Hū lā la!
Raging waves crashed against the shoreline, the roar of the surf deafening. Gazing at the ring of dangerous, turbulent currents surrounding Laugh Tale, Akainu's expression gradually grew solemn.
"Laugh Tale…"
Once a Marine, who could have imagined that he would one day come to this place?
Bang!
A wave slammed into the side of the ship, causing the battleship to rock violently.
Akainu reined in his wandering thoughts and gave the order:
"Disembark!"
"Yes, sir!"
The messenger immediately ran off to relay the Fleet Admiral's command.
Gē zhī… gē zhī…
At the same time, accompanied by the sound of grinding gears, the chains connected to the vacant harpoon cannon at the front of the battleship tightened, dragging a Poseidon out of the water.
How to drive a Poseidon to Laugh Tale?
For that objective, Akainu had made extensive preparations.
The ferocious harpoon cannon pierced through the pipa bone, then spread open barbed iron claws that hooked into Poseidon's body. No matter how violently she struggled, her weakened body, already eroded by the virus, was unable to break free.
Looking at the familiar desert ahead, a trace of fear flashed through Poseidon's eyes as she understood their plan.
"No!!"
"I will never go back, if you've got the guts, kill me!"
"Hmph. Using someone else's body to shout threats, what kind of skill is that?"
Akainu snorted coldly. "If your real body were here, I'd gladly grant your wish."
With that, he personally fetched Seastone chains, jumped onto her body, and began binding her.
Before long, the Poseidon was wrapped up like a mummy. The chains attached to the harpoon cannon snapped free from behind, hurling her heavily onto the beach.
"Keep a close watch on her. Set off!"
At the Laugh Tale ruins, before the massive stone monument, Dante seemed to sense something and turned his head, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"They're here."
"..."
The others looked in the direction he was facing, but all they saw was endless yellow sand.
Soon, however, a thin black line appeared at the edge of their vision.
"That is…"
Usopp lowered his scope and focused. Cold sweat immediately poured down his face.
"It's the Marine Fleet Admiral, Akainu!"
"What?!"
Akainu's reputation instantly shocked the Straw Hats. After all, he was the infamous hardliner of the Marines, his "Absolute Justice" was never just an empty slogan.
"So you really intend to keep us here, don't you?" Zoro's face darkened, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he asked.
"Relax. Lord Soryu (Azure Dragon)'s orders only included dealing with the Poseidon…" Dante yawned, glanced at the silent "Jinbe" beside him, and shrugged.
"As for you guys, he has no interest whatsoever."
"But he also didn't order Akainu not to attack us, right?" Nami rubbed her forehead and added.
In response, Dante maintained a polite smile.
"What do we do, Captain?" Sanji smacked his lips in annoyance and asked.
A Marine Fleet Admiral Akainu, plus the "Marine Ghost Sword" Quinn Dante, along with more than a thousand heavily built elite Marines, should they fight?
"Hehehe, we're pirates, Sanji. Do you even need to ask what we should do?" Luffy jumped up from the rock he'd been sitting on and pumped his arms.
"Guys, run away!"
"I knew it…" Sanji sighed helplessly.
"Huh?! Σ(⊙▽⊙'a! Are the Marines trying to arrest us?!"
"Cut the crap, Chopper, run, now!"
With that, Zoro tucked the still-confused Chopper under one arm and bolted away.
"Yohohoho, this really does feel more comfortable! Marines, bye-bye!"
"These brats…"
After crossing a sand dune, Akainu stared grimly at the fleeing Straw Hats and let out a cold snort.
What the Straw Hats didn't know was that this distance was still within the firing range of Marine individual electromagnetic cannons. But Akainu hesitated for a moment and ultimately chose not to act.
"Forget it."
Turning sharply, Akainu barked an order: "What are you standing around for? Chase them!"
So… capture them alive?
The soldiers were momentarily stunned, then waved their weapons and charged forward, howling. Up ahead, the Straw Hats noticed this and immediately picked up the pace even more.
As the soldiers and the Straw Hats ran farther and farther away, Akainu led the Poseidon toward the massive stone monument.
