encirclement was the G-5 branch, a fleet consisting of one large standard warship and two smaller ones, much less imposing than the G-1 branch.
A thick smoke filled the air. Smoker, in his elementalized form, had charged through a dense barrage of Armament Haki-coated cannonballs and had landed on the deck of the flagship.
And behind him, Robin had also used the cover of the smoke to land on the ground, the wings that had sprouted from her back dissolving into flower petals.
"There are several Rear Admiral-ranked ones,"
she said, looking around with a smile. "I can handle them. As for that rather scary-looking Vice Admiral, he seems to be the base commander. I don't think I'm a match for him. I'll leave him to you, Smoker."
"Ah, don't worry,"
Smoker said, a cigar between his teeth. He brushed the gunpowder from his jitte and then looked up at the man who was walking toward him.
"The Defector, Smoker. Once a promising student of Mr. Z, he was awarded the rank of Headquarters Captain at a young age, right out of the training camp,"
the man with the sunglasses and the buzz cut said impassively. "That's a career that many would envy. I was once jealous of you… and yet, you chose the path of a traitor. What a shame."
"What are you blabbering about!"
Smoker blew a puff of smoke and took a step forward, annoyed. "If you're going to stand on your high horse and talk down to me, at least take the piece of fish cake and the chopsticks out of your mouth first! Are all the Marines like you now?! You're a disgrace!"
"Ah, thank you,"
Vergo said, gently wiping his mouth. "It seems you still have some conscience left. But since we've met, I can't just stand by. As for the reason…"
He drew his bamboo staff and suddenly swung it at him!
"…I'm sorry, I'm a Marine."
CLANG!
Smoker blocked with his jitte, and a sharp, metallic sound rang out. In the smoke of his cigar, the two of them sized each other up.
"Hmph,"
Smoker sneered again.
He didn't know why, but when he saw this guy, he just felt annoyed, as if he had been bullied and beaten up by him in a dream… but he had no memory of it.
Who cares!
Since he's in charge of the G-5 branch, then this guy is not getting past me!
…
…
In the center of the battlefield, after sliding for a thousand meters on the surface of the magma, Akainu finally came to a stop.
He was half-kneeling on the molten rock, breathing heavily, a searing pain in his chest.
He looked down and saw that on the left side of his chest, there was a massive crater, the size of a cannonball.
Here, there had once been an elaborate tattoo, a complex pattern of black clouds and blooming cherry blossoms, that had stretched from his heart to his shoulder and arm.
To him, it had a special, commemorative meaning.
And now…
Akainu's face was grim. He tried to activate his Life Return.
It didn't heal at all. Without a doubt, this would be another permanent scar, and the most conspicuous one.
The tattoo was also completely ruined…
Akainu's face darkened even further.
Across from him, Shane, who had taken Akainu's "Dark Hound" head-on, had also been sent flying back several hundred meters before he could steady himself.
A large gash had been torn in his chest, the edges of the wound scorched black, and in the center was a gruesome, bloody hole, as if a chunk of his flesh had been torn out.
But unlike Akainu, after consuming a negligible amount of stamina, it began to heal at a visible rate.
So, after only a glance, he looked up, unconcerned.
And his gaze met Akainu's, which was like that of a predator.
"Why are you so angry? Oh, the tattoo is gone,"
Shane said, his gaze sweeping over him, a grin on his face. "Isn't that a good thing? Otherwise, you look like a yakuza gangster. It's not very becoming of your so-called 'justice image,' is it?"
Such a big scar!
Wow, you could fit a Chopper in there. I didn't even expect that.
Speaking of which, back on Thor Island, the Spear of Elbaf he had used had been after he had used a Senzu Bean to restore himself to his peak condition, and he had gone all out, catching Akainu by surprise, and he had only managed to inflict a minor injury.
And now, after his physical strength had greatly improved, and he had combined it with the Conqueror's Haki Infusion, the power of his Ikoku was clearly on a completely different level!
"Don't you dare speak with such arrogance! A mere pirate has no right to judge the two words of justice!"
Akainu slowly stood up, his arms once again covered in magma. As the magma churned, his aura surged, and he roared, "What, you think you've defeated me with a blow like that?! You're still a long way off!"
