It was indeed too fast.
Forget Akainu; even Kuzan, after snapping out of his shock, couldn't help but feel a twitch in the corner of his eye. He had been specifically guarding the nearby waters for the past two days and had rushed over the moment something went wrong with Master Zephyr.
But his Captain?
Shane had supposedly been in closed-door cultivation on Wano—which was located deep in the New World—yet he had arrived almost at the exact same time as Kuzan? Of course, that wasn't even the most terrifying part.
The most terrifying part was...
Kuzan's gaze shifted to the gruesome, headless corpse on the ground, his Adam's apple bobbing.
One kick. With just one kick, he had instantly killed a Marine Admiral.
"A-la, Captain..." Kuzan swallowed hard with difficulty. "Did you... did you have another breakthrough?"
"Yeah, this seclusion yielded a few small gains," Shane replied flatly. He turned his gaze toward the critically injured Zephyr and the unconscious Ain, Binz, and the others, speaking in a low voice: "Mansherry, wake up. It's your turn."
"Don't worry, I've been awake the whole time, Lord Shane!" A crisp voice rang out from atop Shane's head.
Eh?
Kuzan watched in surprise as a tiny Tontatta girl in a small pink dress popped out from Shane's hair. It was Princess Mansherry, the Heal-Heal Fruit user from Dressrosa, a territory under Shane's banner.
While passing over Dressrosa, Shane had spotted the little one accompanying Rebecca to Bell-mère's place for a meal. Considering there might be mass casualties at the Neo Marines headquarters, Shane had simply scooped her up and brought her along.
"Honestly, Lord Shane, you fly way too fast! I was terrified of falling off the whole way; I cried so many tears from the fright!" Mansherry complained casually.
But those tears were exactly what she needed; she had carefully collected them in her hands. Now, they were perfect for the task. Mansherry leapt lightly from Shane's shoulder, scurried over to Zephyr, and nimbly dripped the "Tears of Healing" onto his wounds.
The effect was instantaneous.
The moment the crystal-clear tears touched the wounds, Zephyr's hideous burns began to heal at a pace visible to the naked eye. His pale face gradually regained its colour.
"Cough, cough... This, this is?" Zephyr felt the surge of vitality within him and widened his eyes in disbelief.
Mansherry didn't offer much explanation, quickly running over to the unconscious Ain and Binz to repeat the process. Soon, both opened their eyes, and their breathing stabilised. Initially dazed, they noticed Kuzan and Shane standing before them and widened their eyes in pleasant surprise—only to each receive a punch from Mansherry, making them cry out in pain.
"Enough! Time is pressing, stop standing there looking stupid! Hurry up, there are many others outside who need treatment! You two know the layout, lead me to them!" Mansherry urged, then added a reminder:
"The tears I have now might not be enough later. When that happens, just give me a punch like I did to you to make it hurt—that way I'll have more tears to use!"
"Eh? Hit you?"
"Oh, stop talking and just lead the way!"
Dazed, the two were led away, following Mansherry toward other areas of the battlefield to treat the wounded Neo Marines. Watching their retreating backs, Kuzan let out a "tsk."
What an interesting little girl. This was his first time meeting Mansherry. It turned out that besides Chopper and Law, Curtain Call had such an incredible little doctor in their ranks.
"Cough, cough."
Zephyr was finally able to stand. He had heard Kuzan's words during the standoff with Akainu. He smiled with relief and patted Kuzan's shoulder. Without saying much, he turned to Shane and bowed deeply.
"Lord Shane, thank you and Curtain Call for your assistance. Otherwise, the Neo Marines would not have escaped total annihilation. I shall never forget this kindness."
"It's part of the job. Though we haven't met formally, we are allies with shared ideals. Helping each other is only natural," Shane said with a wave of his hand. "Besides, weren't you targeted by the Marines because you intended to clear a path for Curtain Call?"
Clear a path? Zephyr smiled bitterly. His bold words about blowing up Marineford still echoed in his ears, but his progress had ultimately been too slow. In the end, he had been ambushed by the Marines. The Dyna Stones he had worked so hard to amass were stolen, nearly making him an accomplice in the destruction of Curtain Call and the world's hope.
Fortunately, Shane had arrived in time. A true blessing. Zephyr glanced at Akainu in the distance, took a deep breath to suppress his rage, and said to Shane:
"Then I shall leave this to you, Lord. I must catch up with those two children; they don't have the strength to clean up this mess on their own."