Glancing at Jinbe beside him, Akainu frowned slightly. "Princess Shirahoshi?"
"Jinbe" turned back at the words. When he clearly saw the Poseidon beside Akainu, a few traces of emotion finally appeared in those lifeless eyes. He nodded with sorrow on his face.
"Yes… it's me."
Seeing the once-famous "Sea Hero" reduced to this state sent a chill through Akainu.
He then looked at Dante. "What's next? Didn't you say that as long as she got close to Laugh Tale, her soul would be pulled in?"
"That was only a deduction based on existing phenomena. Clearly, Lord Soryu (Azure Dragon) guessed wrong."
Dante shook his head, then smiled. "But it doesn't matter, Fleet Admiral. Look, hasn't there already been a reaction at this distance?"
Akainu turned around. Sure enough, the Poseidon's eyes had rolled back, her entire body convulsing nonstop like someone having a seizure.
The seal targeted only her. But since she was currently hiding within Shirahoshi's body and constrained by that body, her soul was unable to escape on its own.
Clang!
Dante drew his sword. A wicked, filthy, chilling aura spread from the blade's tip, making Akainu frown.
"This sword…"
"The infamous monstrous blade Seven Star Sword, the 'Flame Blade' Blazing Concubine, and my former sword Clear Spring, smelted and reforged together. For killing people, nothing could be more suitable."
Dante followed the Moonlike Stream Killing Sword style, and the Moonlike Stream Murdering Sword possessed the ability to influence the mind. Combined with the special properties of the Seven Star Sword and Blazing Concubine, although the effect was somewhat weakened, its quality was in no way inferior to a Saijō Ō Wazamono.
"Is that so? Then I'll leave it to you."
Akainu nodded and turned to summon the medical team.
At the same time, an almost inaudible scraping sound rang out behind him. A flash of sword light skimmed past the Poseidon's neck, so faint that without close inspection, no wound could be seen at all.
But for what they needed to do, this was already enough.
Bang!
In an instant, a terrifying aura spilled outward.
The Poseidon's pupils stopped trembling, turning completely crimson.
Wuu, wuu,
A mournful wind began to howl. A hazy gray shadow seeped out from the wound on her neck. At some point, dark clouds had gathered in the sky, and together with faint, indistinct screams, it made one's skin crawl.
The gray shadow "struggled" as it flowed out of the wound, then, under some unknown force, was pulled toward the stone monument.
Stretched taut between the two, the shadow revealed the Poseidon's resistance. Dante grinned with satisfaction.
"Do you know what this sword of mine is called?"
As he spoke, Dante raised the oversized nodachi again, the hilt alone was over twenty centimeters long, and brought it down with force.
"Blade name: Soul Sever!"
Chi…!
The sword light flashed again, but this time the target was the gray shadow. The sharp edge cut halfway into it before swiftly retracting.
"Hiss…!"
The Poseidon never imagined that Dante's sword could directly harm the soul. The chilling screams in the air instantly intensified, and the shadow hastened its movement, plunging into the stone monument.
Thud!
At the same time, "Shirahoshi" collapsed unconscious. A pure white sphere of soul-light floated up from Jinbe's body and, drawn by its true form, slowly drifted closer.
Dante held his sword horizontally. As if sensing the threat, the soul sphere whooshed and vanished into the body in the blink of an eye.
After finishing all this, Dante nodded in satisfaction and asked,
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No… it's just that you feel a bit out of sync with the rest of us."
Akainu's eyelid twitched. Casting a wary glance at the sword at Dante's waist, he turned away.
"Medics, hurry up and save her!"
It was only a small wound. With a mermaid's physique, there was still hope.
After that, he lifted his gaze toward the direction of the Grand Line's first half and clenched his fist.
"The rest… is up to you!"
Dante followed his line of sight, stopping on Mountain Ancestor's faintly visible massive silhouette. The corner of his mouth lifted.
"He won't lose."
"He didn't in the past, he won't now, and he definitely won't in the future!"
"Let's hope… so."
(End of Chapter)
This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395