SWISH!
Before he could finish his sentence, Akainu's figure had suddenly vanished.
In the next moment, he was above Shane, his right fist transformed into a giant magma fist, and with a destructive force, it came crashing down.
"Great Eruption!"
The speed and power were almost no different from the beginning. There was no sign of him slowing down or weakening.
This was completely different from what he had felt when he had fought Rayleigh.
"So this is a powerhouse who is still in their prime?"
Shane looked up, and his vision was instantly filled with a brilliant, fiery red. But he was completely unconcerned. He laughed heartily, and all of his Haki instantly gathered in his right fist, and black and red lightning crackled.
"After taking such a heavy blow, you just get right back up like nothing happened. You're terrifying! Then let's continue! Let's see whose fist is harder!"
The two fists crashed together again, and a terrifying shockwave swept out in all directions, and the magma sea was thrown into a frenzy, and the clouds in the sky were scattered.
RUMBLE—!
With a violent explosion, the two figures were sent flying at the same time, but they quickly steadied themselves and charged at each other again.
"BRAT SHANE!!!"
"SAKAZUKI!!!"
The two of them roared at almost the same time!
————
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Morning.
A ray of sunlight streamed through the window, and a gentle breeze blew. It should have been a pleasant day.
However…
In the office with the "Justice Shall Reign Supreme" plaque, Sengoku slammed his fist on his desk.
THUMP!
The pen holder, the documents, and the inkwell were all sent flying. The loud noise made the few clerks in the room lower their heads in fear. Only the goat was, as usual, calm, slowly chewing on something.
"What did you say?! What did you say?!"
Sengoku's face was ashen. "That guy Sakazuki, he mobilized the forces of three branches to go and wipe out Shane without even informing Headquarters?!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral,"
the adjutant in front of him said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He had rarely seen the Fleet Admiral with such an expression. "It was an emergency. Mr. Sakazuki had no choice. But please, rest assured. Three branches, a total of five large warships, five Vice Admirals. Aside from the firepower, the scale is almost that of a Buster Call. It should be enough to take…"
"Enough my ass!"
Sengoku almost grabbed a chair and threw it, but he managed to restrain himself. He paced back and forth, his hands behind his back, gritting his teeth. "What do you mean, 'no choice'?! He couldn't even find the time to inform Headquarters?! Sakazuki… that bastard! What gives him the confidence?! How dare he be so reckless!"
"The current Shane, the current Curtain Call Pirates, are not on a level that can be taken down by a single Admiral! Doesn't he understand that?!"
The Fleet Admiral… he thinks that highly of that Shane?
The adjutant was stunned.
He was an admirer of Akainu. In this world, all pirates, except for the Four Emperors, he didn't think there was anyone that Mr. Sakazuki couldn't defeat.
"That's right,"
sitting on the sofa was the Chief of Staff of Headquarters, Tsuru. She seemed to have read the adjutant's mind and sighed, her voice soft. "I know that many of you young people don't think much of the old generation who have left the stage, like that Rayleigh who was defeated by Shane… but don't forget, Borsalino also went after him alone, twice, and he still couldn't take him down."
That was true, but Mr. Sakazuki was, after all, a little stronger than that Admiral Kizaru, wasn't he?
The adjutant was still not convinced, but he didn't dare to refute Tsuru.
"So, you may not know, but after this bounty increase, a few of us old-timers have been discussing whether to give him the same level of treatment as the Four Emperors,"
Tsuru continued. "That is, in the future, unless there is a special order from the Holy Land, even an Admiral, without a resolution from Headquarters, is not to attack the Curtain Call Pirates. Otherwise, if the operation fails, it is the reputation of the entire Marines that will be damaged."
"Kuzan, you're listening too, right?"
she said, looking at the Transponder Snail on the desk. "You must remember this. Among the three of you now, you're the only one who hasn't met Shane alone yet. So I have to give you a special reminder."
Err…
The Transponder Snail narrowed its eyes, smacked its lips, and made a gesture of scratching its hair, but in the end, it held its tongue and said nothing.