After all, the Marines' raid had utilised elite forces. Besides Akainu and Ryokugyu, there were several elite Vice Admirals from Headquarters on the warships. Otherwise, the Neo Marines, who held a vast numerical advantage, wouldn't have been defeated so quickly.
"Don't worry about that. Just stay here," Shane said, lightly pressing a hand on Zephyr's shoulder with a smile. "Mansherry is enough for the wounded. As for the other Marines..."
His gaze swept past Akainu toward the vaguely visible Marine figures in the distance, and his eyes turned cold.
Vroom!
A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from his body, expanding in all directions!
"This is..." Zephyr was momentarily stunned.
In the next instant—Thud! Thud! Thud!
Across the massive war fortress, from north to south, west to east, every Marine soldier collapsed like wheat before a scythe. Even those Vice Admirals only held on for a second or two through sheer will before their eyes rolled back and they fell one by one. The entire battlefield fell completely silent.
"There," Shane nodded, looking at the dumbfounded Zephyr with a slight smile. "Now, there's no need to worry about Mansherry and the others being in danger. They can do their healing. As for you, old man, just stay here and wait for Akainu to apologise to you."
Gulp.
Zephyr and Kuzan swallowed simultaneously. This... this was the level Conqueror's Haki could reach? Just releasing pressure from a distance was so terrifying that even veteran Marine Vice Admirals couldn't withstand it and fainted instantly... Forget Roger or Rocks; in the entire history of the Great Age of Pirates, when had there ever been such a precedent?!
"Apologise?!"
Akainu, who had been breaking out in a cold sweat and remaining silent with narrowed eyes, finally let out a savage, enraged roar upon hearing those words. "Stop dreaming! Brat Shane, your strength is indeed formidable, but where do you get the confidence to think you can make me admit I'm wrong!"
As a Marine Admiral, a top-tier powerhouse standing at the peak of the seas... he could be defeated! He could even die a glorious death right here! But to make him yield?
Absolutely impossible!
Sizzle!
With that roar, the magma on Akainu's arms surged again, his aura exploding as he prepared for a life-and-death struggle.
"Come then, brat!" Akainu stepped forward, his gaze murderous. "One-on-one or all three of you together, it doesn't matter! I'll take you all on! There is no retreat! I am a Marine Admiral, I carry Absolute Justice! Even if I die in battle, I will never bow to rebels like you who plunge the world into chaos!"
"Stop lying to yourself." Shane's gaze turned icy as he reached out his right hand. "If you could be this stubborn in front of the Celestial Dragons, and if you could uphold your justice there, I might actually respect you. But in the end, you're just a dog who flatters those above while bullying those below. Don't you find it pathetic to act for me here?"
As he spoke, he brought his five fingers together into a palm, and then...
"As for not bowing to admit your wrongs? Hmph. Since I've said it, it's no longer up to you."
He slammed his hand downward!
BOOM!
Black and red lightning suddenly exploded, erupting with Shane as the epicentre. The entire sky was instantly dyed a dark crimson.
Conqueror's Haki—Full Release!
"This..." Zephyr and Kuzan felt the terrifying pressure sweeping past them. They instinctively looked at each other, seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
They were wrong. Dead wrong! They had actually thought the previous display was the limit of Shane's Haki! Compared to this, the shockwave that had just knocked out the entire Marine force was like child's play... The two were not even in the same league!
If even they could feel it so clearly, then Akainu, who was directly receiving the brunt of the pressure...
Kuzan and Zephyr both looked across.
"Ugh... damn it..." Akainu's muscles were taut, veins bulging. His arms were pressed firmly against the ground as the deck beneath him warped and groaned under the crushing weight.
Clearly, Akainu realised immediately what Shane was trying to do. This bastard brat! Who did he think Sakazuki was?! To try and force him to kneel using nothing but the pressure of Conqueror's Haki!
"You've got to be joking!" Akainu grit his teeth, putting everything he had into trying to straighten his back, even as blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth.
But against a true force of nature, all effort was futile. He could only watch with bloodshot eyes as his knees, under that terrifying pressure, bent inch by inch.
CRACK!
Accompanied by the crisp sound of breaking bone, Akainu's knees finally slammed heavily onto the ground, smashing two deep pits into the deck.
"No... impossible..." Akainu's eyes were bloodshot. He pressed his forehead against the ground with all his might, his arms trembling as he tried to push himself up. But the invisible pressure was like a ten-thousand-ton burden, making his spine groan under the strain.
"See? What did I tell you? Your head actually goes down quite easily." The familiar figure in the black cloak walked over step by step, speaking in that hateful, condescending gaze and that familiar, mocking, cold tone.
Damn it! Damn it all! The bloodvessels in Akainu's eyes grew denser, veins on his temples throbbing. He was about to shatter his teeth from clenching them so hard. He was so close—within a distance where one punch could blow the other's head off—and yet, he couldn't even lift a single finger!
"Bowing is for admitting wrongs. Now, we can begin the next step. Kowtow, Sakazuki." That loathsome, calm voice rang out again.
And in that instant, the pressure intensified abruptly.
THUD!
As if the words were law, Akainu's head was slammed violently against the deck. He hit the wood—which had been hardened by Armament Haki at some point—so hard it left a dent. Blood seeped from his forehead, flowing down his cheeks, causing his vision to blur for a moment.
I... I actually kowtowed?
"This first one is for Zephyr," the calm voice continued. "He was your instructor and a true Marine who upheld justice. Just because he refused to collude with the Celestial Dragons, you were willing to strike him down. He nearly died at your hands."
Zephyr stared blankly at the scene. The Marine Admiral who had been filled with killing intent and had driven him to despair moments ago was now kneeling before him in such a humiliating posture, delivering a kowtow loud enough for the seagulls in the sky to hear. Zephyr sighed with a complex gaze, then quickly shook his head and grinned. He pulled a cigar from his coat, lit it, and took a long drag.
THUD!
Just as the cigar smoke began to drift, a second dull thud echoed. Akainu's head was once again slammed into the deck by the Conqueror's pressure. His forehead was a bloody mess, and blood splattered further.
"This second one is for the fallen soldiers of the Neo Marines," Shane said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the burning ruins. "The old days are ending, and the dawn is coming. They should have had bright futures, but because of dogs like you who aren't fit to be called human, they were buried in a sea of fire."
"SHANE!" Under the stimulus of the pain, Akainu finally regained his clarity. Extreme humiliation and rage distorted his features, and a beast-like low growl erupted from his throat: "I'll kill you... I'll kill you! I'll definitely kill you! SHANE!!!"
THUD!
The response was a third strike, harder and faster than the others! This time the force was exceptionally heavy. Akainu's entire face slammed into the deck; he spat out a large amount of blood as several teeth snapped and flew out.
"This final one is for me, whom you nearly snuffed out back then. For Robin. And for the thousands upon thousands of civilians who died in vain because of you."
When Akainu was pulled up again by the invisible force, his face was covered in blood, his nose collapsed, and his features unrecognizable. But his eyes remained fixed on Shane, filled with icy malice and resentment.
Shame... Shame!! SHAME!!! When had he ever experienced this? When had he ever knelt and kowtowed to an enemy? To a proud powerhouse, such a deep humiliation was more painful—no, a thousand, ten thousand times more unacceptable—than being killed!
"The kowtows are done. The apology is finished. Now." Shane approached Akainu, slowly crouching down to look him directly in the bloodshot eyes. "You can die in peace."
The Conqueror's pressure dissipated. Akainu felt his whole body relax. Without a moment's hesitation, he let out a savage roar and lunged!
"DIE, BRAT!!!"
The long-suppressed magma erupted in a blinding red light. This strike carried unprecedented killing intent and every ounce of his power—it was undoubtedly the strongest blow he had ever delivered in his life!
"Great Eruption!"
The punch was as fast as lightning and delivered at point-blank range. Before Zephyr and Kuzan could even call out a warning, the crimson magma was already at the tip of Shane's nose.
Chirp.
A soft sound. Shane simply raised his right hand and tapped his index finger lightly forward. That slender finger pressed against Akainu's forehead, preventing him from moving forward even a fraction.
The sea breeze blew. Time seemed to freeze. Akainu's savage expression locked because he discovered with horror that all the strength in his body was rapidly receding—as if it had encountered some terrifying natural predator and was being forced back inside his body. Even more terrifying, the Magma-Magma Fruit ability he was so proud of could not be activated at all!
"T-This... how is this possible?!" Akainu's pupils contracted violently, cold sweat breaking out on his brow. He could clearly feel a terrifying aura emanating from Shane's seemingly ordinary finger that made his hair stand on end.
"I told you, didn't I?" Shane looked at him calmly. "You can die now."
With that, he lightly flicked his finger.
Pop.
A soft sound, like a bubble bursting. In the next moment—
BOOM!!!
Akainu's entire body suddenly shattered, turning into countless tiny points of light that dissipated into the air. There was no blood, no scream. It was as if he had been completely erased from this dimension at a cellular level, leaving not even a speck of ash behind.